01/21/2019
Christ is Risen! On this great feast of the Resurrection of Christ our lips and ears are full of the Name of Jesus Christ the Resurrected Lord, and a radiant joy raises our hearts to where the Risen One stands-where in the beginning was the Word, and the W ord was with God, and the Word was God (John l:1) To see the Lord is a joy beyond all comparison, and one granted in our day only to the angels in Heaven. During the life of our Lord on earth, however, the hearts of His disciples were filled with this joy when in the divine words and the miracles wrought by the Savior they beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father (John 4); and all the multitude rejoiced for all the glorious things that were done by Him (Luke 13:17). The Resurrected Lord Himself desired the day of His Resurrection to be a day of joy for us. The Myrrhbearers who came to the Tomb and learned of the Resurrection of the Lord departed quickly from the tomb with fear and great joy, and ran to bring His disciples word. And as they went to tell His disciples, behold. Jesus met them, saying, "Rejoice!" (Matt. 28:8.9), and the disciples were glad when they saw the Lord John 20:20). And they rejoiced when Christ, the Bringer of the Holy Spirit. came to them through a locked door, having assumed power over Heaven and earth, and having brought to earth the Kingdom of Heaven whose closeness He preached It is not given us to see the Lord with our physical eyes as His disciples saw Him, but our joy is nonetheless great, for when the Lord let Thomas both see and touch Him, He praised those who do not demand to see Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have beliered (John 20:29) We believe in the Resurrected Lord without having seen Him, and that is why our joy is no mere passing delight. The Apostle Peter speaks of the true joy of those who have not seen but who believe: Jesus Christ, whom having not seen you love. Though now you do not see Him, yet believing. you rejoice with joy inexpressible and full of glory (1 Pet. 1:8) However, the Church does not deprive us of the possibility of seeing the Lord and even speaks of the reality of such visions. When she sings:Having beheld the Resurrection of Christ, let us worship the Holy Lord Jesus...." she means, of course, a spiritual vision, when the ina contemplates the hidden kingdom of grace with the illuminede heart-Blessed are the pure in heart. for they shall see God (Matt. Bi The Apostle Paul prays for the faithful: that the God of our Lord Christ, the Father of glory, may give to you the spirit of wisdo revelation in the knowledge of Him, the eyes of your underston being enlightened (Eph. 1:17-18). The gift of spiritual vision come through prayer, and the Lord Himself gave us the ways and me achieve this vision: He who has My commandments and keeps the he who loves Me. And he who loves Me will be loved by My Father, and will love him and manifest Myself to him (John 14:21). By manifest in imself invisibly, but actually and truly to the pure in heart. He brin day that does not set them peace and an ineffable joy, Hisinner light of grace and the daw Let us then keep and observe God's commandments, loving Him wit vital and active love, and our Father in Heaven will love us and th Jesus Christ will manifest Himself to us On the day when she celebrates His glorious Resurrection, the Holy church tell us of the divine and saving greatness and heavenly glory of the Resurrected Word of God, and our souls are raised up from this earth-higher sun and the stars. St. John sees the Son of God in the Church addresses us with the words of St. John the Evangelist whi even than the mystery of His pre-eternal birth, telling us of the beginning of all begirn nings, the Word, Which is spoken and begotten in eternity by the One Eternal Father of the Word, and Which has given rise to all other things. It contains the life and the source of all living things, and this life was, is and always will be a light for all men This Light shone for man in Paradise and was not completely hidden on earth, was not quenched by idolatry, showing itself at night in the law of Moses and at dawn in the Prophets. And finally, like the sun and the day, the Word Incarnate was made manifest in the full light of truth as a In the life of our Lord Jesus Christ, in His words and His works, in His behold His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth (John 1:14). These lofty theological truths make Pascha May the light which the Risen Lord sheds so bounteously upon us life-bearing and miraculous power voluntary sufferings and death, and above all in His Resurrection, we ( the greatest of all feasts, and our joy a joy unbounded illumine our souls, and may our Paschal joy be a joy that is spiritual, pure ( and peaceful. Seek the Resurrected Lord with a vital and active love as He was sought by the Myrrhbearers, the Apostles and the Disciples on the road to Emmaus! Rejoice in the Lord always Again I will say Rejoice (Phil. 4:4). Amen
