Easter Sunday 2007

"He is not here, but He is risen!" (Mark 16:16) Those are the words of the Angel to the women, who came to the Tomb to anoint the Body of the Lord. The day before Easter was a tri­umph for the wicked. The enemies of Jesus had succeeded in their mis­sion. They had crucified the Lord, and after His Burial, they saw to it that the Tomb was sealed and closely guarded.

For a moment it seemed that the supernatural had given way to the natural, that is, to the world of death and decay. Then came the glo­rious day of Pascha! The natural had to give way to the supernatural. The curtain was raised, and the beauty and glory of the world beyond the grave was beheld, where death has no more control.

St. John the Chrysostom, in his Catechetical sermon for Pascha, very properly stated, that the grave "took earth, and behold, it en­countered Heaven. It took what it saw and was overcome by what it did not see." Then he questions death by asking: " O Death, where is your sting? O Hades, where is your victory? Christ is Risen and you are annihilated. Christ is Risen and life is liberated. Christ is Risen and the tomb is emptied of the dead. Christ, having risen from the dead, is become the first fruits of those, who have fallen asleep."

Resurrection Day is unique for all Christians, and especially for us Orthodox. It is a day, in which we re-affirm our faith, because as St. John expressed it: "This is the Victory, that has conquered the World, our faith in Jesus."

Resurrection Day convinces us, that after death, there surely is life. Two thousand years ago, the followers of Jesus had finally be­lieved that the Messiah had come. They believed that the Great Libera­tor had come to free them from the Roman rule. But, when they saw, that He had died and was buried like any ordinary person, their hopes were buried with Him.

However, the devoted women, carrying out the Jewish custom, proceeded on the third day, early in the morning to the grave to anoint His Body. And lo! They become the first witnesses of the Miracle. They came to the Tomb to encounter death, but they found life. They arrived sorrowing and heavy in heart, but they departed rejoicing. Friday, they­had left an empty cross, and today they found an empty tomb!

The Holy Mother tears of sadness, become tears of joy. Peter after denying Him three times, repenting confesses: "Lord, You know that I love You." Thomas, the doubting Apostle, sees and hears the Lord,

and falling to His knees exclaims: "My Lord and my God!"

The result of this rebirth in their lives and those of so many, was enough for them to suffer martyrdom for the Glory of their Master. The glory of Pascha, must impress on all of us, that our faith in Jesus is our most prized possession. Only when we truly believe this, miracles will happen. Only then, will the trials and tribulations of our life, which constitute our Good Fridays, will ultimately be succeeded by a resur­rection.

In the beginning of the 1800's, when Napoleon was overrunning the European Nations, the little Corporal was on the outskirts of a little town in Austria on Easter Morning. It so happened that just as one would order an article from a store, he ordered General Massena to take the town.      The Villagers caught sight of the armies, which they had been expecting, and there was mass confusion. Getting together, they decided to surrender and plead for mercy.

But, the village Priest reversed their thinking when he said: "My children, this is Easter Day. Don't you think, that God, Who rose from the dead will protect us? Will our first act on this day be a ne­glect of God's power? Instead of surrendering, let us all fill our Churches to pray, and let us have trust in God, that He will do the rest."

The Priest's admonition enthused everyone, and immediately the bells of all the Churches started to ring triumphantly. The General from the hills saw the villagers orderly proceeding to their Churches with seeming no concerned, and convinced him that the Austrian troops were near at hand to protect the villagers. Immediately, he issues an order for the French army to retreat, thanks to the ringing bells of Easter from all the Churches.

The panic of the villagers at first, is very similar to the panic which overtakes many people in the face of various problems. The initial temptation as we know, is to throw up our hands to give in, or to give up, and to take a fatalistic view of things, and say something like: "What is, must be. I can't do anything about it."The panic stricken villagers knew they did not have a chance, but they listened to the old Pastor's advice: "Ring the bells of Easter, and feast in the Lord's Resurrection!" This had saved them. Thus, we must firstly and positively place our trust in God's Hands.

So many Christians miss the central theme of Pascha taking care of paschal food and clothing, neglecting what is prime and necessary Pascha has one central meaning and this will never change. It is the Feast of Victory; the victory of Christ over death and sin; it is the Day of triumph, and a promise of our own resurrection and eternal life,

For all this we all must prepare; and when we cannot see our way out of a situation, let us turn toward the empty Tomb, and receive cour­age from the fact that Good Friday is always followed by the Resurrec­tion. We should seek to free ourselves from the ravages of selfishness, envy, jealousy, resentment and the like, keeping in mind the glorious Resurrection hymn: "Christ is risen from the dead, trampling down death by death, and bestowing life to those in the tombs.