Homily for Pascha. -Met. Korniliy (Titov)
Metropolitan Korniliy (Titov)
Christ Resurrected!
Dear brothers and sisters,
Today we sing of the Resurrection of Christ. In the Paschal night, with the words of St. John Chrysostom, we proclaimed the victory of life over death: “O hell, where is thy sting? O death, where is thy victory?”
St. John Chrysostom exclaims: “Christ resurrected—and not one dead remains in the tomb!” And yet, we see and hear that our loved ones still die—both the young and the old. So where, then, is Christ’s victory over death?
There are different kinds of death. There is bodily death—but there is also something far more dreadful: the death of the soul, when the soul perishes in abandonment and separation from God. This was the death that humanity suffered for millennia before the coming of Christ, having lost God as the Source of life. And behold, Christ, the Son of God, came to earth and partook of our dying and our death. As God, He could not die—but in love for us, as a Man, He shared our fate, ascended the Cross, and died on our behalf.
After His bodily death, He descended into Hades, into the abyss of God-forsakenness, and by His presence there, He abolished death forever, filling all things with the wondrous light of eternal life.
Today, brothers and sisters, we rejoice in this day which the Lord hath made—in the day when, by the Resurrection of Christ, the salvation of the world was accomplished. We rejoice in the good news of Christ, the Conqueror of death and Hades, who has opened for us the path to salvation. By His death and Resurrection, Christ has trampled down death and opened the way to true life, to the blessedness of immortality in Paradise, for all who come to Him with faith, hope, and love. Thus, Christ’s death has opened for all who truly believe in Him the great and inexhaustible treasures of grace—the fountain of divine light and saving power.
Bishop Mikhail Semyonov, in his homily “Christ Resurrected!”, writes:
“Yes, we rejoice in the Resurrection of Christ with a bright and all-encompassing joy. But let our joy not be fruitless or fleeting. Let it bring forth blossoms and bear fruit. The Holy Church has shown us the fruits of this joy: Let us embrace one another. Let us forgive all by the Resurrection. Let us multiply our joy through acts of love and mercy.
Christ Resurrected—this means that there is no more sorrow and suffering for man. If God is with me, then I no longer fear suffering, though once I feared it. And it seems that now I have such strength in me that I can overcome everything…
He is risen—and this means that we have a great Helper near us always, ready to support us in every good work, in the struggle against sin, evil, injustice, and affliction. But I repeat: we must be found worthy of this Radiant Feast!”
Today, all Christians rejoice—for they know that Christ died for the sins of the whole world, rose again for our salvation, and through His Resurrection opened the way to eternal and blessed life. He, like the sun, illumining the universe with His gracious light, rose from the tomb on the third day after His death—and He shall never again set, but shall shine forever, sending forth the rays of His saving light upon all who come to Him with faith and love.
All who mourn, suffer, are sick, poor, or burdened with the weight of heavy circumstances rejoice today—for the joy of salvation surpasses all temporary sorrows, sicknesses, and afflictions. The Apostle says that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us, when, by the grace of Christ the Savior, we become heirs of the heavenly blessings and partakers of His eternal glory (Romans 8:17).
Let us rejoice and give thanks to God, who has loved us so greatly that He gave His Only-Begotten Son for our salvation and eternal life. We know what our salvation cost His Son: rejection, betrayal, abandonment by His disciples in the Garden of Gethsemane, and a lonely death.
How can we respond to such invincible and divine love, to such a sacrifice? We must turn our entire life into thanksgiving to the Lord, fulfilling His commandments, and learning to love every person as God has loved us. We must renounce all that is fleeting and corruptible, renounce self-love, and live for others.
Pascha means a passage, a crossing over from one state to another. “Just as in ancient times the Israelites went forth from Egyptian bondage into the Promised Land, so too must our soul make the passage from the captivity of iniquity and sin to virtue and godliness—only then does it truly celebrate the Lord’s Pascha,” teaches Abba Dorotheos. Today is Pascha—the day of the Resurrection of Christ, who crucified sin, died for us, and rose again.
Let us rejoice, brothers and sisters, repeating to one another: Christ Resurrected! There is no greater or more joyful message in all the world for us than the news of salvation given through the Resurrection of Christ the Savior, “Who will have all men to be saved, and to come unto the knowledge of the truth” (1 Timothy 2:4).
Let us rejoice, all of us, and in our joy give thanks to the Savior for His great and ineffable mercy toward us. Let us always glorify His three-day Resurrection, always press toward Him with steadfast faith, fervent love, and unshakable hope for eternal life with the risen Christ.
Let us embrace one another in joy and triumph, and to those who hate us, let us forgive all things by the Resurrection—and with both lips and heart sing the victory hymn:
Christ resurrected from the dead, by death he trod upon death, and to those in the tombs he bestowed life.
To our God be glory, now and ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.
The Pascha of Christ
April 4, 2010