VIII. CHRIST IS RISEN! PASCHA SUNDAY

√ intransient : does this mean not transient, or is the g left out of intransigent?

√ Boagernes

St. James aka St. Jacob

sons of Zebedee & Salome = James and John

 he and his brother earned the nickname Boanerges or "Sons of Thunder"

Mark 3:17

Rev. 10:4

page 95

There is no footnote in the book.  I had to look it up. Maybe I just don't read the Bible enough... 

√ p. 99 

will dispute with each other for your time

√ last sentence:  always

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St. Philaret of Moscow

Elibron Classics

Sermon VIII.

CHRIST IS RISEN!

PASCHA SUNDAY

The Church of Christ has this day announced unto us, in the most solemn manner, the greatest of all glad tidings: "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God," and so on.  (Jn 1:1-17 is appointed in the Orthodox Eastern Church to the service on Pascha Sunday).  Now since we know it to be her custom to reveal to us in the Gospel for the day the significance of the feast, and to afford unto us a subject for pious meditation and spiritual instruction; then what am I to do now?  Shall I strive to raise your souls from the earth, to carry you above the sun and stars, to transport you into the heaven of heavens, past the lower and higher orders of Angels unto the extreme heights of creation, thither where time is not, for there eternity reigns intransient and indivisible, where space is lost in infinity, and whence by a retrospective glance you may be convinced how little exaggerated, how feeble even is the saying of the wise Solomon, "that the whole world is before God as a little grain in the balance, as a drop of the morning dew that falleth down upon the earth?" (Wis 11:22)  Shall I require you "to stand upon the watch" (Hab 2:1) of contemplation with the holy Evangelist John, higher even than the Prophet Habakkuk stood upon his watch, for the prophet contemplated the Son of God manifested in His incarnation, whereas the Evangelist contemplates Him in the mystery of His eternal birth?  Shall I speak to you of the beginning in the highest sense of that word, of the beginning of the beginning (I Chr 29:12), in the words of the Prophet-king, of that beginning which long preceded the beginning of time, and of everything which is in time, of the beginning from which all things in eternity itself commence, but which itself is not limited by any further beginning or end?  (In the Slavonic Bible the passage stands thus, "Thou reignest over all, and Thou art the beginning of the beginning," etc., but in the English Bible this last clause is omitted.)  Shall I seek words in which to bring as near as possible to your understanding that Word, which not only the human, but even the angelic mind is inadequate to comprehend, and the tongue to explain, – that Word which was once for all uttered, and which is eternally uttered, or rather begotten, by the One Eternal Father of the Word, and which Itself called forth the whole creation, not nominally into hearing and understanding, but virtually into being and well-being?  Shall I periphrase in some plainer words the sublime narrative of the great Divine, that in the beginning was the Word, that is to say, that it had no beginning of such a nature, that you might imagine a time when it was not, but that it always was, before all time and from all eternity, that it always is, and shall be, because it is everlasting: that the Word was with God, that is to say, that "the only begotten Son (Jn 1:1, 14), which is in the bosom of the Father," was not disunited or separated from God, the Father by His birth, but is consubstantial with the Father and the Holy Ghost; that the Word was God, that is, that the Name of God in the same true sense as it belongs to God the Father, equally belongs to the Son of God, and also to the Holy Ghost, yet so that in the Three Divine Hypostases there is but One God in substance; that by this hypostatical Word of God, everything, without exception, was created, – the earthly as well as the heavenly, the visible as well as the invisible; that in Him is life, or the source of the life of every living thing, and more especially of every being living a spiritual and immortal life; that this fountain of life always was and is the light of men which shone upon them in Paradise, was not quite hidden from them on earth, was not extinguished by paganism, though not perceived nor accepted by it, which revealed itself in foreshadowings in the law of Moses, like a dawn in the Prophets, until at last the Word Incarnate revealed Himself as the sun and noon-day, in the full light of truth, with a quickening and miraculous power, and in His life and in His preaching, in His acts, and even in His free passion and death, and above all in His resurrection, "we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth."

You will observe that I have only attempted to theologize, under the guidance of St. John the Divine; and yet, may be, the little I have said may already have proved to be too much for the infirmity of my words, and be not offended, perhaps even too much for the feeble powers of your understandings.  Even amongst the divinely inspired Evangelists, was not Boanerges alone allowed to proclaim so solemnly the glad tidings of the heavenly glory of God the Word?

Although we, hearing the peals of thunder, do not understand them so well or so clearly as this same Boanerges understood the mysterious voices of the seven thunders, still we cannot help feeling that it announces to us the majesty of God; so also, when listening to the sublime utterances of St. John about God the Word, though we cannot attain a perfect understanding of them, both by reason of the want of purity of mind, and also on account of the inaccessible loftiness of the subject, still we are nevertheless able to feel that they announce unto us something divine in itself, something saving to ourselves, – the majesty of our Lord Jesus Christ.  And even this is enough.

We may wonder how it is that our wise instructress the holy Church, should set us so hard a lesson from the Gospel for this day of gladness.  Would it not have been more appropriate to the Day of Resurrection to give us the Gospel narrative of the resurrection itself, and on a day of joy to incite and sustain our joy by all possible means?  Was not joy the first effect of the resurrection, although at the same time accompanied by fear at the sudden manifestation of the miracles?  They who "came to see the sepulchre," and received the tidings of the resurrection of the Lord, "departed quickly from the sepulchre with fear and great joy; and did run to bring His disciples word" (Mt 28:1-8).  Did not the risen Lord Himself command us to be joyful on the day of His resurrection?  "Behold, Jesus met them saying, All hail!" (Mt 28:9)  What did the Apostles experience when they saw Him risen, and made sure of Him by the wounds of His crucifixion?  "Then were the disciples glad when they saw the Lord" (Jn 20:20).  And does not the Church herself now acknowledge more than ever the reign of joy, by filling almost the whole Divine Service with solemn hymns, especially before, between, and after the Lessons.

I say this, not from any wish to enter into a discussion with our Mother the Church, respecting her rites, but rather to give you the means better to understand, and consequently better to fulfill, these same ordinances.  What then was the object of our Mother the Church, in calling her children in the midst of their joy, to arduous meditation over a sublime truth, or rather to sublime contemplation of the mystery of truth?  There is no doubt, that she would have considered this out of place, did she suppose in us a joy, degenerating into sensuality, leavened with vanity, thoughtless and noisy; but since she has deemed this proper, then no doubt, it was in the supposition that our festive joy ought to be spiritual, pure, peaceful and exalted; for such a joy not only does not hinder serious and deep meditation, but even renders a man more than usually capable of lofty contemplation.  The Gospel offers convincing examples of this.  When the future mother of the Baptist and the future mother of the Lord on seeing each other, rejoiced with a pure joy, and the joy of the saintly Elizabeth was shared even by the infant in her womb, – what was the effect of this threefold rejoicing?  It was this, that the two mothers were filled with divine ecstasy, and both prophesied.  When Thomas, through his unbelief deprived of the joy of the resurrection longer than the other Apostles, at length drew it plentifully, from the very wounds of the risen One: how did that joy manifest itself in him?  It manifested itself in  a confession of faith: "And Thomas answered and said unto Him, My Lord and my God!" (Jn 20:28).  And this is very natural, for nothing leads us so directly to the perception and faith and conviction in the divinity of Jesus Christ, as does His resurrection.

We have thus in some measure ascertained what our present joy should be like, in order that it may harmonize with the dignity of its object, and the intention of our Mother the Church.

Oh, ye children of the Church and of light! learn to benefit by the light which the Risen Lord so abundantly sheds upon you.  If it is not so easy to learn divine wisdom, it surely is not difficult to rejoice well.  Be mindful of yourselves, and take heed that your festive joy be spiritual, pure, peaceful, and exalting to your souls.  When, perhaps learning from the wise virgins, the hour of welcome of the heavenly Bridegroom, you at midnight, with lighted tapers surround His dwelling-place and fill His temple; when you consecrate and devote to glorification, to the Gospel, to the Sacrament, and to the word of truth, the early hours of the morn taken from your sleep, then it is that you show a sign of pure and spiritual joy.  When you offer each other the kiss of peace, avoiding no one who approaches for it: then have you a sign of peaceful joy.  When the lips and the ears of all resound with the names of Christ and the Resurrection: then do I gladly acknowledge this to be an expression of joy which elevates your souls thither where the risen One reigns.  So far, it seems, so good.  The holy morn is lit up with the light of holy joy.

But will the day, the even, and the ensuing week, which the Church has consecrated to the joy of the resurrection be worthy of this night, and this morn?  Will not your spiritual gladness soon be swallowed up by sensual pleasures?  Will not vanity squander away that which you have gathered for your soul in the temple?  Will you not perhaps, after witnessing a sacred, heavenly, divine spectacle, go in search of low, worldly sights wherein some plaything, or what is still worse some player, will play with the attention of your mind, the emotions of your heart, – and where sensuality, folly, vice under various guises, will dispute with each other your time, your praises, your money, – perhaps the very money you refused to a beggar?  Is not this what the prophet calls the withering away of joy?  "Joy," says he, "is withered away from the sons of men" (Joel 1:12).

I counsel and entreat you, not to wither away hereafter the joy, so reverently honored at the beginning.  Is it right to convert into an amusement and pastime, that joy which was won for us through sacrifice and suffering?  "Christ our passover is sacrificed for us.  Therefore," concludeth the Apostle, "let us keep the feast, not with the old leaven of malice and wickedness, but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth" (ICor 5:7-8).  "Let us walk honestly, as in the day; not in rioting and drunkenness, not in chambering and wantonness, not in strife and envying.  But put ye on the Lord Jesus Christ" (Rom 13:13-14).  He hath sufficient light and incorruptible joy, for all and each, so that none need pass by Him in search of illusive splendor, nor need an immortal soul seek its food in corruption.  Seek ye then your joy ever in its true source.  "Rejoice in the Lord always; and again I say, Rejoice" (Php 4:4).  Amen.