Oration on the resurrection of the Lord

...a day of joy and gladness, beloved, a day of exultation and salvation,

a day of illumination and sanctification, a day of peace and reconciliation; a day of the remolding and renewal of our souls, a day truly great and wonderful and manifest; on this day Christ raised us up, who had been cast down by sin, on this day Christ made us alive together, who were dead in trespasses; on this day he opened paradise, for us to enjoy the tree of life; which is his precious and life-giving body and 69 blood, by which we are cleansed and sanctified and illumined and renewed. For Christ gave himself as a ransom for us all, and led us forth from death to life, from darkness to light, from bondage to freedom, and from enmity to genuine friendship; he redeemed us from the curse and from sin, having become a curse for us, that we might receive the adoption of sons, that we might no longer be slaves but free, no longer passionate but dispassionate, no longer lovers of the world but lovers of God, no longer walking according to the flesh but according to the spirit. ... he has sanctified, he has glorified us in the Holy Spirit, that we might walk in newness of life; but what shall we render to the Lord for all these things which he has rendered to us ... what shall we render that is equal to his surpassing gift and grace? ... let us give thanks and fall down before the Lord and worship him, and let us offer myrrh and hymns as gifts with fear and reverence; for the Mas 70 ter is a lover of mankind and a lover of good, and he accepts all things, even if what is brought to him by us is small and of little value. Let us also love, my brothers, him who loved us according to grace, let us die for him who died for us freely, let us walk after his holy commandments; let us cleanse ourselves from all defilement of flesh and spirit, let us offer to our God good deeds, faith, love, hope and patience, contrition of heart, the gift of compunction, purification of conscience, the mortification of earthly members, fornication, impurity, passion, evil desire and greed; let us serve the Lord with understanding and steadfastness and endurance and patience; let us embrace the love of our true God and Savior; let us sing to him a new song, let us all sing, let us clap our hands and shout to God with a voice of exultation for the Lord Most High is terrible, a king over all the earth ... great is the Lord and of his greatness there is no end; great is the Lord and great is his strength; he has abolished and struck the arrogant and proud enemy of ours, the devil, and he has trampled down death and raised all up, having granted us eternal life. 71 ... let us all enjoy, beloved, the good gifts of this fine festival; let us enter rejoicing into the joy of our Lord ... rulers and ruled ... elders with the younger, men and women, rich and poor, slaves and free, glorify and magnify the Lord our God and sing hymns to and marvel at and honor this brilliant and bright feast, you who have fasted and toiled ... celebrate today. Rich and poor, dance with one another, you who are continent and you who are remiss, honor the day, you who have fasted and you who have not fasted, rejoice today; the table is full; let no one go out hungry and deprived; all of you enjoy the riches of his goodness, for Christ our Passover has been sacrificed for us; all of you draw from the inexhaustible spring of the Savior God and

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Oratio in resurrectionem domini

...χαρᾶς ἡμέρα καὶ εὐφροσύνης ἀγαπητοί, ἡμέρα ἀγαλλιάσεως καὶ σωτηρίας,

ἡμέρα φωτισμοῦ καὶ ἁγιασμοῦ, ἡμέρα εἰρήνης καὶ καταλλαγῆς· ἡμέρα ἀναπλάσεως καὶ ἀνακαινισμοῦ τῶν ἡμετέρων ψυχῶν, ἡμέρα ὄντως μεγάλη καὶ θαυμαστὴ καὶ ἐπιφανής· ἐν ταύτῃ συνήγειρεν ἡμᾶς ὁ Χριστὸς ἐρριμμένους τῇ ἁμαρτίᾳ, ἐν ταύτῃ συνεζωοποίησεν ἡμᾶς ὁ Χριστὸς νενεκρωμένους τοῖς παραπτώμασιν· ἐν ταύτῃ τὸν παράδεισον ἀνέῳξεν, ἀπολαύειν ἡμᾶς τοῦ ξύλου τῆς ζωῆς· ὅπερ ἐστὶν τὸ τίμιον καὶ ζωοποιὸν αὐτοῦ σῶμα καὶ 69 αἷμα δι' οὗ καθαιρόμεθα καὶ ἁγιαζόμεθα καὶ φωτιζόμεθα καὶ ἐγκαινιζόμεθα. λύτρον γὰρ ἔδωκεν ἑαυτὸν ὁ Χριστὸς ὑπὲρ ἡμῶν πάντων, καὶ προήγαγεν ἡμᾶς ἐκ τοῦ θανάτου εἰς τὴν ζωήν, ἀπὸ τοῦ σκότους εἰς φῶς, ἀπὸ τῆς δουλείας εἰς ἐλευθερίαν, ἀπό τε ἔχθρας εἰς γνησιεύουσαν φιλίαν· ἐξηγόρασεν ἡμᾶς ἐκ τῆς κατάρας καὶ τῆς ἁμαρτίας γενόμενος ὑπὲρ ἡμῶν κατάρα, ἵνα τὴν υἱοθεσίαν ἀπολάβωμεν, ἵνα μηκέτι ὦμεν δοῦλοι ἀλλ' ἐλεύθεροι, μηκέτι ἐμπαθεῖς ἀλλ' ἀπαθεῖς, μηκέτι φιλόκοσμοι ἀλλὰ φιλόθεοι, μηκέτι κατὰ σάρκα περιπατοῦντες ἀλλὰ κατὰ πνεῦμα. ... ἡγίασεν, ἐδόξασεν ἡμᾶς ἐν πνεύματι ἁγίῳ, ἵνα ἐν καινότητι ζωῆς περιπατήσωμεν· ἡμεῖς δὲ τί ἀνταποδώσομεν τῷ κυρίῳ περὶ πάντων τούτων ὧν ἡμῖν ἀνταπέδωκεν ... τί ἀνταποδώσομεν ἴσον τῇ ὑπερβαλλούσῃ αὐτοῦ δωρεᾷ τε καὶ χάριτι; ... εὐχαριστήσωμεν καὶ προσπέσωμεν τῷ κυρίῳ καὶ προσκυνήσωμεν αὐτῷ, καὶ προσφέρωμεν τὰ μῦρα καὶ τοὺς ὕμνους ὡς δῶρα μετὰ φόβου καὶ εὐλαβείας· φιλάνθρωπος γάρ ἐστι καὶ φιλάγαθος ὁ δεσ 70 πότης, καὶ πάντα προσδέχεται, εἰ καὶ μικρά εἰσι καὶ εὐτελῆ τὰ παρ' ἡμῶν αὐτῷ προσαγόμενα. ἀγαπήσωμεν καὶ ἡμεῖς, ἀδελφοί μου, τὸν ἀγαπήσαντα κατὰ χάριν ἡμᾶς, ἀποθάνωμεν ὑπὲρ τοῦ ἀποθανόντος ὑπὲρ ἡμῶν δωρεάν, πορευθῶμεν ὀπίσω τῶν ἁγίων αὐτοῦ ἐντολῶν· καθαρίσωμεν ἑαυτοὺς ἀπὸ παντὸς μολυσμοῦ σαρκὸς καὶ πνεύματος, προσάξωμεν τῷ θεῷ ἡμῶν πράξεις ἀγαθάς, πίστιν, ἀγάπην, ἐλπίδα καὶ ὑπομονήν, συντριμμὸν καρδίας, κατανύξεως δωρεά, συνειδήσεως κάθαρσιν, νέκρωσιν τῶν ἐπὶ γῆς μελειῶν, πορνείας, ἀκαθαρσίας, πάθους, ἐπιθυμίας κακῆς καὶ τῆς πλεονεξίας· δουλεύσωμεν τῷ κυρίῳ μετὰ συνέσεως καὶ εὐσταθείας καὶ καρτερίας καὶ ὑπομονῆς· ἐνστερνισώμεθα τὸ φίλτρον τοῦ ἀληθινοῦ θεοῦ καὶ σωτῆρος ἡμῶν· ᾄσωμεν αὐτῷ ᾆσμα καινόν, πάντες ᾄσωμεν, κροτήσωμεν τὰς χεῖρας καὶ ἀλαλάξωμεν τῷ θεῷ ἐν φωνῇ ἀγαλλιάσεως ὅτι κύριος ὕψιστος φοβερὸς βασιλεὺς ἐπὶ πᾶσαν τὴν γῆν ... μέγας κύριος καὶ τῆς μεγαλοσύνης αὐτοῦ οὐκ ἔστι πέρας· μέγας κύριος καὶ μεγάλη ἡ ἰσχὺς αὐτοῦ· κατήργησεν καὶ ἐπάταξε τὸν ἀλαζόνα καὶ ὑπερήφανον ἐχθρὸν ἡμῶν καὶ διάβολον καὶ τὸν θάνατον κατεπάτησε καὶ πάντας ἀνέστησε ζωὴν ἡμῖν αἰώνιον δωρησάμενος. 71 ... ἀπολαύσωμεν πάντες, ἀγαπητοί, τῶν ἀγαθῶν χαρισμάτων ταύτης τῆς καλῆς πανηγύρεως· εἰσέλθωμεν χαίροντες εἰς τὴν χαρὰν τοῦ κυρίου ἡμῶν ... ἄρχοντες καὶ ἀρχόμενοι ... πρεσβύτεροι μετὰ νεωτέρων, ἄνδρες καὶ γυναῖκες, πλούσιοι καὶ πένητες, δοῦλοι καὶ ἐλεύθεροι, δοξάσατε καὶ μεγαλύνατε κύριον τὸν θεὸν ἡμῶν καὶ τὴν λαμπρὰν ταύτην ἡμέραν καὶ φαιδρὰν ἐορτὴν ὑμνήσατε καὶ θαυμάσατε καὶ τιμήσατε, νηστεύοντες καὶ κοπιάσαντες ... ἐορτάσατε σήμερον. πλούσιοι καὶ πένητες μετὰ ἀλλήλων χορεύσατε, ἐγκρατεῖς καὶ ῥάθυμοι τὴν ἡμέραν τιμήσατε, νηστεύσαντες καὶ μὴ νηστεύσαντες εὐφράνθητε σήμερον· ἡ τράπεζα γέμει· μηδεὶς ἐξέλθῃ πεινῶν καὶ στερούμενος· πάντες ἀπολαύσατε τοῦ πλούτου τῆς χρηστότητος, ὅτι τὸ πάσχα ἡμῶν ὑπὲρ ἡμῶν ἐτύθη Χριστός· πάντες ἀντλήσατε ἐκ τῆς ἀκενώτου πηγῆς τοῦ σωτῆρος θεοῦ καὶ

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