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In resurrectionem domini

Of our father among the saints, John Chrysostom, a sermon on the holy Pascha

It is always possible to rejoice in our church of Christ, but much more on the present feast of the day with its ten-thousand-light torch-bearing, when Christ himself, the sun of righteousness, rising from the nuptial chambers of the tomb, in the resurrection shone his rays above all on the race of women, saying to them: Rejoice. The first voice of the resurrection: rejoice; fear was torn asunder and grace was given. The first voice of the resurrection: rejoice; and above all he met women there, so that where sin abounded, grace might abound all the more. The first voice of the resurrection: rejoice; and this voice met women, and the Lord said to them: Go quickly and tell my disciples that I am going before you to Galilee; there you will see me.

O the wise management of the Lord. He did not send an angel to the disciples, nor an archangel, but he sent women; and not simply women, but faithful women, his own soldiers. He sent them to the disciples both to bring joy and to reproach: to bring joy that he was risen from the dead, and to reproach because the men, overcome by cowardice, were hiding, while the women, brightened by their boldness, proclaimed the good news of the resurrection. Therefore, today we celebrate a spiritual feast, the mother of every feast, the one that has opened the entrance of paradise from all sides, that has prepared for men a passable road to heaven, that has fashioned the one harmony of angels and men. Every tongue is too small for the praise of the present feast; for it has stopped the hissing of the dragon, it has plucked up the thorns of Adam’s curse, it has taught Eve to give birth without sorrow.

This present feast is industrious: it moved the flaming sword and drew in the breeze of the Holy Spirit, it plucked up the death-dealing tree and rooted the life-giving cross, it withered the leaves of the fig tree and made the lilies of the newly-enlightened grow. No longer do we mourn Adam the first-formed, but we glorify the second Adam, Christ; no longer do we reproach the transgressor Eve, but we bless the Theotokos virgin; no longer do we turn away from the tree, but we bear the cross; no longer do we fear the serpent, but we entreat the Holy Spirit; no longer do we go down into the earth, but we go up into the heavens; no longer are we outside of paradise, but we dwell in the bosom of Abraham; no longer do we hear in a Jewish manner: I have likened your day to the night, but we sing in a spiritual manner: This is the day which the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it. Why? Because the sun is no longer darkened <but all things are enlightened>, the veil is no longer torn but the church is made known, no longer do we bear the branches of palm trees, but we carry about the newly-enlightened saying: The righteous man will flourish like a palm tree. This is the day which the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it; let us be glad both sensibly and spiritually. This is the day, this and no other, for there is one queen and not many tyrannies.

This is the day which the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it; not running to taverns but hastening to the shrines of the martyrs, not honoring drunkenness but loving moderation, not leaping in a Jewish manner but delighting in an apostolic manner, not playing in the marketplaces but singing psalms in our homes; is anyone cheerful,

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In resurrectionem domini

Τοῦ ἐν ἁγίοις πατρὸς ἡμῶν Ἰωάννου τοῦ Χρυσοστόμου λόγος εἰς τὸ ἅγιον πάσχα

Πάντοτε μὲν χαίρειν πάρεστιν ἐν τῇ καθ' ἡμᾶς τοῦ Χριστοῦ ἐκκλησίᾳ, πολλῷ

δὲ μᾶλλον ἐν τῇ παρούσῃ τῆς ἡμέρας ἑορτῇ μυριοφώτῳ λαμπαδουχίᾳ, ὅτε καὶ αὐτὸς ὁ τῆς δικαιοσύνης ἥλιος Χριστὸς ἐκ τῶν ταφιαίων νυμφικῶν θαλάμων ἀνατείλας τῇ ἀναστάσει πρὸ πάντων τὸ τῶν γυναικῶν φῦλον ἀκτινοβολήσας φησὶ πρὸς αὐτάς· Χαίρετε. Πρώτη φωνὴ τῆς ἀναστάσεως χαίρετε· ὁ φόβος ἐσχίσθη καὶ ἡ χάρις ἐδόθη. Πρώτη φωνὴ τῆς ἀναστάσεως χαίρετε· καὶ πρὸ πάντων ἐκεῖσε γυναιξὶ συνήντησεν, ἵνα ὅπου ἐπλεόνασεν ἡ ἁμαρτία ὑπερπερισσεύσῃ ἡ χάρις. Πρώτη φωνὴ τῆς ἀναστάσεως χαίρετε· καὶ αὕτη γυναιξὶ συνήντησε καὶ πρὸς αὐτὰς ὁ κύριος εἶπεν· Ταχὺ πορευθεῖσαι εἴπατε τοῖς μαθηταῖς μου, ὅτι προάγω ὑμᾶς εἰς τὴν Γαλιλαίαν, ἐκεῖ με ὄψεσθε.

Ὢ τῆς τοῦ κυρίου σοφῆς πραγματείας. Οὐκ ἀπέστειλε πρὸς τοὺς μαθητὰς ἄγγελον, οὐκ ἀρχάγγελον, ἀλλὰ γυναῖκας ἀπέστειλεν· καὶ οὐχ ἁπλῶς γυναῖκας, ἀλλὰ πιστὰς γυναῖκας, τὰς ἑαυτοῦ στρατιώτιδας. Αὐτὰς ἀπέστειλε πρὸς τοὺς μαθητὰς ὁμοῦ χαροποιῶν καὶ ὀνειδίζων· χαροποιῶν μὲν ἀνέστη ἐκ νεκρῶν, ὀνειδίζων δὲ ὅτι οἱ ἄνδρες τῇ δειλίᾳ κρατηθέντες ἐκρύπτοντο καὶ γυναῖκες τῇ παρρησίᾳ φαιδρυνθεῖσαι τὴν ἀνάστασιν εὐηγγελίζοντο. Πνευματικὴν τοίνυν ἑορτὴν πανηγυρίζομεν σήμερον, τὴν μητέρα πάσης ἑορτῆς, τὴν πανταχόθεν ἀνοίξασαν εἴσοδον τοῦ παραδείσου, τὴν βάσιμον ἀνθρώποις ὁδὸν εἰς οὐρανὸν καταρτίσασαν, τὴν μίαν συμφωνίαν ἀγγέλων καὶ ἀνθρώπων τορνεύσασαν. Μικρὰ πᾶσα γλῶσσα πρὸς ἔπαινον τῆς παρούσης ἑορτῆς· αὕτη γὰρ ἔπαυσε τοῦ δράκοντος τὰ συρίσματα, αὕτη τοῦ Ἀδὰμ τῆς κατάρας τὰς ἀκάνθας ἀνέσπασεν, αὕτη τὴν Εὔαν ἀλύπως τίκτειν ἐδίδαξεν.

Πολυεργὴς ἡ παροῦσα ἑορτή· τὴν φλογινὴν ῥομφαίαν μετέστησε καὶ αὔραν τοῦ ἁγίου πνεύματος εἵλκυσεν, τὸ θανατῶδες ξύλον ἀνέσπασε καὶ τὸν ζωοποιὸν σταυρὸν ἐρρίζωσεν, τὰ φύλλα τῆς συκῆς ἐξήρανε καὶ τὰ κρίνα τῶν νεοφωτίστων ηὔξανεν. Οὐκέτι πενθοῦμεν Ἀδὰμ τὸν πρωτόπλαστον ἀλλὰ τὸν δεύτερον Ἀδὰμ Χριστὸν δοξολογοῦμεν, οὐκέτι τὴν παραβᾶσαν ὀνειδίζομεν Εὔαν ἀλλὰ τὴν θεοτόκον παρθένον μακαρίζομεν, οὐκέτι τὸ ξύλον ἀποστρεφόμεθα ἀλλὰ τὸν σταυρὸν βαστάζομεν, οὐκέτι τὸν ὄφιν φοβούμεθα ἀλλὰ τὸ πνεῦμα τὸ ἅγιον δυσωποῦμεν, οὐκέτι εἰς γῆν κατερχόμεθα ἀλλ' εἰς οὐρανοὺς ἀνερχόμεθα, οὐκέτι ἔξω τοῦ παραδείσου γινόμεθα ἀλλ' ἐν τοῖς κόλποις τοῦ Ἀβραὰμ αὐλιζόμεθα, οὐκέτι ἀκούομεν ἰουδαϊκῶς· Νυκτὶ ὡμοίωσα τὴν ἡμέραν σου, ἀλλὰ ψάλλομεν πνευματικῶς· Αὕτη ἡ ἡμέρα ἣν ἐποίησεν ὁ κύριος, ἀγαλλιασώμεθα καὶ εὐφρανθῶμεν ἐν αὐτῇ. ∆ιὰ τί; Ὅτι ὁ ἥλιος οὐκέτι σκοτίζεται <ἀλλὰ πάντα φωτίζεται>, οὐκέτι τὸ καταπέτασμα ῥήγνυται ἀλλ' ἡ ἐκκλησία γνωρίζεται, οὐκέτι τὰ βαΐα τῶν φοινίκων βαστάζομεν, ἀλλὰ τοὺς νεοφωτίστους περιφέρομεν λέγοντες· ∆ίκαιος ὡς φοίνιξ ἀνθήσει. Αὕτη ἡ ἡμέρα ἣν ἐποίησεν ὁ κύριος, ἀγαλλιασώμεθα καὶ εὐφρανθῶμεν ἐν αὐτῇ· εὐφρανθῶμεν αἰσθητῶς καὶ νοητῶς. Αὕτη ἡ ἡμέρα, αὕτη καὶ οὐκ ἄλλη, μία γὰρ βασίλισσα καὶ οὐ πολλαὶ τυραννίδες.

Αὕτη ἡ ἡμέρα ἣν ἐποίησεν ὁ κύριος, ἀγαλλιασώμεθα καὶ εὐφρανθῶμεν ἐν αὐτῇ· μὴ εἰς καπηλεῖα τρέχοντες ἀλλ' εἰς μαρτύρια σπεύδοντες, μὴ μέθην τιμῶντες ἀλλὰ συμμετρίαν ἀγαπῶντες, μὴ ἰουδαϊκῶς σκιρτῶντες ἀλλ' ἀποστολικῶς τρυφῶντες, μὴ ἐν ταῖς ἀγοραῖς παίζοντες ἀλλ' ἐν τοῖς οἴκοις ψάλλοντες· εὐθυμεῖ τις,