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In resurrectionem domini B

Of our father among the saints John, archbishop of Constantinople, the Chrysostom, a sermon on the holy Pascha and on the myrrh-bearing women and on the newly-illumined and on In the beginning was the

Word

The Church of Christ among us can always rejoice, but much more so in the present day's myriad-lighted torch-bearing, when Christ Himself, the Master of all, the Sun of righteousness, having risen in the resurrection from the bridal chambers of the tomb, before all shone His rays upon the race of women, saying to them: Rejoice. The first voice of the resurrection: rejoice; fear was buried and grace was given.

The first voice of the resurrection: rejoice; and before all He met women, and to them the Lord said: Go quickly and tell my disciples that I am risen from the dead, and I am going before you into Galilee; there you will see me. He met women; for where sin abounded, grace did much more abound. O the wise economy of the Lord! He sent to the disciples not an angel, nor did He Himself appear, but He sent women; and not simply women, but faithful women, His soldiers. These He sent to the disciples, both to bring joy and to reproach; to bring joy, because He who is free among the dead has risen from the dead, and to reproach, because though the disciples were men, they were hidden in cowardice, and the women, brightened with boldness, evangelized the resurrection. Truly, then, it is opportune to speak also of the present church, because of the great childbearing of those reborn in the Spirit: Behold, I and the children whom God has given me. I call the newly-illumined children because of the remaining innocence of their disposition, children as being nursed with the milk of the Lord.

But not only children, but the order of the newly-illumined is also called clouds and doves. And who is the witness of this? Isaiah the prophet. Hear him saying: Who are these that fly as clouds, and as doves with their young? And why are the newly-illumined clouds and doves? Clouds because they are separated from the earth, because they travel through the air, because they seek the things of heaven, because they bear the intelligible rain that descended upon the intelligible fleece. Doves as thrusting away the diabolical raven, doves as carrying the twig of piety in their mouth. So also another prophet cried out, saying: Rejoice, you barren that did not bear; break forth and cry, you that did not travail with child: for more are the children of the desolate than of her that has a husband. The church from the gentiles was heard to be desolate; before the union with the Master Christ it was desolate as not having the palm-tree of righteousness, as not possessing the vine of the cross. But the desolate one has become fruitful, not advancing naturally, but bearing fruit divinely, so as to be able to say: But I am like a fruitful olive tree in the house of God. We celebrate a universal feast today, both fulfilling the law and confirming grace, because the law was given through Moses, but grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.

Where there is a servant, there is 'was given'; where there is a free man, there is 'came'; because the servant serves, but the master acts with authority. And again: Christ is the fulfillment of the law for righteousness to everyone who believes. The law was fulfilled, grace was brought in its place; the Jewish people grew old, the Christian people were renewed. Therefore, concerning that one it is said: That which is becoming old and growing aged is near to vanishing away, but concerning this one:

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In resurrectionem domini B

Τοῦ ἐν ἁγίοις πατρὸς ἡμῶν Ἰωάννου ἀρχιεπισκόπου Κωνσταντινουπόλεως τοῦ Χρυσοστόμου λόγος εἰς τὸ ἅγιον πάσχα καὶ εἰς τὰς μυροφόρους καὶ εἰς τοὺς νεοφωτίστους καὶ εἰς τὸ Ἐν ἀρχῇ ἦν ὁ

λόγος

Πάντοτε μὲν χαίρειν πάρεστι τῇ καθ' ἡμᾶς τοῦ Χριστοῦ ἐκκλησίᾳ, πολλῷ δὲ μᾶλλον ἐν τῇ παρούσῃ τῆς ἡμέρας μυριοφώτῳ λαμπαδουχίᾳ, ὅτε καὶ αὐτὸς ὁ τῶν ὅλων δεσπότης Χριστός, ὁ τῆς δικαιοσύνης ἥλιος, ἐκ τῶν ταφιαίων νυμφικῶν θαλάμων ἀνατείλας τῇ ἀναστάσει πρὸ πάντων τὸ τῶν γυναικῶν φῦλον ἀκτινοβόλησε φήσας πρὸς αὐτάς· Χαίρετε. Πρώτη φωνὴ τῆς ἀναστάσεως χαίρετε· ὁ φόβος ἐχώσθη καὶ ἡ χάρις ἐδόθη.

Πρώτη φωνὴ τῆς ἀναστάσεως χαίρετε· καὶ πρὸ πάντων γυναιξὶ συνήντησε καὶ πρὸς αὐτὰς ὁ κύριος εἶπεν· Ταχὺ πορευθεῖσαι εἴπατε τοῖς μαθηταῖς μου ὅτι ἀνέστην ἀπὸ τῶν νεκρῶν καὶ προάγω ὑμᾶς εἰς τὴν Γαλιλαίαν, ἐκεῖ με ὄψεσθε. Γυναιξὶ συνήντησεν, ὅπου γὰρ ἐπλεόνασεν ἡ ἁμαρτία, ὑπερεπερίσσευσεν ἡ χάρις. Ὢ τῆς τοῦ κυρίου σοφῆς πραγματείας. Οὐκ ἀπέστειλε πρὸς τοὺς μαθητὰς οὐκ ἄγγελον, οὐκ αὐτὸς παραγέγονεν, ἀλλὰ γυναῖκας ἀπέστειλεν· καὶ οὐχ ἁπλῶς γυναῖκας, ἀλλὰ πιστὰς γυναῖκας, τὰς αὐτοῦ στρατιώτιδας. Ταύτας ἀπέστειλε πρὸς τοὺς μαθητὰς ὁμοῦ καὶ χαροποιῶν καὶ ὀνειδίζων· χαροποιῶν μὲν ὅτι ἀνέστη ἐκ νεκρῶν ὁ ἐν νεκροῖς ἐλεύθερος, ὀνειδίζων δὲ ὅτι ἄνδρες ὄντες οἱ μαθηταὶ τῇ δειλίᾳ κατεκρύπτοντο καὶ γυναῖκες τῇ παρρησίᾳ φαιδρυνθεῖσαι τὴν ἀνάστασιν εὐηγγελίζοντο. Ὄντως οὖν εὔκαιρον εἰπεῖν καὶ τὴν παροῦσαν ἐκκλησίαν διὰ τὴν τῶν ἀναγεννηθέντων πνεύματι πολυτοκίαν· Ἰδοὺ ἐγὼ καὶ τὰ παιδία, ἅ μοι ἔδωκεν ὁ θεός. Παιδία τοὺς νεοφωτίστους καλῶ διὰ τὸ ἄκακον λοιπὸν τῆς διαθέσεως, παιδία ὡς γαλακτιζόμενα τὸ τοῦ κυρίου γάλα.

Οὐ μόνον δὲ παιδία, ἀλλὰ καὶ νεφέλαι καὶ περιστεραὶ τὸ τῶν νεοφωτίστων τάγμα προσαγορεύεται. Καὶ τίς τούτου μάρτυς; Ἠσαΐας ὁ προφήτης. Ἄκουσον αὐτοῦ λέγοντος· Τίνες οἵδε ὡς νεφέλαι πέτανται καὶ ὡς περιστεραὶ σὺν νεοσσοῖς; Καὶ διὰ τί νεφέλαι καὶ περιστεραὶ οἱ νεοφώτιστοι; Νεφέλαι διὰ τὸ τῆς γῆς χωρισθῆναι, διὰ τὸ περιπολεῖν τὸν ἀέρα, διὰ τὸ τὰ ἐπουράνια ζητεῖν, διὰ τὸ φέρειν τὸν νοητὸν ὑετὸν τὸν κατελθόντα ἐπὶ τὸν νοητὸν πόκον. Περιστεραὶ ὡς ἀπωθούμεναι τὸν διαβολικὸν κόρακα, περιστεραὶ ὡς τὸ κάρφος τῆς εὐσεβείας ἐν τῷ στόματι φέροντες. Οὕτως καὶ ἕτερος προφήτης κέκραγε λέγων· Εὐφράνθητι, στεῖρα ἡ οὐ τίκτουσα, ῥῆξον καὶ βόησον, ἡ οὐκ ὠδίνουσα, ὅτι πολλὰ τὰ τέκνα τῆς ἐρήμου μᾶλλον ἢ τῆς ἐχούσης τὸν ἄνδρα. Ἔρημος ἤκουσεν ἡ ἐξ ἐθνῶν ἐκκλησία, πρὸ τῆς συναφείας τοῦ δεσπότου Χριστοῦ ἔρημος ἦν ὡς μὴ ἔχουσα τὸν φοίνικα τῆς δικαιοσύνης, ὡς μὴ κεκτημένη τὴν σταυρικὴν ἀναδενδράδα. Ἀλλ' ἡ ἔρημος γέγονεν ἔγκαρπος οὐ φυσικῶς προκόψασα, ἀλλὰ θεϊκῶς καρποφορήσασα, ὡς δύνασθαι λέγειν· Ἐγὼ δὲ ὡς ἐλαία κατάκαρπος ἐν τῷ οἴκῳ τοῦ θεοῦ. Καθολικὴν ἑορτὴν πανηγυρίζομεν σήμερον, ὁμοῦ καὶ τὸν νόμον πληροῦντες καὶ τὴν χάριν κυροῦντες, ὅτι ὁ νόμος διὰ Μωσέως ἐδόθη, ἡ χάρις καὶ ἡ ἀλήθεια διὰ Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ ἐγένετο.

Ὅπου δοῦλος ἐκεῖ τὸ ἐδόθη, ὅπου ἐλεύθερος ἐκεῖ τὸ ἐγένετο, ὅτι ὁ δοῦλος μὲν διακονεῖ, ὁ δεσπότης δὲ αὐθεντεῖ. Καὶ πάλιν· Πλήρωμα νόμου Χριστὸς εἰς δικαιοσύνην παντὶ τῷ πιστεύοντι. Ὁ νόμος ἐπληρώθη, ἡ χάρις ἀντεισήχθη· ὁ ἰουδαϊκὸς λαὸς ἐπαλαιώθη, ὁ χριστιανικὸς λαὸς ἀνεκαινίσθη. ∆ιὸ περὶ μὲν ἐκείνου εἴρηται· Τὸ παλαιούμενον καὶ γηράσκον ἐγγὺς ἀφανισμοῦ, περὶ δὲ τούτου·