WEBVTT 00:00:02.350 --> 00:00:07.750 Christ is risen. Christos was christened. Christos 00:00:07.750 --> 00:00:11.029 was christened. Christos was christened. Christos 00:00:11.029 --> 00:00:21.989 was christened. My dear people, the entire meaning, 00:00:22.329 --> 00:00:31.979 significance, and doctrinal issue are all saturated 00:00:31.979 --> 00:00:38.219 in the magnificent hymnology which we have heard 00:00:38.219 --> 00:00:44.060 last night and this afternoon. Really nothing 00:00:44.060 --> 00:00:48.840 more could be said. My editors have told me that 00:00:48.840 --> 00:00:52.240 all I have to say is Christ is risen. And it's 00:00:52.240 --> 00:01:03.219 so true. But I can't Do that. Because I heard 00:01:03.219 --> 00:01:07.819 those magnificent words. Let the heavens be glad 00:01:07.819 --> 00:01:13.760 and let the earth rejoice. Let the whole world, 00:01:13.939 --> 00:01:20.140 both visible and invisible, keep the feast. For 00:01:20.140 --> 00:01:23.739 this is the day of the resurrection. This is 00:01:23.739 --> 00:01:29.640 the day that the Lord has made. It is the Pascha 00:01:29.640 --> 00:01:37.760 of the Lord. For from death to life and from 00:01:37.760 --> 00:01:45.480 earth to heaven has Christ our God led us as 00:01:45.480 --> 00:01:53.200 we sing the song of victory. The entire celebration 00:01:53.200 --> 00:02:04.560 of Pascha is the brightest, loveliest, most irrepressible 00:02:04.560 --> 00:02:11.719 joy that one could have when he realizes that 00:02:11.719 --> 00:02:18.319 we no longer have to fear death, for death is 00:02:18.319 --> 00:02:23.120 no longer a gateway leading to extinction, but 00:02:23.120 --> 00:02:27.740 death is the doorway leading to the grace, Of 00:02:27.740 --> 00:02:31.659 our heavenly God. And all of this is clearly. 00:02:33.159 --> 00:02:39.419 Reflected. Almost. In a saturated way. In the 00:02:39.419 --> 00:02:45.620 magnificence. Of the. Poetry. The prayers. The 00:02:45.620 --> 00:02:56.360 song. The ritual. The resurrection. Is the basis. 00:02:57.680 --> 00:03:05.659 The foundation of our Christian faith. If Christ 00:03:05.659 --> 00:03:10.199 remained on the cross, we wouldn't be here today, 00:03:10.300 --> 00:03:15.939 would we? If Christ remained on the cross, it 00:03:15.939 --> 00:03:21.159 would be the most sorrowful thing. Just another 00:03:21.159 --> 00:03:26.969 martyr has died. But Christ did not remain on 00:03:26.969 --> 00:03:33.050 the cross. The world said no to God on Friday. 00:03:34.050 --> 00:03:41.069 And on Pascha morning, God said, Christ is risen. 00:03:45.110 --> 00:03:52.949 As in Adam, all died, said St. Paul. So even 00:03:52.949 --> 00:03:58.419 in Christ, All shall be made alive. And St. Gregory 00:03:58.419 --> 00:04:02.460 the theologian put it in this way. Yesterday 00:04:02.460 --> 00:04:07.939 I was crucified with Christ. Today I'm glorified 00:04:07.939 --> 00:04:13.139 with him. Yesterday I was buried with him. Today 00:04:13.139 --> 00:04:19.240 I rise with him. Just as those who were baptized 00:04:19.240 --> 00:04:23.379 rose to a new life. To a life of everlasting. 00:04:26.350 --> 00:04:36.750 Pascha is the eighth day, meaning, as we have 00:04:36.750 --> 00:04:42.310 expressed in the last book of the Bible, the 00:04:42.310 --> 00:04:49.029 Revelation. It's the never -ending day where 00:04:49.029 --> 00:04:53.589 there is no evening, there is no morning. It 00:04:53.589 --> 00:04:59.800 is the icon. Of the image of the world to come. 00:05:01.279 --> 00:05:07.860 And so on this magnificent day. It has to be 00:05:07.860 --> 00:05:13.579 expressed once more. In view of the cynicism 00:05:13.579 --> 00:05:16.819 of the world. The world doesn't care what we 00:05:16.819 --> 00:05:24.420 have done. The last few days. But it is an expression. 00:05:25.579 --> 00:05:29.660 of our fundamental faith. The faith as revealed 00:05:29.660 --> 00:05:37.399 in the historical person of Jesus Christ. Everything 00:05:37.399 --> 00:05:41.920 in the scriptures, everything that the fathers 00:05:41.920 --> 00:05:49.879 and saints have written about, everything that 00:05:49.879 --> 00:05:54.879 the prophets have prophesied relate Existentially. 00:05:55.220 --> 00:06:00.920 To all of us. But in particular. It relates to 00:06:00.920 --> 00:06:07.339 us. Internally. Externally. And eternally. For 00:06:07.339 --> 00:06:15.540 Christ is risen. Before his ascension. The Lord 00:06:15.540 --> 00:06:19.199 said. I'll be with you. Till the end of time. 00:06:20.699 --> 00:06:25.579 This means. In spite of all, and what Father 00:06:25.579 --> 00:06:30.899 mentioned on Good Friday, this means that life 00:06:30.899 --> 00:06:35.600 is worth living, even if this world is showing 00:06:35.600 --> 00:06:42.139 signs of going insane. I was going to say going 00:06:42.139 --> 00:06:49.319 to hell. It means the destruction of death. It 00:06:49.319 --> 00:06:55.120 means that the countless martyrs Throughout the 00:06:55.120 --> 00:06:57.680 ages who have given their lives for the faith. 00:06:58.420 --> 00:07:02.279 And even those martyrs who were martyred for 00:07:02.279 --> 00:07:07.620 the Christian faith just a few days ago. Have 00:07:07.620 --> 00:07:14.480 not died in vain. The scriptures teach that in 00:07:14.480 --> 00:07:20.279 times past we were no people. And now we are 00:07:20.279 --> 00:07:24.089 a people. Meaning we are a people of the resurrection 00:07:24.089 --> 00:07:30.410 who receive and walk by the light of Christ. 00:07:31.209 --> 00:07:36.709 And that's why St. Paul calls us rejoice. Rejoice 00:07:36.709 --> 00:07:43.329 in the Lord always. The Lord is with us. He is 00:07:43.329 --> 00:07:46.790 at hand. And that's why you heard the choir again 00:07:46.790 --> 00:07:51.639 and again use that term rejoice. You know, some 00:07:51.639 --> 00:07:55.519 time ago I read about a Russian Orthodox priest 00:07:55.519 --> 00:08:09.100 who spent 20 years in a gulag, enduring all human 00:08:09.100 --> 00:08:14.019 indignities because he refused to give up his 00:08:14.019 --> 00:08:21.110 faith. When he was released, His daughter wrote 00:08:21.110 --> 00:08:27.069 in her memoirs that she noticed he had difficulty 00:08:27.069 --> 00:08:34.549 walking and talking. She took him to the clinic 00:08:34.549 --> 00:08:41.409 and the doctors indicated that he had what we 00:08:41.409 --> 00:08:50.779 call today progressive muscular atrophy. He lost 00:08:50.779 --> 00:08:58.840 his ability to walk and to speak. And on Pascha 00:08:58.840 --> 00:09:04.299 morning, before he died, he scribbled this note 00:09:04.299 --> 00:09:11.480 to his daughter. It's terrible to wake up on 00:09:11.480 --> 00:09:17.419 Pascha morning and have no voice to sing Christos 00:09:17.419 --> 00:09:22.259 Voskresen. But it's still more tragic to have 00:09:22.259 --> 00:09:26.539 a voice and not sing, this is the day of the 00:09:26.539 --> 00:09:31.440 resurrection. So the passing, my dear people, 00:09:31.559 --> 00:09:39.840 the passing of time has in no way altered, diminished, 00:09:40.240 --> 00:09:46.679 or negated that glorious, glorious proclamation. 00:09:47.600 --> 00:09:52.259 That our Redeemer lives. The King of kings. The 00:09:52.259 --> 00:09:57.399 Lord of lords. Still reigns. Who said I am the 00:09:57.399 --> 00:10:00.019 resurrection and the life. He who believes in 00:10:00.019 --> 00:10:05.299 me. Even though he die. He shall live. So therefore. 00:10:05.320 --> 00:10:09.639 The great John Chrysostom. In his homily. On 00:10:09.639 --> 00:10:13.659 Paschal night said. Let no one fear death. For 00:10:13.659 --> 00:10:18.450 the Savior is death. has set us free. And St. 00:10:18.610 --> 00:10:22.549 Paul cried out, O death, where is thy sting? 00:10:23.230 --> 00:10:29.230 O Hades, where is thy victory? Thanks be to God 00:10:29.230 --> 00:10:34.590 who has given us victory through Christ Jesus. 00:10:36.889 --> 00:10:42.889 And there's so much more to say. But let me conclude. 00:10:44.029 --> 00:10:49.649 because my editors have put a note in here. Let 00:10:49.649 --> 00:10:55.169 me conclude by saying that Pascha, this day, 00:10:55.250 --> 00:11:00.549 my dear people, is the most incredible, most 00:11:00.549 --> 00:11:07.669 glorious, historical news for us. That's why 00:11:07.669 --> 00:11:12.850 we could stand before the grave and sing Christ 00:11:12.850 --> 00:11:17.220 is risen. That's why we could say memory eternal. 00:11:18.559 --> 00:11:23.480 Because it is a touchable reality. And you heard 00:11:23.480 --> 00:11:28.419 in the gospel today. Jesus said to Thomas, here, 00:11:28.600 --> 00:11:36.840 look at my hands. Feel my sigh. Do not be unbelieving, 00:11:36.860 --> 00:11:42.200 but believe. My dear people, it is a touchable 00:11:42.200 --> 00:11:47.610 reality. An embraceable reality. That leads to 00:11:47.610 --> 00:11:50.970 everlasting life. Where there shall be no more 00:11:50.970 --> 00:11:56.049 death. No more sorrow. No more struggles. No 00:11:56.049 --> 00:12:01.049 more sighing. No more pain. And on the waves 00:12:01.049 --> 00:12:06.309 of the seven weeks of fasting. Of prostrations 00:12:06.309 --> 00:12:13.379 and services. And the talks. On the waves. we 00:12:13.379 --> 00:12:19.059 have reached this glorious moment. It is a moment 00:12:19.059 --> 00:12:27.019 of joy. And so, therefore, let us lift up our 00:12:27.019 --> 00:12:34.419 hearts. Let us lift up our voice to glorify and 00:12:34.419 --> 00:12:38.899 praise the divine victory of Christ who trampled 00:12:38.899 --> 00:12:42.850 down death by death. And so let us embrace one 00:12:42.850 --> 00:12:46.970 another once more, and let us even cry out to 00:12:46.970 --> 00:12:52.549 those who hate us. Let us sing, Christ is risen 00:12:52.549 --> 00:12:58.730 from the dead, trampling down hell.