WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:07.759 Friends, and even annual visitors, and as St. 00:00:07.820 --> 00:00:12.359 John and his homily mentioned last night, even 00:00:12.359 --> 00:00:17.940 at the 11th hour you are welcome. And I greet 00:00:17.940 --> 00:00:22.300 you because this is a glorious, splendorous, 00:00:22.519 --> 00:00:29.940 incredibly important feast day. referred to as 00:00:29.940 --> 00:00:33.820 the Feast of Feasts, the resurrection of our 00:00:33.820 --> 00:00:38.700 Lord Jesus Christ. Every commemoration of the 00:00:38.700 --> 00:00:46.759 Church, every celebration, none, however, can 00:00:46.759 --> 00:00:53.939 compare with the glory, the beauty, the meaning 00:00:53.939 --> 00:00:59.759 and significance of this High Holy Day. In fact, 00:00:59.759 --> 00:01:06.299 all church celebrations are based on this feast 00:01:06.299 --> 00:01:14.540 day. The day we joyfully and triumphantly recognize 00:01:14.540 --> 00:01:21.159 Christ, the Savior of our world. For us who believe 00:01:21.159 --> 00:01:27.420 in Christ the Redeemer, the question raised by 00:01:27.420 --> 00:01:36.909 the Old Testament, Prophet Job. If a man dies, 00:01:37.209 --> 00:01:46.469 shall he live again? If a man dies, shall he 00:01:46.469 --> 00:01:53.790 live again? And that answer has been given. Factually, 00:01:53.890 --> 00:01:58.079 historically, and categorically. In the revelation 00:01:58.079 --> 00:02:06.079 of Christ. Conquering death. It is the very center. 00:02:07.099 --> 00:02:15.500 The very essence. The very core. The very epicenter 00:02:15.500 --> 00:02:25.360 of our faith. Without the resurrection. The teaching 00:02:25.360 --> 00:02:34.319 on the incarnation of God becomes a myth. Without 00:02:34.319 --> 00:02:40.879 the resurrection, Christ's teaching's authority 00:02:40.879 --> 00:02:49.340 is no more nor less than any religious teacher 00:02:49.340 --> 00:03:00.030 who lived. Without Christ's resurrection, there 00:03:00.030 --> 00:03:03.530 would have been no Christian church. There would 00:03:03.530 --> 00:03:10.770 have been no Christian Bible. Without the resurrection, 00:03:11.229 --> 00:03:15.449 Christ's death on the cross would be but another 00:03:15.449 --> 00:03:24.020 tragedy in history. But the fact is, He conquered 00:03:24.020 --> 00:03:31.000 death. And because of that, it gives meaning 00:03:31.000 --> 00:03:34.879 to everything we do. Our worship services, our 00:03:34.879 --> 00:03:39.120 dogma, our doctrine. Everything, everything. 00:03:39.319 --> 00:03:43.900 It gives validity to what Christ said he is, 00:03:44.080 --> 00:03:48.919 that I am the resurrection of life. And St. Paul, 00:03:49.139 --> 00:03:55.800 in his... Writings in Corinthians mentions this. 00:03:57.699 --> 00:04:04.000 If Christ is not risen, then our preaching is 00:04:04.000 --> 00:04:10.979 empty. Notice, if Christ had not resurrected, 00:04:11.360 --> 00:04:19.339 then our preaching would be futile. And our faith 00:04:19.339 --> 00:04:26.610 would be empty. But then he goes on to say, they 00:04:26.610 --> 00:04:35.790 who have fallen asleep in Christ, if he had not 00:04:35.790 --> 00:04:43.290 risen, then death is the last word. You're gone. 00:04:44.230 --> 00:04:54.610 Death is death. But Paul goes on to say, Our 00:04:54.610 --> 00:05:02.709 faith is not empty. It's not meaningless. Let 00:05:02.709 --> 00:05:07.310 me take you back to the first Pascha morning 00:05:07.310 --> 00:05:12.370 when the mirror -bearing women went to anoint 00:05:12.370 --> 00:05:21.769 the dead body of Christ. As they came near to 00:05:21.769 --> 00:05:27.220 the tomb, They saw that the boulder blocking 00:05:27.220 --> 00:05:33.759 the entrance was gone. And then when they went 00:05:33.759 --> 00:05:40.199 in, they did not see his body. And suddenly there 00:05:40.199 --> 00:05:50.379 appeared two radiant angels saying, why do you 00:05:50.379 --> 00:05:55.259 seek the dead? Why do you seek the living among 00:05:55.259 --> 00:06:02.100 the dead? He is not here. He is risen. Go. Go 00:06:02.100 --> 00:06:05.939 tell his disciples. Just as I am saying to you. 00:06:06.000 --> 00:06:11.279 Go. Tell the world that Christ is risen. These 00:06:11.279 --> 00:06:19.899 three words. Christ is risen. Has brought inexpressible 00:06:19.899 --> 00:06:26.120 joy. To his disciples. These three words, he 00:06:26.120 --> 00:06:31.579 is risen, are words of victory. Words which continue 00:06:31.579 --> 00:06:42.019 to ring out in the corridors of time. Ring out 00:06:42.019 --> 00:06:48.680 proclaiming Christ is risen. These three words. 00:06:50.319 --> 00:06:58.939 gave hope, meaning, and salvation, and above 00:06:58.939 --> 00:07:05.319 all, gave a transforming life to those who recognized 00:07:05.319 --> 00:07:16.500 him as the Savior. Christ said, because I live. 00:07:18.639 --> 00:07:25.839 you shall live too. As in Adam all die, said 00:07:25.839 --> 00:07:31.199 the great evangelist Paul, so in Christ shall 00:07:31.199 --> 00:07:39.699 we be made alive. Marvelous words. I am the resurrection 00:07:39.699 --> 00:07:45.620 and the life, said Jesus. He who believes in 00:07:45.620 --> 00:07:56.709 me Shall never die. True. Death. Is a biological 00:07:56.709 --> 00:08:02.189 fact. We have to contend with. But my dear people. 00:08:02.290 --> 00:08:07.670 It has lost its meaning. For we are destined 00:08:07.670 --> 00:08:13.490 to be with Christ. And his resurrection. Has 00:08:13.490 --> 00:08:18.100 in no way altered that fact. That death. It's 00:08:18.100 --> 00:08:22.800 not the last word. Notice we still sing in the 00:08:22.800 --> 00:08:27.079 present tense. Christ is risen. Not was, but 00:08:27.079 --> 00:08:30.980 is risen. Trampling down death by death and upon 00:08:30.980 --> 00:08:38.860 those in the tomb bestowing life. You know, one 00:08:38.860 --> 00:08:44.139 of the more remarkable and to me one of the most 00:08:44.139 --> 00:08:52.470 obvious encouraging and inspiring things. When 00:08:52.470 --> 00:09:02.029 I read and continue to do so with those who were 00:09:02.029 --> 00:09:13.649 marched into the Siberian tundra, exiled, or 00:09:13.649 --> 00:09:18.750 those who were forced to live years after years 00:09:18.750 --> 00:09:27.370 in the gulag, or those who were marched into 00:09:27.370 --> 00:09:31.629 the gas chambers of Auschwitz. The remarkable 00:09:31.629 --> 00:09:34.789 thing is that they had praise on their lips, 00:09:34.950 --> 00:09:43.889 singing, Christ is risen. That's reality. It 00:09:43.889 --> 00:09:47.190 gave them hope. It gave them courage to endure 00:09:47.190 --> 00:09:54.590 mockery, to endure every form of persecution, 00:09:54.730 --> 00:10:02.710 even martyrdom. And they endured these trials 00:10:02.710 --> 00:10:07.350 according to the accounts. And I have heard, 00:10:07.389 --> 00:10:12.169 going back in my first parish, I have heard, 00:10:13.000 --> 00:10:16.940 The Russians who have. Spent time in Goliath. 00:10:17.120 --> 00:10:24.860 Telling me. Even. Even at the worst moments. 00:10:25.820 --> 00:10:30.879 Somehow. The word. Had gotten out. And there 00:10:30.879 --> 00:10:35.299 was a priest. In one of the cells. And he started 00:10:35.299 --> 00:10:40.860 to sing. Christ is risen. And suddenly. All of 00:10:40.860 --> 00:10:45.460 the cells were. filled with this incredible joy, 00:10:45.679 --> 00:10:56.940 singing Christos was Christ. After our Lord had 00:10:56.940 --> 00:11:05.019 raised Lazarus from the tomb, he said to those 00:11:05.019 --> 00:11:09.500 who witnessed this miracle, he said, unbind him, 00:11:09.679 --> 00:11:20.090 loose him. And I say unto you, there are those 00:11:20.090 --> 00:11:27.669 millions and millions who are still bound in 00:11:27.669 --> 00:11:32.250 their insecurities and in their sins. They're 00:11:32.250 --> 00:11:36.070 still wrapped and bound with doubt and despair 00:11:36.070 --> 00:11:44.029 and fear. But if you listen carefully. The voice 00:11:44.029 --> 00:11:50.269 from the risen Christ is still heard. Unbind 00:11:50.269 --> 00:11:57.990 him. So therefore I say to you, away with gloom. 00:11:58.590 --> 00:12:04.710 Away with uncertainty. Away with despair. Away 00:12:04.710 --> 00:12:08.929 with fear. Because the victory of Christ is our 00:12:08.929 --> 00:12:12.389 victory. His resurrection is our resurrection. 00:12:13.639 --> 00:12:19.039 His resurrection is the assurance that life in 00:12:19.039 --> 00:12:26.080 spite of all has meaning. And death is not the 00:12:26.080 --> 00:12:31.740 last word. Because death does not lead to nothingness, 00:12:31.840 --> 00:12:39.480 but rather to the vestibule of paradise. Pascha 00:12:39.480 --> 00:12:45.970 is the historical declaration that Christ is 00:12:45.970 --> 00:12:51.649 not a past memory, not a past figure of history, 00:12:51.870 --> 00:12:57.590 but a living, reigning, present, life -giving 00:12:57.590 --> 00:13:06.169 spirit. Can anyone deny the joy that was with 00:13:06.169 --> 00:13:11.049 us last night? You saw complete darkness. And 00:13:11.049 --> 00:13:14.730 then all of a sudden, Father Lawrence comes out 00:13:14.730 --> 00:13:17.750 with a light. And then there's a sea of light. 00:13:17.850 --> 00:13:20.929 The darkness could not overcome the light. And 00:13:20.929 --> 00:13:24.250 that is true with Christ's resurrection over 00:13:24.250 --> 00:13:33.389 death. You see, the resurrection explains who 00:13:33.389 --> 00:13:41.500 we are. The resurrection tells us that we are 00:13:41.500 --> 00:13:47.679 co -heirs with the risen Christ who had liberated 00:13:47.679 --> 00:13:53.639 us from the eternal pangs of death and breathed 00:13:53.639 --> 00:14:05.019 upon us the life of light and the life of eternal 00:14:05.019 --> 00:14:15.559 life. of eternal beauty, with the angels escorting 00:14:15.559 --> 00:14:22.299 us to the throne of mercy. And so, I say to you, 00:14:22.340 --> 00:14:28.419 let us affirm this. Let us reaffirm what we believe 00:14:28.419 --> 00:14:36.620 by all singing, Christ is risen from the dead. 00:14:38.600 --> 00:14:39.080 Thank you.