Christ is risen Christ is risen Christ is risen
Christ is risen. The joy of Oscar. The joy of
the resurrection. It is so full. It is hard to
put into words this joy, this fullness, this
truth, this reality that death has been broken.
Death has been Death has been defeated. Death
has been slain. Death has been taken captive,
as we heard in the words of St. John Chrysostom
last night, which are so hard to follow. How
can I even stand here and say anything? And yet
we must try. Words will fail us all. Brothers
and sisters, whatever we have in our heart, Whatever
efforts we have put in, whatever baggage, whatever
sins, whatever failures, whatever weaknesses,
whatever brokenness, whatever things that hold
us at arm's length, perhaps during the Lent,
perhaps during Holy Week, perhaps during the
year, because we are a little more full than
usual. That's slightly supposed to be funny.
Christ has shattered them. Christ has obliterated
them. Christ has given them life. Someone who
speaks Spanish can correct me later if I need
to be corrected, but I was thinking when you
say Cristo resucitado, it gives off the idea
of resuscitation. If you're tracing it etymologically.
And yet, resuscitation, it's not quite right,
because that's not what the resurrection is.
Christ is standing. Christos Anesti is what the
Greek says. Christ is resurrected. He is not
just brought back to life. He is incorruptible.
He is immortal. Death has been taken captive,
and life reigns. And so when we think of our
weaknesses, when we think of our bodies breaking,
when we think of our minds deteriorating, when
we think of thoughts that plague us, Christ has
invaded all of those things and filled them with
life and meaning. All of our lives, all of our
lives have meaning because of the resurrection
of Christ Jesus from the dead. We can rejoice.
We can rejoice. And the Lord gives us, the church
gives us, essentially 50 days to celebrate this
fact that offsets the 40 plus 8 days we just
went through. Because Pentecost, Pentecost technically
is the 50th day of Pascha, in terms of the Greek
meaning of it. Brothers and sisters, let these
50 days be a spiritual awakening. Let them be
a spiritual resurrection. If we have been away,
come. There is nothing that needs to hold you
at arm's length. If we have been depressed, if
we have been anxious, if we have been doubting,
if we have been weak, if we have been despairing,
if we have been making excuses, if we have been
fretting, There is no need. There is no need.
It is not even worthy, St. Paul says, to compare
these things to the glory of Christ, the glory
that is coming and the glory that is invading
this creation, even in our own bodies, that the
old man has died, the old man is withering, and
the new man... We are being transfigured, the
Greek. We are being metamorphosized from the
inside out. And Christ is coming alive in us.
If you have been away, come. If you have been
doubting, come. Think of Thomas at the scripture
reading. Christ comes. He says, peace be unto
you. He shows them. Everything. They need to
see the apostles. He says, peace be unto you.
He shows up when the doors are closed because
they're afraid of the Jewish authorities. They're
hiding. He comes to them and he shows himself
to them. Resurrected. Standing. Alive. Death
defeated. And Thomas isn't there. And so when
they go and they tell Thomas, he doubts. It's
too good to be true. It's too good to be true.
And in the world standards, it might be. And
yet, it is true. But in order to believe it,
in order to experience it, in order to feel the
power of Christ's resurrection, the joy of Pascha,
we have to be here. Not just on Pascha, but we
have to be here to see it all through the year.
That our hearts might be filled with hope. That
our lives might be filled with meaning. That
we might know how significant we are to Christ,
our God. That he invaded death for us when we
were weak. When our wrists were limp like the
resurrection icon. When Adam and Eve, they can
barely reach up. And he grabs them. And he pulls
them out. And he makes them to stand like he
is standing. And he says, let's go. Let's live
our life. Let's not look back. Let's not look
back. Let's unite ourselves. Unite yourself to
me. Unite yourself to the church. Unite yourself
to my power that courses from me and into you.
Incorruptible. Immortal. Life. Death is destroyed.
Christ is risen. Christ is risen.