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CHRIST IS RISEN! A Paschal Epistle Of Archbishop John [Maximovitch] To the Western European And East Asian Flock And To All His Spiritual Children 1956 |
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PRINTABLE Version
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Let us cleanse our senses and see through the gleaming, unapproachable
light of Christ's Resurrection.
Now is everything filled-full with light -- the heavens, the earth, and the
underworld. All is presently bathed in light: Christ is risen from the
dead. The heavens make merry, the earth rejoiceth, the underworld
exulteth.
The Angels in Heaven hymn Thy Resurrection, O Christ-Saviour. Do Thou make
us, on earth, also worthy to glorify Thee with a pure heart.
The Angelic Choir, horrified at seeing Its Creator and Master dead, doth
now, in joyous song, glorify Him resurrected. Today doth Adam exult, and
Eve rejoiceth; and with them do the Prophets and Patriarchs sing worthy
songs to the Creator of all and to our Deliverer, Who did descend into the
underworld for our sake.
The Giver of Life doth lead men out of hell this day, and up-lifteth them
to Heaven; He layeth low the powers of the enemy and breaketh down the
gates of hell by the Divine power of His authority.
On earth, the Angels announce the gladsome tidings to men and declare
Christ's Resurrection. Attired in gleaming white robes, the Angels ask the
Myrrh-bearing Women: "Why seek ye the Living One amongst the dead? He is
risen; He is not here! Come, see the place where the Lord did lie."
The Myrrh-bearing Women rush to the Apostles, bearing to them the joyous
news. And through the Apostles and the Gospel is Christ's Resurrection
preached unto all the world today.
Not all the Apostles immediately saw the risen Christ through spiritual
eyes. Two disciples travelling to Emmaus did see Jesus walking with them,
but did not recognize Him till such time as He had warmed their saddened
hearts; and then were their spiritual eyes opened. Mary Magdalene
conversed with Christ in the garden, but neither recognized Him nor was
cognizant of the mystery of the Resurrection, until the voice of her
belovèd Teacher touched her heart and illumined her soul, which had been
given to thinking in worldly fashion.
'Twas the Belovèd Disciple John, whose heart was pure and undimmed by
timidity, who before all others descried the light of the risen Christ
through spiritual eyes; and with his bodily eyes did he behold the
manifested Lord.
Scattering and dispersing the dark and gloomy tempest of sin, Christ, the
Sun of Righteousness, shone forth, gleaming not in the hearts and souls of
the Apostles only, but in those of all who draw near to Him with faith,
salvation seeking.
"Blessèd are those who have not seen and have believed," Christ quoth;
"blessèd are those who have perceived Me not with bodily eyes, but with the
eyes of the heart."
It was with his spiritual eyes that Archdeacon Stephan, the Proto-martyr,
saw the heavens opened and the Lord Jesus at the right hand of God the
Father. It was with eyes of faith that the risen Lord was beheld by
Great-martyr George the Trophy-bearer and by all the other martyrs who laid
down their earthly lives for Christ, in order that they might receive from
Him life eternal. It was upon Him that _podvizhniki_
["athletes"-of-the-spirit] did fix their spiritual gaze; despising earthly
pleasures, they were crowned in the heavens with glory unfading.
But neither the scribes nor the pharisees, His enemies, saw the resurrected
Christ. Nor did the tormentors of the martyrs see Him, strengthening the
martyrs. Neither did, nor do, all those whose spiritual gaze is dimmed by
unbelief, whose heart is befouled with sins and vices, whose will is
directed only toward the earthly, ever see the light of the glory of the
risen Christ.
Let us cleanse our hearts from all filth and foulness, and our spiritual
eyes will be enlightened.
The light of Christ's Resurrection will flood and fill our souls, in like
manner as the Church of the Resurrection, yearly, throughout the centuries,
on Great Saturday, is illumined with light when the Orthodox -- and only
the Orthodoxy -- Patriarch receives the Heavenly Fire.
Let us lift up our hearts! Let us forsake everything worldly; let us
rejoice in this day and be exceeding glad!
Christ is risen from the dead, having trampled death by death.
Christ is risen!
Translated into English by
G. Spruksts
from the Russian text appearing in _"Pravoslavnaya Rus'"_ ("Orthodox Rus'"), No. 7, 1996, p.5. English-language translations copyright (c) 1998 by The St. Stefan Of Perm'
Guild; The Russian Cultural Heritage Society; and the Translator. All
rights reserved.
This translation is posted with permission
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Russian Orthodox Church of St Nicholas Dallas, Texas Phone: 972 529-2754 Priest Seraphim Holland nicholas@orthodox.net Snail Mail: 2102 Summit, McKinney TX 75071, USA |