My beloved brothers and sisters in our Risen Christ,
Christ is Risen! Truly He is Risen
Glory to His Third Day Resurrection.
We bow down to His Third Day Resurrection.
Christ is risen from the dead,by death trampling
upon Death, and has bestowed Life to those in the
tombs.
Thy Resurrection, O Christ, our Savior enlightened,
the whole world, and recalled Thine own creation.
Almighty Lord, Glory to Thee.
Though Thou, O deathless One, didst descend into
grave, Thou didst destroy the power of Hades and
as Victor, Thou didst rise again, O Christ our God. Thou
didst greet the Myrrh-bearing women, saying: Rejoice!
Thou didst bestow peace upon Thy Disciples, and
resurrection upon those that are fallen.
SERMON OF SAINT JOHN CHRYSOSTOM
ARCHBISHOP OF CONSTANTINOPLE
Priest:
Whosoever is a devout lover of God, let him enjoy this beautiful bright Festival. And whosoever is a grateful
servant, let him rejoice and enter into the joy of his Lord. And if any be weary with fasting, let him now enjoy
his penny. If any have toiled from the first hour, let him receive his due reward. If any have come after the third
hour, le thim with gratitude join the Feast. And he that arrived after the sixth hour, let him not doubt; for he too
shall sustain no loss. And if any have delayed to the ninth hour, let him not hesitate, but let him come too. And
he that hath arrived only at the eleventh hour, let him not be afraid by reason of his dalay; for the Lord is gracious
and receiveth the last even as the first. He giveth rest to him that cometh at the eleventh hour as well as to him
that hath toiled from the first. Yea, to this one, he giveth and upon that one, he bestoweth. He accepteth works,
as he greeteth the endeavour. The deed he honoreth and the intention he commendeth.
Let all then enter into the joy of our Lord. Ye first and last receiving alike your reward, ye rich and poor, rejoice
together. Ye sober and ye slothful, celebrate the day. Ye that have kept the fast, and ye that have not, rejoice today;
for the Table is richly laden. Fare ye royally on it. The calf is a fatted one. Let no one go away hungry. Partake ye
all of the cup of faith. Enjoy ye all the riches of His goodness. Let no one grieve at his poverty, for the Universal
Kingdom hath been revealed.
Let one mourn that he hath fallen again and again; for FORGIVENESS HATH RISEN FROM THE GRAVE. LET NO
ONE FEARETH DEATH; FOR THE DEATH OF OUR SAVIOR HATH SET US FREE. HE HATH DESTROYED IT BY
ENDURING IT. HE SPOILED HADES WHEN HE DESCENDED THERETO. HE VEXED IT EVEN AS IT TASTED OF HIS
FLESH. Isaiah foretold this when he cried, Thou O Hades, hast been vexed by encountering Him below. It is vexed;
for it is even done away with. It is vexed; for it is made a mockery. It is vexed; for it is destroyed. It is vexed; for it
is annihilated. It is vexed;for it is now made captive. It took a body, and, lo! it discovered God. It took what it saw,
and was overcome by what it did not see. O death, where is thy sting? O Hades, where is thy victory? CHRIST IS
RISEN, AND THOU ART ANNIHILATED. CHRIST IS RISEN, AND THE ANGELS REJOICE. CHRIST IS RISEN, AND
LIFE IS LIBERATED. CHRIST IS RISEN, AND THE TOMB IS EMPTIED OF THE DEAD; FOR CHRIST, HAVING RISEN
FROM THE DEAD, IS BECOME THE FIRSTFRUITS OF THOSE THAT HAVE FALLEN ASLEEP. TO HIM BE GLORY AND
POWER FOREVER AND EVER. AMEN.
SAINT PAUL SPEAKS ON THE RESURRECTION
1 CORINTHIANS 15:1-22.
"Moreover, brethren, I declare to you the gospel which I preached to you, which also you
received in which you stand, by which also you are saved, if you hold fast that word which I
preached to you–unless you believed in vain. For I delivered to you first all of all that which
I also received: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, and that He was buried,
and that He was seen by Cephas, then by the twelve. After that He was seen by over five hundred
brethren at once, of whom the greater part remain to the present, but some have fallen asleep.
After that He was seen by James, then by all the Apostles. Then last of all He was seen by me also,
as by one born out of due time. For I am the least of the Apostles, who am not worthy to be called
an Apostle, because I persecuted the Church of God. But by the grace of God I am what I am, and
His grace toward me was not in vain; but I labored more abundantly than by all, yet not I, but the
grace of God which was with me. Therefore, whether it was I or they so we preach and so you
believed. Now If Christ is preached that He has been raised from the dead, how do some among
you say that there is no resurrection of the dead? But IF THERE IS NO RESURRECTION OF THE
DEAD, THEN CHRIST IS NOT RISEN. AND IF CHRIST IS NOT RISEN, THEN OUR PREACHING IS
EMPTY. YES, AND WE ARE FOUND FALSE WITNESSES OF GOD, BECAUSE WE HAVE TESTIFIED
OF GOD THAT HE RAISED UP CHRIST, WHOM HE DID NOT RAISE UP–IF IN FACT THE DEAD
DO NOT RISE, THEN CHRIST IS NOT RISEN. AND IF CHRIST IS NOT RISEN, YOUR FAITH IS FUTILE;
YOU ARE STILL IN YOUR SINS! THEN ALSO THOSE WHO HAVE FALLEN ASLEEP IN CHRIST HAVE
PERISHED. IF IN THIS LIFE ONLY WE HAVE HOPE IN CHRIST, WE ARE OF ALL MEN THE MOST
PITIABLE. BUT NOW CHRIST IS RISEN FROM THE DEAD, AND HAS BECOME THE FIRSTFRUITS
OF THOSE WHO HAVE FALLEN ASLEEP. FOR SINCE BY MAN CAME DEATH, BY MAN ALSO CAME
THE RESURRECTION OF THE DEAD. FOR AS IN ADAM ALL DIE, EVEN SO IN CHRIST ALL SHALL
BE MADE ALIVE."
Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit,
now and ever, and in the Ages of Ages. Amen.
It is the Day of the Resurrection; let us be glorious in
splendour for the Festival, and let us embrace one another.
Let us speak also, O brethren, to those that hates us, and
in the Resurrection, Let us forgive all things, and so let us
cry: CHRIST HAS RISEN FROM THE DEAD, BY DEATH
TRAMPLING UPON DEATH, AND HAS BESTOWED LIFE
TO THOSE IN THE TOMBS.
Christ has risen from the dead, by death trampling
upon Death, and has bestowed Life to those in the
tombs.
____________
"Glory Be To GOD
For
All Things!"
– Saint John Chrysostomos
+ + +
With sincere agape in Our Risen Lord, God and Savior,
The sinner and unworthy servant of God
The Eastern Orthodox Christian Ethos 