In resurrectionem domini B

A discourse of our father among the saints John Chrysostom, Archbishop of Constantinople, for holy pascha, for the myrrh-bearing women, for the newly baptized, and for the text "In the beginning was the Word." Always it is possible to rejoice in the church of Christ among us, but much more so in the present myriad-lighted torch-bearing of the day, when Christ himself, the master of all, the sun of righteousness, having risen from the tomb-like bridal chambers by the resurrection, first of all shone his rays upon the race of women, saying to them: Rejoice. The first word of the resurrection is "Rejoice"; fear was buried and grace was given. The first word of the resurrection is "Rejoice"; and the Lord met with women before all others and said to them: Go quickly and tell my disciples that I have risen from the dead and I go before you into Galilee; there you will see me. He met with women, for where sin abounded, grace superabounded. O the wise management of the Lord. He did not send an angel to the disciples, nor did he himself appear, but he sent women; and not simply women, but faithful women, his own soldiers. He sent these to the disciples, both gladdening and reproaching them: gladdening because the one who was free among the dead had risen from the dead, reproaching because the disciples, being men, were hiding in cowardice, while women, brightened by boldness, were proclaiming the resurrection. Truly, then, it is timely to say, also concerning the present church because of the manifold spiritual childbearing of the regenerated: Behold, I and the children whom God has given me.

I call the newly baptized children because of the remaining innocence of their disposition, children as those being nursed on the Lord's milk. Not only children, but also clouds and doves is the order of the newly baptized called. And who is witness to this? The prophet Isaiah. Hear him saying: Who are these that fly like clouds and like doves with their young? And why are the newly baptized clouds and doves? Clouds because they have been separated from the earth, because they traverse the air, because they seek the heavenly things, because they bear the spiritual rain that descended upon the spiritual fleece. Doves as repelling the devilish raven, doves as carrying the twig of piety in their mouth. Thus also another prophet cried out saying: Rejoice, barren one who does not give birth, break forth and cry out, she who does not labor, because the children of the desert are many, more than of her who has a husband. The church from the nations heard "desert"; before the union with the Lord Christ it was desert as not having the palm of righteousness, as not possessing the cross-shaped vine. But the desert has become fruitful, not having advanced naturally, but having borne fruit divinely, so as to be able to say: And I am like a fruitful olive tree in the house of God. We celebrate a universal feast today, both fulfilling the law and confirming grace, because the law was given through Moses, grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.

Where a slave is, there the gift was given; where a free man is, there the act occurred, because the slave serves, but the master exercises authority. And again: The fulfillment of the law is Christ for righteousness to every believer. The law was fulfilled, grace was introduced in its place; the Jewish people grew old, the Christian people were renewed. Therefore, concerning the former it is said: "That which grows old and ages is near to vanishing," but concerning the latter: "Your youth will be renewed like that of an eagle." There the shadow, here the truth; there the unleavened bread, here the bread; there circumcision, here the seal; there the ark, here the Virgin; there the tablets, here the Gospels; there the jar, here the altar; there Aaron's rod that blossomed with nuts, here the staff of the cross that bore fruit with a thief into paradise; there the desert, here paradise; there the promised land, here the inheritance of the kingdom of the heavens. Therefore, the present circumstances also imitate the order of heaven by the starlike radiance of the newly baptized; and above are stars, and below are stars. Heaven for us today is the earth, not because the location has changed, but because the former blessing has been spread abroad. No longer does the dividing wall of enmity prevail, but the pledge of friendship extends the right hand; no longer do we hear: "You are earth and to earth you will return," but: "Our citizenship is in the heavens.

Truly then it is timely to say, chanting softly: This is the day which the Lord made; let us rejoice and be glad in it. Let us rejoice because the statues of the idols were shattered and the holy of holies was given; let us be glad because the grief of Eve was extinguished and the joy of the virgin was kindled. This is the day which the Lord made. What did he make it? Queen of the other days. Hence also David concerning her cries out to the king Christ, saying: The queen stood at your right hand, clothed in a gold-woven garment, richly adorned. And what is the gold-woven garment? The garment of faith, for faith is gold because of the unalterable nature of baptism. The queen stood at your right hand, clothed and richly adorned. Clothed with what? The unshakable cloak of piety. Richly adorned with what? The many-tongued comeliness of the doctrines. This is the day which the Lord made; let us rejoice and be glad in it—not with wine that intoxicates but with word that leads to compunction. Being rational, let us receive a word of gladness. And what is the gladdening word?

God the Word himself, who gladdens us while scourging the heretics. You have just heard John crying out: "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God." What will the children of the heretics say, those irrational in their religion? "In the beginning was the Word"—surely not a creature, surely not a creation, surely not subordinate, surely not powerless, surely not that which was not. John says "was," and Arius says "was not." Whom shall I believe? John, who reclined upon the Lord's breast, or Arius, who suddenly expired in a dung-filled place because of his blasphemy against the Son of God? "In the beginning was the Word"—he did not say "came to be," lest he introduce a genesis of divinity; for the existence of the divinity is ungenerated, having neither a beginning of days nor an end of life, but remains the same and in the same state, since the divine nature admits no change. What then does David say? I wish to say again with you: "This is the day which the Lord made; let us rejoice and be glad in it." Truly the present day is full of joy. Why is it full of joy? Because on this day he blocked Hades and opened heaven, plundered Hades and made life bloom again, bound the devil and released Adam, moved the flaming sword and brought the soul of the believing thief into paradise by the life-giving tree, banished the rams and the gods and prepared the rational lamb to be broken. And who is witness to this? Paul crying out: "Our Passover—Christ was sacrificed for us." So we celebrate not with old leaven nor with the leaven of vice and wickedness, but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth.

We were commanded to celebrate the passion that tasted of Christ, not in the unleavened bread of Jewish wickedness. For the Jews pursue one thing, we another: they wickedness, we blessing. They act one way concerning the Lord Christ: they slaughtered, we purchased; they dug open the side, we drew forth the mystic milk; they the vinegar, we the blood; they the gall, we the sweetness; they the tomb, we heaven; they the stone, we the throne; they the seal, we the treasure; they the military guard, we the angelic presidency; they Pilate, we Paul; they Barabbas, we Abraham. This is the day which the Lord made; let us rejoice and be glad in it, because the rational lambs, standing at the Lord’s manger, are fed with the Lord’s body. Men have become angels, slaves free, soldiers kings; those who wear the sheepskin of Adam have put on the royal cloak. May it be that all of us are found worthy of the resurrection of Christ, both in this present age and in the age to come, now and always and unto the ages of ages. Amen.