CHAPTER I Of the victory of our Lord Jesus Christ upon the Cross, His triumph over death, and His most joyful Resurrecti
CHAPTER I
Of the victory of our Lord Jesus Christ upon the Cross, His triumph over death, and His most joyful Resurrection from the grave
I BLESS Thee, and give thanks to Thee, O Lord Jesus Christ, for Thy victory and triumph upon the Cross over death, and for Thy glorious and joyful Resurrection from the Tomb, in which, after being buried amid many tears, Thou didst, for our sakes, lie for three days and nights, actually a corpse, hidden from every human eye, and closed up with a great stone, so that Thou couldst neither be touched nor seen by Thy disciples or Thy friends. Thou wast, moreover, watched by a strong guard of heathen soldiers as a precaution against Thy rising from the dead, and making Thy escape; and to prevent Thy disciples from carrying Thee away, secretly taking Thee to some other place, worshipping Thee as God, and saying to the people: “The Crucified is risen from the dead.”
But in this case surely the wickedness of evil men recoiled upon themselves; and all the craftiness of the devil, all the might of Pilate, all the wrong-headedness of the people, all the knavery of the priests, all the wisdom of the Scribes, all the counsel of the Pharisees and of the Elders—anxious to wipe out Thy Holy Name from among men—were brought to nought. Of a truth counsel against the Lord there can be none; no earthly power can withstand the Most High; against the Wisdom of God man’s cunning exalteth itself in vain; the All-knowing God cannot be deceived by tricks, no matter how crafty they may be. Thou Who didst lay the foundations of the earth, and didst set to the sea its bounds; Thou Who didst make all things in their weight, in their number, and in their extent; Thou to Whom were known the time of Thy Birth, and the hour of Thy Death; Thou knewest also the time appointed for Thy Resurrection, and its hour.
When therefore, O most merciful Lord Jesus, midnight was past, and dawn was at hand, Thou didst in a glorious Body, in an atmosphere of joy and unspeakable light, rise happily again to life from the sealed Tomb, even as at Thy Birth Thou didst come forth from the womb of Thy most holy Mother the Virgin Mary, without breaking the seal of her perpetual Virginity—a stupendous mystery, an unheard-of miracle, possible only to Thee as God, working concurrently with God the Holy Ghost.
And this is why Thou didst establish the Festival of Thy Resurrection to be for ever kept most holy, as brighter than the sun and more glorious than all the festivals of the year; and didst provide that by the faithful throughout the world it should be celebrated with joyful hearts and voices, in Hymns and Psalms, and with frequent Alleluias, and be most conspicuously honoured by joyous remembrance and thanksgiving.
At last, then, O Christ, my King, on this night, with Angels looking on, and rejoicing with Thee in Thy glorious triumph over death, and at the confounding of Hell, Thou didst mercifully open to us men an entrance into everlasting life, even as Thou hadst foretold to Thy disciples; and while they knew nothing about it, Thou didst joyfully clothe Thyself in Thy glorious Body. Then indeed did all the Powers of Darkness groan and gnash their teeth at beholding the brightness of Thy countenance in our human nature. There was a great earthquake also, and fear fell upon the armed guard of soldiers which was on watch at the Sepulchre; and they became as dead men when they felt the earth quake and saw the wondrous vision of Angels. For the Angel of the Lord, shining in whiteness like to snow, came down from Heaven and took away the great stone from the Tomb; so making ready a direct and safe path for the holy women, who were on their way to it, bearing precious spices to anoint once more their Jesus in the Sepulchre, that so they might safely draw near, and see that the Tomb was empty, and that their Lord was not there, but had risen.
I praise and magnify Thee, O Lord Jesus Christ, Almighty King of Kings, Lord of Heaven and earth, Maker of all things, for Thy hard-won victory over Hell, and for the strong fetters with which Thou didst bind proud Lucifer, whom Thou didst cast into a burning lake of fire, of stinking sulphur and of pitch.
I praise and glorify Thee for the might with which Thou didst subdue the Devil’s power for evil against the race of men, and didst prevent the demons from harming us as they please, which was what they were wont to do before Thy Incarnation and Passion. By a just judgement the wicked devices of the Jews in procuring Thy Crucifixion between two thieves, which they had instigated in the hope of destroying Thee, recoiled upon their own heads.
And now behold Thou art risen; Thou hast been victorious over the Kingdom of Hell; and by the sign of the holy Cross Thou hast broken in pieces all the power of the demons. Thou hast brought down their pride, and put it under the feet of the lowliest of Thy servants whom Thou hast chosen out of the world; for now all Christians, no matter what their rank may be, be they nobles or only common folk, rejoice in being signed with the sign of the Holy Cross, and bear it boldly on their foreheads in honour of Thy Name, as a defence against the fear of the old serpent, and against the scoffs of unbelieving Jews and heathens, who to this day hate the Name of Jesus Christ, the Son of God, Who was crucified for the salvation of the world.
I praise and honour Thee, O most gracious Jesus, for mercifully visiting in Limbo the Saints of the Old Dispensation, and for releasing all the faithful souls which were resting in Abraham’s bosom. They indeed had long time anxiously looked for Thy descent into Hell, and with eyes full of tears were lovingly exclaiming, as we do now in this day’s processional: “Thou art come, O loved One, Whom we have long waited for in our darkness; Thou art this night come to bring forth from the prison house those who were bound.”
Lead thou, then, the chorus of joy, O Adam, our first parent, founder, so far as man can be said so to be, of the human race; rejoice thou, together with Eve thy wife of high renown, formed from thy side in Paradise! Rejoice; for Christ, a descendant of thy own, Virgin-born, and sacrificed upon the Cross, has come to deliver thee and all thy fellow-captive descendants, who have died trusting in Him, and in the hope of heavenly grace! Christ has come to deliver thee from the power of the grave, out of the house of bondage, out of the shadow of death, out of the den of lions, from the fear of the evil demons; and to bring thee and all the Saints of whom thou wert the progenitor, attended by the angels who were your dear companions when on earth, amid songs of sweet rejoicing, into a Paradise of delight and of everlasting bliss.
Do thou too rejoice, O holy patriarch Abraham, father of many nations; rejoice thou with Sara, thy faithful wife, over the Incarnation of Christ, foretold to thee, and crowned with this Festival! This is the day which thou hast long expected, and wished to see. Firmly didst thou believe and therefore hast thou been found worthy to be made glad by beholding with thine own eyes Christ, born of thy seed, the Giver of the Kingdom of Heaven.
Do thou too rejoice, most ancient father Isaac, at the bright vision of Christ, and at His descent into Hell, concerning which, before thy death, thou didst prophecy; and when blessing thy son Jacob, didst in mysterious words beautifully point to Christ as of holy ones the most blessed, and didst speak His praises in these words: “Behold the smell of my son is as the smell of a plentiful field, which the Lord hath blessed. Cursed be he that curseth thee; and let him that blesseth thee be filled with blessings!”
Wherefore I too, on hearing and reading these things, give thanks to Thee, my God, and above the names of all the Saints, bless Thy sweet Name, O most sweet Jesus Christ, hoping that I may be found meet to be numbered by Thee among Thy chosen ones, to be filled with heavenly blessings, and to come at last to that Kingdom of joy in which the holy Angels dwell with Thee for ever.
Do thou too rejoice over this day, O mighty wrestler Jacob, chiefly for the heavenly glory and the benign glance of Jesus Christ, concerning which in days long past thou didst, when blessing thy sons, prophetically speak in these words of faith and prayer: “I will look for Thy salvation, O Lord!” O word truly sweet to the ear, and full of joy to the godly! O wholesome word, which in its inner meaning speaks of Jesus, long desired by Patriarchs and Prophets, patiently expected, and now at length shown forth before their eyes; for there is no other name under heaven given to men, whereby we must be saved, except this most sweet name of Jesus, which is blessed for ever above all things, from everlasting to everlasting! Yes, in very truth, Jesus Himself, the Salvation of God promised in the law, Who was born of a Virgin, Who suffered on the Cross, has risen again on the third day, and has fulfilled all things which the holy Patriarchs and all the Prophets had spoken concerning Him. Speak then now quite plainly, O holy Jacob, in the joy of thy heart; say of Christ appearing in the glory of His Father in the sight of the angels of God: “I have seen my Lord face to face, and my soul has been saved!” What wouldst thou have more than this; and what greater happiness couldst thou desire? If on seeing one of God’s angels, thy joy was so great, what ought now thy joy to be when thou hast been found worthy to behold the Lord of Angels? If, when it was said to thee: “Joseph, thy son, is living, and he is ruler in all the land of Egypt,” thy spirit revived, how much greater now must be thy joy at Christ’s rising from the grave, never any more to die, but to reign for ever over all who dwell in Heaven and in earth?
O all ye holy Patriarchs and Prophets, O ye kings and rulers of the people, O young men and old, O virgins and faithful widows, O Priests and Levites, O Doctors and Scribes, O ye spirits and souls of the just, O ye holy and humble men of heart, rejoice ye all this day and be glad in Jesus Christ our Lord, Who has become our Salvation! Praise Him and magnify Him for ever; for He has Himself come to visit you, and to bring joy to the hearts of all who were waiting for the redemption of His people Israel!
And now, O most loving Lord Jesus Christ, true Refuge of my soul, in Whom now is, and throughout this uncertain life from youth to old age has been, all my trust, forsake me not, I pray Thee, poor and feeble as I am, in the trials and temptations which in so many ways beset me! Strengthen me, O my God, in every distress of my heart, through the merits of Thy most Holy Passion, and through the cruel sorrows and the abundant tears which were shed by Thy most blessed Mother, in her bitter grief as she stood beneath Thy Cross, and beheld Thy Wounds! Make me glad also, I pray Thee, on account of the merits of all Thy Saints who are so dear to Thee, Patriarchs, Prophets, Apostles, and all the other Saints who are already in bliss with Thee in the Kingdom of Heaven!
Remember, O Lord, those Holy Words of Thine: “Many shall come from the East and the West, and shall sit down with Abraham and Isaac and Jacob in the Kingdom of Heaven!”—O Lord, Who on this day didst rise in Thy glorious Body from the Tomb, and hast steadfastly promised to all who love Thee the bliss of everlasting life with the Angels in Heaven, grant, I beseech Thee, that I may be admitted into that holy company, and may be allowed to sit at Thy heavenly Table—Who livest, etc.