made grief-laden by dying; so let us call each time solemnly to mind, remem¬
SERMON 221
ON THE HOLY NIGHT
Date: about 4001
The joy and splendor of this holy night
1. Our Lord Jesus Christ made glorious by rising again the day which he had made grief-laden by dying; so let us call each time solemnly to mind, remem¬ bering his death by keeping awake, and greeting his resurrection by rejoicing. This is our great annual festival, and our passover; not one celebrated in figure by the killing of an animal, as it was for the old people of God, but one fulfilled in reality by the sacrifice of the savior, as for God's new people. Because Christ our passover has been sacrificed (1 Cor 5:7), and the old things have passed away, and behold they have become new (2 Cor 5:17). We should neither grieve, in fact, except as being weighed down by our misdeeds, nor really rejoice except as being justified by his grace, since he was handed over on account of our misdeeds, and rose again on account of our justification (Rom 4:25). We are happy to grieve over that, rejoice over this; and we are not so ungrateful as to skip over in forgetfulness the sad deed committed and the glad event deposited2 on our account and for our sakes; rather, we remember them gratefully by celebrating them.
So let us keep watch then, dearly beloved, because Christ's burial lasted as far as this night; so that there might occur during this very night the resurrection of that flesh which had then been mocked on the cross, and is now worshiped both in heaven and on earth. This night, of course, is understood to belong to the day that follows it, which we call the Lord's; and obviously he had to rise again at night, because by his resurrection he also lighted up our darkness; nor was it for nothing that a short while ago3 we were singing to him, You will light my lamp, Lord; my God, you will light up my darkness (Ps 18:28).
Thus even our devotion underlines the grandeur of this mystery; and just as our faith, made strong by his resurrection, now keeps vigil, so also this night, illuminated by our vigil, shines as brightly as a beacon; so that together with the Church spread throughout the world we may fittingly consider it to be day,4 and not be found to be in the night. On so many and such great peoples, who have everywhere assembled for this most solemn anniversary, the sun has sunk down,