It is no coincidence that in the silence and darkness of the deep night, clergymen offer the prayers of the Bright Resurrection of Christ in all corners of the planet…
“Let God arise,
Let His enemies be scattered;
Let those also who hate Him flee before Him.
As smoke is driven away,
So drive them away;
As wax melts before the fire,
So let the wicked perish at the presence of God.
But let the righteous be glad;
Let them rejoice before God;
Yes, let them rejoice exceedingly.” (Psalm 68, 1-3)
These exclamations are like signs, like a holy weapon of victory, which our Lord Jesus Christ accomplished for us, delivering us from slavery to the devil, from death, and from sin.
“O Death, where is your sting? O Hell, where is your victory? Christ is risen, and you are overthrown,” exclaims St. John Chrysostom, repeating after the Holy Apostle Paul. Priests and Orthodox Christians from all over the world exclaim this with them, feeling in their hearts how the strongholds of hell are being crushed and giving their sacrifices into an eternal and holy life with God.
That is why the devil rises in this way on Pascha. Because it shames and hurts him the most. Because a person, embraced by Paschal joy, enters into it and is no longer with Satan, but with the Risen Christ.
There are few words to express this Paschal joy and it is very difficult to find words. It is necessary to live by it, because it is an anticipation of the new city of Jerusalem and the eternal bliss of the righteous.
With all my heart I would like to wish all of us, dear brothers and sisters, that we live with Paschal joy all year round and every day. It is no coincidence that the main day of the week is Sunday – “Little Pascha”. Why? Because there is no life without Pascha. It renews the world with the remembrance and real experience of the Bright Resurrection of Christ. Let us also live by it. Let us build in our hearts and souls a reliable foundation for our spiritual home, our temple, which we are. And this foundation is Paschal joy in our Risen Lord Jesus Christ, in whom we are all resurrected for a new blessed life in the Kingdom of Heaven.
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