His Eminence, Metropolitan Chrysostomos of Attica and Boeotia
May 3, 2025
Beloved brethren in Christ,
Today, the third Sunday after
Pascha, our Holy Church takes us a few days back, to Great Friday, to the place
where our salvation was accomplished, the dreadful Golgotha.
At the center of the scene, the
middle Cross on which the Most Pure Body of our Lord is nailed, now lifeless.
Below, only a few people are watching, with the Ten Apostles absent. Among
those present was Saint Joseph of Arimathea, a member of the Great Sanhedrin,
who had been a secret disciple of Jesus, fearing to be put out of the
synagogue. He, seeing the unjust martyrdom that his beloved Teacher suffered,
cast away all fear at once, armed himself with courage, and went to Pilate to
ask for the Body for burial. Likewise acted the councilor Nicodemus, also
formerly a secret disciple of Christ. Seeing Joseph going to Pilate, he bought
precious spices for the needs of the burial. With Pilate’s permission, Joseph
received the All-Holy Body, and together with Nicodemus, anointed the Body with
spices, wrapped it in a clean linen cloth, and buried it in the new Tomb which
Joseph himself had hewn out and intended for himself.
The next day, the Pharisees and
the chief priests, fearing that the Apostles might steal the Body and spread
the claim that the Lord had risen, placed a guard at the Tomb with Pilate’s
permission.
However, what our Hymnography
rightly emphasizes came to pass: “In vain do you guard the tomb, O watch. For
the tomb cannot hold the Giver of life.” It was not possible for Christ, the
Life and Source of life, to remain confined in the Tomb. He who shattered the
gates of Hades could not remain enclosed in the Sepulcher. Thus, the longed-for
event occurred, and we Orthodox today can say and joyfully cry out:
“Christ is Risen!”
Without knowing it, the Pharisees
and the chief priests added an important piece of evidence for the
Resurrection—the guard. If there had been no guard, then indeed they could have
said that the Apostles stole the Body. But now, with the soldiers guarding the
Tomb, the lie about the Body being stolen was utter foolishness, for since the
soldiers were keeping watch, how could the Body have been stolen? And if the
soldiers were sleeping—as they were told to spread—how did they see that the
Body was stolen? Obvious falsehoods!
Very early on Sunday morning,
before the sun had even risen, the Holy Women, who had ministered to the Lord
throughout His journey, gathered to go to the Tomb to anoint the Body with
myrrh, as was the custom of the Jews. They knew that there were soldiers and
that the stone sealing the door of the Tomb was very large, heavy, and
unmovable by a few weak women. This was their great concern. They did not take
into account the presence of the soldiers. Their anxiety and distress were over
how they would manage to roll away the stone to enter the Tomb. Others, in
their place, would not have even bothered to go to the Tomb. But they went.
Despite their thoughts, despite their weakness, despite their anxiety, they
went! They went and were rewarded. They saw that the great stone had been
rolled aside, and the soldiers were nowhere to be seen. They entered the Tomb
and did not see the Body, but an angel who asked them: “Why do you seek the
Living among the dead? You seek Jesus the Nazarene, the Crucified One. He is risen!
He is not here! Behold the place where they laid Him.”
For their courage, the
Myrrh-Bearing Women became the first witnesses of the Resurrection, with our
Most Holy Theotokos being the first among them. After the event, they were
seized with fear and amazement. A little later, however, they saw the Risen Christ
Himself saying to them that famous word: “Rejoice!” “Have joy! Sorrow has
ended, the curse has been broken, death has been abolished. Let there be only
joy for you!”
How beautiful are the messages
that today brings us!
We saw the once-secret disciples,
from being last, taking the first place in the great event of the Lord’s
Burial. Such is our faith. God does not look at rank, but at sacrifice. The
Eleven were the first, but through their sacrifice and courage, Joseph and
Nicodemus surpassed them at that given moment. In every Divine Liturgy, we
commemorate Joseph for his actions after the Great Entrance.
On the other hand, we saw Joseph,
without a second thought, offer his Tomb for Christ to be buried there. As
generously as he offered his Tomb, just as generously did the Lord bestow
blessing upon that Tomb. Who could have imagined that Joseph, that the Tomb he
hewed and which was in his possession, would, even to this day and until the
end of time, become the greatest place of pilgrimage in the world—and not only
that, but also “the source of our Resurrection.”
Perhaps, however, the most
striking message—the one that must accompany us in every movement of our
life—is that which the Myrrh-Bearing Women experienced. Faced with the problem
of the great stone, they responded with their courage. They did not remain dwelling
on the obstacles. They moved forward and succeeded.
So too must we, beloved brethren.
Because Christ is Risen from the dead, in our life we must arm ourselves with
courage and hope. If death itself was not an obstacle, what then could possibly
hinder us?
Many times we set out to do
something important in our life. Many times we too, like the Myrrh-Bearing
Women, begin to draw near to God. Since along the way thoughts will certainly
trouble our mind, let us not pay attention to them, but proceed with hope
toward the Giver of Life. Upon arriving, we will see that the stone has been
rolled away!
Truly the Lord is Risen!
Rejoice!
Your Bishop,
† Chrysostomos of Attica and
Boeotia
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