Homily on Holy Pascha -1905 (St. John of Kronstadt)

Homily on Holy Pascha

The Victory Over Death and the Triumph of Eternal Life.
The Triumph of Truth and the Shaming of Falsehood.

By St. John of Kronstadt

(Delivered in 1905)

“When I [John the Theologian] saw Him [Jesus Christ; this was on the island of Patmos], I fell at His feet as if dead. But He laid His right hand on me, saying to me, 'Do not be afraid; I am the First and the Last. I am He who lives, and was dead, and behold, I am alive forevermore. Amen. And I have the keys of Hades and of Death'” (Rev. 1:17–18).

Christ is Risen!

Glory to God - Christ has risen from the dead! The Sun of Truth, though temporarily was as if extinguished and hidden in the grave, shone again and illuminated the whole world with all-joyful, life-giving rays. In the past days of the Passion of Christ, these sufferings brought upon us great sorrow, and in some they brought forth tears — either of compassion for Him who suffered for us, or tears of repentance for our sins, which caused such suffering to our Lord, who bore upon Himself all our punishments for our sins. And now, on the day of resurrection, a common joy illuminated the hearts and faces of all believers, for our life has again shone from the grave, granting everyone forgiveness of sins and the hope of resurrection and eternal life, "for Christ is risen from the dead, and has become the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep" (1 Cor. 15:20). Where is the malice and envy of the scribes and Pharisees, where is the mockery of the dead by the Jewish high priests? Where is Pilate's guard? Where are the seals of Christ's tomb? Everything disappeared, everything changed with the resurrection of Christ: the enemies were put to shame; all their machinations served only for the greater glory of the Crucified and Risen One, and, most importantly, for the salvation of the whole world; all the fears of the apostles and all the faithful disappeared with the rise of Christ from the tomb; death itself, the terror of all earthly beings, has been defeated; hades, which laughed, has been destroyed; the gatekeepers of hades, guarding the eternal prison, scattered from fear. The Risen One took possession of the keys of hades and death, having snatched them from Satan, "who had the power of death" (Heb. 2:14), and reigns forever in heaven and on earth.

See and admire the sight of the Risen One as described by His beloved disciple, to whom He appeared on the island of Patmos. "I was in the Spirit on the Lord’s Day, and I heard behind me a loud voice, as of a trumpet, saying, 'I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last,' and, 'What you see, write in a book and send it to the seven churches....' Then I turned to see the voice that spoke with me. And having turned I saw seven golden lampstands, and in the midst of the seven lampstands One like the Son of Man... He had in His right hand seven stars, out of His mouth went a sharp two-edged sword, and His countenance was like the sun shining in its strength. And when I saw Him, I fell at His feet as dead. But He laid His right hand on me, saying to me, 'Do not be afraid; I am the First and the Last. I am He who lives, and was dead, and behold, I am alive forevermore. Amen. And I have the keys of Hades and of Death'" (Rev. 1:10–13, 16–18).

You see, brothers and sisters, how all the sorrows, suffering and death of Christ our Lord ended! His glorious resurrection from the dead, His authority over hades and death, which means the complete defeat of hades and its evil and the triumph of truth and eternal life.

"I am the First and the Last. I am He who lives, and was dead, and behold, I am alive forevermore. Amen. And I have the keys of Hades and of Death" (Rev. 1:17), i.e. I have brought and will lead all those who believe in Me from hades and will bring them into Paradise which has been opened by Me through the cross. – Glory to You, the Conqueror of death; glory to You, Giver of life and immortality; glory to You, who opened Paradise; glory to You, who destroyed the barrier between the Creator and creation.

Rejoice, people of the earth, rejoice, faithful servants of Christ! Be humbled, all you atheists, all who have rejected Christ and His Church. All your hope for life is lost when you fall away from Him. All your unbelief, all your arrogance and pride are put to shame, all your absurd words and deeds are turned into madness and a punishment for yourself: "I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, and I will reject the understanding of the prudent." Christ, His grace, His righteousness and truth, His everlasting Gospel, His resurrection and His everlasting kingdom are magnified throughout the whole earth. Clap your hands for joy, all Christ's faithful! Accept the shame, all you faithless and fallen away. Thus, finally, all earthly falsehood will be completely defeated and its end will come; death will disappear, truth will triumph, and eternal life will reign. "I am the First and the Last," that is, "All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made" (John 1:3); He will also put an end to the visible world: "Heaven and earth will pass away" (Matthew 24:35); "For the things which are seen are temporary," says the apostle, "but the things which are not seen are eternal" (2 Cor. 4:18). "I am He who lives, and was dead, and behold, I am alive forevermore. Amen. And I have the keys of Hades and of Death," that is, For your sake I tasted death in order to defeat it, and I conquered, and behold, I am alive forever and ever, Amen, and you will be alive forever and ever. And this is without a doubt - Amen. Let the slaves of sin and corruption doubt My and their future resurrection; but it will be accomplished for the joy of those who believe and love Me, and for the eternal torment of sinners who have rejected Me.

Lord, Conqueror of death and hades, grant a quick and glorious victory to our Christ-loving army against the enemies of Your cross and grant joy to the hearts of Your faithful servants, dejected by military failures and the triumph of our countless enemies, external and internal, foreign and our own, and stop the lips of unbelief and mockery. Amen.

Source: Translated by John Sanidopoulos.