Lew☦️ on Nostr: Paschal homily from a most beloved contemporary Saint 🥹🙏☦️ Paschal Epistle ...
Paschal homily from a most beloved contemporary Saint 🥹🙏☦️
Paschal Epistle of St. John Maximovitch, 1940
St. John Maximovitch
Pascha, 1940, Shanghai. A large Russian diaspora, forced to leave behind their homeland; many had lost their dear ones, and everything they owned, and now lived in want, in a foreign land. But God gave them a saintly bishop to comfort them, and keep them in remembrance of the grace and strength of Holy Orthodoxy.
A member of St. John’s Shanghai flock, Nicholas Feodorovich Tsepitov, of Revda, Russia, preserved this Pascal Epistle all his life, even after his return to the Soviet Union in 1947. It gave him comfort there also, where more trials awaited him. He gave this epistle for publication to the Fund for the Canonization of St. John Maximovitch in Russia, and we present it here, in English translation, as a comfort to all.
Christ is Risen!
Let us arise in the deep dawn,
And instead of myrrh offer a hymn to the Lord.
St. John Maximovitch
St. John Maximovitch
We forestall the rising of the sun, and hasten in the depth of night to meet the Sun of Righteousness.
The present night is not an ordinary night! Brighter than day, it fills our souls with light!
The rays of the Sun of the world illumine us and the whole universe, enlightening all who come to His light.
The warmth poured out through His rays penetrates all our members, filling our souls with deep peace, even healing our bodily illnesses.
This warmth melts away our sorrows, and our passions are burned away as by fire.
Enmity and hatred disappear from us, we forget our bitterness, and we do not feel our impoverishment.
The whole world becomes different in this holy and only night!
All nature is changed, and everything is filled with warmth and light.
Just as birds of prey hide at the rising of the sun, and wild beasts disappear into their dens, so does evil flee from every heart illumined today by the Light which radiates from the tomb.
Like the morning dew, now are our tears dried away!
As blossoms unfold at the onset of day, enlivened by the sun’s rays, so do virtues return to us as the Sun rises upon us this morning.
Let us strive to be wholly illuminated by this wondrous light!
When spring comes, we open all the windows and doors of our homes, that the warmth may enter and dry the dankness within.
Now the Divine Light can also enter; but it cannot shine within souls that have closed themselves, and do not want to be illumined by that Light.
Let us open our souls and hearts! Let us hasten with the myrrh-bearers, let us come bearing our lamps to Christ, Who has come forth from the tomb!
Even if you are burdened by sins, do not turn away; for today even those in the bonds of hell hasten to the Light with joyful feet.
Even if you are poor and haven’t the means to buy candles and myrrh, do not turn away. Let our hearts and souls burn in place of candles. There is no impoverishment in the world!
In these past days, we were all called to bring our material offerings and bodily ascetic labors as myrrh.
Now we all are called to partake of spiritual joy. This is the day which the Lord has made, let us rejoice and be glad in it!
Instead of myrrh and material offerings, let us bring a hymn to the Lord. Let us sing the praise of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, God!
Let us open now the doors and windows of our souls and hearts, that they might be warmed by the rays of the Sun of Righteousness!
From the outermost border of heaven is His going forth, and His goal is unto the outermost part of heaven, and there shall no man hide himself from His heat (Ps. 18:6). Now all things are filled with light: heaven and earth and the nether regions (Ode 3 of the Paschal Canon). Only we are impenetrable if we do not want Him!
If you do not feel this radiant joy today, seek the reason within yourself only.
It would be insane for a man to claim that the sun does not exist, only because he does not see it from within his tightly closed and shuttered dwelling. Pitiable is the blind man who keeps telling everyone that there is no such thing as light, only because he does not see it! It would look very foolish for a man to insist that spring has not come, only because no warmth has penetrated into his locked cellar!
We praise the gentle light, the holy glory of the immortal Heavenly Father—the Resurrected Lord, crying out to Him from the depth of our souls, MEET IT IS FOR THEE AT ALL TIMES TO BE HYMNED!
Then the light of Christ that enlightens all will enlighten even us, and we shall behold Christ the Sun of Righteousness, Who shines upon all life!
Christ is Risen!
The Bright Resurrection of Christ,
☦️JOHN, Bishop of Shanghai,
1940, Shanghai
Paschal Epistle of St. John Maximovitch, 1940
St. John Maximovitch
Pascha, 1940, Shanghai. A large Russian diaspora, forced to leave behind their homeland; many had lost their dear ones, and everything they owned, and now lived in want, in a foreign land. But God gave them a saintly bishop to comfort them, and keep them in remembrance of the grace and strength of Holy Orthodoxy.
A member of St. John’s Shanghai flock, Nicholas Feodorovich Tsepitov, of Revda, Russia, preserved this Pascal Epistle all his life, even after his return to the Soviet Union in 1947. It gave him comfort there also, where more trials awaited him. He gave this epistle for publication to the Fund for the Canonization of St. John Maximovitch in Russia, and we present it here, in English translation, as a comfort to all.
Christ is Risen!
Let us arise in the deep dawn,
And instead of myrrh offer a hymn to the Lord.
St. John Maximovitch
St. John Maximovitch
We forestall the rising of the sun, and hasten in the depth of night to meet the Sun of Righteousness.
The present night is not an ordinary night! Brighter than day, it fills our souls with light!
The rays of the Sun of the world illumine us and the whole universe, enlightening all who come to His light.
The warmth poured out through His rays penetrates all our members, filling our souls with deep peace, even healing our bodily illnesses.
This warmth melts away our sorrows, and our passions are burned away as by fire.
Enmity and hatred disappear from us, we forget our bitterness, and we do not feel our impoverishment.
The whole world becomes different in this holy and only night!
All nature is changed, and everything is filled with warmth and light.
Just as birds of prey hide at the rising of the sun, and wild beasts disappear into their dens, so does evil flee from every heart illumined today by the Light which radiates from the tomb.
Like the morning dew, now are our tears dried away!
As blossoms unfold at the onset of day, enlivened by the sun’s rays, so do virtues return to us as the Sun rises upon us this morning.
Let us strive to be wholly illuminated by this wondrous light!
When spring comes, we open all the windows and doors of our homes, that the warmth may enter and dry the dankness within.
Now the Divine Light can also enter; but it cannot shine within souls that have closed themselves, and do not want to be illumined by that Light.
Let us open our souls and hearts! Let us hasten with the myrrh-bearers, let us come bearing our lamps to Christ, Who has come forth from the tomb!
Even if you are burdened by sins, do not turn away; for today even those in the bonds of hell hasten to the Light with joyful feet.
Even if you are poor and haven’t the means to buy candles and myrrh, do not turn away. Let our hearts and souls burn in place of candles. There is no impoverishment in the world!
In these past days, we were all called to bring our material offerings and bodily ascetic labors as myrrh.
Now we all are called to partake of spiritual joy. This is the day which the Lord has made, let us rejoice and be glad in it!
Instead of myrrh and material offerings, let us bring a hymn to the Lord. Let us sing the praise of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, God!
Let us open now the doors and windows of our souls and hearts, that they might be warmed by the rays of the Sun of Righteousness!
From the outermost border of heaven is His going forth, and His goal is unto the outermost part of heaven, and there shall no man hide himself from His heat (Ps. 18:6). Now all things are filled with light: heaven and earth and the nether regions (Ode 3 of the Paschal Canon). Only we are impenetrable if we do not want Him!
If you do not feel this radiant joy today, seek the reason within yourself only.
It would be insane for a man to claim that the sun does not exist, only because he does not see it from within his tightly closed and shuttered dwelling. Pitiable is the blind man who keeps telling everyone that there is no such thing as light, only because he does not see it! It would look very foolish for a man to insist that spring has not come, only because no warmth has penetrated into his locked cellar!
We praise the gentle light, the holy glory of the immortal Heavenly Father—the Resurrected Lord, crying out to Him from the depth of our souls, MEET IT IS FOR THEE AT ALL TIMES TO BE HYMNED!
Then the light of Christ that enlightens all will enlighten even us, and we shall behold Christ the Sun of Righteousness, Who shines upon all life!
Christ is Risen!
The Bright Resurrection of Christ,
☦️JOHN, Bishop of Shanghai,
1940, Shanghai
quoting nevent1q…e2mk☦️St. John Chrysostom Paschal Homily
If any man be devout and love God, let him enjoy this fair and radiant triumphal feast. If any man be a wise servant, let him rejoicing enter into the joy of his Lord. If any have labored long in fasting, let him now receive his recompense. If any have wrought from the first hour, let him today receive his just reward. If any have come at the third hour, let him with thankfulness keep the feast. If any have arrived at the sixth hour, let him have no misgivings; because he shall in nowise be deprived thereof. If any have delayed until the ninth hour, let him draw near, fearing nothing. If any have tarried even until the eleventh hour, let him, also, be not alarmed at his tardiness; for the Lord, who is jealous of his honor, will accept the last even as the first; He gives rest unto him who comes at the eleventh hour, even as unto him who has wrought from the first hour.
And He shows mercy upon the last, and cares for the first; and to the one He gives, and upon the other He bestows gifts. And He both accepts the deeds, and welcomes the intention, and honors the acts and praises the offering. Wherefore, enter you all into the joy of your Lord; and receive your reward, both the first, and likewise the second. You rich and poor together, hold high festival. You sober and you heedless, honor the day. Rejoice today, both you who have fasted and you who have disregarded the fast. The table is full-laden; feast ye all sumptuously. The calf is fatted; let no one go hungry away.
Enjoy ye all the feast of faith: Receive ye all the riches of loving-kindness. let no one bewail his poverty, for the universal kingdom has been revealed. Let no one weep for his iniquities, for pardon has shown forth from the grave. Let no one fear death, for the Savior’s death has set us free. He that was held prisoner of it has annihilated it. By descending into Hell, He made Hell captive. He embittered it when it tasted of His flesh. And Isaiah, foretelling this, did cry: Hell, said he, was embittered, when it encountered Thee in the lower regions. It was embittered, for it was abolished. It was embittered, for it was mocked. It was embittered, for it was slain. It was embittered, for it was overthrown. It was embittered, for it was fettered in chains. It took a body, and met God face to face. It took earth, and encountered Heaven. It took that which was seen, and fell upon the unseen.
O Death, where is your sting? O Hell, where is your victory? Christ is risen, and you are overthrown. Christ is risen, and the demons are fallen. Christ is risen, and the angels rejoice. Christ is risen, and life reigns. Christ is risen, and not one dead remains in the grave. For Christ, being risen from the dead, is become the first fruits of those who have fallen asleep. To Him be glory and dominion unto ages of ages. Amen.