Following the Great Lent (Fast) our Orthodox Church celebrates a very important feast. This feast is called the Resurrection Feast. “He is not here, but is risen!” Luke 24:6 On Good Friday our Lord Jesus Christ died on the cross. Then He was placed in a tomb and a BIG stone was placed in front of the cave so no one could take His body. To be safe they even placed a guard in front of the tomb to make sure our Lord Jesus Christ cannot get out. After 3 days, very early on Sunday morning, it was still dark, the sun didn’t even come up yet, a woman named St. Mary Magdalene and some other women went to the tomb. St. Mary Magdalene was a woman who loved our Lord Jesus Christ very, very much, she loved to learn from Him and spend a lot of time with Him. She had a lot of faith and our Lord knew that her faith was strong and how much she really loved Him.
Our Lord Jesus Christ died on the cross but He raised Himself from the dead, He Resurrected!! Can anyone do this? NO, only our Lord Jesus Christ can do this, because He is our Lord, our God, and He saved us and because He resurrected we will be able to be with Him in Heaven Our Lord Jesus Christ is alive!! He is here with us and sees everything we do and HE loves us more than anyone in the world, He created us and He died for us. We as witnesses to our Lord, preach His resurrection from the dead; just like we say during the Holy Liturgy: “Your death O Lord we proclaim, and Your Holy Resurrection and Ascension we confess” Furthermore, St. Paul, in his 1st epistle to the Corinthians is telling us that our faith would be empty and our preaching empty if Christ is not risen. Why was it necessary for Christ to rise? 1- In Him was life: He who has life in Him cannot remain dead. He said to Martha “I am the resurrection and the life.” John 11:25. Also, in the book or revelation, He says: “I am He who lives, and was dead, and behold, I am alive forevermore.” Rev 1:18. For these reasons, the angel of the resurrection rebuked the women saying “Why for you see the living among the dead?” Luke 24:5 2- He Himself raised many others from death with a mere command: He is the raiser of dead; it was not difficult for Him to rise. “For as the Father raises the dead and gives life to them, even so the Son gives life to whom He will.” John 5:21. He who gives life to others can for sure raise Himself. 3- He fulfilled the prophecies: He told His disciples about the things that will happen to Him. After the transfiguration, He instructed them saying “Tell the vision to no one until the Son of Man is risen from the dead.” Matt 17:9 He also said to His disciples in Galilee “The Son of Man is about to be betrayed into the hands of men, and they will kill Him, and the third day He will be raised up.” Matt 17:22,23 4- To prove that He was not a common man: His immediate resurrection proved His divinity especially because He rose by Himself without help from anyone 5- His divine nature was never separated from His human nature: Our Lord Jesus died as a human. His spirit was separated from the body, but His divine nature was never separated from the spirit or the body. In His death, the Spirit united with the divine nature went to Hades to preach the imprisoned spirits, while His body remained in the tomb united with His divine nature. Thus, it was necessary for that body united with the divine nature to rise and not remain dead. 6- By His death, He exterminated the power of death: to proclaim His victory over death and to announce to all peoples that death would have no sting “O death, where is your sting? O Hades, where is your victory?” 1 Corinthians 15:55. 7- His resurrection was under His own influence and authority: He died by His own will and has power over His life, as He said “Therefore My Father loves Me, because I lay down My life that I may take it again. No one takes it from Me, but I lay it down of Myself. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it again. This command I have received from My Father.” John 10:17,18 This is how we should greet each other when we celebrate the Resurrection Feast & during the 50 Joyful Days after the Resurrection:
Ekhristos anesti! Alithos anesti! Pikhristos aftonf! Khen omethmi aftonf! Christ is Risen, Truly He is Risen!! |
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December 2017
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