Even Years: John Chrysostom (attributed), An Easter Homily, (PG 59, 723-724)
Τὸ
δὲ παρ ἡμῖν ἐπιτελούμενον
πάσχα, ἁπάντων ἀνθρώπων
σωτηρίας ἐστὶν
ἄιτον, ἀρξάμενον
ἀπὸ τοῦ
πρωτοπλάστου, ὂς
ἐν ἅπασίν ἐστι
σωζόμενος καὶ
ζωογονούμενος.
Τὰ
δὲ μέρη τῶν
τελείων καὶ τὰ
πρόσκαιρα, τῶν
αἰωνίων εἰκόνες
καὶ τύποι,
προεμελετᾶτο
πρὸς τὴν νῦν ἀνατείλασαν
ἀλήθειαν
σκιαγραφούμενα·
ἀληθείας δὲ
παρούσως, ὁ
τύπος ἄκαιρος·
ὥσπερ
βασιλέως ἐπιδημήσαντος,
οὐδεὶς αὐτὸν ἐάσας
τὸν ζῶντα
βασιλέα, τὴν εἰκόνα
ποσκυνεῖν ἀξιοῖ.
Δήλη
δὲ αὐτόθεν ἡ τοῦ
τύπου παρὰ τὴν ἀλήθειαν
ἐλάττωσις· ὅπου
γε ὁ μὲν τύπος ὀλιγοχρόνιον
ζωὴν ἑορτάζει
τὴν τῶν Ἰουδαίων
πρωτοτόκων, ἡ
δὲ ἀλήθεια τὴν
διηνεκῆ ζωὴν τὴν
ἁπάντων ἀνθρώπων.
Οὐ
γὰρ μέγα τὸ
θάνατον πρὸς
βραχὺ διαφυγεῖν
τῷ μικρὸν ὕστερον
ἀπθανουμένῳ,
μέγα δὲ τὸ
καθόλου
θάνατον ἀποφυγεῖν·
ὅπερ ἡμῖν
περιγίνεται, οἷς
τὸ πάσχα ἐτύθη
Χριστός.
Καὶ
αὐτό γε τὸ τῆς ἑορτῆς
ὄνομα
πλείστην ἔχει
τὴν ὑπεροχὴν, ἐπὶ
τῆς ἀληθείας ἑρμηνευόμενον.
Ὑπέρβασις μὲν
γάρ ἐστι καθἑρμηνείαν
τὸ πάσχα, ὅτε ὑπερέβη
τοὺς Ἐβραίων οἴκους
ὁ τὰ πρωτότοκα
παίων ὀλοθρευτής.
Ὑπέρβασις δὲ
τοῦ ὀλοθρευτοῦ
παρ ἡμῖν ἀληθὴς,
ὅταν καθάπαξ ἡμᾶς
ὑπερβαίνῃ πρὸς
τὴν αἰώνιον ζωὴν
ἀνισταμένους ὑπὸ
Χριστοῦ...
Τί
δὲ τοῦτό ἐστιν
εὐθὺς ἐπὶ τῆς ἀληθείας
θεωρούμενον, τὸ
ἀρχῇ ἐνιαυτοῦ
τὸν καιρὸν ἐκεῖνον
ὁρίζεσθαι, ἐν ᾧ
τὸ πάσχα καὶ ἡ
σωτηρία τῶν
πρωτοτόκων; Ὅτι
καὶ ἡμῖν ἀρχὴ
ζωὴς αἰωνίας ἡ
τοῦ ἀληθινοῦ
πάσχα θυσία.
Αἰῶνος
γὰρ ὁ ἐνιαυτὸς
σύμβολον,
διότι κύκλῳ
περιιὼν αὐτὸς
εἰς ἑαυτὸν ἀεὶ
στρέφεται, καὶ
εἰς τέλος οὐδὲν
ἀποπαύεται. Καὶ
πατὴρ τοῦ
μέλλοντος αἰῶνός
ἐστι προσαχθεὶς
ὑπὲρ ἡμῶν
θυσία Χριστὸς,
καὶ τὸν
πρότερον ἅπαντα
βίον ἡμῶν ἄκαιρον
ποιῶν, ἀρχὴν ἑτέρου
διὰ τοῦ λουτροῦ
τῆς
παλιγγενεσίας
δίδωσι, καθ ὁμοιότητα
τοῦ ἰδίου
θανάτου καὶ τῆς
ἀναστάσεως.
Ὥστε
πᾶς ὁ γινώσκων
τὸ τεθυμένον ὑπὲρ
αὐτοῦ πάσχα, ἀρχὴν
ἑαυτῷ ζωῆς ὑποτιθέσθω
ταύτην, ἀφ οὗ
τέθυται Χριστὸς
ὑπὲρ αὐτοῦ.
Τέθυται δὲ ὑπὲρ
αὐτοῦ τότε, ἡνίκα
ἂν ἐπιγνῷ τὴν
χάριν, καὶ συνῇ
τὴν διὰ τῆς
θυσίας ἐκείνης
ζωήν.
Καὶ
τοῦτο
γινώσκων, τῆς
νεαρᾶς ὀρεγέσθω
ζωῆς
λαμβάνειν τῆν ἀρχὴν,
καὶ μηκέτι ἀνατρεχέτω
πρὸς τὴν παλαιὰν,
ἧς ἐπὶ τέλος ἔφθασεν.
Οἴτινες γὰρ ἀπεθάνομεν,
φησὶ, τῇ ἁμαρτίᾳ,
πῶς ἔτι ζήσομεν ἐν
αὐτῇ;
Odd Years: Augustine of Hippo, Sermon 8 for Easter Octave, 1:4 (PL 46, 838.841)
| Sermo mihi est ad vos, modo nati infantes, parvuli in Christo, nova proles Ecclesiae, gratia Patris, fecunditas Matris, germen pium, examen novellum, flos nostri honoris et fructus laboris, gaudium et corona mea, omnes qui statis in Domino.
| I address myself to you, newly-baptized infants, little ones in Christ, new offspring of the Church, grace of the Father, fruitfulness of the Mother's womb, holy children, new swarm, flower of our honour, and fruit of our labour, my joy and my crown, all of you who stand upright before the Lord.
| | Apostolicis verbis vos alloquor: Induite Dominum Iesum Christum, et carnis providentiam ne feceritis in concupiscentiis, ut et vita induatis, quem sacramento induistis. Quotquot enim in Christo baptizati estis, Christum induistis. Non est Iudaeus et Graecus, non est servus neque liber, non est masculus aut femina: omnes enim vos unum estis in Christo Iesu.
| I address to you the words of the Apostle: Put on the Lord Jesus Christ and make no provision for the flesh, to gratify its desires, so that you may put on the life which you have put on by this sacrament. For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus.
| | Hoc habet ipsa vis sacramenti: sacramentum enim est vitae novae, quae in hoc tempore incipit a remissione praeteritorum omnium peccatorum, perficietur autem in resurectione mortuorum. Consepulti enim estis cum Christo per baptismum in mortem, ut, quemadmodum surrexit Christus a mortuis, sic et vos in novitate vitae ambuletis.
| Such is the efficacy of this sacrament. It is the sacrament of the new life which begins at the present time by the forgiveness of all past sins, but will only be completed in the resurrection of the dead. We have been buried with Christ by Baptism into death, so that as Christ has arisen from the dead, we too may walk in newness of life.
| | Ambulatis autem nunc per fidem, quamdiu in hoc mortali corpore peregrinamini a Domino: sed via vobis certa ipse, ad quem tenditis, factus est Christus Iesus secundum hominem, quod pro nobis fieri dignatus est. Servavit enim multam dulcedinem timentibus se, aperturus et perfecturus eam sperantibus in se, cum id quod nunc in spe accepimus, etiam in re acceperimus.
| Now you walk by faith, as long as you journey in this mortal body far from the Lord. But Jesus Christ towards whom you are moving is a sure way. He is this in his humanity which he took on for us. He has in reserve an abundance of sweetness for those who fear him, which he will manifest and perfect in those who hope in him, when we shall receive in reality what we have now received in hope.
| | Hodie dies octavus est nativitatis vestrae; hodie completur in vobis signaculum fidei, quod apud antiquos patres in circumcisione carnis fiebat octavo die carnalis nativitatis. Unde et ipse Dominus mortalitate carnis resurgendo se expolians, et non quidem aliud, sed tamen ultra non moriturum corpus exsuscitans, dominicum diem in sua resurrectione signavit, qui post diem passionis eius tertius, in numero autem dierum post sabbatum octavus est, idemque primus.
| Today is the octave of your birth; today is perfected in you the seal of faith which was given among our fathers of old on the eighth day after physical birth through physical circumcision. So too the Lord himself by rising cut away mortality from the flesh and raised up, not a different body, but one that would die no more. This he did on the Lord's day, the third day after his passion, the eighth day after the Sabbath, which is also the first.
| | Unde et vos nondum re, sed certa iam spe, quia et huius rei sacramentum habetis, et pignus Spiritus accepistis, si resurrexistis cum Christo, quae sursum sunt sapite, ubi Christus est in dextera Dei sedens; quae sursum sunt quaerite, non quae super terram. Mortui enim estis, et vita vestra abscondita est cum Christo in Deo. Cum Christus apparuerit, vita vestra, tunc et vos cum ipso apparebitis in gloria.
| So you have not yet received in fact the glory of the resurrection but you have the sure hope of receiving it since you have the sacrament of that reality and the pledge of the Spirit. If you have risen with Christ, seek the thing, that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your mind on things that are above, not on things that are on earth. For you have died, and your life is hid with Christ in God. When Christ who is your life appears, then you also will appear with him in glory.
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Psalm 1: Hebrew English Then BACK
