Two Witnesses

 

Propers: The Great Vigil of Easter, AD 2021 B

Homily:

Lord, we pray for the preacher, for you know his sins are great.

Grace, mercy, and peace to you from God our Father and from our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Amen.

This being the Great Vigil of Easter—the feast of the Resurrection of Our Lord!—I have not one but two paschal homilies to preach for you tonight, both of which are ancient, brief, and bold.

The first comes from Melito of Sardis, a second-century bishop and saint from western Anatolia; and the second from John Chrysostom, “the Golden-Mouthed,” another bishop and saint, this time from late fourth-century Constantinople. In the churches of the Orthodox East, the Paschal Homily of Chrysostom is preached every year, every Easter. Just imagine it echoing under the dome of Hagia Sophia.

The Paschal Homily of St Melito of Sardis:

And so He was lifted up upon a tree and an inscription was attached indicating who was being killed. Who was it? It is a grievous thing to tell, but a most fearful thing to refrain from telling. But listen, as you tremble before Him, on whose account the earth [itself] trembled!

He who hung the earth in place is hanged. He who fixed the heavens in place is fixed in place. He who made all things fast is made fast on a tree. The Sovereign is insulted. God is murdered. The King of Israel is destroyed by an Israelite hand.

But He arose from the dead and mounted up to the heights of Heaven. When the Lord had clothed himself with humanity, and had suffered for the sake of the sufferer, and had been bound for the sake of the imprisoned, and had been judged for the sake of the condemned, and buried for the sake of the one who was buried, He rose up from the dead, and cried aloud with this voice: 

“Who is it who contends with Me? Let him stand in opposition to Me. I set the condemned free; I gave the dead life; I raised up the one who had been entombed. Who is My opponent?

“I,” He says, “am the Christ. I am the One who destroyed death, and triumphed over the   enemy, and trampled hell underfoot, and bound the strong one, and carried off mortals to the heights of Heaven. I,” He says, “am the Christ.”

“Therefore, come, all families of the earth. You who have been befouled with sins, receive forgiveness for your sins. I am your forgiveness. I am the Passover of your salvation. I am the Lamb which was sacrificed for you. I am your ransom. I am your Light. I am your Savior. I am your Resurrection. I am your King. I am leading you up to the heights of Heaven. I will show you the eternal Father. I will raise you up by My right hand.”

This is the One who made the heavens and the earth, and formed humankind in the beginning; the One proclaimed by the Law and the Prophets, the One enfleshed in a Virgin, the One hanged on a tree, the One buried in the earth, the One raised from the dead and who went up into the heights of Heaven, the One sitting at the right hand of the Father, the One having all authority to judge and to save, through whom the Father made the things which exist from the beginning of time. 

This One is the Alpha and the Omega. This One is the beginning and the end—the beginning indescribable and the end incomprehensible. This One is the Christ. This One is the King. This One is Jesus. This One is the Leader. This One is the Lord. 

This One is the One who rose from the dead. This One is the One sitting on the right hand of the Father. He bears the Father and is borne by the Father. To Him be the glory and the power forever. Amen.

The Paschal Homily of St John Chrysostom:

If any be a devout lover of God, let him partake with gladness from this fair and radiant feast. If any be a faithful servant, let him enter rejoicing into the joy of his Lord. If any have wearied himself with fasting, let him now enjoy his reward.

If any have labored from the first hour, let him receive today his rightful due. If any have come after the third [hour], let him celebrate the feast with thankfulness. If any have come after the sixth, let him not be in doubt, for he will suffer no loss. If any have delayed until the ninth, let him not hesitate but draw near. If any have arrived only at the eleventh [hour], let him not be afraid because he comes so late.

For the Master is generous and accepts the last even as the first. He gives rest to him who comes at the eleventh hour in the same way as him who has labored from the first. He accepts the deed, and commends the intention.

Enter then, all of you, into the joy of our Lord. First and last, receive alike your reward. Rich and poor, dance together. You who fasted and you who have not fasted, rejoice together. The table is fully laden: let all enjoy it. The calf is fatted: let none go away hungry.

Let none lament his poverty; for the universal Kingdom is revealed. Let none bewail his transgressions; for the light of forgiveness has risen from the tomb. Let none fear death; for [the] death of the Savior has set us [all] free.

He has destroyed death by undergoing death. He has despoiled hell by descending into hell. He vexed it even as it tasted of His flesh.

Isaiah foretold this when he cried: “Hell was filled with bitterness when it met Thee face to face below”; filled with bitterness, for it was brought to nothing; filled with bitterness, for it was mocked; filled with bitterness, for it was overthrown; filled with bitterness, for it was put in chains. Hell received a body, and encountered God. It received earth, and confronted heaven. O death, where is your sting? O hell, where is your victory?

Christ is risen! And you, O death, are annihilated!
Christ is risen! And the evil ones are cast down!
Christ is risen! And the angels rejoice!
Christ is risen! And life is liberated!
Christ is risen! And the tomb is emptied of its dead—

for Christ having risen from the dead, is become the firstfruits of [all of] those who have fallen asleep. To Him be glory and power, now and forever, and from all ages to all ages. Amen.

Hallelujah! Hallelujah! Hallelujah!

In the Name of the Father and of the +Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.