Слово на Святую Пасху. Святого Прокла, архиепископа Константинопольского

The real saving triumph is so wonderful that even the most abundant in words cannot depict its greatness, and the most eloquent tongue, feeling its inability to worthily glorify the beneficent love of the Crucified One, must fall silent and admit its powerlessness. In fact, has anything similar to what we now behold with the eyes of faith have happened since the beginning of time? Did the imagination invent, did the mind imagine, did the heart feel, did the tongue utter, did the eye see, did the ear hear - anything like what has now been given to the world by Jesus Christ in the flesh? No. Never before has the sun ripened for the devil to be put to shame by anyone on a tree or in a tomb. The cross has never delivered a creature from a curse. Never was the price of the redemption of the whole world set at thirty pieces of silver. Never has the suffering of the Innocent and Uninvolved in sin been the cleansing of the sins of all mankind. Life has never hung on a tree or been conceived in the flesh without the seed of a man, or triumphed over an enemy. The coffin never received the Destroyer of Death. The sky was never clothed in darkness on a clear noon, so as not to bear witness to the cruel reproach inflicted on God (which, however, touched only His flesh). Never has the earth been adorned with such a tomb, which has become a container of life. But what am I saying? It was not a tomb, but a bridal chamber: for He who was laid in the tomb did not see corruption; His descent into the grave was a wedding celebration. Nature has never produced the fruit of resurrection in three days and three nights. For the same One who formed His flesh in the womb of the Virgin, in a way known only to Him, He Himself also united His soul, which had been separated from the body, with it again, and raised Himself from the dead on the third day. In the first case, by the time of His birth, He (the God-man) confirmed our faith that He is a man, and in the second case, by His power over death, He proved that He is God. And the Lamb, who takes away the sins of the world (John 1:29), would never have been slain if God had not taken on the form of a servant, and the Creator, in a way incomprehensible to us, had not clothed himself with the nature of His creation so that His flesh would serve as the source of life, blood as the price of redemption, and spirit as the seal of the gifts of the Holy Spirit. (Apostle) Paul said beautifully: the ancient thing was made, behold, it was all new (2 Cor. 5:17). The sky became new, because He who descended from heaven glorified it with His ascension. The earth became new because He who was born flesh in a manger sanctified it with His condescension. The sea was renewed: because it bore the feet of the One who was not conceived from the seed of a man and did not bear the burden of sin (his own). The world was renewed because the Lord freed it from battle and gave it perfect peace. Human nature was renewed because the Lord washed away its impurities with water and burned them with the fire of the Holy Spirit. A new service to God has also been formed: for now the smoke from the burning sacrifices no longer smokes and circumcision is no longer performed, but faith shines, which speaks with songs of praise three persons in one being. Anticipating these joyful events, the prophet Isaiah exclaimed: on that day God will rise in council with glory on the earth (Isaiah 4:2). On what day tell us, Prophet of God? - On the day when the Lord, having taken upon Himself flesh in a manner known only to Him, will perform countless miracles; when the Virgin, who has not known her husband, will be the performer of the sacrament; when God, merciful and considerate of the human race, remaining unchanged in His being, becomes man; when death will release from its jaws the One Whom it swallowed up, not knowing who He is; when the tomb becomes a treasury of life and resurrection, and the flesh a source of freedom; in short, on the day when God the Word, having become man, will be crucified on the cross (for here only His flesh will suffer, and the Divinity has His power and authority). But explain to us, Prophet, how God will shine for those who live on earth? Is it really under the clothing of human nature, is it really in the flesh? – Thus, our eye could not bear the brilliance of the pure Divinity, and the devil would not enter into a fight with Him. Death trembles before the Creator and cannot devour a nature that is not involved in corruption; hell is horrified by God, not covered by flesh. And how can the underworld not tremble before Him, at Whom even the Cherubim do not dare to look? That is why He had to cover His Divinity with flesh (not, however, because He Himself had any need for this covering, but because our human weakness had a need for it), in order to hide within Himself the Avenger for the insult inflicted on us. He did not need the veil of Moses, with which the glory of God was blocked from the weak eyes of the Israelites (Exodus 34:35), - not the veil, which was woven from multi-colored substances (Exodus 26:31), - not the golden shield with which the head of the high priest was decorated ( Exodus 28:36), - not cherubim made with hands - these marvelous works of art (Ex. 25:18). No, He needed sheep's clothing in order to attract and defeat the wolf, thirsting for human destruction, as bait. But the Jew rebels against this, always resisting the Holy Spirit with stubborn bitterness, and with caustic words he refutes the sermons of the Prophet. Why is he talking idle talk? “I don’t believe,” he says, “that God will appear on earth; I do not believe that He, Whom cannot be imagined in any way or under any form, took on the form and appearance of a human.” But, Jew, you, who do not obey the law, manage to misinterpret the prophets, reject the Gospel and look at the apostles with a proud eye! ask the elements, and they confess that the Lord suffered in the flesh. Let's start in order with the sun. So, tell us, sun, why did you hide your rays at the crucifixion of the Lord? Is it really because the Crucified One was only a sinless man? No, otherwise why didn’t the same thing happen to you during the murder of righteous Abel (Gen. 4:8)? Let us also ask heaven: tell us, heaven, why did you, when the Jews nailed the Lord to the cross, be clothed in darkness in the middle of noon? Is it really because the Crucified Man was an innocent man? No, otherwise, why weren’t you dressed in the same darkness when you stoned the righteous Naboth (1 Kings 21:14)? Let us also ask the earth: reveal to us, earth, why did you tremble when the enemies of God committed that atrocity with wicked audacity? Is it really because Nailed to the cross was only an immaculate man? If so, then why didn’t you shudder at all when you saw Isaiah, at the command of Manasseh, cut with a wooden saw? Finally, let us ask the church: tell us, church, why did you, at the crucifixion of Christ, tear your veil? is it really because the one who ascended to the cross was only a holy man? If so, then tell me, why was your veil not torn when the blood of Zechariah was shed in your midst (Matthew 23:35)? All creation, without uttering words, answers us with its sorrow that the One who suffered was the true God. She does not sympathize with the suffering of a slave like us, but because of the unheard-of atrocity inflicted on her Master, she comes into awe and horror. Heaven cries out: “He who assumed human nature and was nailed in flesh to the cross was my Lord, who, like God, bowed me down and came down” (Ps. 17:10). The sun cries out: “Crucified in flesh on the cross was my Lord: fearing His Divine Radiance, I hid my rays.” The earth cries out: “Crucified in the flesh was my Creator incarnate: for although I contained His flesh lying in a manger, I could not embrace His Divine power.” The sea cries out: “He was not a slave like me, who was crucified in the flesh on the cross: the feet of Peter, who was a slave like me, weighed down my back (Matthew 14:30); but the feet of the Lord sanctified my nature.” The church cries: “He who was lawlessly tormented in the flesh is God, Whom from ancient times they worshiped under my roof, and therefore, unable to endure such a terrible crime, I tore my veil.” Finally, hell itself cries out: “It was not an ordinary man who descended to me: something new and extraordinary happened to me: I accepted Him as a captive, and found Almighty God in Him.” But perhaps you, a Jew, won’t even believe the elements themselves. Let us ask the Heavenly Powers: Angels, Archangels and all heavenly Powers! Tell us who was He who appeared on earth (Bar. 3:38) and was crucified in the flesh? All of them answer us loudly through the mouth of the prophet David: The Lord of hosts, He is the King of glory (Ps. 23:10). Amen 48. Curs. Compl. Patrolog. Migne, Tom. LXV, col. 789–796; cp. Bibliot. Patr. Con. cionotor., tom. IV, p. 78–80; Christian Read 1835 II, pp. 3–11; Sunday Read VII (1843–44), pp. 13–15; Sunday Read XVII (1853–54), pp. 1–3. You might be interested in: