Word for Holy Easter

Sermon of St. Ambrose of Milan “Word for Holy Easter” begins with the words of the prophet David, with which he calls us to joy and gladness: “This day, which the Lord has made, we will rejoice and be glad in it” (Ps. 117:24). The saint describes the great significance of this day. The Resurrection of the Lord is life for the dead, remission for sinners and glory for saints. On this day all the elements triumph. The light of Christ shines for everyone. No one should exclude himself from the general joy: “In this day, the sinner must be trustworthy in the forgiveness of sins: since he has a great guarantee in Him through whom the thief was awarded paradise. ...And if the humble Sufferer showed so much mercy to the repentant, then what kind of mercy will the Risen One in glory show to the one who asks!” The year the sermon was preached is unknown. “This day, which the Lord has made, let us rejoice and be glad in it” (Ps. 117:24). Brothers! These psalm words, with which the holy prophet calls us to joy and gladness, are quite rightly applicable to the present day. The Holy Spirit Himself moves all creatures to the corporate triumph of this day: for on this day, by the Resurrection of Jesus Christ, hell is closed, Heaven is opened, the defeated hell returns its dead, the thief is introduced into paradise, the bodies of the saints enter the holy city, the dead soar to the living. On this day, hell releases its prisoners to the Mountain villages, the earth conveys its buried to Heaven, Heaven presents to the Lord those whom it has received. The resurrection of our Lord is life for the dead, forgiveness for sinners, and glory for saints. That is why Saint David urges every creature and all creation to the most joyful triumph of this day, saying: “This day which the Lord has made, let us rejoice and be glad on it!” This Day penetrates and illuminates everything, heaven and earth and the underworld: for the Light of Christ is not blocked by walls, is not divided by the elements, and is not darkened by darkness. The light of Christ is a day without evening, an endless day: it shines everywhere, illuminates everywhere, nothing is hidden from it. What more can I say? That day is Christ Himself, as the Apostle says: “the night has passed away, but the Day is drawing near” (Rom. 13:12): the night has passed, it is said (and will not follow), so that we understand that with the approach of the Light of Christ, the darkness of the devil is driven away, and the ignorance of sins has passed away, and that by this radiance, previous delusions have been destroyed, and seductive wickedness discontinued. That this Day (of course, Christ) illuminates Heaven, earth and the underworld, the Holy Scripture testifies to this: “It is the true Light, And it enlightens every person who comes into the world” (John 1:9). That Tartarus itself is illuminated by this Day, We read about this from the prophet: “Living in the land and shadow of death, Light will shine upon you” (Is. 9:2). And that this Day shines in Heaven, read about this from the Prophet David: “I will set His seed for the age of ages, and His Throne as the Days of Heaven” (Ps. 89:30). Who is the Day of Heaven if not Christ the Lord? (Ps. 18:3). He is the Day of the Son, to whom the Day of the Father reveals the mystery of His Divinity; He is the Day about which it is written (by Solomon): “I have created that an unceasing Light may shine in Heaven...” And since the Day of Heaven will never be followed by night, then after the revelation of the righteousness of Christ, the darkness of sins disappears. Since the Day always shines and cannot be covered by any darkness, then the Light of Christ shines and is not covered by any darkness of sins. That is why the Evangelist John says: “The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness does not comprehend it” (John 1:5). So, in the Resurrection of our Lord all the elements will triumph. On this day, the sun itself (I think) is clearer than usual: it is fitting that the sun should rejoice at His Resurrection, since during His suffering it was covered in the darkness of lamentation. Therefore, brothers, let us all rejoice on this Holy Day! Let no one exclude himself from the general joy, being convicted by his conscience of his sins; Let no one avoid the most solemn prayers, being aggravated by the multitude of his iniquities. Today, the sinner must be reliable in the forgiveness of sins: since he has a great guarantee in the One through whom the thief was awarded paradise. And how can a Christian not hope for the forgiveness of sins? If during the crucifixion Christ the Savior had mercy on that thief, then how will He not have mercy on a Christian after the Resurrection? And if the humble Sufferer showed so much mercy to the repentant, then what mercy will the Risen One in glory show to the one who asks! Amen. You might be interested in: