Somewhat before midnight, with a spiritual tremor we stand in the silent dim light of the Divine home, expecting for the Holy Light to break the darkness. The human nature is renewed, resurrected; the death is defeated. The Holy Fire brings a new, heavenly radiance in the church. Come ye, receive the light from the unfading light! As the light is multiplied by the countless candles lit, so do these amazing verses echo louder and louder:
“Tonight, God sends us His entire Joy, and we participate fully in this Easter Joy, we share His love with all those near and far away. The Christian should be a bearer of good news, especially of this Easter Joy, since God, through His Cross and Resurrection, gives Himself completely to us. How does He give Himself to us? By pouring on us His immeasurable mercy; by pouring His immeasurable love for us, forgiving our sins, filling us with righteousness, and with the final and most important thing – the victory over our enemy and over the greatest problem of mankind – death, since after Him, even death is no longer a problem for those who believe in Him. What should we do? Let us wish to be with Him, just like He is giving Himself to us. Dear Lord, our life without You, our life without Your light, without Your support, without Your immeasurable love that You shed upon the world – is darkness. Therefore, be with us, don’t leave us. Do you see how much God has gifted us with meekness, with love, wanted to put us on His right side, He wanted to put us in complete unity with Him. In His farewell sermon, before His crucifixion, while praying to His Father, He said about the Apostles: ‘Father, let all those You gave me be as one, the same way me and You are One’. Can you see to what kind of unity and what great dignity God has invited humankind; and all that He has done – humbled Himself as a human, was born in a meager cave; finally, was crucified on the Cross and Resurrected – He did everything so that He could give us these immense gifts I mentioned. Let us ask ourselves, with so many gifts and love – what is our responsibility, my Christians? Our responsibility is immeasurable, since we are the ones that can change the world. He told the Apostles: ‘You are not in the world, but I am sending you in the world’ as if He had told them ‘in order to change the world’. And again, while going to His Crucifixion, I will quote His words from the New Testament: ‘Let’s get out of here’- He said to the Apostles. In a spiritual sense of the words, the Christians should elevate their mind above all worldly things, all that is corruptible, perishable and short-lived in order to be able to unite with Christ, and with each other. If the penitent thief on the cross could become a citizen of Heaven at the last moment, so can we, my dear ones, if we repent and only call to the All-good, Most Kind Savior, Who is the only hope of this world – Come Christ to my heart, I give myself to you, my risen Christ, my light, my love and my joy; come enlighten my heart and make me become light.
In the end, I greet you the same way St. Seraphim always greeted people, his spiritual children, even beyond the Pasha period: my joy, my many joys, Christ has risen! – Indeed He has risen! Christ has risen! – He has truly risen! Christ has risen! – He has truly risen!”
The procession triumphantly returns in the church. The closed door is in front of it, as if it represents the open way to heaven once closed to us. But, here is the Lord of the glory, Christ, who once and forever opened that door to eternity. We are entering a new life, renewed by the Paschal grace, testifying with joyful calls that eternal truth – Christ has risen. How powerfully the soul opens to the words of the New Testament! Come, venerate it, hear the joyful call coming from it, and rejoice with all the nature, because Christ has risen!
