THE REV. CHARLES BAXTER Sermon of St. John offers hope for a new life

This weekend, Orthodox Christians around the world join in the triumphant celebration of the Resurrection of Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
Just as the myrrh-bearing women went early in the morning to anoint the body of Jesus, the Orthodox begin the celebration of Holy Pascha with a procession in a like manner. With fear, trembling and anticipation, we behold a great miracle that we do not fully understand.
The Paschal sermon of St. John Chrysostom, which is read during this Sunday's services, offers both an opportunity to understand the Resurrection better and to give us hope and direction for new life.
Two essential questions receive answers in this homily. They are questions one can ask when confronting the end of this earthly life or when driving in search of a particular destination: Where am I? Where am I going?
Stormy era: St. John Chrysostom lived in fourth-century Greece during a stormy and unsettled time. His Easter sermon was given to the faithful who needed reassurance as well as correction.
His All Holiness-Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew gives us some perspective of the saint: "He exceeds human rhetorical ability and even the best refinements of the (learned) tongue, because his whole inner person was raging with the powerful fire of the Holy Spirit. He gladdened the hearts of those melted by sorrow. He touched the whole world. He stirred up stagnant waters of indolence. He challenged mean and small-minded people."
In his own words: It is best to let the "golden tongued" saint instruct us in his own words.
"Now, we, brethren, have the Feast of Feasts, the Celebration of Celebrations, a time for praise and song. His Resurrection announces to all as end to punishment, remission of sins, justification, enlightenment, redemption, adoption, and inheritance of the heavens. God is on earth, and man is in heaven. All is united. Now it has become obvious that the ancient battle has ceased, that Divinity has made peace with nature, that the devil has been disgraced, death bound, heaven opened, and that great hope for the future has been resurrected. What can compare to such blessings and promises? Come, let us rejoice in the Lord, let us compose a song to the Savior, to our God.
"But of what should our hymn consist? The Angels sing in heaven, and cannot help but sing. As rays of light are from the sun, as sweet fragrance is from the flower, such is song from the lips of Angels. The strength of their existence lies in their perfect harmony, like strings of a well-tuned psaltery. Living, they bring them into motion, and living, they sing. Is it the same in us? Our powers are out of tune -- in conflict and confusion; how in this state will our utterances resemble song? Thus, how appropriate it is for us to meet the celebration of the Resurrection with a prayerful hymn to the Resurrected One in which we ask that we be granted the gift of hymnody -- and do Thou enable us on earth with pure hearts to glorify Thee! What feelings must be awakened in our hearts that they might coalesce into a hymn worthy to praise the Risen Lord Jesus Christ?
"We already possess a song of praise. Together with the Church, we repeat it -- a hymn of praise to the Lord, for which one must also have that, which filled to completion, the spirit which composed it. Here, shortly after the opening words we hear: Let us cleanse our feelings. Doubtless this does not refer to external, bodily feelings, but to the interior feelings of the heart. Before the Lord, Who comes from the tomb immaculate and brilliant, how can we stand and sing songs of praise with a heart that is not radiant and with a soul that is unclean?
"When we have to meet an important person, we wash ourselves, we put on new and bleached clothing, out of apprehension that by our inappropriate external appearance we might insult him. And for the Lord, Who is God of our heart, and Who demands of us that heart as a good and proper offering, we should act in the same way, if not out of love, then out of that same sense of apprehension. We must change, bleach and cleanse the feelings of our hearts, rendering to man that which is of man, and to God that which is of God."
XThe Rev. Charles Baxter is pastor of Sts. Peter & amp; Paul Ukrainian Orthodox Church in Youngstown. Additional writings of the saint can be found on the Internet at http://www.fordham.edu/halsall/sbook2.html#fathers2.