“Let the heavens rejoice worthily, let the earth be glad, let all visible and invisible world celebrate: for Christ God, eternal joy, has risen.” “Now everything is filled with light – heaven, and earth and the underworld, so that all creation celebrates the rise of Christ, in which we are affirmed!” “This is now called a holy day, it is the only King and Lord of Sabbath days, a feast of feasts, and a triumph of triumph, on which we bless Christ forever.”
With these joyful chants, the immeasurable greatness of the day which came is revealed to every believing soul. The Resurrection of Christ is a holiday of heaven and earth, of the visible and invisible – men and angels. The Resurrection of Christ unites the created world in one joy with its Creator. The Resurrection of Christ is the one joint joy of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. And we thank the entire consubstantial Trinity today for the feat of the One from the Trinity – the Son, “who came down from heaven and became incarnate from the Holy Spirit, and from Mary the Virgin became human; crucified for us under Pontius Pilate, suffered and was buried, and rose again on the third day according to the Scriptures.”
After Saturday, early in the morning of the next day, when it was not yet dawn, the women – disciples of Christ, with whom, as we know from the Tradition of the Church, was the Mother of the Lord, came to the tomb, carrying with them fragrant oils to anoint the body of Jesus, lying in tomb. They walked in the dark, so that in the light of day they would not provoke the rage of the scribes, Pharisees and the crowd taught by those; they walked, probably not knowing that the tomb was sealed and guarded by soldiers. On the way, as Evangelist Mark narrates, they said to each other: “Who will roll away the stone from the door of the tomb for us?” And, having looked, they see that the stone has been rolled away; and it was very big. And, having entered the tomb, they saw a young man sitting on the right side, dressed in white clothing; and were horrified. And he says to them: do not be alarmed. You are looking for Jesus of Nazareth, crucified; He has risen, He is not here. This is the place where He was laid. But go, tell His disciples and Peter that He is going before you to Galilee; there you will see Him, just as He told you” (Mark 16:3-7).
The women fled from the tomb, not yet able to rejoice at the miracle, but “in trembling and horror,” as the evangelist narrates. He adds that they “didn’t tell anyone anything, because they were afraid”; but this has the meaning that along the road, when they were running, they did not say anything to anyone about what they saw and heard. However, further, Mark himself (Mark 16:10), as well as other evangelists (Luke 24:9), testifies that when they came to the apostles, they told about everything, but probably so excitedly and confusedly that the apostles did not believe them (Luke 24:11). And then the apostles Peter and John themselves raced to the tomb. Entering inside, they saw “only the linen cloths lying, and the cloth that was on His head, not lying with the linen cloths, but separately rolled up in another place” (John 20:6-7). And inspired by faith in the truth of the event, both disciples returned to their place.
The honour of being the first to see the risen Lord Himself was granted to the female sex. His disciple Mary the Magdalene, as Evangelist John writes, “stood at the tomb and wept. And when she cried, she leaned into the tomb and saw two Angels sitting in white robes, one at the head and the other at the feet, where the body of Jesus had laid. And they say to her: Woman! Why are you crying? She says to them: They have taken away my Lord, and I do not know where they have laid Him. Having said this, she turned back and saw Jesus standing; but did not recognize that it was Jesus. Jesus says to her: Woman! Why are you crying? Whom are you looking for? She, thinking that it is the gardener, says to Him: Master! if you have brought Him out, tell me where you have laid Him, and I will take Him. Jesus says to her: Mary! She turned and said to Him: Rabbuni! – which means: Teacher! Jesus says to her: Do not touch Me, for I have not yet ascended to My Father; but go to My brothers and say to them, “I am ascending to My Father and your Father, and to My God and your God” (John 20:11-17). However, according to the most ancient church tradition preserved, the first person to whom the Lord appeared after the resurrection was His Most Pure Mother.
We, who believe in the Resurrection of our beloved Saviour, rejoice together with the Most Holy Mother of God, with the myrrh-bearing women, with the apostles,
Let us give thanks with love to our heavenly Father “with all our heart, and with all our soul, and with all our mind, and with all our strength” (Mark 12:30).