Christ is Risen!
Think about it, on that first glorious morning, as the myrrh-bearing women came to the tomb with heavy hearts and spices in hand, the angels confronted them with a question that echoes across the centuries to the ears of our heart today: "Why do you seek the living among the dead? He is not here, but is risen!" (Luke 24:5-6) This question is not just for these women but rings loudly for us, today, right now.
Identifying what is dead in our life is crucial. We often don't realize it, but we've neglected our soul! We have spent much of our lives seeking life among dead things. Thomas Merton echoes that sentiment when he said, "I have come to think that care of the soul requires a high degree of resistance to the culture around us, simply because that culture is dedicated to values that have no concern for the soul."
The culture places priorities in being happy. Do what you want, when you want, and how you want, regardless of how it will affect the other. We seek joy in material possessions that rust and fade. We seek meaning in the approval of others, which can be inauthentic and shallow. We seek peace in distractions with endless entertainment, temporary pleasures, sports events, basketball and hockey playoffs, etc. They leave our souls even more restless. We seek love in relationships built on selfishness instead of sacrifice. These are tombs, sweet friends. These are places of death, not of life. And when we pour our energy into them, we end up tired, empty, and still searching.
True Life Found in Christ
But our Lord's resurrection changed everything. Christ has overturned the grave. The stone was rolled away not so Christ could get out, but so that we could see in. The empty tomb shouts to us. Life is not found in wealth or status, it is found in Him! Life is not found in pleasure or comfort, it is found in sacrificial love becoming a servant!
Whoever desires to be great among you must be your servant, and whoever wishes to be most important and first in rank among you must be slave of all. For even the Son of Man came not to have service rendered to Him, but to serve. —Mark 10:43-45
Life is not found in endless striving! It is found in surrendering to God's will.
If then you were raised with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ is. —Colossians 3:1
So let us commit ourselves and one another and our whole life to Christ our God! Let's seek living things, the beautiful things in life. Let us pursue, as St. Paul clearly states in Philippians 4, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely and excellent!
If we are going to avoid the empty tombs and truly live in the light of Christ's Resurrection, we must turn away from the dead and seek the living. Seek Christ daily, not just once a year, not only on Pascha, but every morning, afternoon and evening. Let's make our goal to discover Jesus with every breath we take. St. Athanasius says in his book On the Incarnation that: "The soul's desire is to see its Creator, and it is insatiable in this longing."
Let's open our hearts to His living presence in prayer, in Scripture, in the Divine Liturgy. Seek acts of mercy and service. When we give to the poor, when we forgive an enemy, when we comfort the sorrowful, we step out of the grave and into life. Let us seek to root our identity in God, not the world. You are beloved by Christ. Our value is not determined by achievements or failures. It is determined by the Cross and the Empty Tomb! It is determined by the constant reminder from our church that our bodies are the temple of the Holy Spirit and that we are called to be factories of love, factories of peace, factories of kindness!
The Myrrh-Bearing Women: A Legacy of Faith
As we celebrate and remember the Myrrh-Bearing women, may we remember the courage and faith of these women who moved toward the tomb in their time of sorrow only to be met with the glorious news of the Resurrection. Let us honor and celebrate the women in our midst, the mothers, daughters, sisters, friends, who proclaim and live this message of hope, love, and resurrection in our world today!
YES!! May we continue to support and encourage one another as we proclaim, just like the Myrrh-Bearers, that "He is risen!" May our lives reflect the joy of this truth, and may we honor the beautiful ways women contribute to our faith and our lives as we journey together in Christ.
Christ is Risen!
+ Fr. Tom
Originally published in the Holy Apostles E-bulletin. Subscribe here.
