St. John Chrysostom delivered this homily during the Easter season, and it should remind us of the joy we should all have as Christians.
After 40 days of Lent, Christians could be tempted to be a bit grouchy, having given up a number of things and gone through all sorts of privations. Yet, those days are now over and the gloominess of Good Friday opens up to the joys of Easter Sunday.
Unfortunately, we may not always make that transition and may still persist in our gloominess even during Easter, forgetting the glory and joy that God has won for us.
One way to step back and see the beauty of this season is to read the following homily by St. John Chrysostom.
Enter into the joy of the Lord
St. John Chrysostom opens his homily exhorting everyone to "rejoice in the splendor of this Feast!...Let those who have borne the burden of Lent now receive their pay, and those who have toiled since the first hour, let them now receive their due reward!"
His entire homily is full of Easter joy as he urges everyone to take part in the Feast in a joyful way:
Come you all: enter into the joy of your Lord. You, the first and you, the last, receive alike your reward. You rich and you poor, dance together! You sober and you weaklings, celebrate the Day! You who have kept the fast and you, who have not, rejoice today!
He then concludes his homily by explaining the source of our joy:
His is truly risen! Christ is risen and the demons are cast down! He is truly risen! Christ is risen and the angels rejoice! He is truly risen! Christ is risen and Life is freed! He is truly risen!...For Christ, being risen from the dead, has become the Leader and Reviver of those who have fallen asleep. To Him be glory and power forever and ever. Amen!
Whatever you do this Easter season, do not forget the joy that we should posses, knowing that Jesus is risen and that he has opened up the doors to us to the wedding feast of Heaven.
Our time on earth may be difficult, with many sufferings -- a true "valley of tears" -- but if we can run the race to the end, we will be richly rewarded for all eternity.
