Homily

So what do you think: are we able to predict joy? Are there days when we can be sure that on that day we will be joyful? There may be such days—for example when you bring your first child home if you've given birth in the hospital. And then maybe you look forward to that joyful day 38 years later when he finally moves out of the house. There are events that are generally thought to bring joy to people, such as weddings, anniversaries, birthdays. The joy may not always arrive (birthdays are sometimes tricky that way for people), but generally these types of events make people glad. You might anticipate joy at having reached some level of success or having achieved a desired goal. It might be that you scored well on a test, the day you get your driver's license or graduate from college, or perhaps you complete some special project at home, or you count the Sunday collection without weeping.

But, apart from any of those, I can truthfully say, with more and more certainty as every year passes, that I can accurately predict one day of the year, every year, where I will be lifted up in joy—and that day is Holy Pascha, the feast of the Resurrection of Our Lord.

Joy. What kind of joy? Usually when people use that term they are talking about an emotion, a feeling of great happiness. And I admit that there is a degree of that in my Pascal joy, an emotional component that provides me with a lift in spirits. Yet, the joy I am speaking of is deeper and more substantial than a simple emotion, and I believe that is true because emotions come and go, but Paschal joy is a joy that kind of hangs on in the lives of the faithful and even grows from year to year, and it lives at the center of our lives, not like emotions which come and go and are often difficult to deal with. They often demand our attention, but Paschal joy never forces itself on us.

The Christian joy of Easter is not a joy that begins in this material world, but is a joy that comes from another place, another person and it points us to the greater life we are called to live in, even here and now, even then and there, because Christ is risen from the dead and by death He conquered death. He grants life. We're not doomed to a certain number of years and then to be extinguished into nothingness. We are not doomed to be slaves to our sins with no hope of escape. We are not doomed to live in self-centeredness, but rather to be called and invited to taste the very essence of Love, Who in turn can turn us into those who know how to genuinely love without counting the cost, because we have already been rewarded with a love like that ourselves.

Christ is risen and He has conquered death. Why is it that most, if not all people who come to celebrate the Pascha here, in this church, every year, even today, emit, transmit, put forth this almost tangible sense of joy? I think you can sense it, feel it—this joy here today. It's true for every Easter. It's not a gladness that comes from ourselves, it's not a happiness that comes from other people, but it's a joy that points us directly to the truth of Jesus Christ Who tells us that yes, we can step out of darkness and become, more and more those who love only the light. Yes, there is sadness and suffering in this world but He who suffered calls us home to a place He has prepared for us if we are willing to follow His way.

That joy which I believe you can sense here today is not a joy that is leading us to a temporary, earthly happiness and, although it may seem to be similar in certain ways, I know it is not a joy that finds its source in this material world, but rather it is a joy that flows from the very heart of Christ to reach us, and we see it more clearly today than on most other days.

If someone were to ask me, "Why do you believe in Christ?" I can honestly answer, "Because I have this joy." "Do you believe in life after death?" "Yes, because I have this joy." It points me to the Source.

On a day like today it is the greatest time to let this joy spring up and we praise the Lord with enthusiasm and vigor, and that's a great opportunity for us. For most of the year this joy may not express itself so enthusiastically, but that does not make it any less a part of our lives. And it is true we my ignore it, or it may be that sorrow and loss can overshadow it briefly at certain times, but unless we reject it, this joy does not leave us. We may forget we have it, especially when we are tempted to look for substitutes, and yet if you believe it is there today, you have not lost it. It is worth thinking about, praying about, thanking for and continuing to nourish by the practice of living in our Faith.

We come to this celebration, each one of us as individuals, and it may be that some of us are weighed down by anger or fear or doubts about our lives or our faith. If any of you are suffering from these try to set them aside, even if just for this time, and allow the joy of the Lord to take their place. Some of us may carry sadness because of situations in our own lives or in the lives of others. Try to set your sadness aside for right now and let your joy in the Lord bring you to greater hope in His promises. Wealth cannot buy it, health cannot produce it, and strength cannot deliver it because it is a gift. So I wish you today this great joy in the resurrection of Christ, not just as an emotional reaction but as something much deeper, more profound and everlasting. Our joy in the Lord is a foretaste of the unending blessedness of heaven.