Homily

Are we able to predict joy? Can we expect certain days when we will experience joy? There are some days when that seems possible. At the birth of a child, at a baptism, a wedding, a graduation; these are days when people can often predict a sense of joy.

But this is the day for me. This is day for us. This day of the Resurrection. This is the day the Lord has made, let us be glad and rejoice in it. This is the day every year that brings joy. And here we are together to share it, spiritually joined with all our fellow parishioners at home, especially those watching by internet.

What kind of joy? When people talk about joy they usually are describing an emotion, a feeling of great happiness. And that is indeed a part of the joy I have today, an emotion that lifts my spirit. But I also want to speak of a joy that is much deeper than simple emotion, because emotions come and go and so often we don’t even know how or why. They are extraordinarily unreliable. But Pascha, Easter joy is a joy that is rooted at the center of a Christian’s life. It can grow from year to year and it should grow from year to year. It never forces itself on us, but it is always available to Christians. Every year we hear the sermon of St. John Chrysostom: “Come all of you today and enter into the joy of your Lord!”

The joy of Pasch, of Easter, is not a joy that begins in this material world but it is a joy that comes from another place and from another person. Christ is risen from the dead and by His death He has conquered death! Christ Himself, He is our joy, Christ Himself, He is our victory, Christ Himself, He is our life. He has conquered death, and He will grant life. We are not doomed to a certain number of years in this world to then be extinguished into nothingness. We are not doomed to be slaves to sin with no hope of escape. We are not doomed to live in self-centeredness. Instead, we are constantly invited into love, a love which can show us and help us to love without counting the cost. It is the very love of Christ for us all.

Yes, there is suffering and death in this world and each of us carries our own difficulties and sorrows, but the joy of Christ risen from the dead is our assurance and our guarantee that all such troubles, and all such sadness, and even death itself cannot be our final end.

It is so very easy to get stuck in this world. It is so very tempting to think we can pretty much control what will happen to us tomorrow. Who knows better what I need than me? Who knows better how the world should run than me? Who can better figure out how to live my life than me? And where is the joy in that way of thinking and living? It becomes a battle and a struggle between me, and other people, and forces that I can never completely control, and I realize so many times I have absolutely no control over some of the events of my life. Where is the joy in that way of living, that struggle, that warfare, that desperate attempt to make it all work out, all the time, just the way I want it to be? Where is the joy in not trusting God?

So, I ask you, having read the newspapers, watched the tv, scanned the blogs and the online news, followed the Tweets and Facebook and Instagram offerings, how much joy did you receive from any of that? The world is always ready to offer fun, entertainment, diversions and even scapegoats to blame for all our troubles. But it can never offer very much joy, and certainly not a joy that can sustain us during hard times. Only one person can do that. He is with us here today.

Today we celebrate this great feast and it may be that some of us are weighed down by fear, or anger, or sadness or doubts. If that is the case let us set them aside just for right now and allow the joy of the Lord to take their place. He is the joy that never ends in His love for us and I guarantee you He loves us more than we love ourselves. I ask you seriously, “Would you be willing to die for you?” He did.

Let us turn to Him today and open our hearts to joy. We are practicing social distance but Jesus is not. He is closer to us than our next thought. Let Him be our next thought. Let us rest in Him and truly trust in His promise. The one Who has conquered death will only offer us life. Christ is risen!