| In the 4th=5th century, yet another Encomium, or prayer of praise, surfaced and was written to the Lord’s Holy Resurrection. Though often ascribed variously to St. Jerome or to St. Augustine, both of whom wrote of the prayer, its actual author was thought to be Bishop Zosimas, the Bishop of Rome. In this prayer, the author not only gloried in the Lord’s Rising, he focused on the light/darkness theme when at that time and to this very day, is the reason the Holy Church holds candles during the Anastasis. We have come out of the darkness of the ego and of sin and have come into the light – thanks to the Rising of Jesus from death’s grip. During this Bright Week we do well to prayerfully read this Encomium to the Lord’s Resurrection. Let us place ourselves in the holy night. Let us take its words to heart, knowing that the light of those first candles shine for us today – no matter how dark it may seem in our world. These are the words of the holy Church, written when still blessed unity existed among her believers. Make this your prayer for this special week. The Priest of Deacon chants aloud: “Rejoice, let them exult, the host of heaven, rejoice, let angel ministers of God exult, let the trumpet of salvation sound aloud our mighty King’s triumph! Be glad, let earth be glad as glory floods her, ablaze with light from her eternal King, let all corners of the earth be glad, knowing an end to gloom and darkness. Rejoice, let Mother Church also rejoice, arrayed with the light of his glory, let this holy building shake with joy, filled with the mighty voices of the peoples. Therefore, dearest friends, standing in the awesome glory of this holy night, invoke with me, I ask you, the mercy of God almighty, that he, who has been pleased to number me, though unworthy, among the Levites, may pour into me his light un-shadowed, that I may sing this hymn of perfect praise. It is truly right and just, with ardent love of mind and heart and with devoted service of our voice, to acclaim our God invisible, the almighty Father, and Jesus Christ, our Lord, his Son, his Only Begotten. Who for our sake paid Adam’s debt to the eternal Father, and, pouring out his own dear blood, wiped clean the record of our ancient sinfulness. These, then, are the feasts of Passover, in which is slain the Lamb, the one true Lamb, whose Blood anoints the door-posts of believers. This is the night, when once you led our forebears, Israel’s children, from slavery in Egypt and made them pass dry-shod through the Red Sea. This is the night that with a pillar of fire banished the darkness of sin. This is the night that even now, throughout the world, sets Christian believers apart from worldly vices and from the gloom of sin, leading them to grace and joining them to his holy ones. This is the night of which it is written: the night shall be as bright as day, dazzling is the night for me, and full of gladness. The sanctifying power of this night dispels wickedness, washes faults away, restores innocence to the fallen, and joy to mourners, drives out hatred, fosters concord, and brings down the mighty. On this night of grace, O holy Father, accept this solemn offering, an evening sacrifice of praise, this gift from your most holy Church. But now we know the candle which glowing fire ignites for God’s honor, a fire into many flames divided, yet never dimmed by sharing of its light, for it is fed by melting wax, drawn our by mother bees to build a torch so precious. O truly blessed night, when things of heaven are wed to those of earth, and divine to the human. Receive this prayer of praise as a pleasing fragrance, and let it mingle with the lights of heaven. May the brightness of this flame be found still burning by the Morning Star: the one Morning Star who never sets, Christ your Son, who coming back from death’s domain, has shed his peaceful light on humanity, and lives and reigns unto the ages of ages! Amen.” What an uplifting prayer! In communion with the Christians of the 4thcentury, spanning the epochs of history, we join our hearts and souls to them to proclaim that Resurrection still occurs. Jesus, the Light of humankind still pierces the darkness to show us the way to hope and healing. The prayer underscores our belief that we can overcome the effects of the ancestral sin, we can bridle our voracious egos, and we can live Resurrected life – every day, with every person, in ways seen and unseen. It is a spiritual irony that during this pandemic struggle, when we cannot enter God’s house, we can go within the temple of our souls to discover the Risen Christ, to embrace the light He brings, and to look forward to “coming boldly to the Throne of Grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need.” (Hebrews 4:16). Christ is Risen! Indeed He is Risen! Faithfully in the Risen Lord, |
