Yes, if we remembered the sufferings of the Lord more often, we would certainly acquire the spirit of constant and fervent prayer. Fervor for prayer, aroused by the need for it for us, is aroused with no less force and is supported in us by confidence in its success, confidence that it will certainly be heard. For even in ordinary life our petition is firm and daring when we are sure that it will be fulfilled. And on the contrary, he can be weak if we do not expect success from him. It is the same in prayer: it is fervent and fervent when we are sure that it will be heard. If the power of prayer depends so much on the certainty of its success, then what a powerful prayer should be aroused in a Christian at the remembrance of the sufferings of Christ, who so resolutely vouch for this success, assuring us that the Lord Jesus Christ both wants and can help us, and will certainly hear our petitions to Him. The main reason for our willingness to help someone is to sympathize with the petitioner, to love him, and to understand the situation that threatens him. And when the supplicant finds this readiness in our love and compassion for him, then he is sure of the success of his petition for deliverance from misfortune. What a strong confidence in the readiness of our Lord Jesus Christ to listen to our prayers and help us should be filled with in the remembrance of the sufferings and the Cross of Christ! Are there more reliable testimonies of His boundless love for us than the testimonies presented by His sufferings on the Cross for us, the unworthy? Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends (John 15:13). In remembrance of Christ's sufferings, what other assurances are needed that Jesus Christ can both understand the full severity of our cross-bearing and skillfully help us? He knows the severity of our cross-bearing not only from His Divine Omniscience, but also from His own experience. He walked such a thorny path of the cross, which no one has ever passed and no one will ever pass, because no one can do it. He endured such terrible sufferings that at the mere memory of them a person shudders. Will not He Who Himself, hanging on the Cross, cried out to His Heavenly Father with love and sorrow respond to our supplication: "My God, My God, Thou hast forsaken Me?" (Matt. 27:46). Will not He Who Himself calls to Himself those who mourn and says: "Come unto Me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest" (Matt. 11:28)? Thus, dear ones, we must only remember the severity of Christ's sufferings, and this remembrance will teach us to pray with faith and strength, to pray successfully always, in the most difficult moments of our lives. Therefore, Christian, boldly turn to Jesus Christ with your prayer for help in the midst of temptations and dangers, and trust without hesitation on your way of the cross to the guidance of the Divine Crusader. Remember the scourgings, beatings, spitting, beating with a reed on the head, crowning with a crown of thorns, the wounds of nails (John 20:25) on His hands and feet, the unbearably painful hanging on the Cross, the terrible thirst in the hours of suffering on the Cross, the pierced rib – remember all this, and you will understand that He knows the weakness of our flesh suffering under the Cross. If you are exhausted under the weight of the inner cross, then in this struggle no one will help you better than Him, because the inner cross is known to Him to the highest degree. What a difficult spiritual struggle He endured with Himself is evident from the fact that He prayed to His Heavenly Father that the cup of suffering, the cup for the sake of which He came to earth, pass from Him. What an inner cross He endured at the sight of the traitorous disciple, at the sight of Peter, who had sworn allegiance to Him, abandoned Him by the other disciples and renounced Him, at the sight of the raging people demanding His crucifixion, the people to whom He had done so much good, at the brutality of the crucifiers and the inhumanity of the blasphemers who mocked His torments, and, finally, at the abandonment of Him by the Heavenly Father Himself! Remember all this, Christian, and there will appear in you an unshakable conviction that the Sufferer of Golgotha can help all those who are tempted, and this grace-filled confidence will arouse in you with all its power fervor for prayer, and you will acquire the most reliable means of overcoming temptations and misfortunes. And Thou, merciful Lord, look mercifully upon us, though unworthy, but faithful to Thy love, children who have gathered here to honor the memory of Thy sufferings, and be merciful, be merciful to our sins and iniquities, and vouchsafe to cry out to Thee together with the wise thief: Jesus, Son of God, remember us when Thou comest in Thy Kingdom. Amen. 1964

Homily on the Lord's Entry into JerusalemOn the Lord's Meeting

In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit! Today, beloved brothers and sisters in Christ, the Holy Church, and together with her, festively commemorates the solemn greeting of our Lord Jesus Christ at His entry into Jerusalem, arranged for Him by the best part of the people of Israel. Our Lord Jesus Christ, in fulfillment of the prophecy about Him as a meek and righteous King after the miraculous resurrection of Lazarus, six days before His death, reveals Himself to the Jews, resolutely allowing them to understand that He is truly the Messiah and King Whom they are waiting for. He enters the capital of the kingdom of Israel, the holy city of Jerusalem, sitting on a young donkey, accompanied by a multitude of people. Everything came together to make this meeting the most solemn: crowds of people followed Jesus Christ from Bethany to Jerusalem; some spread their garments on the road, others cut green palm branches and threw them along the path of the Savior's procession or waved them in the air. The picture was very solemn and touching: it was one of the best and most joyful events in the earthly life of the Savior. Those who accompanied and met Jesus Christ greeted Him with enthusiastic exclamations, exclaiming: Hosanna to the Son of David! blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord! Peace in heaven and glory in the highest! (cf. Matt. 21:9; Lk. 19:38). Thus solemnly and joyfully did the people of Israel greet the Messiah, whom they had been waiting for so long. And the people of Israel had something to rejoice about, meeting their King. He was not an ordinary earthly king who subjugated peoples by force of arms. But this was the King of Whom the holy prophet Zechariah prophesied in ancient times, saying: "Rejoice with joy, O daughter of Zion, rejoice, O daughter of Jerusalem: behold, thy King cometh unto thee, righteous and saving, meek, sitting on an ass, and on a colt, the son of a foal" (Zech. 9:9). A righteous King entered Jerusalem, not only righteous in Himself, but also bearing with Him eternal righteousness for all mankind, bringing justification for them from the sin that torments them. A meek King entered, not only personally meek, but also coming to teach people meekness, to establish a kingdom of peace for mankind and to draw people to Himself with humility and love. Entering Jerusalem was the Saving King, the Savior of the world, Who is coming to redeem people from heavy punishments for sins, to free them from the evil reigning in the world. Therefore, brothers and sisters, it is understandable why the greeting that the people of Israel arranged for the Lord at His entry into Jerusalem was so joyful. This great joy of the people of Israel will be even more understandable to us if we remember the conditions in which the Jews found themselves at that time. Even before the birth of Jesus Christ, the people of Israel were enslaved by the Romans, who gave them under the rule of the cruel and unjust Herod. Similar to Herod in their cruelty were the Roman governors. The moral and religious state of the people was extremely deplorable. The religious leaders of the Jews were distinguished by depravity, unbelief, greed, and other base qualities. Therefore, it was natural for the Jews to expect a Savior-King, Who would deliver them from troubles and destroy iniquities among them. And when this King appeared among them, it is not surprising that the people received Him with such great joy and exultation. It is this joyous meeting of our Lord Jesus Christ that we solemnly celebrate every year, but this event should not have for us only a historical significance. It must remain for us a significant event, having a direct significance for our soul and for our salvation. The Savior of the world is the King not only of the Israelites, but of all people, and He came not only to the Jewish people, but to all the peoples of the world. Meek and righteous, He constantly goes to each of us, constantly knocks at the doors of our hearts, and we must always meet our Lord with great joy. That is why in the Epistle reading that we have heard today, the holy Apostle Paul tells us: "Rejoice always in the Lord: and pour out the river, rejoice" (Phil. 4:4). And our joy in the Lord should be more conscious and perfect than the joy of the people of Israel, because not all of the Israelites understood well the significance of the Savior's entry into Jerusalem, but we already know why Christ descended from Heaven to earth and what He did for us. But how to express our joy at meeting the Lord - this is what we must learn from the people of Israel. The Jews, meeting the Lord, spread their garments for Him. In order to understand the mysterious meaning of this symbolic action, it is necessary to recall that in ancient times clothing signified this or that state of mind of a person, expressed his spirit. Therefore, if someone took off his clothes and spread them before a person, then in this way he showed that he was overthrowing his most sublime feelings - love, respect and reverence - before this person. So the Jews expressed their readiness to renounce themselves and dedicate their souls and bodies to the King of Israel, Whom they met. This is exactly what we should do when we meet the Lord.

Such our meeting with Christ will be the best and most pleasant for the Lord. The people of Israel, when they met the Savior, cut off palm branches and spread them on His path. In order to understand the inner meaning of this action, it is necessary to know that in the Holy Scriptures a tree is very often understood as a person. Thus, for example, a good tree is a good person, and a dry tree is a bad person who does not bear fruit or good deeds. The palm tree, distinguished by its strength and beauty, signified the moral beauty of man. Therefore, when the Israelites cut palm branches and spread them under the feet of the Savior, they expressed a good mood of spirit and readiness to follow their King. In the same way, when we meet the Lord, we must manifest in ourselves the good qualities of the palm tree; Our good moral activity must be based on the firm convictions of faith, so that our good life never withers and does not give way to corruption and decay, but is always fresh and flourishing. Finally, when they met the Savior, the Israelites praised and glorified Him, exclaiming: Hosanna in the highest! blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord! (cf. Matt. 21:9). In this way the people of Israel wished to express their joyful feeling before the Lord. In the same way, we must glorify the Lord: both with our lips – verbally, and silently – with our very life, so that our Saviour Jesus Christ may be glorified in everything. Just as heaven, which, although it has no lips, by its beauty makes others glorify the Creator, so everyone should glorify the Lord with his good behavior and life. We must glorify the Lord with our lips in every spiritual singing and prayer – for His wondrous deeds and His ineffable love and mercy for us. If in this way we serve the Lord with all our hearts and meet Him with joy and devotion to Him, then He will fill our hearts with spiritual joy even in this earthly life, and what is even more important, He will exchange this temporary joy for eternal joy in the Life to come, which will have no end. Amen. 1964

Homily for Great TuesdayOn the Need to Be Vigilant

In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit! Dear brothers and sisters, approaching the days of His sufferings, the Lord was especially close and frank with His disciples. I no longer call you servants, for a servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, because I have told you all that I have heard from My Father (John 15:15), the Savior said to the Apostles. Now He no longer secretly, but with special clarity, announced to them that He had to suffer in order to prepare them for His sufferings: "Ye know that in two days there shall be the Passover, and the Son of Man shall be delivered up to be crucified" (Matt. 26:2). Seeing the sorrow that seized the Apostles, He comforted the disciples with the promise that He would not abandon them. But at the same time, the Lord does not hide from them the fact that the same fate awaits them and all Christians in general as Him, their Divine Teacher: Remember the word that I have spoken to you: A servant is not greater than his master. If they persecuted me, they will persecute you also; if you have kept my word, they will keep yours also. If the world hates you, know that it hated Me before it hated you. If you were of the world, the world would love its own; but I have chosen you out of the world, therefore the world hates you (John 15:20, 18 and 19). And again, seeing them in sorrow, the Lord comforts them: In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer: I have overcome the world. And I will pray the Father, and he will give you another Comforter, that He may be with you forever, and I Myself will be with you to the end of the age. Peace I leave with you, My peace I give unto you... Let not your heart be troubled, and let it not be afraid (cf. John 16:33; 14:16; cf. Matt. 28:20; John 14:27). The Lord asks His disciples to abide in Him and fulfill His commandments, for without Him they can do nothing: Abide in Me, and I in you. As a branch cannot bear fruit of its own accord unless it be on the vine, so also are you, unless you are in Me. If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ask whatsoever ye will, and it shall be done unto you. I am going to prepare a place for you. And... I will come again (John 15:4, 7; 14:2, 3). The Lord comforts them, revealing that sorrows will be followed by joy, that a reward is prepared for them in the Kingdom to come.

When will it be? (Matt. 24:3) - asked the disciples. But the Lord answered them, "Of that day and hour no one knoweth, not even the angels of heaven, but only My Father alone" (Matt. 24:36). In this way, the Holy Scriptures keep in deep secrecy and do not reveal to us the exact time of the Second Coming, so that we may always keep ourselves pure and chaste and be ready to meet the Lord at all times. That is why the Lord warns the disciples: Watch therefore, for you do not know at what hour your Lord will come. But as it was in the days of Noah, so it will be in the days of the Son of Man: they ate, drank, married, and were given in marriage, until the day that Noah entered into the ark, and the flood came, and destroyed them all. So it will be in the day that the Son of Man appears. Watch therefore (Matt. 24:42; cf. Lk. 17:26 and 27:30; Matt. 25:13). In our time more than ever, this warning must be remembered, for now there are especially many who are slumbering and sleeping. Spiritual sleep is not a bodily sleep that strengthens the body, but on the contrary, an unhealthy sleep, a painful slumber, in which people chase after vanity and think that they are living a real life, forgetting about the soul, about God and about the Future Eternal Life. In order to impress more deeply on us a sense of danger, the need to be awake, and to awaken our conscience from spiritual slumber, the Lord told the parable of the ten virgins, which we heard in today's Gospel reading. Then the kingdom of heaven will be like unto the ten virgins, who, taking their lamps, went out to meet the bridegroom. Of these, five were wise and five were foolish. The foolish took their lamps, and did not take oil with them. And the wise ones, together with their lamps, took the oil in their vessels. And when the bridegroom tarried, they all dozed off and fell asleep. But at midnight there was a cry: "Behold, the bridegroom is coming, come out to meet him." Then all the virgins arose, and straightened their lamps. And the foolish said to the wise, Give us your oil, for our lamps are going out. And the wise answered, "In order that there may be no shortage both among us and among you, it is better to go to those who sell and buy for yourselves." And when they went to buy, the bridegroom came, and those who were ready went with him to the wedding feast, and the doors were shut. then the other virgins come and say: Lord! God! open to us. And he answered and said unto them, Verily I say unto you, I know ye not. Watch, therefore, for ye know neither the day nor the hour in which the Son of Man shall come (Matt. 25:1-13). This parable teaches us that, having accepted faith, we accompany it with good works, which alone can sustain our spiritual life. The foolish virgins who came out to meet the Bridegroom did not prepare good works for their lamps of oil. The wise, together with the lamps, also stored up good deeds in order to meet the Bridegroom worthily. In the same way, our entire life must be a preparation for the encounter with the Lord, and for this we must constantly take care throughout it to acquire and preserve a living faith and ardent love for God, the Source of love, and for our neighbors. The cares of this age overshadow the most essential concern and goal of our life – the illumination of the soul by the light of Christ, its salvation and preparation for the Eternal Kingdom. Let us be sober in order to enter the Heavenly palace with the wise virgins and be vouchsafed eternal blessings from the Lord. Amen. 1962

Homily on Great Friday and the AnnunciationThe Light of Joy Drives Away Sorrow

In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit! Dear brothers and sisters, when a splendid luminous dawn rises in the east, on the brilliant surface of the horizon, the manifold face of the beautiful stars hastens to disappear as soon as possible, the thick darkness of the dark night completely disappears, the harmonious sounds of the pleasant voices of various birds are heard in the green forests, people awaken from a deep sleep to begin their usual occupations. And to the whole world this light-bearing messenger announces the nearness of the sun, announcing that the day is already coming. In the same way, today from the bright abodes of the Unfading East comes the fiery Archangel of God, the bright and pure Gabriel. And as soon as he greeted him: Rejoice, O Thou of Grace! The Lord is with Thee (Luke 1:28) proclaims the Coming of the unsetting Sun of Righteousness, begins to hastily flee from God-defying polytheism, the human race, immersed in the sleep of ignorance, awakens to the Christian life in the Orthodox faith. Through the grace-filled Annunciation of the Archangel, the world turns from impiety to piety. Oh, ineffable joy! Oh, the unspeakable miracle! Joy, for today the Eternal God opens His bosom and grants us His Only-begotten Son; The Son is incarnated with the assistance of the All-Holy Spirit, the Spirit descends upon the Virgin, and the Virgin conceives without seed. A miracle, for the immortal unites with the mortal, the Second Person of the Most Holy Trinity perceives human nature. Joy, for the condemnation of the first-created Adam is resolved and grace is granted to the acquisition of paradise, from which disobedience has expelled us. A miracle, for the incorporeal, incorporeal, and immaterial God deigns to take on body, flesh, and matter, uniting the human and the divine. A majestic and touching spectacle of Heavenly joy and spiritual rapture was presented by the Nazareth upper room of the Most Holy Virgin Mary at the moment of the Archangelic Annunciation of the Birth of the Savior of the world from Her. Here is the Evangelist before us - the Archangel Gabriel. He is full of boundless delight, having been vouchsafed the great honor of bringing to earth the news of the Birth of the Son of God from the Virgin. In Heaven there is joy among the angels of God even over one sinner who repents (Luke 15:10), says the Gospel. And he, Gabriel, came with the Annunciation of the Birth of the One Who would call the whole world to repentance, shed His blood for the salvation of the world, and save countless people who repented from eternal perdition. And Gabriel is full of delight, irrepressible delight. He pours out this rapture that fills his soul in the fiery, comforting words: Rejoice, Thou of Grace! The Lord is with Thee; blessed art Thou among women (Luke 1:28). The subject of the Gospel, its meaning so delights the messenger of Heaven, the blessedness of the God-chosen Mediator so amazes him, that even before the Gospel itself he calls Her beloved God, Who is with Her, blessed among women. And when the Most Holy Virgin is embarrassed by his words and ponders what kind of greeting it would be, he calms Her confusion with a new enthusiastic utterance of the Gospel. Do not be afraid, Mary," he says to the Virgin, "for you have found grace with God; and behold, thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and bear a son, and shalt call his name Jesus. He shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the Most High, and the Lord God shall give him the throne of David his father; and he shall reign over the house of Jacob for ever, and of his kingdom there shall be no end" (Luke 1:30-33). To the Virgin's new perplexity as to how the Son would be born from Her, when She did not know a man, the Archangel again, filled with power and delight, announced to Her: "The Holy Spirit will come upon You, and the power of the Most High will overshadow You; wherefore also the Holy One who is born shall be called the Son of God. Here is Elizabeth, Thy kinswoman, who is called barren, and she conceived a son in her old age, and she is already six months old, for with God no word shall be powerless (Luke 1:35-37). And having completed his Gospel and heard from Mary the words full of humility and devotion to the will of God: Behold, the handmaid of the Lord; be it unto Me according to thy word" (Luke 1:38), the Archangel departs from the Virgin in the same ecstasy in which He appeared and preached the Gospel to Her. In the same way, the heart of the Ever-Virgin was filled with inner ecstasy at the Archangel's Annunciation of the Birth of the Savior of the world from Her. And this delight was revealed at the very first occasion for discovering it - at Mary's meeting with the righteous Elizabeth. Hearing the greeting of the Virgin of God, Elizabeth, filled with the Holy Spirit, calls Mary blessed among women and the Mother of the Lord (Luke 1:41-43). And in response to this, the Most Holy Virgin pours out the rapture of Her soul with all Her power. "My soul magnifies the Lord," She exclaims, "and My spirit rejoices in God My Saviour, because He hath looked upon the humility of His servant, for henceforth all generations shall bless Me (Luke 1:46-48). Such sacred joy was experienced by the Most Holy Virgin at the moment of the Annunciation to Her by the Archangel of a wondrous and unprecedented Revelation. And we are all called to the same joy by the all-joyous event that is now being commemorated. … But what else can be seen today through the window of the upper room of Nazareth? This is Jerusalem, the city of the Great King, filled with an innumerable multitude of people, agitated and disorderly. A bloody affair is being prepared. A majestic man is subjected to spitting, beating, struggling, terrible wounds, condemned to death and nailed to the Cross on Golgotha. He endures unbearable sufferings, inhuman insults, and in terrible torments He gives His spirit into the hands of the Heavenly Father. Who is this extraordinary Sufferer? Let us read the inscription on the Cross. "Jesus of Nazareth, King of the Jews" - this is what it says... The extraordinary sufferer is the same Jesus about whom the Archangel preaches to the Virgin. Heavenly Evangelist, where is your Gospel? Thou hast proclaimed that the Son of Mary shall be great, but that He hangs on the Cross diminished, more humbled than all the sons of men. Thou hast proclaimed that He shall be called the Son of the Most High, and that He shall be reckoned with the wicked, and shall be punished shamefully. Thou hast proclaimed that God and the Father will give Him the throne of King David, and He is lifted up on the Cross. Thou hast proclaimed that there will be no end to His kingdom, and that He must soon pass from the kingdom of the living to the kingdom of the dead. Where is the truth of your Gospel? Should not the joy of thy gospel be changed into sorrow? "Let no one be confused," the Evangelist would answer us to such perplexities, "let no one be confused by the sight of the humiliation, suffering, and death of the Son of Mary. Thus it behooves Christ to suffer and enter into His glory. His sufferings and death are terrible, they cause great sorrow, but they will flash by like a short heavy sleep and will be replaced by eternal glory, His Eternal Kingdom. Short-lived sorrow must disappear like a shadow before the light of joy!" Amen. 1961

Homily on Holy SaturdayTrampled on the End and Death

Let all human flesh be silent, and let it stand with fear and trembling, and let it think of nothing earthly in itself: For the King of kings and the Lord of lords comes to sacrifice himself, and to be eaten by the faithful... [1] In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit! Today the Holy Church commemorates the descent of the Lord Jesus Christ into hell and His deliverance from there of the souls of all the righteous of the Old Testament, who were imbued with faith in the coming Messiah. This day, beloved brothers and sisters in Christ, has once become a day of decisive and final struggle, a life-and-death struggle between the two kingdoms – the kingdom of darkness and evil and the kingdom of good and light. Satan, who was put to shame by Jesus Christ in the wilderness, has by now managed to inflame the hearts of the enemies of the Savior with the strongest malice against Him - to such an extent that man is never able to reach by himself. The enemies of Christ succumbed to the influence of the spirit of malice to such an extent that their fury against the Lord Jesus completely went beyond the boundaries not only of moderation and decency, but also of common sense. Christ died on the Cross and was buried; And, it would seem, what else do they need when they have achieved their goal? But their malice does not calm down on this, it does not give rest to the Dead One, insulting Him, calling before Pilate a flatterer and a deceiver, to assure Him of which He also seals His tomb with a seal and sets a guard over Him. But the tomb and the guards could not restrain the Giver of Life; then human malice resorts to bribery, gives money to the guards, so long as they do not speak the truth, they decide not only to desecrate the truth in general and the Divine in particular, but also to enter into a direct struggle with it. There is nowhere else to go: to have all the proofs of the truth of the Resurrection of Christ and at the same time to exert every effort to prevent this truth from being made public among the people – what can be more vile than such an act! But while human malice was so mocking the highest truth and love, at the same time the Son of God, the Son of the Virgin, finally struck down our primordial enemy – the devil – and all his dark power. The evil one, hearing from the Cross the cry of the Only-begotten: My God, My God! Why hast Thou forsaken Me? (cf. Matt. 27:46), in his mad blindness thought: "If this Jesus had been the Only-begotten of the Father, the Father would not have forsaken Him." Therefore, Satan was already triumphant, anticipating that he was about to receive the soul of this Righteous One to live forever in the depths of hell. But while he is so rejoicing in his darkness and blindness, the prisons of hell are suddenly illuminated, and the Only-begotten Son of God, united with the human soul, appears before Satan and all the dark power. The power of the enemy was stupefied when they saw Jesus Christ, and realized their mistake. Divine love has finally triumphed over Satan's malice. Satan, seeing himself and his entire host bound, seeing the prisoners being led out of prison to the heavenly abodes, trembled greatly and was terrified. The name of Jesus is terrible for the demons, the sign of the Precious and Life-Giving Cross is unbearable and unbearable for them. True, even now the spirits of evil dwell in the air and seek whom to devour (cf. 1 Pet. 5:8), but no longer as princes, but as robbers. They have an influence only on those who voluntarily surrender to them. After gaining victory over Satan, the Saviour solemnly escorts the souls of the Old Testament righteous to the heavenly abodes, and then His soul returns to His body lying in the tomb - and now it comes to life and is itself spiritualized. Trampled on at last and death - Christ is risen! Peace be with you! (John 20:19) – He declares to His disciples, appearing to them after the Resurrection, and the peace that descends from Heaven and surpasses all understanding, fills their hearts with joyful trembling. Inspired by Divine forgiveness, goodwill and grace, they flow after this with incomprehensible courage to peoples and tribes that do not know God, with the preaching of the Crucified One, with the word of peace, love, truth, freedom, brotherhood, and their word, which at first seemed to this world to be madness, in the course of time is received with love by pagan kings and wise men and entire nations. And so the Conqueror of hell and death finally reveals Himself to be the Conqueror of sin and all evil brought into the world through the devil by the sin of the first man. Remembering today the descent of the Savior of the world into hell and His deliverance from there of all the righteous of the Old Testament and the very victory over hell, we must, dear brothers and sisters, rejoice, because now we celebrate the mortification, the destruction of hell, the beginning of another eternal life. [2] We must always rejoice in the Lord, because Christ is our hope and our hope, both in this earthly life and in the Life to come, according to His true promise: "I am with you always, even to the end of the age" (Matt. 28:20). Amen. 1964 A hymn sung instead of the Cherubic Hymn at the Liturgy on Holy Saturday. -Red. ^ Troparion of the 7th Ode of the Paschal Canon. -Red. ^