4. But since they did not have much time left (Christ's death followed at the ninth hour, and therefore, naturally, while they were going to Pilate, and while they were taking the body down from the cross, evening had already come, when it was impossible to do work), they placed Him in the nearest tomb. It was arranged that Christ was laid in a new tomb, in which no one had been laid before, so that the resurrection could not be attributed to anyone else lying with Him, so that the disciples, in the vicinity of this place, could easily come and be spectators of what had happened, and so that not only they, but also the enemies would witness the burial. The fact that seals were placed on the tomb and a guard of soldiers was set up on their part was indeed evidence of burial, since Christ wanted His burial to be no less certain than the resurrection. That is why the disciples zealously try to prove that He really died. His resurrection had to be confirmed by all subsequent times; however, if His death had been concealed at that time and had not been made completely known, then this could have damaged the word about the resurrection. However, it was not only for this reason that Christ was placed near, but also in order to reveal the falsehood of the rumor about the abduction of His body. "On the very first [day] of the week," i.e., on Sunday, "Mary Magdalene came to the tomb early, while it was still dark, and saw that the stone had been rolled away from the tomb" (John 20:1). Christ was resurrected while the seals and the stone were lying. But since it was necessary that others should be completely convinced, the sepulchre, after His resurrection, is opened, and thus this event becomes certain.

This is what made Maria agitated. Burning with the most tender love for the Teacher, as soon as the Sabbath passed, she could not remain in peace, but went into the late morning, desiring to receive some consolation from the place. When she saw this place and the stone rolled away, she did not enter and did not look into the tomb, but, impelled by strong love, she ran to the disciples. She was anxious to find out what had happened to the body as soon as possible. This is precisely indicated by her flight; and this is also the meaning of her words, "they have carried away," she says, "the Lord out of the tomb, and we do not know where they have laid him" (v. 2). Do you see that she did not yet know anything clearly about the resurrection, but thought that the body had been transferred, and without any pretense she announced everything to her disciples? But the Evangelist did not take away from this woman the great praise that belonged to her, and did not consider it a shame for himself that the disciples were the first to learn about the resurrection from her, since she was awake all night. So in all cases his truly loving disposition shines! When she came and spoke about this, the disciples, having listened to her, hurriedly came to the tomb and saw the swaddling clothes lying there; And this was a sign of the resurrection. For if a man were to carry a body, he would do so without exposing it; Just as if someone stole it, he would not bother to take off the sir, twist him and put him "in another place", but – how? I would take the body in the form in which it lay. For this reason the Evangelist said beforehand that at the burial of Christ a great deal of myrrh was used, which glues the swaddling cloths to the body no worse than lead. So, when you hear that the headbands were lying separately, do not believe those who say that they were stolen. A thief would not be so stupid as to take so much care of an object that is completely superfluous. Indeed, why did he leave funeral clothes? And how could he hide if he did this? Naturally, he needed to spend a lot of time on this, and if he had slowed down, he would have been caught. But why do the swaddling clothes lie separately, and the twisted cloth separately? In order that you may know that this is done without haste and without confusion, since one thing is laid separately, and the other is put separately. That is why the disciples believed in the resurrection. And when Christ later appeared to them, they were already convinced by what they had seen. Notice here also how far the Evangelist is from boasting, and how he testifies to the thoroughness of Peter's investigation! He himself, having preceded Peter and seeing the swaddling clothes lying there, did not examine anything more, but withdrew; and the fiery Peter went inside the tomb, examined everything with care, and, seeing something more, invited him to see it also. Entering the tomb after Peter, John saw the burial swaddling clothes lying separately from one another. And the fact that they were separated, and some were placed in one place, and others, entouraged, in another, showed that this was done by someone with care, and not in any way, not in embarrassment.

5. And you, when you hear that Christ has risen naked, stop spending madly on burial. What, in fact, do these unnecessary and useless costs mean? They cause great loss to those who bury them, but they do not bring any benefit to the deceased and, if the truth is told, they are even harmful. Luxurious funerals have repeatedly been the cause of grave robbery and caused the once buried to lie naked and without burial with all the elegance. But, oh, vanity! What great power it reveals in the midst of weeping itself! What madness it leads to! Many, in aversion to plunder, tear up the thin burial cloths and fill them with a multitude of aromas, so as to make them doubly useless to the thieves, and thus bury them. Is this not madness? Is it not the insanity of the mind to show splendor and at the same time destroy it? No, you will say, we invent all this in order to lie safely on the dead.

There was also that the prostitute poured out myrrh on His holy feet. However, if something needs to be said about this, then, in the first place, it was done by people who did not know the doctrine of the resurrection. That is why it is said: "As the Jews usually bury" (John 19:40). For it was not of the twelve who honored Jesus with burial; but they were those who did not think very highly of Him. The Twelve did not honor Him in this way, but by their death, giving themselves over to the slaughter, and enduring various misfortunes for Him. True, it was an honor, but much lower than the one I have just mentioned. On the other hand, as I have already said, we are now talking about people; and then all this was done for the Lord. And so that you may know that Christ did not desire this in the least, (listen) to what He said: You saw Me hungry, and you fed Me; to those who were thirsty, and gave them to drink; naked, and clothed (Matt. 25:35-39); but nowhere did he say, "To the dead, and they were buried." I say this not in order to abolish the custom of burial—no—but in order to curb luxury and inappropriate splendor. This, you say, is disposed to grief and sorrow, and compassion for the dead? No, this does not come from compassion for the dead, but from vanity.

But if you wish to offer condolences to the dead, I will show you another way of burial, and I will teach you how to clothe him in such garments that will rise with him and present him in a resplendent form. These garments are not destroyed by moths, nor destroyed by time, nor stolen by thieves. What kind of clothes are they? This is the garment of almsgiving. This garment rises with the deceased, because the seal of alms remains with him forever. It is with these garments that those will shine who will then hear: You fed Me when I was hungry. These garments make the dead glorious, famous, and safe, but the garments of today are nothing but the food of moths and the meal of worms. And I say this not because I forbid having care for the dead; but in order that you may do this with moderation, cover only the body and not bury it naked. If the living should have nothing more than the covering of the body, how much more so should the dead, because the dead body does not need clothes so much as the living and breathing. As long as we live, we need clothing both because of the cold and for decorum; and since we are dead, we do not have these needs, and only in order that the body does not lie naked, we need burial clothes. The best burial shrouds we have are the earth, the most beautiful and most befitting of our earthly body. If, therefore, now that we have so many needs, it is not necessary to seek anything superfluous, how much more is pomp when there are no such needs.

6. But people, you will say, who see this, will laugh. Even if someone began to laugh, it is obvious that one should not pay much attention to him, as to a completely stupid person. Many, on the contrary, will rather marvel at us and praise our wisdom. This is not worthy of laughter, but what we do now when we weep and weep and as it were bury ourselves with the dead. This is what is worthy of both ridicule and punishment; and wisdom in all this, as well as the observance of moderation in clothing, brings us crowns and praise. In this case, everyone will praise us, marvel at the power of Christ and say: oh, how great is the power of the Crucified One! He convinced mortals and corruptibles that death is not death, and so they act as if they were not dying, but moving to a better country. He persuaded them that this perishable and earthly body would be clothed in a garment much more brilliant than silk and gold-woven garments, and would be clothed with incorruption; and therefore they do not care much about funerals, but consider a virtuous life to be the best burial ornament.

Thus will all speak of us when they see us inquisitive. But if they see that we are tormented by sorrow, faint-hearted, and surround ourselves with a chorus of weeping women, they will laugh and mock us, and condemn us a thousand times, reproaching us for our reckless waste and vain labor. And we hear that for this, indeed, everyone condemns us; And – very fairly. For what excuse shall we have, if we adorn our body, which is destroyed by corruption and worms, and despise Christ, who is thirsty, naked, and a stranger? Let us leave this vain care. Let us bury the dead in such a way that it will be useful both to us and to them, to the glory of God. Let us distribute abundant alms for them and escort them with this most beautiful parting words. If the memory of the deceased famous men protected the living (as the Lord says: "I will guard this city for my own sake, and for the sake of David my servant" (2 Kings 19:34)), then how much more will almsgiving do it. It was she, it was she, who raised the dead, when they surrounded (Peter) "the widows, showing them the shirts and dresses that Chamois had made while living with them" (Acts 9:39). Therefore, when someone dies, let the relatives of the dying person prepare a funeral garment for him, and let them persuade him to leave something to the poor before his death. Let him depart with this garment, let him leave Christ as his heir. If those who appoint kings to be their heirs leave their relatives in the greatest safety, then imagine what favor he will gain both for himself and for all his children who, together with his children, leaves Christ as his heir! This is a beautiful garment for the dead. It is useful both for the survivors and for those who are leaving. If we are buried in this form, we will appear resplendent at the time of the resurrection. And if, taking care of the body, we neglect the soul, then we will suffer many misfortunes and be subjected to great ridicule. It is no small shame to depart from here without virtue; it is not so much shameful for the body to be prostrate without burial, as it is for the soul to appear then without good works. Thus, let us begin to clothe the soul, let us begin to remove it throughout our entire life. If, however, we neglected it during our lifetime, let us come to our senses, at least at death, and bequeath to our relatives to help us, after death, with almsgiving. With such mutual assistance to one another, we will receive great boldness, according to the grace and love of mankind of our Lord Jesus Christ, with Whom to the Father, with the Holy Spirit, be glory, dominion, honor, now and ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.

DISCOURSE 86

"So the disciples returned to their homes again. And Mary stood by the tomb and wept" (John 20:10, 11).

1. The female sex is somehow especially sensitive and very inclined to compassion. I say this so that it may not be surprising to you why Mary wept bitterly at the tomb, and Peter did not find anything of the kind. The disciples, says the Evangelist, "returned to themselves," and Mary "stood and wept." By its very nature, it was easily moved, and moreover, it did not yet clearly know the doctrine of the resurrection; On the contrary, the disciples, seeing the swaddling clothes, believed and went home in amazement. Why did they not go directly to Galilee, as they were commanded before their suffering? Perhaps they were waiting for the others (disciples); on the other hand, they were still in utter amazement. So they went home, and Mary stood by the tomb. A great consolation, indeed, as I have already said, is given to us by the very sight of the tomb. Do you see, therefore, how she, for greater comfort, looks into the tomb and wants to see the place "where the body of Jesus lay" (v. 12)? For this reason she received no small reward for such great diligence. What the disciples did not see, the woman was the first to see, namely, the angels in white robes, seated, one at the feet, and the other at the head (v. 12); their very clothes already showed great joy and gladness. Since the woman's mind was not so elevated as to come from the swaddling clothes of the grave to faith in the resurrection, something more happened: she saw the angels sitting in bright garments, so that through this she could already rise from sorrow and be comforted. However, the angels do not tell her anything about the resurrection: she is raised to this dogma little by little. She sees faces that are brighter than usual; he sees shining clothes; She hears the voice of sympathy, as the angels say to her: "Woman! why do you weep" (v. 13)? Through all this, as through an open door, she was gradually led to the word of the resurrection. And the very image of the angels sitting disposed her to the question: it was clear from it that they knew about what had happened, and therefore they were not sitting together, but separately from each other. But as it was improbable that she herself should have dared to ask directly, they disposed her to conversation both by the question and by the manner of sitting. What is it? She says with fervor and love, "They have taken away my Lord, and I do not know where they have laid him" (v. 13). What are you saying? So you do not yet know anything about the resurrection, and still imagine that the body of Christ has been transposed? Do you see how she did not yet understand this lofty dogma? "When she had said this, she turned back" (v. 14). What is the sequence here? Mary enters into conversation with the angels and, not yet hearing anything from them, turns back. It seems to me that while she was speaking, Christ, by His sudden appearance behind her, astonished the angels, and they, seeing the Lord, immediately discovered by appearance, and look, and movement, that they had seen the Lord; and this made his wife look back and turn back. Thus Christ appeared to the angels; and to Mary, not so as not to strike her with amazement at first sight, but in a more humble and ordinary form. This is evident from the fact that she took Him for a gardener. A woman with such derogatory notions obviously had to be elevated to higher notions, not suddenly, but gradually. That is why Christ asks her: "Woman! Why are you crying? whom are you seeking" (v. 15)? In this way He showed that He knew what she wanted to ask and disposed her to answer. Thus Mary understood this, and therefore she does not pronounce the name of Jesus, but, supposing that the inquirer already knows of whom she is inquiring, she says: "If thou hast carried Him out, tell me where thou hast laid Him, and I will take Him" (v. 15). Again he speaks of the position, taking and transposing, talking about Him as if he were dead. The meaning of her words is this: If you, fearing the Jews, took Him from here, then tell me, and I will take Him. Great is the zeal, great is the love of the wife; but there is still nothing lofty in it. That is why, finally, Christ reveals to her a lofty mystery, not by His appearance, but by His voice. As when He was among the Jews, sometimes they recognized Him, and sometimes they did not, so when He spoke, they recognized Him only when He wanted Him. Thus, when did He say to the Jews, "Whom are you seeking"? – they did not recognize Him either by His appearance or by His voice, as long as He wanted to. The same thing happened here. Christ now pronounced only the name of Mary, reproaching her and reproaching her for thinking so of Him, while He lives. But how does she answer "converted," while Christ conversed with her? It seems to me that she, having said, "Where hast thou laid Him?" addressed the angels, with the intention of asking them what they were amazed at, and that Christ, calling her by name, again made her turn from the angels in His direction, and by the voice made Himself known. Indeed, she recognized him when he called her, saying, "Mary" (v. 16), and therefore she recognized him, not by his appearance, but by his voice. Perhaps someone will ask: How do we know that the angels were amazed, and that therefore Mary turned back? But in this case it will also be necessary to ask: how do we know that Mary touched Christ and fell at His feet? And as the latter is revealed by the words, "Touch me not" (v. 17), so the former is evident from the fact that it is said, "I am converted." But why did Christ say, "Touch me not"? Some say that Mary asked Him for spiritual grace because she heard Him say to His disciples, "When I go" to the Father, I will "beseech Him, and He will give you another Comforter" (John 14:3, 16).

2. But how could she, who was not with the disciples at the time, hear these words? On the other hand, she was far from such a desire in her own conceptions. And how could she ask for this, when He had not yet departed to the Father? What does this mean? It seems to me that even now I wanted to treat Him as before, and for joy I did not imagine anything great, although He had become much more perfect in the flesh. Therefore, Christ, in order to divert her from such an opinion and to inspire her not to speak to him without any caution (because, as it seems, He no longer treated His disciples as before), elevates her thoughts and thereby teaches her to treat Him more reverently. If He had said, "Come not near Me as before; now that circumstances have changed, and I will no longer treat you as before, it would be disagreeable and would be boastful and vanity. But the words, "For I have not yet ascended to my Father," were not burdensome, and yet expressed the same thing. By saying: "For I have not yet ascended to My Father," Christ makes it clear that He hastens there and strives. And whoever is ready to depart to heaven and will no longer deal with people, should no longer look at him with the same thoughts with which they looked before. That this explanation is true is evident from these words: "Go to my brethren, and say to them, I ascend to my Father and your Father, and to my God and your God" (v. 17). But He did not intend to do this immediately, but after forty days: why then does He say this? In order to raise Mary's thoughts and assure her that He ascends to heaven. And the words: "To My Father and your Father, and to My God and your God" refer to the Incarnation, since the ascension is peculiar only to the flesh. Christ expresses Himself in this way because He speaks to a woman who did not imagine anything great. Does this mean that God is His Father in another sense and ours in another sense? Quite so. If God is not in the same sense the God of the righteous and the God of other people, how much more is the Son and ours. And since Christ said, "Speak unto the brethren," so that on the basis of these words they may not suppose any equality (between Him and the disciples), He also shows the difference: He Himself will sit on the throne of the Father, and they will stand before this throne. Consequently, although Christ, according to His human nature, became our brother, nevertheless in glory He is very different from us, so different that it is impossible to express it. Meanwhile, Mary goes away to announce this to the disciples (v. 18). That's how good diligence and constancy are! But why do not the disciples now grieve that Christ intends to depart from them, and do not say what they said before? Then they grieved because He was going to die; and now that He had risen, why should they be sad? Mary told them both of her vision and of the words that could comfort them. But it could easily happen that the disciples, hearing this, would either not believe the woman, or, having believed, would grieve that Christ did not vouchsafe them His appearance, although He promised to appear to them in Galilee. Therefore, in order that they might not be troubled by such thoughts, Christ did not allow even one day to pass by, but having aroused in them a desire to see Him, both by what they already knew of His resurrection and by the story of His wife, on the same day after the coming of evening, when they were burning with a desire to see Him and were possessed by fear, which increased their desire, - appeared before them, and in a miraculous way.

Why did He appear in the evening? Because, especially at this time, in all likelihood, they were in the greatest fear. But this is what is surprising: how did they not consider Him to be a ghost, when He entered through the closed doors and suddenly? This, no doubt, is because Mary had already succeeded in producing in them a strong faith, and moreover He appeared to them in a bright and meek form. In the afternoon He did not appear for the disciples to gather together, for they were in great fear. Therefore He did not even knock at the door, but suddenly stood in the midst of them, showed them His ribs and hands, and at the same time calmed their troubled thoughts with His voice, saying, "Peace be unto you" (v. 19), that is, do not be troubled. In this way He reminded them of the words spoken before suffering: "Peace I leave with you, My peace I give unto you" (John 14:27), and again: "In Me have peace": "In peace ye shall have tribulation" (John 16:33). "The disciples rejoiced when they saw the Lord" (v. 20). Do you see how His words were justified in deed? What He said before His suffering: "I will see you again, and your heart shall rejoice, and no one shall take away your joy" (John 16:22), He has now fulfilled by His very deed. Still, this led the disciples to perfect faith. And since they had an irreconcilable battle with the Jews, He often repeats: "Peace be unto you," thus offering consolation equivalent to the battle.

3. This is the first word Christ said after the resurrection. That is why Paul says everywhere: "Grace to you and peace." The Lord preaches joy to women, since the female sex was in sorrow and was condemned to sorrow by the first curse. In this way, it is quite fitting that He preaches peace to men because of battle, and joy to women because of sorrow. Having destroyed everything that was the cause of sorrow, Christ goes on to speak of the beneficial effects of the cross. That consequence was peace. This means that all obstacles are now removed, Christ has won a brilliant victory, and everything has been brought to the desired end. Wherefore he finally says, "As the Father has sent me, I also send you" (v. 21). There will be no difficulty for you, both because of the events that have already taken place, and because of the dignity of my person, since I am sending you. By this He elevates the souls of His disciples and shows that their words will be completely reliable, since they will take upon themselves His work. And now He no longer beseeches the Father, but by His own authority bestows power upon His disciples. "And when he had said this, he breathed, and said unto them, Receive ye the Holy Ghost. To whom you forgive sins, they will be forgiven; on whom ye shall retain, they shall remain" (v. 22, 23). As a king, sending rulers, gives them the power to imprison and release them from prison, so Christ, when sending disciples, invests them with the same power. How is it that He said before: "If I do not go, the Comforter will not come to you" (John 16:7), and now He gives the Spirit? Some say that Christ did not communicate the Spirit to the disciples, but only by a breath made them capable of receiving Him. For if Daniel, at the sight of the angel, was "terrified" (Dan. 8:17), then what would not the disciples have experienced if they had received this ineffable grace without being prepared for it beforehand? For this reason, they say, Christ did not say: "You have received the Holy Spirit," but "receive the Holy Spirit." But he will not sin if he says that even then the disciples received some spiritual power and grace, only – not to raise the dead and perform miracles, but to forgive sins – since the gifts of the Spirit are different. That is why Christ added: "To whom you forgive sins, the same will be forgiven," showing what kind of grace-filled power is granted to them. and ye shall be witnesses unto Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea" (Acts 1:8); and they became witnesses by means of miracles. Verily, the grace of the Spirit is ineffable, and His gifts are manifold! But Christ communicates the gifts of the Spirit, so that you may know that the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit have one gift and one authority. For what seems to be attributed to the Father is also to belong to both the Son and the Holy Spirit. How is it said that no one comes to the Son, "except it be given to him from My Father" (John 6:65)? But the same thing obviously belongs to the Son: "I am," He says, "the way: no one comes to the Father except through Me" (John 14:6). But look, the same is attributed to the Spirit: "No man can call Jesus Lord, except by the Holy Spirit" (1 Cor. 12:3). In the same way, the Apostles are presented to the Church from the Father, from the Son, from the Holy Spirit. And the division of gifts, as we see, is assimilated to the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.

4. Let us use all means to have the Spirit in us, and let us treat with all reverence those who have been entrusted with the power to act with the gifts of grace. Truly, great is the dignity of priests! "To whom," it is said, "Forgive your sins, they will be forgiven." That is why Paul says: "Obey your leaders and be obedient" (Heb. 13:17), and "honor them chiefly with love" (1 Thess. 5:13). In fact, you care only about your own affairs, and if you arrange them well, you will not be responsible for other people. And the priest, even though he has arranged his own life well, if he does not take due care of your life and that of all others entrusted to his care, he will go to hell with the wicked, and often, innocent in his works, he perishes for your iniquities, if he does not properly fulfill everything that concerns him. Therefore, knowing what a great danger threatens the priests, show them great love. This was also pointed out by Paul when he said: "They are vigilant over your souls," and not simply, but "obliged to give an account" (Heb. 13:17). Therefore, they should be shown great respect. But if you and others insult them, then your deeds will not prosper. As long as the helmsman is happy, so long are those who sail on the ship safe; and since he is in grief from the insults and hostile actions of his companions, he can no longer be vigilant as before, nor act with his usual skill, and reluctantly exposes them to innumerable disasters. In the same way, the priests, if they enjoy due honor among you, will be able to arrange your affairs as they should; and if you grieve them, then weaken their hands and cause them to be easily carried away by the waves with you, even though they are very courageous. Think about what Christ said about the Jews: "On the seat of Moses sat the scribes and the Pharisees; therefore whatsoever they command you to observe, observe and do" (Matt. 23:2, 3). Now it cannot be said that the priests sat on the seat of Moses; no, they sat on the seat of Christ, because they accepted Christ's teaching. That is why Paul also says: "We are messengers in the name of Christ, and it is as if God himself exhorts through us" (2 Cor. 5:20). Do you not see how everyone submits to the worldly authorities? Although the subordinates often surpass the rulers in nobility of lineage, and in life, and in wisdom, yet, out of respect for the one who appointed them, they do not think about any of these things, but honor the decree of the king, whatever the one who received the authority over them may be. Such is our fear when a man appoints a ruler! But when God ordains, we despise the one who has been ordained, and insult him, and persecute him with innumerable reproaches, and, while we are forbidden to judge even our brethren, we sharpen our tongue against the priests.