April 12th, 2026: Agape Vespers

Christ is risen Christ is risen Christ is risen

Christ is risen Christ is risen Christ is risen

Christ is risen Christ is risen Christ is risen

Christ is risen Christ is risen Christ is risen

Christ is risen. The joy of Oscar. The joy of

the resurrection. It is so full. It is hard to

put into words this joy, this fullness, this

truth, this reality that death has been broken.

Death has been Death has been defeated. Death

has been slain. Death has been taken captive,

as we heard in the words of St. John Chrysostom

last night, which are so hard to follow. How

can I even stand here and say anything? And yet

we must try. Words will fail us all. Brothers

and sisters, whatever we have in our heart, Whatever

efforts we have put in, whatever baggage, whatever

sins, whatever failures, whatever weaknesses,

whatever brokenness, whatever things that hold

us at arm's length, perhaps during the Lent,

perhaps during Holy Week, perhaps during the

year, because we are a little more full than

usual. That's slightly supposed to be funny.

Christ has shattered them. Christ has obliterated

them. Christ has given them life. Someone who

speaks Spanish can correct me later if I need

to be corrected, but I was thinking when you

say Cristo resucitado, it gives off the idea

of resuscitation. If you're tracing it etymologically.

And yet, resuscitation, it's not quite right,

because that's not what the resurrection is.

Christ is standing. Christos Anesti is what the

Greek says. Christ is resurrected. He is not

just brought back to life. He is incorruptible.

He is immortal. Death has been taken captive,

and life reigns. And so when we think of our

weaknesses, when we think of our bodies breaking,

when we think of our minds deteriorating, when

we think of thoughts that plague us, Christ has

invaded all of those things and filled them with

life and meaning. All of our lives, all of our

lives have meaning because of the resurrection

of Christ Jesus from the dead. We can rejoice.

We can rejoice. And the Lord gives us, the church

gives us, essentially 50 days to celebrate this

fact that offsets the 40 plus 8 days we just

went through. Because Pentecost, Pentecost technically

is the 50th day of Pascha, in terms of the Greek

meaning of it. Brothers and sisters, let these

50 days be a spiritual awakening. Let them be

a spiritual resurrection. If we have been away,

come. There is nothing that needs to hold you

at arm's length. If we have been depressed, if

we have been anxious, if we have been doubting,

if we have been weak, if we have been despairing,

if we have been making excuses, if we have been

fretting, There is no need. There is no need.

It is not even worthy, St. Paul says, to compare

these things to the glory of Christ, the glory

that is coming and the glory that is invading

this creation, even in our own bodies, that the

old man has died, the old man is withering, and

the new man... We are being transfigured, the

Greek. We are being metamorphosized from the

inside out. And Christ is coming alive in us.

If you have been away, come. If you have been

doubting, come. Think of Thomas at the scripture

reading. Christ comes. He says, peace be unto

you. He shows them. Everything. They need to

see the apostles. He says, peace be unto you.

He shows up when the doors are closed because

they're afraid of the Jewish authorities. They're

hiding. He comes to them and he shows himself

to them. Resurrected. Standing. Alive. Death

defeated. And Thomas isn't there. And so when

they go and they tell Thomas, he doubts. It's

too good to be true. It's too good to be true.

And in the world standards, it might be. And

yet, it is true. But in order to believe it,

in order to experience it, in order to feel the

power of Christ's resurrection, the joy of Pascha,

we have to be here. Not just on Pascha, but we

have to be here to see it all through the year.

That our hearts might be filled with hope. That

our lives might be filled with meaning. That

we might know how significant we are to Christ,

our God. That he invaded death for us when we

were weak. When our wrists were limp like the

resurrection icon. When Adam and Eve, they can

barely reach up. And he grabs them. And he pulls

them out. And he makes them to stand like he

is standing. And he says, let's go. Let's live

our life. Let's not look back. Let's not look

back. Let's unite ourselves. Unite yourself to

me. Unite yourself to the church. Unite yourself

to my power that courses from me and into you.

Incorruptible. Immortal. Life. Death is destroyed.

Christ is risen. Christ is risen.