"The angel cried to the Virgin, full of grace: Pure Virgin, Rejoice, and again I say, rejoice, Thy Son is
risen from the tomb on the third day, having risen the dead; rejoice, o ye people." The holy joy of the Resurrec- tion, streaming from the pure visage of the mother of God and the holy disciples of Christ, now fills the universe, and better, the Church of Christ, and through this its image is left on us who sin.

                 The joy of Christ's Resurrection came to the world through the bold hearts of those who had to be
convinced, before they actually realized and accepted it, that their beloved teacher, scorned and crucified, in reality did conquer death and rose from the dead. The first words which the angelic messenger had to use to approach the women at the tomb were words of encouragement and comfort. "Be not afraid:and go quickly and tell His disciples that He is risen from the dead: " /Matt. 28,7 Mk. 16,6/. Their initial joy was mixed with fear, trembling and awe: "And they departed quickly from the sepulcher with fear and great joy, and did run to bring his disciples word. " /Matt. 28.8/ "And they fled from the sepulcher, for they trembled and were amazed." /Mark 16.8/ The blessed messengers of Christ's Resurrection were to meet with both the unbelief and the joy of the disciples of the Risen Christ: "And their words seemed to them as idle talk, and they believed them not. " /Lk. 24.11/

                Only after the Resurrected Lord had shown himself several times did the Resurrection become for the
disciples an undisputed fact, and only then did they understand fully that eternal life had come to earth, that death had been conquered, and that man had become a new being, a communicant with eternal life. Then joy in the Resurrection blended with the fullness of joy of he Mother of God, for whom there was no uncertainty and who, standing before the cross, went directly from grief to the joy of the Resurrection. Then these two currents flowed together as a boundless ocean of light for the Holy Church. "Shine, shine, New Jerusalem; the glory of God has shone upon you. Rejoice now and be glad, O Sion. Rejoice, pure Mother of God, in the Resurrection of Thy Birth!"

                 The joy of the Resurrection comes also to us, but through the sullied stream of our sinfulness, our cold
and woeful disinterest, our disbelief that the Resurrection took place for the personal eternal life of each of us, that through the Resurrection our personal dead was conquered. Now the Holy Church, illumined by the light of Christ's Pasha, calls us so that we will not be left outside this light, so that we might overcome our apathy and become true participants of the Resurrection.

                 "This is the day of resurrection. Let us be illumined by the feast. Let us embrace each other. Let us call
brothers even those that hate us, and forgive all by the resurrection, and so let us cry: Christ is raised from the dead, trampling down death, and upon those in the tombs bestowing life."

IN TRUTH HE IS RISEN !