2 ^nd Gospel Reading

(Mark 16:1-8)

When the sabbath was past, Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James, and Salome had bought sweet spices that they might come and anoint him. And very early in the morning, the first day of the week, they came unto the sepulchre at the rising of the sun. And they said among themselves, Who shall roll us away the stone from the door of the sepulchre? And when they looked, they saw that the stone was rolled away: for it was very great. And entering into the sepulchre, they saw a young man sitting on the right side, clothed in a long white garment; and they were affrighted. And he saith unto them, Be not affrighted: Ye seek Jesus of Nazareth, which was crucified: he is risen; he is not here: behold the place where they laid him. But go your way, tell his disciples and Peter that he goeth before you into Galilee: there shall ye see him, as he said unto you. And they went out quickly, and fled from the sepulchre; for they trembled and were amazed: neither said they any thing to any man; for they were afraid.

People moved along old familiar paths during the terrifying moment of Resurrection.  However, the great and marvelous event that was to change their path had already taken place.  It was not an external change, for even after the Resurrection of Christ people in this world will be born and die as they had before.  Rather, it was an internal, heavenly change.  From this point on, everything earthly was given a divine impetus.

The Holy Myrrh-bearers go to Christ’s tomb. When they set out, it is still dark.  The closer they come, the more light spreads.  At the Lord’s Tomb, they are met by the rising sun.  They walk, and what is it they are discussing?  They are concerned: Who will roll away the stone from the tomb?  After all, it is heavy.

          Of course, one has to talk like that, of course one has to consider things in that way, but only if the Lord is not risen, if the Lord is lying in the tomb, as a man, and as a man is unable to rise.

At Christ’s tomb, the Myrrh-bearers became frightened, so that they were not even able to follow the radiant man’s directions to tell the Apostles what they had seen.  They were frightened, were seized by such terror, because for them the Resurrection of Christ was an event, whether earthly or divine, that was totally unexpected. Had they seen the Angel roll away the heavy stone about which they were worried, they would have been very frightened and with divine help would have anointed Jesus’ Body.  And here one could have shown amazement.  However, when, after they had been worrying about the weight of the stone, the very Resurrection of Christ was revealed to them, they truly could have been, and were, paralyzed, numb, and unable to say anything, even to the Apostles.

          In like manner, we in the world, going along a righteous, good, but strictly human path, often worry only with human concern about some personal matter or other.  It seems to us that external circumstances can get in the way. In every work, even in good works, we seek first and foremost human assistance, and when going to Christ we think about the stones with which the world has buried Him, and we look for people to open Christ’s Tomb.

          But the Lord is in the tomb only to give us a little spiritual struggle of faith, and in return for the struggle, to save us.  Thus, we, already taught by the experience of the Myrrh-bearers, on our way to Christ, on our way to any good work in life (for Christ is in every good work), should not worry about stones.  No matter how heavy they might be, they are but illusions, as long as we are moving toward Christ.  A simple idea is revealed here: one who seeks after Christ must think only of Him, and not be troubled by any human worry. Everything in the world that interferes with our believing in Christ, belongs in Christ’s grave.  Any doubt in Christ is human doubt having no part in Christ.  Any good work in the world, and true faith in Christ, is accomplished through the Grace of the Holy Spirit.  The only thing needed from us is simple and sincere desire. 

          When we want to strengthen our faith, or when we are setting out to do some act of self-sacrifice, let us not denigrate the Grace of God with various doubts and troubles.  The Lord Himself is the performer of everything good.

          Any person harboring doubts in his faith and in his good works, and in this regard placing his hope in people, is like the person who remains greatly worried about the size of the stone over the entrance to the Sepulchre of the Risen Christ.

Archbishop John Shakhovskoy