Dear St. Mary’s Church and friends,
There have been several years here on Easter Sunday at St. Mary’s Church that we’ve read the famous “Paschal Homily” by St. John Chrysostom, where this late-fourth-century bishop starts out his Easter sermon with an interesting reflection on our Lent and its disciplines. Allow me to quote it at length:
Let all those who have wearied themselves in fasting enjoy now the recompense.
Let all those who have labored from the first hour receive today their just wages.
Let all those who have come after the third hour celebrate the feast with
thankfulness. Let all those who have arrived after the sixth hour have no doubts,
for they will suffer no loss. Let all those who have delayed until the ninth hour
draw near without hesitation. Do not let those who have arrived even at the
eleventh hour fear their delay; for the Master is gracious and receives the last,
even as the first; he gives rest to those that come at the eleventh hour, just as to
those who have labored from the first.
What a kind word for those of us for whom Lent is a bit of a struggle. St. Chrysostom (I usually pronounce it with the stress on the first syllable: CRISS-uhs-stuhm; it’s actually a nickname, meaning “Golden Mouth”) is riffing on Jesus’s parable about the men who all show up to work at different times but get paid the same amount (Matt. 20:1-16). Since the sermon was first preached 1600 years ago, it’s traditionally read in Eastern Orthodox churches every year at Easter .
I guess there’s a bit of a risk in bringing up the Paschal Homily, though I begin with it for a couple of reasons. The risk is that you’ll think that fasting isn’t very important. It’s true that even if you don’t fast, the Lord still loves you more than you can imagine. It’s also true that the Lord’s blessings have little to do with your own efforts. They can only be received as a gift. … But that’s exactly what fasting is about: it’s about learning to receive the Lord’s gifts, to recognize them and be thankful.
There’s a practical reason for starting out with the beginning of the Paschal Homily: it’s a good reminder that even if you aren’t doing anything for Lent, it’s not too late to begin. If that’s you, then take the rest of the day to pray and think about what you might do, even if it’s a bit challenging. Start tomorrow.
Part of the blessing of fasting is that you should discover, by the Lord’s grace, that the Lord is always there for you, even if the things of this world aren’t. When Jesus fasted in the desert for forty days, this undertaking was filled with significance: when Jesus goes into the desert he is Israel once more wandering in the wilderness, this time for forty days rather than forty years. When Jesus is tempted by the devil, it’s not an accident that Jesus answers the tempter by quoting three times from Deuteronomy, an Old Testament book set during Israel’s wilderness wanderings. Part of what Israel is learning during that time in the wilderness is that, even when their circumstances are dire, even when there’s no food or there’s no water, the Lord is with them and he’s going to take care of them. We often remember Israel’s failing, their struggle to believe. But we should also remember that by the end of their time in the desert, they do trust in the Lord and they’re ready even to walk into battle knowing that the Lord will decide the outcome.
In some ways this is just the pattern of the Christian life. Joseph is stripped of his colorful coat and sold as a slave into Egypt, yet even there the Lord prospers him. Israel is also in slavery in Egypt, but the Lord still hears their cry. Eventually, Israel is exiled from the Promised Land, but even when they’re carted off to Babylon, the Lord goes with them. This pattern emerges from Christ himself, who he is and what he’s done for us. The definitive moment is at the cross, when Jesus gives up all earthly comfort, the support of his friends, all worldly dignity, and even this fragile life. But it turns out that Jesus enjoys a life in his Father than cannot die. St. John Chrysostom in the same Paschal Homily calls attention to this, that even death, even the depths of hell, can’t overcome what Jesus has in his Father: “He has annihilated death by submitting to it! He descended into Hell and took Hell captive! … [Death] took a body and encountered God! It took earth and met heaven! It took what it had seen but crumbled before what it had not seen!”
What if you gave up coffee for a time and then found out that success is really in the Lord’s hands? What if you went without alcohol for the next several weeks and then discovered that Lord can yet bring you joy? Or if one Friday you go with no food, just water, until supper and find out that your Father’s love is enough? It’s strange how stubbornly we cling to things that will only let us down.
Yours in the Lord,
Stephen+
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