Selected Sermons, Volume 3

79 A Sixth on the Lord’s Resurrection

SERMON 79 A Sixth on the Lord’s Resurrection ince we have already quickly made our way through the readings from Matthew and Mark on the Lord’s Resurrection, let us now investigate what the most blessed Luke has proclaimed about it.1 On the first day of the week, he says, women came to the tomb bringing the spices that they had prepared (Lk 24.1). We have often said that the events surrounding the Lord’s Resurrection form the pattern for our resurrection.2 This is why the Evangelists relate the sequence of Christ’s deeds in language that is more mystical than it is new. On the first day of the week, he says. It is appropriate that he said first,3 because the day of the Resurrection knows no other; the mother of eternal light4 has no knowledge of nighttime; a day without end shines on those whose life is without end; the light of those who rise is unable to die; the light that conquers the night cannot be extinguished. 2. They came to the tomb, it says, bringing the spices that they had prepared, and when they came they found the stone rolled back, and upon entering the tomb they did not find Jesus’ body (vv.1–3). Why is it that earlier they had run away from the tomb, but now they boldly return to the grave, return unafraid to the terrible burial place, confidently rush into the sadness of the grave, and when 35 1. This sermon was preached most likely after Sermon 83, on the conclusion of Mk 16, and perhaps on the Thursday of the Easter Octave (see Sermon 75, n. 1; F. Sottocornola, L’anno liturgico, 173–74; and A. Olivar, Los sermones, 265). 2. See, e.g., Sermons 60.16 (FOTC 109.236), 74.6 (FOTC 17.127), 76.1, and 77.9. 3. The Latin word translated here as “first” is una, which also means “one alone,” “unique,” and “solitary”; Chrysologus is making use of all these meanings here. 4. In contrast to the dawn of Resurrection as “the mother of eternal light,” in Sermon 74.2 Chrysologus refers to evening as “the mother of night” (FOTC 17.124). they do not find the Lord, they persistently search, they more persistently linger, and they do not tremble at the fact that, in addition to everything else, it is night which, by generating darkness, increases the fear engulfing the tomb? Brothers, woman is the source of evil,5 the author of sin, the way of death, the reason for the grave, hell’s entryway, and the whole explanation of the need for lamentation. For this reason they are born with tears, they are delivered with sadness, they are brought forth with groans, and they are as strong in lamentation as they are found to be weak in strength; and they are as unequipped for labors as they are equipped for tears. Thus it is that they conquer arms with tears, they fell kingdoms with their weeping, and they break all the strength of men with their lamentation. And so it is no wonder if the women here seem more ardent than the apostles for tears, the burial place, the grave, and for paying reverence to the Lord’s body,6 when a woman is the first to proceed to tears, since she was the first to fall into guilt; she leads the way to the grave, since she led the way to death; she becomes the messenger of the Resurrection, since she was the agent of death; and she who had brought the man the message of such destruction, herself brings men the announcement of great salvation, in order to compensate with her message of faith for what she took away by her faithless announcement.7 3. The order here is not reversed, but mystical; the apostles are not ranked behind the women, but they are kept for greater things.8 The women take up reverent service to Christ, the apostles take up the sufferings of Christ; the former bear 36 ST. PETER CHRYSOLOGUS 5. See Sir 25.23 (24). 6. Reading the variant ad obsequium dominici corporis feminae ardentiores apostolis hic videntur (see PL 52.423) instead of ab obsequium dominici corpus feminae ardentiores apostoli sic videntur from Olivar’s CCL text. 7. Chrysologus often plays up the antithesis between woman as the means whereby death entered the world and woman as new Eve, bearer...