Sermon 221

SERMO 221

OF THE HOLY NIGHT

Of the joy and brightness of this holy night.

Because our Lord Jesus Christ made the day, which by His dying had been mournful, by His rising glorious, recalling both times in solemn memory, let us watch in remembering His death and rejoice in receiving His resurrection. This is our anniversary feast, and our Passover; not as for the old people symbolized by the killing of a lamb, but as for the new people fulfilled by the sacrifice of the Savior; because Christ, our Passover, has been sacrificed, and the old things have passed away, and behold, all things have become new. For we neither mourn except burdened by our sins, nor do we truly rejoice except justified by His grace; because He was delivered up for our offenses, and was raised again for our justification. By mourning the former, we rejoice in the latter; and because what was committed sadly for us and on our behalf, and was foreordained joyfully for us, we do not let pass by in ungrateful forgetfulness, but celebrate it in grateful memory. Therefore, let us watch, beloved, because the burial of Christ lasted until this night, so that in this very night the resurrection of His flesh should occur, which was then mocked on the cross, now is adored in heaven and earth. This night indeed is understood to pertain to the following day, which we hold as the Lord’s Day. And surely He should rise at night, because by His resurrection He illuminated our darkness; for it was not in vain that it was sung a little before to Him: You will light my lamp, O Lord; my God, you will lighten my darkness. Therefore, so great a mystery is also recommended by our devotion; that just as our faith, confirmed by His resurrection, now keeps watch, so this night, illuminated by our vigil, should also shine brightly; so that we may be able worthily to conceive today with the Church spread throughout the world, lest we be found in the night. The sun has withdrawn from so many and so great peoples whom such a distinguished solemnity has gathered everywhere in the name of Christ; day has not departed, while shining heaven has succeeded with shining earth.

In comparison to this, other vigils are not to be considered at all.

Nevertheless, if anyone inquires about the causes of our great watchfulness, they can both discover it diligently and respond faithfully. For He who has bestowed the glory of His name upon us, He Himself has illuminated this night; and to whom we say: You will illuminate my darkness, He provides light to our hearts; so that just as we behold this splendor of lights with joyful eyes, we may see with enlightened minds the reason for this so bright a night. What is it, then, that today Christians watch on this anniversary feast? For now we especially keep vigil, nor is any other solemnity commonly understood in this way; in this desire while we search and say: When do we keep vigil? we keep vigil on so many days; as if compared to this, other vigils are not to be considered. Indeed, the Apostle recommended the assiduity of vigils to the Church, just as he did with fasts, mentioning himself and saying: In frequent fastings, in frequent watchings; but the vigil of this night is so great, that it claims for itself the common name as if it were its own. Therefore, first we will speak briefly about the general vigil, and then about the special and present one, which the Lord has given.

Whoever desires to live always must watch more vigilantly.

In that life, for the attainment of whose rest we labor, which the Truth promises to us after the death of this body, or even after the end of this world, in the resurrection, we shall never sleep, just as we shall never indeed die. For what is sleep but a daily death, which neither utterly removes us from here, nor detains a person for too long? And what is death but a lengthy and deep sleep, from which God awakens a person? Therefore, where no death comes, neither does the image of it, which is sleep, intervene. Indeed, sleep belongs only to mortals. This is not the rest of angels: since they always live, they never refresh their health with sleep. Just as life itself is without end, so too is the vigilance there; nor is living anything other than watching; nor is watching anything other than living. But we, in this body, which is corrupted and burdens the soul, since we do not live unless we recover our strength by sleeping, interrupt life with the semblance of death, so that we might at least be able to live in intervals. Therefore, whoever uses vigils continuously, chastely, and innocently, undoubtedly contemplates the life of angels - for as much as the frailty of this flesh is a burden to the earthly, heavenly desires are restrained - practicing longer vigils against the deadly weight, so that they might acquire merit in eternal life. For he is not consistent with himself, who desires always to live, and does not love longer watching; he wishes there to be no death at all, and does not wish to diminish its image. This cause, this reason, is why the mind of a Christian should be exercised more frequently in vigils.

This vigil is celebrated because Christ rose and brought us out of darkness into light.

Now, brothers, while we recall a few other things, take notice of the special watch of this night. For it has been said why we ought to take away sleep and add vigils more often: but now it must be said why we should especially watch on this present night with such great celebration. No Christian doubts that the Lord Christ rose from the dead on the third day. However, the holy Gospel testifies that this happened on this night. For it is beyond doubt that the entire day is reckoned from the previous night; not according to the order of days mentioned in Genesis – although even there the darkness preceded; for there was darkness over the deep, when God said: let there be light, and there was light – but because those darknesses were not yet night, were not yet day. For God divided between the light and the darkness: and He first called the light day, then the darkness night, and from the made light until another morning was reckoned one day. It is evident that those days began with light, and each was terminated after the passing night up to the morning. But after man, created from the light of righteousness, declined into the shadows of sin, from which Christ's grace freed him, it came to be that we now reckon days from nights; because we endeavor to come not from light to darkness, but from darkness to light, and with the Lord's help we hope to succeed. Thus, also the Apostle says: The night has passed, the day has drawn near; let us therefore cast off the works of darkness, and put on the armor of light. Thus, the day of the Lord's passion, on which He was crucified, followed its own passing night; and therefore it was concluded and terminated until the Preparation Day, which the Jews also call "Pure Supper," beginning from the evening that commenced the observation of the Sabbath. Then the day of the Sabbath, beginning from its own evening, ended with the evening that began the night pertaining to the beginning of the Lord's day; for which the Lord consecrated with the glory of His resurrection. Therefore, with the festivity of this solemnity, we now celebrate the memory of that night pertaining to the beginning of the Lord's day. We keep vigil on that night when the Lord rose, and that life, about which we earlier spoke, where there is neither death nor sleep, which He began for us in His flesh; that He raised it from the dead in such a way that He would not die again, nor would death have any more dominion over Him. For since those coming to His tomb at dawn, by whom His body was sought with affection, did not find it and received the answer from the angels that He had already risen, it is evident that He rose on that night, the extremity of which was that dawn. Therefore, to the One rising, to whom we sing by continuing to watch a little longer, He will grant that we may reign with Him living without end. But even if perhaps during these hours, in which we conduct this vigil, His body was still in the tomb and had not yet risen, neither are we absurd in keeping watch; for He slept that we might keep watch, who died that we might live. Amen.