Easter Thoughts from St. Gregory of Nyssa

St. Gregory of Nyssa (c. 335–395 AD) was a profound theologian of the early Christian Church, particularly for his contributions to Trinitarian theology and defense of orthodox Christian doctrine against Arianism, the heresy that held that Jesus was a created being and denied the divinity of Christ. In this excerpt from his Easter sermon, such a defense can be recognized as he reflects on the transformative power of Christ’s resurrection, which has caused the reign of life to begin. The tyranny of death has been usurped, and humanity itself has been renewed to life and restored in likeness to God. The maturity of the resurrection realized in our lives is by the way of virtues habituated in our lives, which is only made possible through the work of the Spirit, the same Spirit who raised Jesus from the dead. May this be our hope and our desire, and as we stretch into these warming Easter days, may our hearts deepen still in the reality of resurrection.  – Guy+ Delcambre, All Saints Dallas

An excerpt from an Easter sermon by Saint Gregory of Nyssa (Oratio 1 in Christi resurrectionem)

The reign of life has begun, the tyranny of death is ended. A new birth has taken place, a new life has come, a new order of existence has appeared, our very nature has been transformed! This birth is not brought about by human generation, by the will of man, or by the desire of the flesh, but by God. If you wonder how, I will explain in clear language. Faith is the womb that conceives this new life baptism, the rebirth by which it is brought forth into the light of day. The Church is its nurse; her teachings are its milk, the bread from heaven is its food. It is brought to maturity by the practice of virtue; it is wedded to wisdom; it gives birth to hope. Its home is the kingdom; its rich inheritance the joys of paradise; its end, not death, but the blessed and everlasting life prepared for those who are worthy.

This is the day the Lord has made – a day far different from those made when the world was first created and which are measured by the passage of time. This is the beginning of a new creation. On this day, as the prophet says, God makes a new heaven and a new earth. What is this new heaven? you may ask. It is the firmament of our faith in Christ. What is the new earth? A good heart, a heart like the earth, which drinks up the rain that falls on it and yields a rich harvest.

In this new creation, purity of life is the sun, the virtues are the stars, transparent goodness is the air, and the depths of the riches of wisdom and knowledge, the sea. Sound doctrine, the divine teachings are the grass and plants that feed God’s flock, the people whom he shepherds; the keeping of the commandments is the fruit borne by the trees.

On this day is created the true man, the man made in the image and likeness of God. For this day the Lord has made is the beginning of this new world. Of this day the prophet says that it is not like other days, nor is this night like other nights. But still we have not spoken of the greatest gift it has brought us. This day destroyed the pangs of death and brought to birth the firstborn of the dead.

I ascend to my Father and to your Father, to my God and to your God. O what wonderful good news! He who for our sake became like us in order to make us his brothers, now presents to his true Father his own humanity in order to draw all his kindred up after him.