Gregory the Theologian on Pascha

I thought I would reflect a little on some of St. Gregory the Theologian's words on Pascha since it was his feast day yesterday.  St. Gregory is one of the most important fathers of the Church, and I am honored to be named after him, even if unknowingly by my own parents.  His understanding of the Holy Incarnation and Death and Resurrection of our Lord and God, Jesus Christ are still the standard by which we test all man's words to this day.  He was inspired by God to see through the veil into the Heavenly realities and describe in coarse words, things unspeakable because of their brilliance.  But as a great teacher, he brought things down to the level of sinful man in order to inspire us and raise us up to his level of holiness.  A few thoughts that struck me when I first encountered them years ago and still inspire me today are as follows:

When speaking about the fall and its consequences, he has this to say about death:

"Yet here too he makes a gain, namely death and the cutting off of sin, in order that evil may not be immortal. Thus, his punishment is changed into a mercy, for it is in mercy, I am persuaded, that God inflicts punishment."  

Here a great dogma is stated and many misunderstandings are made clear.  There is nothing that happens that doesn't in a way benefit mankind.  No punishments are inflicted out of justice to God, because God has no need of anything creaturely.  We can then look into how seemingly dire realities are in a way a sign of God's mercy.  Physical death becomes a way to destroy sin and to teach man to not take for granted the gift of being made in the image of God.  Only with our Salvation and betterment in mind did God allow man to fall into sin and undergo death and all that has happened.  We in fact deserve all that we have fallen into because  we have turned away from Life and Light itself toward the absence of both, namely death and darkness.

Later on St. Gregory goes on to say:

"Let us sacrifice ourselves to God; or rather let us go on sacrificing throughout every day and at every moment. Let us accept anything for the Word's sake. By sufferings let us imitate His Passion: by our blood let us reverence His Blood: let us gladly mount upon the Cross. Sweet are the nails, though they be very painful. For to suffer with Christ and for Christ is better than a life of ease with others."

St. Gregory was well aware that our Lord and God did not come to rescue us in a purely legalistic manner that sadly has become a very popular way of thinking about His Holy Passion.  Rather, St. Gregory knew that Christ came to reveal the real meaning hidden in the old Law regarding sacrifice.  God allowed man to continue to offer sacrifices under the old covenant, just as long as it was only to God that they offered sacrifices, not idols.  It was a step forward, but still was incomplete.  Christ when He came showed us that the real sacrifice is to die to this world and it's pleasures that run contrary to God's will.  He used the occasion to show us the way, being humiliated and tortured for refusing to conform to the world and its evil ways, but rather reproving the world and exposing its dark and deadly traps that have been imprisoning man since the days of Adam.

And finally, a third point that was made by our Holy Father Gregory speaking about the events that occurred at the moment of our Lord's death:

"Many indeed are the miracles of that time: God crucified; the sun darkened and again rekindled; for it was fitting that the creatures should suffer with their Creator; the veil rent; the Blood and Water shed from His Side; the one as from a man, the other as above man; the rocks rent for the Rock's sake; the dead raised for a pledge of the final Resurrection of all men; the Signs at the Sepulchre and after the Sepulchre, which none can worthily celebrate; and yet none of these equal to the Miracle of my salvation. A few drops of Blood recreate the whole world, and become to all men what rennet is to milk, drawing us together and compressing us into unity."

Here again He makes clear that it was not without the creation that Christ suffered in the flesh.  He who is likened to the sun makes the sun to darken for us to see that the very creation that He entered into can now share in all of the events of Christ's life on Earth, and even in those that are in Heaven, symbolized by the rekindling of the Sun.  All of mankind has been given the opportunity to enter into the Body of Christ by Baptism, but only those willing to take up the Holy and Life-giving Cross of the Lord truly enter into the life of Christ.  We suffer temporarily with Christ, to enjoy freedom for eternity.  Our shed blood becomes one with Christ's blood.  His blood conquered death because He had no sin, but we can share in his blood by becoming part of His Holy Body.  He dripped his Holy Blood on creation and those willing to be united to it are allowed to by His great Love.  We must partake of the Holy Blood that is offered by joining ourselves to His Bride, the Holy Orthodox Church and partaking of Her Holy Mysteries.