Monday, April 26, 2004
Christ is Risen!
Hieromartyr Basil, Bishop of Amasea
15th of the Paschal Vigil: Song of the Three 23-68 Apostle: Acts 6:8-15; 7:15, 47-60 Gospel: St. John 4:46-54
"Bless the Lord, all works of the Lord, sing praise to Him and highly
exalt Him for ever." St. Nicholas Cabasilas, reflecting on the sheer delight of the Saints in heaven as God is glorified,
taught that the holy ones "can never praise God enough; they do not consider their own thanksgiving sufficient." Further,
he pointed out, "they desire that men and angels should unite with them in praising God, so that their debt of gratitude to
Him may be a little more worthily paid, owing to the increase in the number of those who praise Him."
St. Nicholas also mentioned that "the holy sons of Azariah, who by the grace of God overcame the flames of the fiery
furnace, bear witness to this" same truth. Which prompted him to say, "It was fitting that they should give thanks to God
for their miraculous and unexpected delivery; but they did not consider their own praise and acclamation sufficient - they
called to their aid the angels and every race of man, the heavens, the sun, the stars, the earth, the mountains, inanimate
beings - in short, the whole creation."
Embracing the truth that we are blessed to be among those called to give thanks to God, let us, as the Church always has
done, take the praises of the Three Holy Children upon our own lips for they "teach us to cry out in reverence: O only
Trinity, Equipotent and beginningless, blessed art Thou." Indeed, the Apostle Paul admonishes us: "in everything give
thanks for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you" (1 Thess. 5:18). Likewise, St. John Chrysostom somewhere
cautions us not to be spectators in the Divine Liturgy, nor in any aspect of this present life. In truth, all voices of the
Church: angels, archangels, priests, archpriests, deacons, men, women, and children are meant to unite in the praise of God.
The Song of the Holy Children divides into three natural parts: first, an offering of praise, exalting Him Who alone is
worthy of all glory, honor and worship (Song of 3:29-34), and calling to remembrance, as does the Divine Liturgy, that
throughout all time God has not ceased "to do all things until He should bring us back to heaven and endow us with His
kingdom which is to come." These verses of the prayer join our praises to those of the heavenly tabernacle where God is
seated upon the cherubim on "the throne of [His} kingdom" (vss. 32,33).
The next longer section of the prayer is an invocation to all creation to join in the praise of God (vss. 35-60). Is this
possible for all creatures - for the stars of heaven, the rain and dew, wind, fire and heat? Let us learn from these verses that
the whole created order is actively, not passively, engaged in God's praise. Created things are not, as the contemporary,
materialists imply, mere matter to be manipulated for our wants, but fellow creatures who, even in the times when we
forget, are ever extolling God's wonder. As St. Hippolytus of Rome says, "the three youths in the furnace....showed
[created things] to be all the servants of God" with us. Let us, then, orient ourselves to approach all matter with the
reverence due fellow worshipers of God.
In the concluding verses, the three Holy Children call to the Church: "Bless the Lord, O Israel, sing praise to Him and
highly exalt Him for ever" (vs. 61). Praise is not for her Priests alone (vs. 62), but for all of us who are "servants of the
Lord" (vs. 63), the living as well as the "spirits and souls of the righteous" (vs. 64). Let us truly "give thanks to the Lord,
for He is good, for His mercy endures for ever" (vs. 67). Indeed, Beloved of the Lord, "It is meet and right to worship
Father, Son, and Holy Spirit: the Trinity, one in Essence, and undivided," and let us also ever lift our hearts and voices to
the Lord, "for His mercy endures for ever" (vs. 68).
We praise Thee, we bless Thee, we worship Thee, we glorify Thee, we give thanks to Thee for Thy great glory, O Lord,
heavenly King and God on high.