A Commentary by Abba Dorotheus of Gaza on a Paschal Hymn Written by St. Gregory the Theologian

This is the Day of Resurrection.
Let us offer to God a sacrifice-which is ourselves.
Let us, as His most precious acquisition, give to the Image [God]
That which was created in His’ image.
Let us acknowledge our worth.
Let us revere the Archetype.
Let us come to understand the power of the
mystery and who it is for whom Christ died.

(St. Gregory Nazianzen)

I should like to speak to you, even if very briefly, about the hymns which we sing, so that you might take delight not only in the sounds, but that your mind itself might be in due measure inflamed by the power of the words. Thus, what is it we have just now sung? “The day of Resurrection! Let us offer ourselves as a sacrifice.”

In antiquity the sons of Israel, on the feast-days or triumphs, offered to God gifts according to the Law, that is, sacrifices, whole-burnt offerings, first-fruits, and the like, Therefore, St. Gregory teaches us also to make celebration unto the Lord as they did, and inspires us by saying: “The Day of Resurrection,’ a day to surpass all other holy feasts, the day of solemnity, the day of the Pascha of Christ, And what does the Pascha of Christ mean? The sons of Israel performed the Pascha [Passoverj when they departed from Egypt. And now Pascha, which St. Gregory stirs us to celebrate, is performed by the soul which departs from the mental Egypt, that is, sin. For when the soul passes over from sin to virtue, then it is that it celebrates the Pascha of the Lord, as Evagrius has said: the Pascha of the Lord is the passing over from evil to good.

And thus even now is the Pascha of the Lord, the Day of the Bright Festival, the Day of the Resurrection of Christ Who has crucified “in Who died for us and arose. Let us also offer to the Lord gifts, sacrifices, whole-burnt offerings; not of irrational animals which Christ does not wish, for “sacrifice and offering Thou wouldest not…” (PS, 39:6), and Isaiah says, “Of what value to me is the abundance of your sacrifices? saith the Lord,” and the rest (Is. 1:11). But since the Lamb of God was killed for us, according to the words of the Apostle who says: “Our Passover also hath been sacrificed, even Christ” (I Car. 5:7)… “that He might redeem them that were under the law, that we might receive the adoption of sons” (Gal. 4:5); so also we should offer Him a certain God-pleasing gift.

And what kind of gift or what kind of sacrifice is it that we should offer to Christ on the day of the Resurrection, that it might be pleasing to Him inasmuch as He does not wish sacrifices of irrational. animals? The same Saint instructs us again in thts, for having said, “The day of Resurrection,” he adds, “Let us offer ourselves.” Thus also the Apostle says: “Present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reason- able service (Rom. 12:1). And how should we offer our bodies to God as a living and holy sacrifice? By ceasing to perform any longer the will of our flesh and our thoughts (Gal. 5:16). For this is what it means: “Put to death therefore your members which are upon the earth” (Col. 3:5).

And why is it called a living sacrifice? Because the irrational animal who is offered for sacrifice, dies when he is killed  But the saints, while dying to themselves daily, yet they aje alive. Thus the Prophet David says, “For Thy sake we Are killed all the day long, we are counted as sheep for slaughter” (Ps. 43:22)..;. And how did they offer themselves as a sacrifice? By not living for themselves but rather by subjecting themselves to the commandments of God and abandoning their own desires for the sake of [the commandment, for the love of God and neighbor ….Thus let us also offer ourselves .in sacrifice as St. Gregory teaches. For God desires us inasmuch as we are “the most precious possession of God,”.. .and not only the most precious but the One closest to God of all His creation,- for He said: “Let us make man according to Our image and likeness”…. Then, speaking even more clearly, the Saint adds: “Let us give to the Image that which was created in His Image.” But what does this mean? Let us learn this from the Apostle who says: “Let us cleanse ourselves from all defilement of flesh and spirit” (II Cor. 7:1)….. And thus let us purify in ourselves the image [of God], for God requires of us -such as He gave us, an image having neither spot, nor wrinkle nor any such thing (Eph. 5:27)… “Let us acknowledge our dignity” ..let us realize of what great good things we have become worthy; let us remember-in Whose image we were created; let us not forget the great good things given to us by God solely out of His goodness and not according to our worth; let us understand that we are created according to the image of God Who created us..

“Let us revere the Archetype, Let us understand the power of the mystery and who it is for whom Christ died.” In what consists the power of this mystery wherein Christ died? Through sin we lost in ourselves the image of God, and through sin and the fall we became mortal, as the Apostle has said (Eph. 2:1). Therefore, God Who created us in His image, having mercy on us His own creation and His own image, became man for our sake and suffered death for all, so a to raise us who were dead into life which we lost on account of our disobedience. For He ascended the Holy Cross and crucified sin, the sin for which we were banished from Paradise, and He “led captivity captive” as it says in the Scripture (Ps. 67:18; Eph.4:8)… This means that after the transgression of Adam the enemy took us captive and held us in his power so that human souls which departed from the body went to hell, for Paradise was closed. But when Christ ascended on the heights of the Holy and Life-giving Cross, then by His own Blood Re delivered us from the captivity by which the enemy had taken us captive… And thus we have been delivered from hell by Christ’s love of mankind, and upon us it depends whether we go to Paradise, for the enemy no longer compels us or keeps us in slavery as he did before. Only let us take heed to ourselves, O brethren, and preserve. ourselves from the action of sin. For many times before I have said to you that every sin which is fulfilled indeed again enslaves us to the enemy, inasmuch as we voluntarily throw ourselves down and enslave ourselves to him. Is this not a shame and is this not a great misfortune if, after Christ has delivered us from hell by His own Blood and after we have heard all this, we should again go and throw ourselves into hell? Are we not in such a case worthy of yet greater and more cruel punishment? May God Who is the Lover of mankini have mercy on us and grant us heedfulness, sd that we might understand all this and profit by it, calling down upon ourselves God’s mercy..

 (Translated from the Russian text by Fr. Seraphim Rose)