Maximus of Turin: “Ascending On High He Led Captivity Captive” Monday, May 7 2012

Unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it bears much fruit.

Our Lord blossomed afresh when he rose from the tomb, and he bore fruit when he ascended to heaven.

As a flower he burgeoned from the depths of the earth; as the fruit he took his place on his lofty throne.

Enduring the torment of the Cross alone, he is that grain which he himself describes; surrounded by his Apostles, now unshakeable in their faith, he is the fruit.

In his converse with his disciples during those forty days after his Resurrection, he taught them the fullness of mature wisdom, and reaped from them an abundant harvest by the life-giving power of his words.

Then he ascended to heaven, bringing his Father the fruits of his incarnate life, and leaving in his disciples the seed of holiness.

Just as the eagle leaves the low lying ground, makes for the heights, and climbs high to heaven, in like manner our Saviour left the lower regions, made for the heights of Paradise, and reached heaven’s highest summit.

But what of the fact that an eagle often steals its prey by carrying off what belongs to another?

Even so, our Saviour did something not unlike that, for in a manner of speaking he stole his prey when he snatched the manhood he had assumed from ­the jaws of hell and carried it off to heaven, freeing the human ­race from slavery to an alien prince, that is, from the power of the devil, and leading it captive into a higher captivity.

As the prophet says, Ascending on high he led captivity captive; he gave gifts to men.

The undoubted meaning of these words is this: that since the devil held the human race captive, our Lord, by wresting it from him, took it captive himself and as the prophet tells us led that very captivity to the heights of heaven.

Both captivities do indeed bear the same name, but they differ one from the other.

The devil’s captivity means enslavement; Christ’s, on the contrary, means restoration to freedom.

Maximus of Turin (d. between 408 and 423): Sermon 56, 1-2 (CCL 23:224-225); from the Monastic Office of Vigils, Monday of the Sixth Week of Eastertide, Year 2

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Maximus of Turin: If a Thief Could Receive the Grace of Paradise, How Could a Christian Be Refused Forgiveness? Sunday, May 22 2011

Christ is risen! He has burst open the gates of hell and let the dead go free.

He has renewed the earth through the members of his Church now born again in Baptism, and has made it blossom afresh with men brought back to life.

His Holy Spirit has unlocked the doors of heaven, which stand wide open to receive those who rise up from the earth.

[...] In one and the same movement our Saviour’s Passion raises men from the depths, lifts them up from the earth, and sets them in the heights.

Christ is risen! His rising brings life to the dead, forgiveness to sinners, and glory to the saints.

And so David the prophet summons all creation to join in celebrating the Easter festival: Rejoice and be glad, he cries, on this day which the Lord has made.

The light of Christ is an endless day that knows no night.

Christ is this day, says the Apostle; such is the meaning of his words: Night is almost over; day is at hand.

He tells us that night is almost over, not that it is about to fall.

By this we are meant to understand that the coming of Christ’s light puts Satan’s darkness to flight, leaving no place for any shadow of sin.

His everlasting radiance dispels the dark clouds of the past and checks the hidden growth of vice.

The Son himself is the day to whom The Day, his Father, communicates the mystery of his Divinity.

He it is who says through the mouth of Solomon, I have caused an unfailing light to rise in heaven.

And as in heaven no night can follow day, so no sin can overshadow the justice of Christ.

The celestial day is perpetually bright and shining with brilliant light; clouds can never darken its skies.

In the same way, the light of Christ is eternally glowing with luminous radiance, and can never be extinguished by the darkness of sin.

This is why John the Evangelist says: The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has never been able to overpower it.

And so, my friends, each of us ought surely to rejoice on this holy day.

Let no one, conscious of his sinfulness, withdraw from our common celebration, nor let anyone be kept away from our public prayer by the burden of guilt.

Sinner one may indeed be, but no one must despair of pardon on this day which is so highly privileged.

For if a thief could receive the grace of Paradise, how could a Christian be refused forgiveness?

Maximus of Turin (d. between 408 and 423): Sermon 53, 1-2 (CCL 23:214-216); from the Office of Readings for Sunday of the 5^th week of Easter @ Crossroads Initiative.

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