Thursday, March 28, 2013

Christ the Paschal Lamb



From a paschal homily by St. Melito of Sardis read at Tenebrae of Maundy Thursday:

There was much proclaimed by the prophets about the mystery of the Passover; that mystery is Christ. and to him be glory for ever and ever, amen.

For the sake of suffering humanity he came down from heaven to earth, clothed himself in that humanity in the Virgin's womb, and was born a man. Having then a body capable of suffering, he took the pain of those who suffered on himself. He overcame the sufferings of the flesh and by his Spirit, which was incapable of dying, he dealt murderous death a fatal blow.


He was led forth like a lamb; he was slaughtered like a sheep. He ransomed us from our servitude to the world as he had ransomed Israel from the land·of Egypt; he freed us from our slavery to the devil as he had freed Israel from the hand of Pharaoh. He sealed our souls with his own Spirit and the members of our body with his own blood.


He is the One who covered death with shame and cast the devil into mourning, as Moses cast Pharaoh into mourning. He is the One who smote sin and robbed iniquity of offspring, as Moses robbed the Egyptians of their offspring. He is the One who brought us out of slavery into freedom, out of darkness into light, out of death into life, out of tyranny into an eternal kingdom, who made us a new priesthood, a people chosen to be his own for ever. He is the Passover that is our salvation.


It is he who endured every kind of suffering in all those who foreshadowed him. In Abel he was slain, in Isaac bound, in Jacob exiled, in Joseph sold, in Moses exposed to die. He was sacrificedin the Passover lamb, persecuted in David, dishonored in the prophets.


It is he who was made man of the Virgin, he who was hung on the tree; it is he who was buried in the earth, raised from the dead. and taken up to the heights of heaven. He is the mute Lamb, the slain lamb, the lamb born of Mary, the fair ewe. He was seized from the flock. dragged off to be slaughtered, sacrificed in the evening, and buried at night. On the tree no bone of his was broken; in the earth his body knew no decay. He is the One who rose from the dead, and who raised us from the depths of the tomb.

R. IN THE BREAD see the Body which hung on the Cross: in the Chalice behold the Blood which streamed from His opened side: * And so, take and eat of the Body of Christ; take and drink of the Blood of Christ.


V. For as often as you do this, you proclaim the Lord's death, until He comes.

RAnd so, take and eat ofthe Body of Christ; take and drink of the Blood of Christ.