Icons of Courage and Love

Icons of Courage and Love Fr Luke A Veronis Christ is Risen! Courage and Love! Courageous women boldly go to the tomb of Christ. They lovingly stood by our Lord when He was crucified. They witnessed the horror and violence against their innocent Master, the One whom they deeply loved. They saw his disciples abandon him and stay away from his crucifixion out of fear. Yet, these Myrrh-bearing women – St. Mary Magadalene, St. Salome, St Mary the mother of James, St Mary of Cleopas, St Martha, St Joanna and St Suzanna – courageously stood by the cross and then woke up early Sunday morning bearing spices and myrrh, to lovingly anoint the body of their precious Lord. What a display of incredible love and devotion! What unshakable and bold faith! What inspiring courage and fearlessness! While the male disciples disappeared because of uncertainty fear, hiding behind locked doors, the Myrrh-bearing Women bravely walked through the darkness, risking danger from Roman soldiers and Jewish authorities. Their love for Christ overcame every fear. Their bold faith led them to the tomb — and because of their unwavering loyalty, they became the first witnesses of the greatest miracle of history – Jesus’ Resurrection from the dead after three days in the tomb! Actually, these holy women hold the title as the first apostles and bearers of the Good News. They were the apostles to the 12 Apostles. St. Gregory Palamas beautifully proclaims, “It was fitting that women, who had been the first to taste death through Eve, should be the first to see the Resurrection and be entrusted with its proclamation. They, who once had been messengers of the fall, now became messengers of the Resurrection, overcoming even the boldness of the Apostles by their faith and love.” God honors faithfulness, devotion, and love above all else, and that is why our Orthodox Church honors these women on the second Sunday after Pascha. They lived out their radical love for Christ and His people and set an example for us to imitate their courage, faith, and devotion! Our Church can sometimes be perceived as a male-dominated, patriarchal community. And yet, in the Risen Christ Jesus, Saint Paul says, “There is no longer male nor female, slave nor free” but we are all one..” And our Church acknowledges the men and women of faith who set an example for us to follow. It’s interesting that during our 40 day Lenten journey as well as now during the 40 days of the joyous Pascal season, the Church consciously highlights a number of women as the models of faith that we are to imitate. A couple weeks ago we remembered St. Mary of Egypt, a woman who experienced profound trauma, sin, and shame, and yet who so deeply repented through her 47 years of prayer, fasting, and drawing closer to God in the desert, that she matched or surpassed the greatest of any male ascetic. She, once lost, became a brilliant light of repentance for the Church. Her life teaches us that no one is ever too far from God's mercy. In a few weeks we will celebrate St. Photini, the Samaritan woman at the well. Again, we see a broken woman, someone despised by society, who encountered Jesus and finds a new life. She is transformed by the love of our Lord Jesus and became one of the earliest evangelists — even preaching boldly before Emperor Nero and dying as a martyr. The Living Water she received from Christ overflowed into the world! And throughout Church history, we see God raise up inspiring saints – male and female – who turn to the Risen Lord to discover new life and become new creations. One of the most beautiful icons we have in our church, which almost every visitor to our church will comment on, is the unique icon of the Women of Faith, which highlights 12 women from biblical times up to the 20th centuries. These are women with quite different stories, coming from very different backgrounds, yet who all have the common devotion, commitment, faith, and love for the Risen Lord Jesus Christ. These women — ancient and modern — are spiritual descendants of the Myrrhbearing Women. They show us that faith is not about fear or hiding from the world, but about loving boldly, serving sacrificially, and proclaiming the Risen Lord even in the face of hatred, darkness, and death. St. Romanos the Melodist poetically noted, “The Myrrhbearing Women came early to the tomb, seeking You, O Christ, to anoint Your most pure Body with sweet spices, and announce the Good News of Your Resurrection to Your disciples and to the world.” The Orthodox Church raises up these women not as a mere footnote in the Gospel story, but as essential pillars of faith — living icons of the Resurrection, teaching us by their example what it means to live with courage and without fear, to live with faith and without doubt, to live with boldness in the joyous new life that the Risen Jesus offers to all humanity! Let’s take to heart this beautiful witness of faith - reminding us how the Christian life is one of joyously sharing the Good News of our Lord's Resurrection. The Myrrhbearing Women lived this truth. And now, the Risen Lord calls us to live it as well by imitating their faith, by loving courageously,, by serving without fear, by offering hope and Good News to a desperate world. Christ is Risen!