Christian Art | Jesus Is Our Spiritual Passover | A Boy At Prayer | Baptism
Office Of Readings | Eastertide Week 2, Monday | A Reading From A Paschal Homily Of An Ancient Author | Pseudo-Chrysostom | The Spiritual Pasch
‘Jesus Christ, our spiritual Passover.’
This ancient Easter homily, by an unknown preacher known as Pseudo-Chrysostom, offers a profound and deeply theological meditation on the meaning of the Christian Passover, that is, the Paschal Mystery — Christ’s death and resurrection — at the very heart of Christian faith and life. In it, the preacher deftly unfolds how the Old Testament prefigurations find their fulfilment in Christ, and how this fulfilment redefines not only salvation history but the daily life of every Christian.
At the heart of the homily is the comparison between the Jewish Passover and the Christian Easter. In the Jewish context, the Passover (Pesach) commemorated God’s dramatic deliverance of Israel from slavery in Egypt. This liberation, marked by the sparing of the Israelites’ firstborn when the angel of death passed over their homes, was foundational for Jewish identity and faith. Yet, the preacher insists, this event was but a shadow of something far greater. The ‘types and images’ of the past were not empty rituals, but preparations for a reality beyond themselves. When that reality — Christ himself — appeared, the symbols gave way to the substance, just as the appearance of a king renders homage to his statue obsolete.
The preacher’s comparison highlights a crucial truth: the superiority of the New Covenant over the Old. The Jewish Passover saved physical life for a time; Christ’s Paschal sacrifice grants eternal life. The first Passover was a rescue from death’s immediate threat; the Christian Passover is a definitive victory over death itself. Through his death and resurrection, Christ has not simply postponed death but broken its power forever. Death is no longer the final word.
This transformation of the Passover is why the early Church, following the apostolic tradition (cf. 1 Corinthians 5:7–8), called Christ ‘our Passover’ (Pascha). His sacrifice is not a partial, temporary rescue, but the gateway into the new and everlasting life — a life that begins now and is fulfilled in the resurrection of the body at the end of time.
The preacher draws special attention to the timing of the feast. In Jewish practice, Passover marked the beginning of the liturgical year, symbolizing a new start for God’s people. Similarly, the Christian Pascha inaugurates a new creation. Baptism, which unites us to Christ’s death and resurrection, becomes for each believer a personal Passover, a movement from death to life. The early Christians saw the Resurrection as the beginning of the ‘eighth day’ — a day beyond the cycles of time, symbolizing eternity itself.
This insight is vital for understanding the Christian life. The year, with its never-ending cycle, is an apt image of eternal life, where there is no end, no decay. Thus, the Resurrection is not only an event in the past but the birth of a new, undying life that already begins in the baptized believer.
Here the sacrament of baptism comes into sharper focus. In the early Church, Easter was the preferred time for baptism, and baptism was understood not merely as a cleansing from sin but as a radical ontological transformation. Through baptism, the Christian dies with Christ, is buried with him, and rises with him to new life (cf. Romans 6:3–5). Baptism is the believer’s personal entrance into the mystery of Easter — the moment when Christ’s death and resurrection are made effective in his or her life.
The homily’s exhortation is, therefore, clear and urgent: if you have been raised with Christ, live accordingly. Understanding the gift of salvation in Christ must result in a decisive break with sin. ‘We have died to sin; how then can we continue to live in it?’ (Romans 6:2) This echoes the entire New Testament’s call to conversion, emphasizing that salvation is not merely a future hope but a present calling: to live in the light of the Resurrection, walking in holiness, joy, and hope.
Moreover, the preacher’s insistence that the Christian must not ‘return to the old life’ resonates strongly with patristic spirituality. Early Christian thinkers, such as Augustine and Cyril of Jerusalem, frequently taught that baptismal grace demands a daily ‘putting off’ of the old man and ‘putting on’ of the new (cf. Ephesians 4:22–24). The new life begun in baptism must grow and be perfected through fidelity to Christ, nourished by the sacraments, prayer, and the works of love.
In a modern context, Pope Francis often reminds the Church of this same reality. In his apostolic exhortation Christus Vivit, addressed especially to young people, he urges Christians to remember that they are not defined by their failures but by their new life in Christ. He calls the baptized to live out the joy of the Gospel, not stuck in the past, but moving forward in hope. Just as the preacher Pseudo-Chrysostom called the newly baptized to leave behind their former lives, Pope Francis challenges Christians today to let the Resurrection shape their identity, choices, and mission.
Finally, this ancient homily invites us to see Easter not simply as a historical event or a liturgical season, but as the very pattern of Christian existence. Easter defines who we are: people who have passed from death to life, who live already in the newness of Christ, and who look forward in hope to the final fulfilment of what we have already begun to experience in mystery.
Thus, the Christian ‘spiritual Passover’ is ongoing. Each day is a fresh invitation to live as Easter people: free from sin, filled with the Spirit, walking in the light of Christ, awaiting the day when faith will give way to sight, and hope will blossom into eternal joy.
A Reading From A Paschal Homily Of An Ancient Author | Pseudo-Chrysostom | The Spiritual Pasch
The Passover we celebrate brings salvation to the whole human race beginning with the first man, who together with all the others is saved and given life.
In an imperfect and transitory way, the types and images of the past prefigured the perfect and eternal reality which has now been revealed. The presence of what is represented makes the symbol obsolete: when the king appears in person no one pays reverence to his statue.
How far the symbol falls short of the reality is seen from the fact that the symbolic Passover celebrated the brief life of the firstborn of the Jews, whereas the real Passover celebrates the eternal life of all mankind. It is a small gain to escape death for a short time, only to die soon afterwards; it is a very different thing to escape death altogether as we do through the sacrifice of Christ, our Passover.
Correctly understood, its very name shows why this is our greatest feast. It is called the Passover because, when he was striking down the firstborn, the destroying angel passed over the houses of the Hebrews, but it is even more true to say that he passes over us, for he does so once and for all when we are raised up by Christ to eternal life.
If we think only of the true Passover and ask why it is that the time of the Passover and the salvation of the firstborn is taken to be the beginning of the year, the answer must surely be that the sacrifice of the true Passover is for us the beginning of eternal life. Because it revolves in cycles and never comes to an end, the year is a symbol of eternity.
Christ, the sacrifice that was offered up for us, is the father of the world to come. He puts an end to our former life, and through the regenerating waters of baptism in which we imitate his death and resurrection, he gives us the beginning of a new life. The knowledge that Christ is the Passover lamb who was sacrificed for us should make us regard the moment of his immolation as the beginning of our own lives. As far as we are concerned, Christ’s immolation on our behalf takes place when we become aware of this grace and understand the life conferred on us by this sacrifice. Having once understood it, we should enter upon this new life with all eagerness and never return to the old one, which is now at an end. As Scripture says: We have died to sin – how then can we continue to live in it?
We can almost feel the crush of people pressing in upon Jesus, treading on each other’s toes and clamouring for a glimpse of him. This great tide of popularity is extraordinary. We are made aware of just how much so many people need something other than what they have – of how many unanswered questions they must have and of the spiritual longing they must experience. They are sheep in want of a shepherd. There is a great vacuum which Jesus comes to fill [ … ]
Christian Art | Parousia | Second Coming | Lamb Of God, You Take Away The Sins Of The World Luke 17: 26-37 (Audio Bible KJV, Spoken Word) Early Christian thought about the Parousia – the second coming – was largely influenced by the teachings of Jesus and the writings of Saint Paul. In the early Christian community, expectation of Christ’s return was strong, and many Christians believed that it would happen in their lifetime. This belief is evident in the New Testament, where the authors express a sense of urgency in their writings and encourage their readers to be prepared for Christ’s imminent return. As Christianity spread throughout the Roman Empire, the idea of the Parousia became more complex and nuanced. Theological debates arose around the nature of Christ’s return and the events that would precede it. Some theologians, such as Origen and Augustine, saw the Parousia as a spiritual event that was already happening in the Church. Others, such as the Montanists and the millenarians, believed in a literal, physical return of Christ and the establishment of a new, earthly Kingdom. In the Middle Ages, the Parousia was often associated with apocalypticism and the idea of a final, cataclysmic battle between good and evil – the last battle. The idea of the Antichrist, who would precede Christ’s return, became a popular theme in Christian literature, and the book of Revelation (Apocalypse – meaning to reveal, to uncover) was interpreted as a prophetic guide to the end of the world. Biblical Basis For The Parousia | The Second Coming The concept of the Parousia, or the Second Coming of Jesus Christ, is central to Christian eschatology and is supported by numerous biblical passages in both the Old and New Testaments. In the Old Testament, there are numerous passages that refer to the coming of a Messiah who will restore Israel and bring about the final judgment. For example, in Daniel 7:13-14, it is written: ‘I saw in the night visions, and, behold, one like the Son of man came with the clouds of heaven, and came to the Ancient of days, and they brought him near before him. And there was given him dominion, and glory, and a kingdom, that all people, nations, and languages, should serve him: his dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and his kingdom that which shall not be destroyed.’ This passage describes a divine figure who comes in the clouds and is given dominion over all nations. In the New Testament, the Parousia is described in greater detail, particularly in the teachings of Jesus and the writings of Saint Paul. Jesus speaks of his return in many passages, including Matthew 24:30-31, where Jesus says: ‘And then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven: and then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn, and they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. And he shall send his angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they shall gather together his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.’ Here, Jesus describes his return in power and glory, accompanied by angels who gather Jesus’ elect from all over the world. In Saint Paul’s letters, the Parousia is also described in detail. In 1 Thessalonians 4:16-17, Saint Paul writes: ‘For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.’ This passage describes a resurrection of the dead and the gathering of believers to meet the Lord Jesus in the air. The language and imagery used to describe the Parousia are often dramatic and apocalyptic in nature. The Parousia is often described as a time of judgment, when the righteous will be separated from the wicked, and God’s justice will be fully revealed. The imagery of clouds, trumpets, and angels is used to depict the power and glory of Christ’s return. Theological Interpretations Of The Parousia | Jesus’ Second Coming The concept of the Parousia has been interpreted in a variety of ways throughout Christian history. Dispensationalism Dispensationalism is a theological framework that emerged in the 19th Century and has since become popular among some evangelical and fundamentalist Christians. Dispensationalists believe that history is divided into distinct periods or ‘dispensations’, each of which is marked by a particular mode of divine revelation and a specific plan of salvation. According to dispensationalist theology, the Parousia will be preceded by a period of tribulation, during which the Antichrist will establish a one-world government and the Jews will be restored to their homeland. The Parousia itself will involve a physical, visible return of Christ, who will establish a thousand-year reign on earth before the final judgment. Preterism Preterism is a theological interpretation of the Parousia that holds that many of the prophecies in the New Testament, particularly those in the book of Revelation, were fulfilled in the first century AD. According to this view, the Parousia occurred in a spiritual sense when Christ ascended to heaven and sent the Holy Spirit to empower the Church. Preterists argue that the tribulation and other end-time events predicted in the New Testament were fulfilled in the destruction of the Temple in Jerusalem in AD 70. Postmillennialism Postmillennialism is a theological view that holds that the Parousia will occur after a period of history in which the Church will gradually bring about the kingdom of God on earth. According to this view, the Church will spread the gospel throughout the world, and social, political, and economic conditions will gradually improve. Eventually, Christ will return to a world that has been largely transformed by the Gospel. Amillennialism […]
We have known the Father through the Son. Indeed, Jesus now tells the disciples that they have actually seen God the Father. This is the vision of faith, and of our knowledge, as Jesus tells us that he is in the Father and the Father in him. The unknowable, in this life to our natural senses, has become a knowable truth of faith [ … ]
