How the Resurrection of Christ Transforms our Work as Artists, Writers, and Poets by inspiring us and illuming us towards that which abounds in Goodness.
The Long Journey of the Bright 50 And Abounding in Goodness
It is Bright 50, and I admit to finding it hard to just be in ‘the Resurrection’ after such an intense period of fasting and prayer: no fasting, no prostrations … but thanksgiving—a lot of thanksgiving—that’s the prescription given by the church at least.
I notice that while there are plenty of reading for Lent, and the massive book of Holy Week, but nothing formal for Bright 50. It ’s all a very long journey: between Lent, Holy Week, and Bright 50 it’s over 100 days—almost 1/3 of the year. What are we to do with so much freedom? One person on x said he’s been doom scrolling to pass the hours after the great feast of Pascha.
It’s easy to fall into despondency with so much freedom and when the trappings of ‘piety’ have been taken away and we are left with the resurrected Lord in our midst, appearing to us in the holy Eucharist, and we are too awestruck to respond.
This is where we hunker down some more. The disciples hid away and Christ sought them out. We need times of stealing way to be alone, to get away from the distractions of the crowds, of our phones, of the incessant smorgasbord of Orthodox images on X, to actually stand quietly before God and bask in His presence. There should also be ways we follow the apostles and do things that serve and evangelize to others: writing books, sharing the gospel (good news) with others, serving people.
This is the third day since Pascha and now we are in resurrection. May we remain vigilant now that our hearts have been swept clean, and the windows open to the warm sun and cool spring breeze so that we make more and more room for God to be glorified and not to be ransacked by the demons, the fallen ones.
St Paul …
Now this I say brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the Kingdom of God; nor does corruption inherit incorruption. Behold I tile you a mystery: we shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed—in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For a trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality. So when this corruptible has put on incorruption, and this mortal has put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written: “Death is swallowed up in victory.”
“O Death where is your sting?
O Hades where is your victory?”
The sting of death is sin, and the strength of sin is the law. But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.Therefore my beloved, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of our Lord, knowing that your labour is not in vain in the Lord (1 Cor 15:50-58).
Here St Paul tells us what Resurrection means for us—the corruptible becoming incorruptible, the mortal becoming immortal. Why?
Because Christ has defeated death and the underworld, and our own death, the death of the body and the corruption of our souls , minds, and bodies held and made incorruptible in our victory. To this end, while we are on this side of corruptibility, let us “be steadfast, immovable, and always abounding in the work of the Lord.” To never cease from becoming saints.
Always Abounding in Goodness
St John Chrysostom comments that,
Always abounding in the work of the Lord, i.e., in the pure life. And he said not, working that which is good, but abounding; that we might do it abundantly … Knowing that your labour is not in vain in the Lord … [Labour] followed by crowns and those above the heavens. For that former labour on man’s expulsion from paradise, was the punishment of his transgressions; but this is the ground of the rewards to come. So that it cannot in fact be labour, both on this account and by reason of the great help which it receives from above: which is the cause of this adding also in the Lord. For the purpose of the former was that we might suffer punishment; but of this, that we might obtain the good things to come.
Here is the Resurrection and the abolishment of death and hades, everything in the cosmos is redeemed—even labour. Labour is now no longer part of the use, but the avenue for our salvation, for our reward in heaven. Our task, the ultimate purpose, direction, goal of our labour is loving union with God. To become saints. The Bright 50 days, the Church is reminding us in those readings, is a time to see everything, including our labour, in light of the Resurrection. And this is particularly important for our work as artists, writers, poets. Our work is lifted up. We labour in the light of Resurrection. We create as labour for the Lord, as His work, for His glory and honour.
Goodness and Wonder
G.K. Chesterton writes,
The dignity of the artist lies in his duty of keeping awake the sense of wonder in the world.
This is the work of Bright 50—to keep awake the sense of wonder in the world. To, again, citing St Porphyrios, become poets as we apprehend all things as bearing droplets of God’s love. Not cynicism, not despair, not darkness, but wonder and light and great faith. And William Morris observes,
Art is man’s expression of his joy in labour.
A joy in labour, of doing the work of God by doing what He’s given us the gifts to do. This is the work of Bright 50 and beyond.
May the Lord continue to rise up in our hearts, to give us His Joy, His Light that we may be His Joy and Light to the world.
