This Sunday the Church commemorates the Myrrh-bearing Women. Here is what the Gospel tells us about these holy women and why they are called “the myrrh-bearers.” “And when the Sabbath was passed, Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James, and Salome, had bought sweet spices, that they might come and anoint Him. And very early in the morning the first day of the week, they came to the sepulcher at the rising of the sun, and they said among themselves: Who shall roll away the stone from the door of the sepulcher for us?”

Dear brethren! Can you imagine the state of these myrrh-bearing women? For those who have suffered under the Soviet rule in Russia, and endured the persecution of the Church, – it is so understandable. People stole through dark streets at night in order to get to church. Anything could happen, and everything was to be feared. The neighbors might hear you go out at night, or you could be stopped on the street, or the church services might be disrupted by the authorities, or the priest might be arrested. This was the state in which the myrrh-bearing women found themselves. They could be arrested any minute. Even in their homes they locked the door, scared of each knock, each rustling noise. It was only two days ago that Peter had denied being one of Christ’s disciples. And in front of whom? In front of a servant girl! And only because she might inform on him. Such was the situation. Their Teacher had been judged, condemned to the most terrible death, and executed… Now it was their turn: as disciples of an executed Teacher they were outside the law, they were already being hunted down. The wisest course was to run away somewhere, to hide… But instead, these women prepared to go out at night to the sepulcher, which was not far from the place of execution. And they knew that the entrance to the sepulcher was blocked by a huge stone, that the stone was sealed, that Roman guards stood over the sepulcher, that these guards were armed and on the alert, since they had been warned of a possible attempt by the disciples to steal the Body. From a rational point of view, what these frail women were planning to do was not only impossible, it was an insane risk… And yet they went. Why? What mighty force impelled them? This force was their strong love for their Teacher, which compelled them to fulfill the Word of God, as expressed in the law of Moses. And thus, in fulfillment of what was a holy law for them, they bought sweet spices and went to anoint His Body. Their conscience demanded it. And so, their strong faith in the Word of God, their strong love for their martyred Teacher, and their strong hope in God’s help, – turned out to be more powerful than fear, more powerful than reason, more powerful that everything.

And what happened? When they arrived, they found that the guards had run away in fear, that the stone was rolled away, and when they entered the sepulcher, they saw a youth in white garments, and they were frightened. He said to them: “Do not be frightened! You are seeking Jesus of Nazareth, Who was crucified. He is risen! He is not here. Behold the place where He was laid!”

The same holds true of our lives, dear brethren. The myrrh-bearing women, in accordance with Old Testament law, the law of Moses, bought sweet spices and went to anoint the Body of Christ. And we, in accordance with New Testament law, the law of Christ, must acquire spiritual spices: and these are His commandments – humility, meekness, tranquility. And His Body is the Church of Christ, all our brothers and sisters in Christ. Often, while trying to acquire virtue, we are subjected to discomfort, and losses, and mockery, and sometimes even danger. At times like these our cold reason, our egoism put up such barriers that we often give up, we retreat, we are afraid to present ourselves openly as followers of Christ.

But as soon as we reject this shameful fear, as soon as we begin to follow His teaching, – then the same thing will happen to us that happened to the myrrh-bearing women: obstacles will simply dissolve, will fall away as that heavy stone at the entrance to the sepulcher, and all those who would hamper us will disperse… And before us will be the shining sepulcher of Christ, which will provide us with such clarity, that all our doubts will disappear. We will know exactly what to do and how to go about it, and everything that seemed impossible – will suddenly become very possible.

Dear brethren! From this very day let us follow the example of the myrrh-bearing women, and let us not be afraid to follow the Law of Christ, let us not be afraid to be His disciples. Christ has always conquered, always conquers, and always will conquer! Amen.

Christ is risen!

(Archbishop Andrew of Novo-Diveevo, “The One Thing Needful”)