March 27, 2026

0:00Welcome to the Father's Speak, a production of the Orthodox West. Each day, Father John Finton reads a selection fitted to the Western liturgical calendar from one of the fathers of the Church. Let us listen to a portion of a homily by our father among the saints, Peter Christologus. The Christ began to strike the doors of the underworld, to break through the gates of Tataris, to open the entrance of death, to dissolve the old law of Gehenna, to do away with the age old right to punish, and to demand the return of Lazarus' soul. The power of Tataris, with all its fury confronted him, brandishing the edict of the ruler of heaven, bearing the decree of the King Most High, presenting the sentence rendered by the mouth of God, and in effect for so many years.

1:00And upon seeing the man, he asked who he was, what were his intentions, what was his purpose, and why all by himself he was fearlessly challenging attacking the fearsome entrance to death. As he asked who he was, the angels serving as ministers of the resurrection answered him in the words of the prophet, he is the King of glory, he is the one who is strong and mighty in battle. But Tataris responded, I know that the King of glory is in charge in heaven of all the celestial powers, and the whole of creation is unable to bear his will. However, this one that I see is one of the earthlings made out of mud, enclosed in a mortal body, and in his human condition, vile-or-than-human beings, and in short, soon to be handed over to the grave, and very shortly destined to come under my jurisdiction. But the angels persisted, and kept repeating, he is the Lord of hosts, he is the King of

2:00glory, he is the ruler of heaven, the creator of the earth, the Savior of the world, the redeemer of all, he is the one who rendered the death sentence that has you in a fury, he is about to tread on your head, crush your authority, and issue his own judgment of condemnation on you, who although ordered to seize the guilty, drag away the innocent, abduct the saints, and now threaten the Son of God himself. So give back one before you are forced to release all. But Tataris still not be leaving the report he received from the customary messengers, and deploring the situation, with a full complaint full of envy, makes his appeal to heaven. O Lord, even though I am the lowest of your creatures, even though I am subjected to grim servitude, I am unfailing in keeping your precepts. I am ever vigilant so that no rash innovator alter the age-old authority of your sentence. But a man has appeared, who is called Christ, bragging that he is your Son, and he

3:04reprimands your priests, he rebukes your scribes, he violates your Sabbath, he abolishes your law, and he compels souls, released from the flesh, and assign now to my custody for punishment, to return to their bodies, in which they had lived wickedly. And his audacity, which is growing stronger day by day, has reached the point that he has broken the barriers of the underworld, and is attempting to rescue Lazarus, already locked in our prison, already bound by our law, already subject to our authority. Whether quickly come to our aid, or once he opens the door, you are going to lose all those, and we have kept in custody for so long a time. To this, the Son, from the bosom of his father responds, father, it is just that a prison holds not the innocent, but the guilty, that punishment torments not the righteous, but the unrighteous. For how long for the offence of one man on account of Adam's guilt alone, will the

4:05executioner continue to drag down to himself with his cruel violence, patriarchs, prophets, martyrs, confessors, virgins, widows, those abiding in the chastity of marriage, people of all ages and of both sexes, even little children who do not know good or evil. Father, I shall die, so that all may not die. Father, I shall pay Adam's debt, so that through me, those who die through Adam for the underworld may live for you. Father, on account of your sentence, I shall shed my blood, so pressing is it that your creation should return to you. May the price of my blood so dear to you be the redemption of all the dead. To this the whole Trinity agreed, and ordered Lazarus to leave, and Tatarus was commanded to obey Christ in giving back all the dead. This is why the Son proclaims, Father, I thank you for having heard me. The Apostle bears witness that Christ is our advocate in the presence of the Father,

5:09and so when he is seated he judges together with the Father, when he stands he functions in the capacity of an advocate. Then Christ, his appeal as advocate completed, shouts in a loud voice Lazarus come out. And Tatarus, with fear and trembling, is sent Lazarus back up with his hands and feet bound, afraid that while he releases him, while he delays, while he is taking his time and sending one back, he will be forced to give everyone back. Thus he, who had become accustomed to being the abductor of the dead, became the restorer of the living. For why did Christ, who smashed the chains of the underworld, not untie the bandages of death, and less to manifest to us the underworld's trembling servitude? For if the devil contended with Michael concerning Moses' body, how is Tatarus not going to contend with Christ concerning Lazarus' life and resurrection? Pray that we who have taken a sip of the resurrection with Lazarus offering the toast, at

6:13Christ's return may merit drinking the whole draft of the universal resurrection.