By St. John of Kronstadt
“Now when the Sabbath was past, Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, and Salome bought spices, that they might come and anoint Him” (Mark 16:1).
This Sunday is called the Sunday of the Myrrhbearing Women, i.e. those disciples of the Lord Jesus Christ who, after His death on the cross on the third day, came early in the morning to His tomb with aromas and myrrh, i.e. fragrant ointment for the anointing of His life-giving body. Among the Myrrhbearers, all the Evangelists mention Mary Magdalene first of all, from whom the Lord expelled seven demons before His sufferings and death; after her is another Mary, the mother of the Apostle James and Josiah; Salome, mother of the Apostles James and John the Theologian; Joanna, the wife of Chuza, Herod's steward; Susanna; and also Martha and Mary, sisters of Lazarus. All of them were so sincerely devoted to the Lord Jesus Christ that serving Him was considered their highest duty and greatest happiness; all of them, except Martha and Mary, were companions of the Lord Jesus Christ during His travels through Judea and Galilee preaching about the Kingdom of God, learned from Him the faith and the holy life and, possessing sufficient means of subsistence, served Him in earthly needs from their possessions. And Martha and Mary, the sisters of Lazarus, not accompanying Him, often received Him into their homes and here they expressed to Him their love, devotion and gratitude in caring meals and diligent attention to His word. During the last visit of the Lord to the family of Lazarus, Mary’s grateful love was poured out in the fact that she, taking a pound of pure spikenard precious myrrh, poured it on the head of the Lord Jesus and thus, even before the death and burial of the Lord, she entered into the rank of Myrrhbearers. The Lord said about her: "Wherever this gospel is preached in the whole world, what this woman has done will also be told as a memorial to her" (Mark 14:9). This authoritative prophetic word of the Creator of the ages is fulfilled to this day during the reading of the Gospel in all churches in praise of her zeal for Jesus Christ, like the other Myrrhbearers.
In all justice, the Holy Church honors their memory, giving due tribute of praise to their faith and ardent love and devotion to the Lord, Who was constantly persecuted by the envy and malice of the chief priests and scribes and elders of the Jews. The Holy Church, by the example of the Myrrhbearers, teaches us sincere faith, ardent love and unfailing devotion to the Lord Jesus Christ throughout our lives, in every condition, amidst all the vicissitudes of the world, in happiness and misfortune, in sorrow and joy, in wealth and poverty, in health and sickness, in peace and turmoil of the soul.
Myrrh is not needed now for the anointing of the all-pure body of the Lord Jesus Christ, Who ascended to heaven, just as then, in the days of His earthly life, it was not really needed for Him, for the divine body itself emitted a wondrous fragrance of the Divinity, as a source of fragrance, holiness and incorruptibility for all believers in the Lord. But since we ourselves are the body of Christ, and individually members (1 Cor. 12:27), we all need to offer Him as a gift in our own person and in the person of our neighbors the myrrh of virtue, the myrrh of faith, hope and love; the myrrh of meekness, humility, gentleness and obedience; abstinence, purity and chastity; – holiness and sublimity of thoughts and feelings; - alms and mutual assistance; – non-acquisitiveness and generosity; – the myrrh of patience and generosity, justice and loyalty, non-hypocrisy and righteousness.
Let's talk about this in more detail. I said: instead of the myrrh of Myrrhbearers, we will bring to the Lord the myrrh of virtues and, first of all, faith.
The faith of a Christian, a personal, living faith, based on the Gospel, is true myrrh for the Lord: He has always been comforted, and is now comforted by the simplicity of faith in people, and has generously rewarded and rewards with miraculous gifts those in whom He found it: "Your faith has saved you, go in peace" (Mark 5:34); "Go your way; and as you have believed, so let it be done for you" (Matt. 8:13); "According to your faith let it be to you" (Matt. 9:29), He said to those who believed. But unbelief, on the other hand, greatly grieved the Lord and cut off the gifts of His goodness from people. "O unfaithful and perverse generation, how long will I be with you? How long shall I bear with you" (Matt. 17:17)? Thus He spoke to the unfaithful and of little faith, for unbelief bound, so to speak, the hands of the Almighty. The holy Evangelist Mark notes that Jesus Christ in His homeland (Nazareth) could not perform any miracle, only laying His hands on a few sick people and healing them. "And He marveled because of their unbelief" (Mark 6:5-6). Believe, then, without a doubt, O Christian, in the Lord, in His goodness, omnipotence, wisdom, omnipresents; ask without the slightest hesitation what is needful, and you will receive: "All that you ask in prayer with faith, you will receive" (Matt. 21:22).
Therefore, let your living faith be your peace in the Lord. Bring to Him every day as a gift this myrrh of faith; confessing your sins, shun the works of darkness, do the works of light, and faith with repentance will justify you and show you to be a partaker of eternal glory. Conquer and dispel the doubts that arise in you and are brought upon your soul by the spirits of evil or by unbelieving people, renounce the unbelief that reigns in the world, that man is not created in the image of God, that there is no economy of human salvation, that there is no resurrection, immortality and judgment, that the fate of man after death will be similar to the fate of an animal, that with the death of man everything will come to an end. Hold fast to the gospel and to the Church, that unshakable pillar of truth, which even the gates of hades shall never prevail against: and you shall be blessed in your faith.
Unite with faith your hope in God's mercy, in His providential care for you and for all people, in the fulfillment of the divine promises and prophecies in the Holy Scriptures – for the resurrection of the dead, for the Last Judgment, for the recompense for the righteous and sinners. Unite love and good deeds with hope. Hoping to receive great, incorruptible, endless blessings, shun all sin and create holiness in the fear of God, for without holiness no one will see the Lord; being vouchsafed mercy from God, be merciful yourself: and this will be as your myrrh to the Lord.
If your passion, your evil habit, and your spirit of malice incite you to anger, rage, envy, disobedience, do not succumb to evil; overcome evil inclinations; dominate the passions; do not be angry, do not be irritated with your neighbor for guilt or without any guilt; do not envy, do not be jealous of those who do iniquity; willingly obey those who have authority over you, even though what is commanded is contrary to your sinful inclinations; do not give the devil a place in your heart, not even a foot; preserve love for your neighbors, a meek and quiet disposition: and this will be true myrrh from you, a fragrance to the Lord, and the Lord, Who rests in humble hearts, will rest in you also.
If your belly, greedy for food and drink, struggles with you, often leading you to excesses, forcing you to offer him fat sacrifices and libations every day, especially if you are overcome by drunkenness, take a firm determination, with God's help, not to fawn on him any longer, since it turns you away from love and service to God and neighbor, makes you a slave to the devil and corruption, reducing you to the level of dumb cattle; fight stubbornly, even to the point of sweat and blood, with your passions and lusts, for they too are extremely stubborn. Remember more often the words of the Apostle: "Foods for the stomach and the stomach for foods, but God will destroy both it and them" (1 Corinthians 6:13); or: "The kingdom of God is not food and drink, but righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit" (Rom. 14:17), eating and drinking as much as is necessary for strength, cheerfulness, and health; and offer abstinence instead of myrrh as a gift to the Lord: and the Lord will give you the Spirit of His grace.
Or are you overwhelmed, agitated by impure thoughts and feelings, by lawless, lascivious carnal movements: see to it that this stench of sin does not come to your heart, for, as Holy Scripture says: "The thoughts of the wicked are an abomination to the Lord" (Proverbs 15:26). Take over, cast out passionate thoughts, do not allow the impure, hellish fire to envelop you; preserve your soul and body in holiness: and behold, you will offer to the Lord as a gift of myrrh both purity and chastity; and the Lord will crown you for your chastity, as Joseph the chaste. Try to have a soul that is elevated above worldly addictions; remember her divine nobility (the image and likeness of God), her heavenly homeland, and do not be overcome by earthly lusts, coarse, impure, that disfigure her face. Express the nobility of your soul primarily in deeds of love: if you see a hungry man stretching out his hand to you with a pitiful look, do not hesitate in giving him bread and soup: and this the Lord will accept from you instead of myrrh; if you see him naked, put a garment on him, for then He who received the wrapping of his body from Joseph of Arimathea will receive it as a gift from you. Take part in the sick person's situation, visit him, serve him; or bring the stranger into the house and give him rest, and the Lord will say to you also at the Last Judgment: "You have done this to one of My brethren, you have done it to Me: inherit the kingdom prepared for you" (Matt. 25:40, 34). Or are you miserly and greedy? But what self-interest is greater and richer than that self-interest to save one's soul for eternal life, a soul that is more valuable than the whole world? Therefore, give your treasures or a part of them – this decay, smoke, dust – to Christ in the person of the poor, and buy your soul, its salvation by almsgiving, bring to Christ the myrrh of mercy, that He may give you His myrrh of salvation.
How manifold are the kinds of virtues by which you can please Christ! But let us suppose that you yourself are persecuted by envy, ill-will, slander, lies, and various intrigues of your enemies: be patient and be magnanimous; look at the example of Christ the Savior, Who suffered much more for our sake; do not have the baseness of spirit to respond to your enemies in the same way; conquer evil with good, hatred with love, ill-will with a sincere desire for good: and your feat will be greater for the Lord than the feat of Nicodemus, who, despising the reports, threats and hatred of the enemies of Jesus, came together with Joseph to take down the body of the Lord from the cross and brought aromas for the anointing of the most pure body.
Are you a boss? Rule with diligence, enter into all affairs yourself; do not rely on helpers in everything, so that no offense and unrighteousness will come out to anyone; be just and accessible to everyone, like a father; for you are set up not for yourself, but for others, so that everyone can see you more conveniently and the sooner they can find you and find in you protection and security. Such service of yours, with all your other good qualities and deeds, will be a true fragrance to the Lord, Who for our salvation Himself took the form of a servant and offered Himself as a sacrifice of fragrance to His Father.
Are you a judge? May your judgment be just, swift, equal for all. Do not incline to the side of the rich and strong who are wrong, and do not deprive the insignificant and poor people, who are oppressed by the unjustly rich, of just justice. Then the Lord will cover your sins and iniquities with His righteousness, when you repent of them, and will not send you to the side of the devil.
Are you a merchant? Conduct your trade honestly, according to your conscience, give of your surplus to the poor: and the Lord will bless you for your honesty and almsgiving, and will receive them as the fragrance of myrrh.
Are you an official, an office holder? Be faithful to the oath you have taken, be diligent in your work and be satisfied with your condition; fulfill the duties of a Christian to the best of your ability: and you will not be deprived of the reward of Him from Whom the whole order of nature and the order of civil societies and Who Himself was subject to the authorities.
Let us all serve Christ with sincere faith and love, serving each other with all our hearts, so that we may all be vouchsafed the grace of the Holy Spirit and be a pleasant fragrance to the Lord, completely freed from the stench of sin. Because of worldly passions and lusts, let us not foolishly descend from the height of redemption, to which the grace of God has placed us, but let us ascend to the honor of the lofty calling, in imitation of the holy Myrrbbearers, who, having temporarily struggled for God with faith and love, inherited the heavenly fatherland, live even after the death of the body, and are glorified by God in heaven and on earth. Amen.
Source: Translated by John Sanidopoulos.