"Do you see this shared celebration and joy of ours,
which the Lord bestowed on those who believe in Him with His resurrection and
ascension? It sprang from affliction. Do you see this life, or rather, this
immortality? It shone upon us through death. Do you see the heavenly height to
which Christ ascended when He was taken up, and the sublime glory with which He
was glorified according to the flesh? He attained to this by means of humility
and dishonour. As the apostle says of Him, "He humbled himself and became
obedient unto death, even the death of the cross. Wherefore God hath highly
exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name: that at the name
of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and
things under the earth; and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ
is Lord, to the glory of God the Father" (Phil. 2:8-11).
"If, then, God highly exalted His Christ because He
humbled Himself, suffered dishonour, was tempted and endured a shameful Cross
and death for our sake, how will He save, glorify and raise us up if we neither
choose humility, nor show love to our fellows, nor gain our souls by enduring
temptation (cf. Luke 21:19), nor follow the saving Guide through the
"strait gate" and along the "narrow way" leading to eternal
life (Matt. 7:14)? To this we were called, says Peter, the chief apostle,
"Because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example that we should
follow his steps" (cf. 1 Pet. 2:21).
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