Again to Paradise

Daily Reading for April 14 • Tuesday in Easter Week

The sword of flame no longer guards the gate of Eden,
For a strange bond came upon it: the wood of the Cross.
The sting of Death and the victory of Hades were nailed to it.
But you appeared, my Savior, crying to those in Hades:
Be brought back
Again to Paradise.

Nailed to the form of the Cross
As truly a ransom for many,
You redeemed us, Christ our God,
For by your precious blood in love for mankind
You snatched our souls from death.
You brought us back with you
Again to Paradise.

All things in heaven and earth rightly rejoice with Adam,
Because he has been called
Again to Paradise.

“On the Victory of the Cross” by St. Romanos the Melodist, found in On the Life of Christ: Kontakia, translated by Ephrem Lash (San Francisco: Harper, 1995).

Posted by Vicki K. Black on April 14, 2009 4:00 AM | |
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