Sermons on Selected Lessons of the New Testament

² The widowed mother rejoiced at the raising again of that young man; of men raised again in spirit day by day does Mother Church rejoice. He indeed was dead in the body but they in soul. His visible death was bewailed visibly; their death invisible was neither enquired into nor perceived. He sought them out who had known them to be dead; He Alone knew them to be dead, who was able to make them alive. For if the Lord had not come to raise the dead, the Apostle would not have said, “Rise, you that sleepest, and arise from the dead, and Christ shall give you light.” You hear of one asleep in the words, “Rise, you that sleepest;” but understand it of one dead when you hear, “And arise from the dead.” Thus they who are even dead in the body are often said to be asleep. And certainly they all are but asleep, in respect of Him who is able to awaken them. For in respect of you, a dead man is dead indeed, seeing he will not awake, beat or prick or tear him as you will. But in respect of Christ, he was but asleep to whom it was said, “Arise,” and he arose immediately. No one can as easily awaken another in bed, as Christ can in the tomb.