By Hieromonk Makarios of Simonos Petra, Mount Athos
1. Praise God in His Saints! (Ps. 150:1)
When the Apostle John was taken up in the spirit before the throne of God where all await the universal Judgement at the end of time, he heard "as it were the voice of a great multitude, and as the voice of many waters, and as the voice of mighty thunderings saying, 'Alleluia: for the Lord God omnipotent reigns. Let us be glad and rejoice, and give honor to him; for the marriage of the Lamb is come, and his bride has made herself ready.' And to her was granted that she should be arrayed in fine linen, clean and white: for the fine linen is the righteousness of the saints" (Rev. 19:6-10). This is not only a foretelling of what will be at the dawning of the day of Resurrection; for even now, Holy Church, the Bride of Christ, stands clothed, as in purple and fine linen, with the blood of the martyrs, the tears of the ascetics, the temperance of the virgins, the preaching of the apostles, the writings of the Fathers, the mercy of the righteous, clad, that is, in all the virtues and in all the graces that the Holy Spirit has brought to birth in the saints of every age and place. Who could number the cloud of witnesses (Heb. 12:1) that surrounds us? Who could name each one of the living who with Christ, through Christ, and in Christ have triumphed over death and have access to the throne of God, the saints in whom the Lord rejoices (Isa. 41:16 LXX) and takes his rest (Isa. 57:15 LXX).
