And He saved us all from ruin…

Standing by the coffin I gazed therein and beheld the corruption of the flesh. In the grave it had become repulsive – there was nothing to resemble an attractive face; instead dry, crumbling bones covered with corruption were to be seen. With sorrow and grief I withdrew from the coffin, carried by my thoughts to that time when we will be resurrected to the sound of the trumpet and will glorify Thee for the resurrection prepared for Adam’s descendants and say: Praise to Thee, O Lord of all! I heard what is written about the resurrection in the Gospel; I thanked God and exclaimed : praise to the all-holy nature of Thy dominion, that in the beginning adorned our nature and honored it with Thine image, and in the last times sent down Thy Son… And He saved us from ruin and will come again to resurrect all of Adam’s race. He will carry the righteous up to heaven and cast the lawless into Gehenna – and they will exclaim: just is Thy judgment, O Lord and King! Praise to Thee, O Lord of all!

St. Ephraim the Syrian

book: “Creation, Redemption, and Resurrection,” A Spiritual Psalter