Dying and Rising

Confiteamur igitur, dilectissimi, quod beatus magister gentium Paulus apostlus gloriosa voce confessus est, dicens: Fidelis sermo et omni acceptione dignus, quia Christus Jesus venit in hunc mundum peccatores salvos facere. Hinc enim mirabilior est erga nos misericordia Dei, quod non pro justis, neque pro sanctis, sed pro iniquis et impiis Christus est mortuus: et cum mortis aculeum recipere non posset natura deitatis, suscepit tamne, nascendo ex nobis, quod posset offerre pro nobis. Olim enim morti nostrae mortis suae potentia minabatur, dicens per Oseam prophetam: O mors, ero mors tua, ero morsus tuus, inferne. Leges enim inferni moriendo subiit, sed resurgendo dissolvit: et ita perpetuitatem mortis incidit, ut eam de aeterna faceret temporalem. Sicut enim omnes in Adam moriuntur, ita et in Christo omnes vivificabuntur. Fiat itaque, dilectissimi, quod apostolus Paulus ait, 'Ut qui vivunt, jam non sibi vivant, sed ei qui pro omnibus mortuus est et resurrexit; et quia vetera transierunt, et facta sunt omnia nova, nemo in carnalis vitae vetustate remaneat, sed omnes de die in diem proficiendo, per pietatis augmenta renovemur. Quantumlibet enim quisque justificatus sit, habet tamen, dum in hac vita est, quo probatior esse possit et melior. Qui autem non proficit, deficit; et qui nihil acquirit, nonnihil perdit. Currendum ergo nobis est fidei gressibu, misericordiae operibus, amore justitiae, ut diem redemptionis nostrae spiritaliter celebrantes, non in fermento veteri malitiae et nequitiae, sed in azymis sinceritatis et veritatis, resurrectionis Christi mereamur esse participes. Sanctus Leo Magnus, Sermo LIX

Let us confess, therefore, beloved, what the blessed teacher of the nations, the Apostle Paul, confessed, saying, 'Faithful the saying, and worthy of all reception, that Christ Jesus came into this world to save sinners' 1. For indeed the mercy of God for us is the more wonderful that Christ died not for the righteous nor for the holy, but for the sinful and impious; 2 and though the nature of the Godhead cannot suffer the sting of death, yet at His birth He took from us that which He might offer for us. For of old He threatened our death with the power of His death, saying by the mouth of Hosea the prophet, 'O death, I will be your death, and I will be your destruction, O hell .' 3 For by dying He underwent the laws of hell, but by rising again He broke them, and so destroyed the continuity of death as to make it temporal instead of eternal. 'For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive' 4 . And so, beloved, let that come to pass which the Apostle Paul speaks, 'That they that live should henceforth not live to themselves but to Him who died for all and rose again.' 5  And because the old things have passed away and all things have become new, let none remain in his old carnal life, but let us all be renewed by daily progress and growth in piety. For however much a man be justified, yet so long as he remains in this life, he can always be more approved and better. And he that is not advancing is going back, and he that is gaining nothing is losing something. Let us run, then, with the steps of faith, by the works of mercy, in the love of righteousness, that keeping the day of our redemption spiritually, 'Not in the old leaven of malice and wickedness, but in the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth' 6, we may deserve to be partakers of Christ's resurrection. Pope Leo the Great, from Sermon 99 1  1 Tim 1:15 2  Rom 5.6 3 Hosea 13:14 4 1 Cor 15.22 5 2 Cor 5:15 6 1 Cor 5:8