O Great and Holy Pascha!

Many indeed are the miracles of that time; God crucified; the sun darkened and again rekindled, for created things also had to suffer with the Creator; the veil rent; the Blood and Water shed from His Side; the one as from a man, the other as above man; the rocks rent for the Rock’s sake; the dead raised for a pledge of the final Resurrection of all men; the Signs at the Sepulchre and after the Sepulchre, which none can worthily celebrate; and yet none of these equal to the Miracle of my salvation.  A few drops of Blood recreated the whole world, and become to all men what churning is to milk, binding and drawing us together into one.

But, O Pascha, great and holy and purified of all the world, I will speak to you as to a living being. O Word of God and light and life and wisdom and power! For I rejoice in all your names. O offspring and movement and imprint of the Great Mind! Apprehended as Word and contemplated as human, you uphold all things, biding them by the word of your power!

Accept now this discourse, not as first fruits but perhaps as a completion of the fruit we offer, as a thank-offering and at the same time a supplication, that we may suffer nothing beyond the necessary and sacred things pertaining to us; and stop the body's tyranny over us - you see, Lord, how great it is and burdensome; or what you decree, if we are to be purified by you.

But if we are to be released worthily as we desire, and received in the heavenly tabernacle, perhaps also there we will make acceptable offerings to you on your holy altar, O Father and Word and Holy Spirit, for to you belong all glory, honor and sovereignty to the age of ages. Amen.

From Oration 45.29 of St. Gregory of Nazianzus, the Theologian. (329 - 390 AD)