Continued 👆🏽
But behold: Nicodemus stands by the Cross. When even Peter had denied, Nicodemus remained. When the apostles fled, Nicodemus came forward. Together with Joseph of Arimathea, he dared to approach Pilate and beg for the holy body of the crucified Christ.
He did not shrink from defilement. He did not consider the shame. He came with a heart full of reverence, carrying a mixture of myrrh and aloes, anointing the holy flesh of the Incarnate Word. With trembling hands, he helped place the precious body in the tomb—a tomb that would not remain sealed, for it could not contain the Author of Life.
Here lies the crown of his devotion: he stood at Calvary when the world turned away. He loved not in word alone, but in deed, and even in death, he honored the Lord. As John remained at the foot of the Cross, so too did Nicodemus—proof that true faith is not shaken by the cross, but clings to it more tightly.
A Model for All Who Seek God
Dear brethren, the Holy Church remembers Nicodemus on the seventh Sunday of the Great Fast, lifting him before our eyes not merely as a historical figure, but as an icon of faith, humility, and courage. He came by night but left as a man of the day. He questioned, yet he obeyed. He doubted, yet he followed. He defended Christ while others mocked, and he anointed His body when others deserted.
Let us learn from him:
To seek understanding humbly, even if we are learned.
To speak truth even among those who hate it.
To follow Christ not only in triumph, but also in rejection and death.
Let us also recall that faith is not always loud. Sometimes it comes quietly, like Nicodemus by night. But what matters is not when we come but that we come, and that we remain.
May the Lord, who received Nicodemus, receive us also. May we be born again not only in water and Spirit, but in our hearts and deeds. And may we, too, one day stand by the Cross and be found faithful, now and forevermore.
May the name of the Holy God be praised forever and ever in every tongue that He has created, today and always.
May the blessings of God's mother, the virgin, and the cross be upon us.
Amen.
© John's Repentance
Reach out to us on our social media platforms and share it with your friends: https://linktr.ee/johnsrepentance