👉🏽👉🏽👉🏽A Homily on the First #Friday After the Glorious #Resurrection
Beloved brethren in Christ, grace and peace be multiplied unto you who seek the light of the Resurrection and cling to the teachings of the Holy Church, as preserved and transmitted through the faithful, such as the witness of John the Repentant. Gather now in spirit and with reverence, that we may contemplate the holy mystery of the First Friday after the Resurrection, a day which, though often passed over by the many, is radiant with unfathomable depths for those with eyes to see and ears to hear.
Why is this Friday called “The Church”?
Understand, O faithful, that Friday, this sacred and appointed day, is not named lightly. It is called The Church, not by the tongues of men, but by the mystery of Divine Providence. For it was on Friday that the entire journey of our salvation the path trodden by the Lord of Glory, from His Incarnation to His Passion reached its divine fulfillment.
Was it not upon a Friday that He, who hung the earth upon the waters, hung upon the wood of the Cross? And from His blessed lips poured forth the words that echo through eternity: "It is finished" (John 19:30). Thus, the whole economy of our salvation was sealed. The divine transaction was completed. What Adam had lost by the tree, Christ regained by the Tree of Life, the Cross.
The Church Born from the Wounds of Her Lord
Do not be deceived, beloved. The Church is no mere gathering of people; she is the very Body born of the crucified Christ, brought forth not from the side of Adam, but from the pierced side of the New Adam.
Let us consider the divine mysteries accomplished on that holy Friday, which gave the Church her name and her foundation:
The Cross, once a symbol of shame and curse, became the tree of our salvation. The curse was distinguished from the Cross, and thus the faithful no longer behold it with terror, but with love and veneration.
Upon Calvary, the foundation of the Church was laid. Not with bricks and mortar, but with blood and water, with Spirit and truth.
It was there that the flesh, taken by the Word, was broken. The veil of His flesh was torn, and in that breaking, the way to the Holiest was opened. The divinity, which once concealed itself in the humble robe of humanity, now poured itself out in glorious purpose.
The water and blood that flowed from His side wonder! became the womb of the Church. As the Jordan once received the feet of the Lamb, now from His side flows the water of rebirth and the Spirit that sanctifies. From this womb are born her children, baptized in water and sealed with the Holy Ghost.
From the Cross, the Church received her authority to preach, her command to teach, her power to perform miracles, and her inheritance of the Resurrection. All these mysteries were given into her keeping on this sacred day.
Is it any wonder then that Friday is not merely a memorial of death, but the cradle of life, the birthing of the Bride, the Church?
The Mystical Meaning of Friday
Let us also reflect upon the deeper spiritual meaning of this day:
Friday is a workplace for it was the day on which Christ labored to the point of death, accomplishing the work no man could do: reconciling heaven and earth.
Friday is the West not as in the direction of the setting sun, but the place where light begins to fade, and yet where the light of the Cross shines all the brighter. For in the place of death, life burst forth.
Friday is the Entrance into the heavenly places. As Saint John writes in the Apocalypse: “To Him who loved us and washed us from our sins in His own blood… has made us kings and priests to His God and Father” (Revelation 1:6). And as Saint Paul declares: “You are no longer strangers and foreigners, but fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God” (Ephesians 2:19).
This is no poetic fancy, brethren. It is the mystery of our faith, sealed with the blood of the Lamb, and made manifest through the living Church.
Continues 👇🏽