👉🏽👉🏽👉🏽The Commemoration of the #Holy #Women (First #Saturday after the #Resurrection)
Beloved brothers and sisters in Christ, On this first blessed Saturday after the Resurrection, the Holy Church, in her wisdom, calls our attention to the shining example of the Holy Women, whose faith, labor, and love crowned them with immortal glory. Let us, therefore, gather our thoughts in reverence and behold their radiant deeds, that we may be inspired to follow their holy footsteps.
The Holy Women at the Tomb
Before the sun rose upon the first day of the week, when darkness still lingered over the land, the holy women came forth, bearing sweet spices to anoint the sacred body of Christ. In their hands were perfumes, but in their hearts was a burning love. They rose while the world still slept, unafraid of the guards, undeterred by the great stone sealing the tomb, unshaken by the chill of the morning. Love moved them, and faith strengthened them. Thus they foreshadowed the Resurrection of the Lord.
When they reached the sepulcher, behold! the stone was rolled away. They entered in, but the body of their Master they found not. As they stood in perplexity, sudden brightness surrounded them. Two men in dazzling garments appeared, and in fear the holy women bowed their faces to the ground. The angels, messengers of the Resurrection, proclaimed:
"Why seek ye the living among the dead? He is not here; He is risen!" (Luke 24:5-6).
what joy! What blessed assurance!
The angels reminded them of the Lord’s words spoken in Galilee: “The Son of Man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men, be crucified, and on the third day rise again.” And immediately their hearts remembered, and their souls were inflamed with holy wonder. Swiftly they departed, carrying the news to the Eleven and to all the rest.
The names of those blessed women, as recorded in the Gospel, are:
Mary Magdalene,
Joanna,
Mary the mother of James, and other women who labored with them.
(Ref. Luke 24:1-10)
Who Are the Holy Women?
When we speak of the Holy Women, we speak not lightly, but we speak of those women sanctified by their unwavering love for Christ. On this day, the Church remembers these heroines of faith who first foresaw the triumph of our Lord over death.
The first Saturday after Easter is called by a tender name among the faithful “The Crow’s Market” or “The Market Day” a day when the people refrain from worldly business, dedicating themselves to the remembrance of the holy women. On this sacred day, the Church honors:
Those who served Christ with their wealth and strength;
Those who wept and followed Him to Calvary, beholding His crucifixion;
Those who, at great risk, came to His tomb at night with perfumes and flowers;
And above all, those to whom Christ appeared first after His glorious Resurrection.
The Scriptures bear witness to their labor (Matthew 25:1-11; Luke 23:27). These were not idle tears they shed, nor vain efforts they expended rather, their persistence in seeking Christ was crowned with the first revelation of His victory over death.
Thus, the Church also calls this day “The Women's Day” a solemn remembrance of their steadfast devotion.
Anst Ankera: The Praise of the Holy Women
The day is also known by another beautiful name Anst Ankera, meaning “The Praise of the Holy Women.”
Why such a name? Because on this day:
They beheld two angels, shining with heavenly brilliance;
They smelled the fragrance that issued forth from the tomb;
They saw and believed that their labor in seeking Christ was not in vain.
Their night of sorrow turned into the morning of joy. Their tears were turned into songs of triumph. They praised God for the glory revealed in Christ’s divinity.
Continues 👇🏽