Thursday, April 24, 2014

The Good Friday Homily


Sister Marie Paul, last night at St. Ambrose reminded us that the Holy thursday, Good friday and the Easter Vigil are all one liturgy, not separate from the other. So even though it is a solemn day it is anticipation of Easter Day and the joy that comes with it.

At the Holy Thursday mass we were reminded by the liturgy and Fr. Gerald  to serve each other as Jesus did by washing the apostles feet. Today we are to remember the cross and that even though it is a sad event… it is “God’s will be done” It is with this knowledge that through the cross we are saved from the curse of death.

To help us understand this I want to read you a quote from one of the orthodox Saints.

The Lord accomplished our salvation by His death on the Cross: on the Cross He tore up the handwriting of our sins; through the Cross He reconciled us with our God and Father; and through the Cross He brought down upon us grace-filled gifts and all heavenly blessings. But this is the Lord's Cross itself. Each of us becomes a partaker of its saving power in no other way than through our personal cross. When the personal cross of each of us is united with Christ's Cross, the power and effect of the latter is transferred to us and becomes, as it were, a conduit through which every good gift and every perfect gift is poured forth upon us from the Cross of Christ. From this it is evident that the personal cross of each of us is as essential to the work of salvation as the Cross of Christ.
St. Theophan the Recluse

So take heart…. and understand that if we shed tears on this day they are tears of joy that God should send his only son to die for us on a cross so that we may be reunited with Him and overcome even death itself.

Amen

Newest post

Lambs of 2014