Bright Friday; Repose of Our Holy Father Methodius, Teacher of the Slavs (885) and our Holy Father Eutychius, Archbishop of Constantinople (587)
Bright Week. No fasting or abstention from foods.
Read
Acts 3:1-8; Hebrews 7:26-8:2
John 2:12-22; John 10:9-16
Christ is risen! Truly, He is risen!
In today’s Bright Friday Gospel, we are drawn back into the early years of Our Lord’s ministry where He foretells of His Glorious Resurrection in speaking about the raising up of the temple after it has been destroyed. We are told that the disciples remembered these words of His after He was raised from the dead. For us as Christians who confess the Resurrected Christ, every time we enter into the church we are celebrating Pascha for Christ is always risen. But are we celebrating as we should?
“Zeal for your house will consume me.” What is our attitude towards the Lord’s temple? What is our disposition when we are in church at the Divine Liturgy or at any other liturgical services be they Vespers, Matins, or an akathist or a moleben? Are we fully present and engaged in the liturgy, or are we distracted by other thoughts or even actions such as checking our smart phones? Do we dishonour the holy liturgy by talking unnecessarily with our neighbour in the pew or distracting others in various ways? Or, do we move about the church without purpose or in believing that we need to be busy directing others to do things? Do we arrive late to the liturgy or leave early? Do we nip downstairs to the church hall for a coffee during the homily because we do not feel that what the priest or deacon is saying is worth much? Do we not respond as we should during the Divine Liturgy? Do we not profess the Creed? Do we approach the Holy Mysteries conscious of grave sin? The time of the Divine Liturgy is a time to be attentive. All of these distractions or actions that are contrary to the liturgy are inspired by the Evil One, who does not want us present at the liturgy. The Divine Liturgy is God’s work. It is the coming together of the Body of Christ, the Church, to receive the Body of Christ. It is holy.
At times all of us have been guilty of the sin of the pigeon sellers and the money changers and not honouring God’s holy temple. We can all grow lax in our devotion at times. We can all struggle at times to enter fully into the liturgy. During this Pascha let us perhaps take some time to read some reflections on the Divine Liturgy by a church father, or pick up a book that explains the depth and great beauty of the liturgy so that we better understand what we are engaged in when we are at church. Let us grow in love and devotion for the liturgy and especially for Our Risen Lord’s presence in the Holy Mysteries. And finally, let us strive to sincerely and boldly take up the refrain of psalmist in Psalm 68: “Zeal for your house will consume me!”