Bright Friday; The Holy Apostle and Evangelist Mark.
Polyeleos Feast.
Acts 3:1-8; 1 Peter 5:6-14; John 2:12-22; Mark 6:7-13.
Read John 2:12-22
On Bright Friday we commemorate the Most Holy Theotokos, the Life-giving fountain and all-pure one. She is the one who brings forth the Word of God. Let us reflect on the fact that because of the purity of Mary that God willed to take flesh from this pure Virgin. It is as though God was waiting for the one from whom He could finally fulfill the promise that a Savior would come to save the race of Adam from sin and death. It really is the humility and purity of Mary that attracted God to become man. This same desire for purity is what also consumes Jesus to chase the money changers from the Temple. We can also see the role that purity plays in the resurrection of the body. When Jesus is raised from the dead we see how his mangled and humiliated Body was transformed into a glorified and purified Body. Let us contemplate on the role that purification plays in the lives of Jesus and Mary and how God fulfills His promises through it.