Fear Not 220

Beloved brethren in Christ, gathered here in the shadow of the eternal, I, your humble servant echoing the voices of the ancients, bid you heed the sacred words of the Psalmist: 'This is the day that the LORD has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it.' (Psalm 118:24) Ah, what profound mystery unfolds in this verse, drawn from the wellspring of divine inspiration! As the blessed Augustine teaches in his Expositions on the Psalms, this day is no mere fleeting moment under the sun, but the eternal Day of the Lord, illumined by the resurrection of our Savior. For in the Catena Aurea, we find the Fathers uniting in chorus: Chrysostom declares it a summons to joy amidst trials, reminding us that every dawn is a gift from the Creator, not wrought by human hands but by divine fiat. Origen, that luminous mind, sees herein the day of salvation, where the stone rejected by the builders becomes the cornerstone—Christ Himself, risen and triumphant. Consider, my dear ones, how Gregory of Nyssa expounds upon this: the 'day' signifies the new creation, where shadows of sin flee before the light of grace. In our earthly pilgrimage, beset by tempests of sorrow and the snares of the evil one, we are called not to murmur like the Israelites in the wilderness, but to exult as children of the light. Basil the Great urges us to behold the works of God in every sunrise—the heavens declaring His glory, the earth yielding its fruit as testimony to His providence. Oh, let us not squander this day in vain pursuits or anxious frettings! As Jerome interprets, rejoicing is the soul's ascent to God, a gladness born not of worldly pleasures but of union with the Divine. In the midst of persecution, as in the days of the martyrs, this verse rang out like a battle cry: rejoice, for the Lord has made this day for our sanctification! Beloved, awaken your hearts! Each moment is pregnant with eternity. Rejoice in prayer, in labor, in fellowship. Let gladness be your shield against despair, your song in the night. For as the Fathers attest, this day leads to the endless Day where every tear is wiped away. Go forth, then, and live this truth: rejoice and be glad, for the Lord is good, His mercy endures forever. #FearNot220 #FearNotUNPLUGGED #157of220 #Catholic