Fear Not 220

Beloved brethren, gathered in the quiet hours of this evening, let us turn our hearts to the words of the Psalmist: 'But let the righteous be glad; let them exult before God; let them be jubilant with joy.' In the days of King David, when the Ark of the Covenant was borne up to the holy mountain, the people of Israel rejoiced not merely in victory over foes but in the presence of the living God among them. The righteous, those who walked in the ways of the Law and trusted in the Lord’s deliverance, were called to exult, for their gladness was not of the world but a foretaste of heavenly communion. The great Doctor of Grace, Augustine of Hippo, in his Enarrations on the Psalms, teaches that this jubilation springs from the victory of Christ, who ascends on high and leads captivity captive. The righteous are those justified by faith, made glad not by earthly goods but by the indwelling of the Spirit who pours forth divine joy. Chrysostom, in his homilies, reminds us that true exultation before God silences the clamor of the passions and lifts the soul above the shadows of this age, for the Church, as the new Israel, beholds the risen Lord enthroned. From the treasury of the Catena Aurea we learn how the Fathers saw in this verse the promise fulfilled in the Resurrection: the righteous exult because death is swallowed up, and the joy of Easter becomes the daily bread of the faithful. Let us, then, in this unplugged hour, cast aside the distractions of the fleeting day and stand before the altar of our hearts, jubilant with the joy that no man can take away. For the Lord has triumphed, and we who are counted righteous in Him share in His eternal gladness. #FearNot220 #FearNotUNPLUGGED #198of220 #Catholic

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