Holy Tuesday, 10 a.m. Stronsay

Tuesday in Holy Week

The Mass was sung in the Stronsay chapel

and the

Passion according to St. Mark was chanted

St Mark lived with his mother in Jerusalem, evidently in the less frequented part of the city, and for this reason his house was used by the first disciples as the place of meeting. When Jesus passed before the house, the youth was already in bed, and in accordance with the usual custom, having laid aside his clothes, had wrapped himself in a large sheet, which, in this instance as was usual among the wealthier classes, was woven from the finest linen. At the noise of the multitude, the young man awakes, and, hearing that Jesus was being led away captive, rushes out of the house just as he is and accosts the soldiers, possibly making use of threats. Some of them, having had a proof at Gethsemani that the disciples of the Nazarene could use arms if need be, attempted to seize him, but the young man, leaving the sheet in their hands, fled away naked.

Pope St. Gregory the Great commenting on this admonishes us that he who would escape the assaults of the devil must first strip himself internally, as the athletes stripped themselves outwardly before entering the circus; Satan must no be able to get hold of us by any of our affections and we must be willing to abandon freely to him all our worldly desires, so that we may rescue our souls from his clutches. - [Blessed Schuster]