Main news for 20 October 2022

The meeting of the disciples in Troas takes place on the first day of the week, and this gathering is spoken of as something customary. Before us is important testimony to how early in the Church the day of Resurrection became the day of prayer and Eucharistic gatherings.

Why does the gathering take place at night? Only because of persecutions? Evidently to some degree because of them, but not only for that reason. The new day began in the evening, and one can imagine with what impatience Christians, burning with the desire to meet Christ as soon as possible in prayer and the breaking of the Bread, hastened to gather as soon as the Sabbath rest observed by the brothers from among the Jews had ended.

Inthe upper roomwhere the disciples gathered,there were many lampsbut one of the disciples sat aside by the window, which is evidently why he dropped out of the gathering and fell asleep, and as a result fell from the window. Not everyone who comes to the Church has the necessary reserve of spiritual strength, and still the Teacher asked the disciples to keep watch. Those who do not feel strong enough had better not hide in a secluded corner, but go toward the light, so as not to fall somewhere steeper than Eutychus fell.