Readings: Joel 2:23–24, 26–27; Luke 5:17–26
“Be glad then, ye children of Sion, and rejoice in the Lord your God.” (Joel 2:23)
On this Feria Sexta of the Ember Days (Quattuor Tempora) after Pentecost, the Church, in her ancient wisdom, leads us into a double meditation: one on the fruitfulness of the land, the other on the healing of the soul. In this moment between Pentecost and Trinity Sunday, she bids us pause, fast, and reflect on the spiritual harvest poured out by the Holy Ghost, with readings from Joel 2:23–24, 26–27 and Luke 5:17–26.
In Joel, we hear the consoling promise of restoration:
“And the floors shall be filled with wheat, and the presses shall overflow with wine and oil… You shall eat in plenty, and shall be filled: and shall praise the name of the Lord your God, who hath dealt wondrously with you.”
This promise, tied closely to the land and its fertility, was always read by the Fathers not only in an agricultural sense but also spiritually. As St. Jerome reflects, the “former rain” and the “latter rain” symbolize the teaching of the prophets and then the outpouring of grace through Christ and His Apostles. The soul, once barren, now receives both seed and rain; it is made fertile by the Word and fruitful by grace.
The threefold gift—wheat, wine, and oil—has long been seen as typifying the sacraments: the wheat of the Eucharist, the wine of divine joy and sacrifice, the oil of anointing, healing, and sanctification. Thus, the land rejoices because it participates in God’s overflowing generosity, and the Church rejoices because, through Pentecost, she has been inundated with the grace of the Holy Ghost.
“And My people shall never be confounded.” (Joel 2:27)
Here is a key point in the Ember reflection: these days are penitential, involving fasting and supplication, yet they also carry the joy of Pentecost and the hope of divine bounty. Fasting does not contradict rejoicing but prepares the soul to receive the fullness of God’s gifts with clarity and gratitude.
The Gospel Healing – Luke 5:17–26
From the abundance of the land we move to the healing of the body and soul. In the Gospel, we encounter a paralytic brought to Our Lord by faithful friends, lowered through the roof because of the crowd. Christ, seeing their faith, first forgives the man’s sins:
“Man, thy sins are forgiven thee.” (Lk 5:20)
This moment astonishes not just the crowd but the scribes and Pharisees, who silently accuse Him of blasphemy. Our Lord answers their unspoken question by healing the man physically, showing His authority not only to restore limbs but to cleanse hearts.
St. Ambrose reads this scene allegorically: the paralytic represents fallen humanity, weighed down by sin and unable to move toward God. The friends who carry him are the intercessors—whether saints, priests, or faithful friends—who bring sinners to Christ through prayer and love. The roof is broken open, symbolizing the tearing away of worldly distractions and obstacles to allow the grace of Christ to enter.
St. Cyril of Alexandria notes that Christ heals in this order—first the soul, then the body—to show that spiritual healing is the greater miracle. The physical healing is a sign, a visible confirmation, of the invisible mercy already granted.
Ember Reflection: A Time of Healing and Fruitfulness
The Ember Days after Pentecost are traditionally times of prayer, fasting, and ordination, emphasizing both the continuity of grace through the seasons and the Church’s role as the fertile ground in which vocations grow. On this Feria Sexta, these two readings together invite us to see Pentecost not merely as a past event, but as an ongoing harvest: grace is still falling like the latter rain; Christ is still healing those who are brought to Him in faith.
The Gospel also speaks to the Church’s sacramental mission. In absolving sins and healing bodies, the Church continues the ministry of Christ. The priest, acting in persona Christi, says those same words in the confessional: “Ego te absolvo…” And like the friends of the paralytic, we are called to intercede, to carry the burdened, and to break open roofs if need be to bring souls to Him.
St. Gregory the Great, commenting on this Gospel, says:
“Let us learn to be of service to one another, and to carry one another to the Lord—not only in bodily deeds, but in spiritual aid, through prayer and example.”
So this day, let us offer our fasting as a kind of seed sown into the field of the soul. Let us trust that the Lord will send the rain—both the teaching of truth and the movement of grace—to bring forth a harvest in due season. And let us carry, in prayer and in action, those who are paralyzed by sin or despair, knowing that Christ still looks upon the faith of the community and says, “Arise, take up thy bed, and walk.”
Prayer for this Ember Friday:
O Lord, who by the descent of Thy Holy Spirit didst sanctify the apostles and send them forth to heal and preach, pour forth Thy grace anew upon Thy Church. Make our souls fertile with virtue, our hearts steadfast in intercession, and our hands ready for holy labor. Heal us, cleanse us, and fill us, that we may rejoice in Thee and never be confounded. Through Christ our Lord. Amen.