TUESDAY, THE THIRD DAY
(Tuesday, November 28)
“Then God said, ‘Let the waters under the heavens be gathered together into one place, and let the dry land appear’; and it was so. And God called the dry land Earth, and the gathering together of the waters He called Seas. And God saw that it was good. Then God said, ‘Let the earth bring forth grass, the herb that yields seed, and the fruit tree that yields fruit according to its kind, whose seed is in itself, on the earth’; and it was so. And the earth brought forth grass, the herb that yields seed according to its kind, and the tree that yields fruit, whose seed is in itself according to its kind. And God saw that it was good. So the evening and the morning were the third day.” (Gen 1:9-13)
I love Tuesdays. And I love that we on the Older Calendar are beginning the Nativity Fast today, on a Tuesday. It’s a good day to make a new beginning. Tuesday is called “The Third Day” in Hebrew and in Greek (*Yom shlishi* and *Triti*), and Jewish people consider it a lucky day, because God saw on Day Three of creation that “it was good” not once but twice. This is why Jewish people often get married on Tuesdays, or so I have read.
To the Christian ear, “the third day” is a thing connected to the Resurrection. And we can see the mystery of the Resurrection revealed already on Day Three of creation, because here the “seed” (mentioned four times in the above-quoted passage) is created; the seed that “falls to the ground and dies” (Jn 12:24), in order to spring forth new life.
This Tuesday, as some of us begin the Nativity Fast, I’m reminded that the “earth” of my heart can become fertile ground for new life. I need to do some weeding and watering, frankly, because the place is a bit of a mess. I pick up the tools of the fasting season, together with the rest of us, as we begin to prepare a humble little place for One Who will not find a room at the inn. Lord, help us to help ourselves take better care of our spiritual and physical health today, as we embrace the “goodness” of this Tuesday.
