Happiness can only be achieved by looking inward and learning to enjoy whatever life has and this requires transforming greed into gratitude. ~ St. John Chrysostom
Why not learn to enjoy the little things – there are so many of them. ~ St. John Chrysostom
Photo by Juliana
I do not worship matter; I worship the Creator of matter who became matter for my sake. The whole earth is a living icon of the face of God. All who ask receive, those who seek find, and to those who knock it shall be opened. ~ St. John of Damascus
Icon of the Virgin Mary, Theotokos St. Sophia Church, Canada
The Most Holy Mother of God prays for us ceaselessly. She is always visiting us. Whenever we turn to her in our heart, she is there. After the Lord, she is the greatest protection of mankind. How many churches there are in the world dedicated to the Most Holy Mother of God! How many healing springs where people are cured of their ailments have sprung up in places where the Most Holy Theotokos appeared and blessed those springs to heal both the sick and the healthy! She is constantly, by our side, and all too often we forget her. ~ Elder Thaddeus of Vitovnica
You know it’s coming… yet, in seeming stealth mode, Meatfare Sunday still swoops in catching some of us off-guard (This year, March 7th). Not only is this the second Sunday before the start of Great Lent, but it’s also the very last day meat is eaten until Pascha (Easter).
More importantly, Meatfare Sunday is also called the Sunday of the Last Judgement, reminding us of the inevitable day when everyone will stand before God to give account of their life. This is hard to think about.
At Christ’s Second Coming, He appears in all His Glory as the righteous Judge, “Who will render to every man according to his deeds” (Romans 2:6). Today’s intense Gospel reading from St. Matthew 25:31-46 recalls how we shall be gathered before Him, and how He will separate one from another, like a shepherd dividing a flock of sheep from the goats. The sheep will be kept by His right hand, but the goats will be set on His left.
As we draw closer to great Great Lent, we must pass next through Cheesefare Week. It begins the day after Meatfare Sunday, and during Cheesefare we can still eat fish, dairy, and eggs (hence traditional pancakes), continuing a gradual preparation for the more strict fasting of Great Lent (This year, March 15th). Cheesefare Week ends on Cheesefare Sunday (March 14th), which is also called Forgiveness Sunday.
Forgiveness Sunday, more significantly, recalls the Expulsion of Adam and Eve from Paradise, and the theme is forgiveness. We can’t begin a spiritual spring cleaning before the Great Lenten journey without first forgiving our offenders, and also asking forgiveness of those whom we have hurt or insulted. We forgive each other, for offenses known or unknown.
Person #1: “Forgive me.”
Person #2: “God forgives. Forgive me.”
Person #1: “God forgives.”
Then we move along to the next person, and so on. Beautiful. Simple. Cleansing. Renewing. Joyful.
Our family has a prized aphorism for the Meatfare Sunday Meal. This stems from a country drive years ago, passing a little hole-in-the-wall eatery called the Last Chance Cafe. Its name reminded us of our mad-dash-meat-menu scrambles on a Meatfare Sunday evening… the night before Cheesefare Week began.
Since then, on Meatfare Sunday, the remaining, yet dwindling familial carnivores… amongst the growing crowd of second and third generation pescatarian/vegans; try to gather for a Last Chance Cafe Meal of some sort, before galloping off into the gooey gouda glow of Cheesefare Week.
However, Meatfare Sunday is more than just grabbing that last beef burger with quivering anticipation. Much more. There are other kinds of “meaty” fare.
In John 4:32 -34, Christ said to his disciples: But he said unto them, I have meat to eat that ye know not of. Therefore said the disciples one to another, Hath any man brought him ought to eat? Jesus saith unto them, My meat is to do the will of him that sent me, and to finish his work.
The general reason for fasting and praying is to awaken a yearning to return to Eden, to a more spiritual way of life. Our Lenten Voyage helps enlighten our minds by showing us our own shortcomings. Lent inspires the desire to cleanse our souls through repentance, which prepares us to reach the joyful destination… The Feast of Feasts, and to greet the Risen Lord, at Pascha!
Our Meat, our Fare, is to do His will.
In a small way, this is what we’re trying to do… and in His Light, shall we see Light!
Hawaii 2014
A handful of sand, thrown into the sea, is what sinning is, when compared to God’s providence and mercy. Just as an abundant source of water is not impeded by a handful of dust, so also the Creator’s mercy is not defeated by the sins of His creations. ~ St. Isaac the Syrian
When to the flowers so beautiful the Father gave a name,
Back came a little blue-eyed one (All timidly it came);
And standing at its Father’s feet and gazing in His face,
It said, in low and trembling tone and with a modest grace,
“Dear God, the name Thou gavest me, Alas I have forgot!”
Kindly the Father looked him down and said:
“Forget-me-not.”
By Emily Bruce Roelofson; born in 1832, Cincinnati
The Old Bridge was constructed on top of long tree trunk. Point No Point, BC Canada
The only way to attain an important goal – is by doing.
When recovering from an injury, the physiotherapist suggested taking a local gym membership, and continue daily strengthening exercises on my own. I did, and initially all gung-ho, it was shocking to soon discover the grueling exercises in themselves weren’t the arduous part … The hardest part for me, was actually getting to the gym. Going to the gym became a battle. Every. Single. Time. Bizarrely, once at the gym, all was fine. But, to do it- I just had to go.
I’ve heard from parents, that the hardest part of going to church with babies, youth, or teens, is just getting there. Once they’re there, all is fine. But, to do it- they just had to come.
Time is shorter than we think, and we can’t afford to put off essential intentions by waiting for perfect conditions to start. Tomorrow never comes. There is only today.
To reach a goal, the name of the bridge we cross over is- Start Doing.
True, one may know man’s final goal: communion with God. And one may describe the path to it: faith, and walking in the commandments, with the aid of divine grace. One need only say in addition: here is the path- start walking! ~St. Theophan the Recluse
Hawaiian River 2018
Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, ‘Out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.’ ~ John 7:38
We see the water of a river flowing uninterruptedly and passing away, and all that floats on its surface, rubbish or beams of trees, all pass by. Christian! So does our life… I was an infant, and that time has gone. I was an adolescent, and that too has passed. I was a young man, and that too is far behind me. The strong and mature man that I was is no more. My hair turns white, I succumb to age, but that too passes; I approach the end and will go the way of all flesh. I was born in order to die. I die that I may live. Remember me, O Lord, in Thy Kingdom! ~St. Tikhon of Voronezh
God descends to the humble as waters flow down from the hills into the valleys. ~ St. Tikhon of Voronezh
As a fish cannot swim without water, and as a bird cannot fly without air, so a Christian cannot advance a single step without Christ. ~ St. Gregory of Nazianzus
Mosaic Seraphim – St. Sophia Orthodox Church, Canada
Do not be surprised that you fall every day; do not give up, but stand your ground courageously. And assuredly, the angel who guards you will honour your patience.
~ St. John of the Ladder
Hawaiian Sunrise 2018
