Dayspring on Kauai – 2023
The Lord bless thee, and keep thee: The Lord make his face shine upon thee, and be gracious unto thee: The Lord lift up his countenance upon thee, and give thee peace. ~ Numbers 6:24-26
This is the day which the Lord hath made; we will rejoice and be glad in it. ~ Psalm 118:24
May your day be filled with prayer, peace, and love.
Image by Sven Lachmann from Pixabay
Whoever plants a tree, plants hope, peace, and love and has the blessings of God. ~ Elder Amphilochios of Patmos
A subscriber inspired today’s post and most of the following is in her words. She shared that autumn is her favourite time of year, and when walking in the nearby woods, she can’t resist picking up leaves to take home and photograph – there’s so many beautiful colours! They’re a good reminder of how things are on this side… being beautiful for a time, but then fading and ending up on the compost heap sooner or later. Those brilliant, glowing leaves, give us a glimpse of a beauty that is eternal, and what awaits us on the other side.
Thank you M. in Denmark!
Altar mosaic in St. Sophia Orthodox Church, Canada: “Heavenly Jerusalem” based on 5th century church mosaic from Santa Maria Maggiore, the largest basilica in Rome, depicting the Blessed Virgin Mary as protectress.
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 for mankind. ~ Elder Thaddeus of Vitovnica
But you have come to Mount Zion and to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to innumerable angels in festal gathering, and to the assembly of the firstborn who are enrolled in heaven, and to God, the judge of all, and to the spirits of the righteous made perfect, and to Jesus, the mediator of a new covenant, and to the sprinkled blood that speaks a better word than the blood of Abel. ~Hebrews 12: 22-24
The Lord bless thee out of Zion: and may thou behold the good things of Jerusalem all the days of thy life. ~ Psalm 128:5
The souls of the just are in the hand of God, and no torment shall touch them. They seemed, in the view of the foolish, to be dead: and their passing away was thought an affliction and their going forth from us, utter destruction, But they are in peace. For if before men, indeed, they be punished, yet is their hope full of immortality; Chastised a little, they shall be greatly blessed, because God tried them and found them worthy of himself. As gold in the furnace, he proved them, and as sacrificial offerings he took them to himself. In the time of their visitation they shall shine, and shall dart about as sparks through stubble: They shall judge nations and rule over peoples and the Lord shall be their King forever. Those who trust in him shall understand truth and the faithful shall abide with him in love; Because grace and mercy are with his holy ones, and his care is with his elect. ~ Wisdom of Solomon 3: 1-9
In loving memory of Cam and Andrea
“May they journey hand in hand to the heavenly Jerusalem.” *
* Quote by dear Anastasia
Lo, children are an heritage of the LORD: and the fruit of the womb is his reward. ~ Psalm 127:3
Train up a child in the way he should go:and when he is old, he will not depart from it. ~ Proverbs 22:6
See that you do not despise one of these little ones. For I tell you that their angels in heaven always see the face of my Father in heaven. ~ St. Matthew 8:10
And Jesus called a little child unto him, and set him in the midst of them, And said, Verily I say unto you, Except ye be converted, and become as little children, ye shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven. Whosoever therefore shall humble himself as this little child, the same is greatest in the kingdom of heaven. And whoso shall receive one such little child in my name receiveth me. ~ St. Matthew 18:2-5
… And Jesus saith unto them, Yea; have ye never read, Out of the mouth of babes and sucklings thou hast perfected praise? ~ St. Matthew 21:16
People were bringing little children to Jesus for him to place his hands on them, but the disciples rebuked them. When Jesus saw this, he was indignant. He said to them, “Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these. Truly I tell you, anyone who will not receive the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it.” And he took the children in his arms, placed his hands on them and blessed them. ~ St. Mark 10:13-16
Like newborn babies, crave pure spiritual milk, so that by it you may grow up in your salvation, now that you have tasted that the Lord is good. ~ 1 Peter 2:2-3
This Icon is a variant of the Hodegetria (Directress) style icon. Here we see the Most Holy Theotokos and her Son, Our Lord God and Saviour Jesus Christ Who stands beside her… His Hand poised, ready to bless us.
Four Beautiful Prayers to the Mother of God
O Theotokos and Virgin, rejoice, O Mary, Full of Grace, the Lord is with thee. Blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, for thou hast born the Saviour of our souls. Amen.
It is truly meet to bless thee, O Theotokos. Ever-Blessed, and Most Pure and the Mother of our God. More honourable than the cherubim, and more glorious beyond compare than the Seraphim, without corruption thou gavest birth to God the Word. True Theotokos, we magnify Thee. Amen.
Beneath thy tender mercy we take refuge, O Theotokos. Reject not our prayer in our distress but deliver us from harm, O Only Pure and Blessed Lady. Amen
Most Glorious Ever-Virgin Mary, Mother of Christ our God, receive our prayer and present it to thy Son and our God, that, for thy sake, He may save our souls. Amen.
Floral wedding confetti on church entrance floor mosaic – St. Sophia, Canada
Today is Forgiveness Sunday. Tomorrow Great Lent begins.
Blessed are the merciful: for they shall obtain mercy. ~ St. Matthew 5:7
A pebble tossed into a pond radiates countless ripples.
Forgiveness does this too. It releases waves of empathy and compassion, affecting everyone it touches, including ourselves.
Mercy is a powerful gift, restoring peace of mind, and helping us to move forward, sloughing off anger or resentment. Giving or receiving forgiveness bestows healing to our spiritual and physical health.
Great Lent begins tomorrow. Today, on Forgiveness Sunday, we greet each other by asking mutual forgiveness. (Whether in person if possible, or by a phone call or email) What a delightfully liberating way to start the Fast… with clean slates; in the spirit of mercy and Christian love.
Forgive me. God Forgives!
For if ye forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you: But if ye forgive not men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses. ~St. Matthew 6:14 – 15
Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you. ~ Ephesians 4:32
Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. ~ Colossians 3:13
Sincere repentance is a gift of God such that, although we may not have committed any severe fall into sin or evil deed, we still see ourselves in our true light, see how weak we are, how much we sin in the mind, in our feelings, and especially in our imagination. Looking honestly at ourselves, we have nothing left to say except “Lord God have mercy on me, help me, and forgive, forgive, forgive me!” Then forgiveness will come into our souls like Pascha, and we are as it were born anew. And if the Lord should forgive, who will condemn us? ~ Metropolitan Vitaly, Paschal Encyclical, 2001
Sometimes we do not see any outlet, any escape from our sins, and they torment us: on account of them, the heart is oppressed with sorrow and weary. But Jesus looks upon us, and streams of tears flow from our eyes, and with the tears all the tissue of evil in our soul vanishes. We weep with joy that such mercy has suddenly and unexpectedly been sent to us. ~ St. John of Kronstadt
Hawaiian Beach Wedding – Hanalei, 2012
During a sunset walk on the beach, we happened upon a couple having wedding photos taken.
We snapped a quick picture, and offered a silent prayer for God to bless them in their life ahead.
The spontaneous kiss and obliviousness to everyone and everything (including the incoming tide splashing up to their knees), completed the romantic scene perfectly.
Of course, marriage is not just romance.
The Crowning at an Orthodox Christian wedding, symbolizes the glory and honour bestowed by God upon the couple during this sacrament… and that Christ establishes them as King and Queen of their home, which they are to rule with Wisdom, justice, and integrity.
The crowns are also referred to as Crowns of Martyrdom.
My godmother related a wedding story with newlyweds asking WHY on earth would there be a need to call these Martyr’s Crowns?
My godmother just said, “You’ll find out.”
Whenever I come across this photo, I can’t help but wonder how the beach couple are doing now.
May God help and bless them, wherever they are… in life’s journey.
