Greetings on the Afterfeast of The Ascension!
Christ Has Ascended! In Glory… From Earth to Heaven!
The heart gives life to the body, and humility gives life to the soul. ~ Elder Porphyrios
All my happiness and unhappiness are contained in the thoughts and inclinations of my heart. ~ St. John of Kronstadt
If you are a Christian, then you do not believe that your life is an accident, a meaningless, purposeless, random peak of a cosmic probability wave. You know that your purpose is to become the Body of Christ. You know that your life is a sacrament, not unlike the Eucharist. Grains of wheat grow from the earth, shaped and fashioned through much labour to be offered to God and to become His Body. Likewise a human life: taken from the earth, shaped and fashioned through much labour to become an offering to God and His Body. And just as there are differences between different liturgical traditions, different people found different ways to live their lives as a sacred offering to God. Perhaps it is less important whether you sing psalms in the shower or not, recite the Lord’s Prayer three times a day or five – what is important is that you live your life as a sacrament, as an icon, and not as a caricature. ~ Fr. Sergei Sveshnikov
Admiring the bleeding hearts in our garden patio, and accompanied with joyful birdsong, an old and precious Childhood “Thank You” Prayer came to mind… attributed to Edith Rutter-Leatham from the late 1800’s. May God rest her soul! So many toddlers (myself included) have been inspired to learn how to pray simply, and with gratitude.
Thank you for the world so sweet,
Thank you for the food we eat,
Thank you for the birds that sing,
Thank you God for everything.
Amen.
Thank YOU for visiting Blisswood!
Soon, we arrive at the wondrous Great Feast of Holy Pentecost!
With love in Christ.