Tag: Bridge

Happy Palm Sunday

Palm Sunday Pussy Willows await blessing at last evening’s Vigil Service.

Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion! Shout aloud, O daughter of Jerusalem! Behold, your king is coming to you; righteous and having salvation is he, humble and mounted on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey. ~ Zechariah 9:9

God is the Lord, and hath appeared unto us; make ye a feast, and with gladness, come, let us magnify Christ with palms and branches, with hymns crying aloud: blessed is He that cometh in the name of the Lord our Saviour. ~ Ode 9 of the Feast

We celebrate Palm Sunday today with festive joy. Yesterday’s Lazarus Saturday and today’s Palm (and Flowers) Sunday are a bridge we cross over from Great Lent, into Holy Week.

They took palm branches and went out to meet him, shouting, Hosanna! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord! Blessed is the king of Israel! ~ St. John 12:13

Hosanna in the highest! Means: O be favourably inclined – in the highest heaven! O Lord, save! While Hosanna in the Highest initially seems like an enthusiastic cheer of welcome and joy, it’s also a deep invocation for protection and salvation from tribulations.

Tomorrow, we begin to wend our way throughout Holy Week’s poignant thoroughfares, until we reach the bright and shining shores of Holy Pascha. The Greatest Feast of all. Pascha… the dawn of the new and unending day… the Holy Resurrection of our Lord God and Saviour Jesus Christ.

…the Lord is always sitting at the gates of the Heavenly Jerusalem waiting for us to allow Him to enter. He is patiently standing at the door of our heart… waiting for us to open it. ~ Unknown

May your Holy Week be Blessed, Glorious, Peaceful and Fruitful!

Practical Tip: Treat your blessed palm branches and pussy willows respectfully, because they have been blessed. Keep them carefully in your icon corner. If you currently have any old palms or willows that are deteriorating, either compost, bury or burn them, but never put them in the garbage.

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Start Walking!

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

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