Enlighten Darkness – Blisswood

Nibicula Est, Transibit

Detail of our Saviour’s Feet from mosaic in Chora

Come and lay
all heartache care and worry
at His Feet!

(And LEAVE them there!)

Greetings on the Eve of Holy Theophany!

A friend recently shared an ancient and amazing Latin quote attributed to St. Athanasius the Great. Nibicula est, transibit which translates to “It is a small cloud; it will pass”.

Trials and tribulations are just for now, Nibicula Est, Transibit – are exactly like those fleeting clouds on the horizon!

Christ is our Siloam. He is our Bright Sun of Righteousness in a cloudless sky.

Come! Let us kiss His Precious Feet – those very same Feet which once trod Eden’s dusky paths, and are still fragrant with the Petals of Paradise!

…When a problem is acute…tell it to the Angels so they may place it at the Lord’s Feet, and pray the Lord for an Angel of Peace to calm your soul. How beautiful is the Mystery of Tomorrow! ~St. Gavrilia

Wishing you a Blessed Theophany!

With love in Christ.

Planted in Our Place

Wild Chamomile Thriving on Rain-Quenched Rural Grass

The grass withers, the flower fades, but the word of our God will stand forever. ~ Isaiah 40:8

Do not be confused because dark thoughts often trouble you, for dark thoughts, like autumn clouds, come one after another and darken everything. But then they pass and the sky remains clear and pleasant. And so our thoughts wander, they wander around the wide world, but the mind remains planted in its place, and then there is quiet, and the soul becomes joyful. But our mind, from wandering here and there, becomes accustomed to the brief but often repeated prayer of Jesus, which God may grant you the habit of saying and then your days will be bright. ~ St. Anthony of Optina

We are all planted in our places. For whatever reason. On a recent excursion I thrilled to discover wild chamomile still popping up here and there, where least expected. Bending down for closer inspection, I spied bustling beetles and ants – struggling – yet dashing determinedly amid obstacle courses of pebbles, fir-needles, twigs and dandelion detritus. Sometimes its hard to consider that even in autumn, a little piece of country ground thrives as a living thing. Organically interconnected beneath the soil, and strengthened through marvellous myriads of neighbouring roots and fungi, we can sense the Great within the small. When we recognize nature’s perfection, its because God is perfect. What joy there is in giving oneself over to a moment in nature… To inhale that especially fresh, spicy fragrance that happens only after a rain… to harvest and store Creation’s nourishing gifts in the silos of our minds. For these blessed memories, tucked carefully away in our autumnal hearts, may be recalled as needed. These sweet seeds of peace and contentment are numinous aids. They are spiritual brooms of beautiful, expectant hope – that sweep away dried, withered leaves and debris from life’s storms and personal obstacle courses. God sees and rewards all our efforts according to our salvation. Let us remain patiently planted in our places, thoroughly engaged – and prepared to bloom joyfully wherever we are planted, offering ourselves unto Creation’s Planter – as a Living Fruition of Spiritual Fragrance!

Open the Eyes of My Heart

Bright Spring Morning, with Travel Icon Overlooking Strait of Juan de Fuca

Christ is Risen!

Greetings on the Blessed Feast of Mid-Pentecost!

O Lord Jesus Christ, open Thou the eyes of my heart, that I may hear Thy word and understand and do Thy will, for I am a sojourner upon the earth. Hide not Thy commandments from me, but open mine eyes, that I may perceive the wonders of Thy law. Speak unto me the hidden and secret things of Thy wisdom… On Thee do I set my hope, O my God, that Thou shalt enlighten my mind and understanding with the light of Thy knowledge, not only to cherish those things which are written, but to do them… For Thou art the enlightenment of those who lie in darkness, and from Thee cometh every good deed and every gift. Amen. ~ St. John Chrysostom

Through the intercessions of Thine All-immaculate Mother and of all Thy Saints, O Lord Jesus Christ, our God, have mercy on us and save us. Amen.

Truly He is Risen!

St. Mary of Egypt

Parish Mosaic – St. Mary of Egypt with Lampada

Undated Sermon on the Life of St. Mary of Egypt [circa early 2000’s], by +Archpriest John Adams, of Eternal Memory

This week we read again the Great Canon, with the life of St. Mary of Egypt who is one of the most loved and revered saints.

I remember reading it the first time. Eve (Princess Eve Galitzine, a founder of our parish) had xerox copies. Oh, it was so long, but so amazing, remarkable, and moving.

Her life went from one extreme to the other, from the very depths – to the very heights.

Her life is inspiring and edifying. Those themselves who are hopeless – she lifts up, those who have exhausted themselves, like the monk Zosimas, who had started to think of himself as perfect, she humbles.

Living alone in the desert, without food or clothing, tormented, but with prayer and tears through great struggles, she clung to the Mother of God, until she was lifted up spiritually, even physically, above the earth, and above the waters.

Last Sunday was St. John of the Ladder (Climacus), and we saw from his example how the prescribed life of the ascetic leads to understanding. Further, this Sunday, we are shown St. Mary of Egypt’s ascetical life, and we see a radical transformation, a model of repentance. This is how we begin, and how we continue. “Open unto me the Gates of Repentance”. We want to turn in repentance, (to be) enlightened. We want to behold the Resurrection more clearly, more brightly.

(Soon comes) Palm Sunday and the pace picks up. At vigil on Saturday evening, there’s the blessing of bread, wine, oil, and palms are distributed…

Try to attend every (Holy Week) service you can, these services are all unique. They all add an essential element to our spiritual growth.

In a New Light

Today’s Walk at Dawn ~ Shared by Irena

The night is far spent, the day is at hand. Therefore let us cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armour of light. ~ Romans 13:12

Each day dawns shiny and new! May God help us to see things – in a New Light!

The Light of Truth

Photo by Olga Kononenko on Unsplash

Then spake Jesus again unto them, saying, I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life. ~ St. John 8:12

In order to remind us that before anything else the Creator of the world created light, and after that everything else in order: “And God said, Let there be light: and there was light” (Genesis 1:3). And it must be so also at the beginning of our spiritual life, so that before anything else the light of Christ’s truth would shine within us. From this light of Christ’s truth subsequently every good is created, springs up and grows in us. ~ St. Nikolai of Ohrid

Through the Divine Spark of the Holy Spirit, it’s Our Time to Shine.

Let us be as noetic Candles, Aflame with Zeal, and exude the Sweet Aroma of Divine Grace… Christ’s Light of the Virtues.

May your day brim with Light!

A Royal Visitation

Christ is Risen!

We work, pray and hope every day to experience God’s mercy. Every day we experience a continuous miracle. Others begin to feel this and come to our church in order to give their souls a rest. ~ St. Elizabeth, Grand Duchess

She was a rare combination of exalted Christian spirit, moral nobility, enlightened mind, gentle heart, and refined taste. She possessed an extremely delicate and multifaceted spiritual composition and her outward appearance reflected the beauty and greatness of her spirit. Upon her brow lay the seal of an inborn, elevated dignity which set her apart from those around her. Under the cover of modesty, she often strove – though in vain, to conceal herself from the gaze of others, but one could not mistake her for another. Wherever she appeared, one would always ask: “Who is she who looketh forth as the morning, clear as the sun” (Song of Solomon 6:10)? Wherever she would go she emanated the pure fragrance of the lily. Perhaps it was for this reason that she loved the colour white – it was the reflection of her heart. All of her spiritual qualities were strictly balanced, one against another, never giving an impression of one-sidedness. Femininity was joined in her to a courageous character; her goodness never led to weakness and blind, unconditional trust of people. Even in her finest heartfelt inspirations she exhibited that gift of discernment which has always been so highly esteemed by Christian ascetics… ~ Metropolitan Anastassy + (1965)

This week our parish was blessed with an amazing 24 hours… the visitation of the Holy Relics of New-martyr Grand Duchess, St. Elizabeth and Nun Barbara.

St. Elizabeth the Grand Duchess was the granddaughter of England’s Queen Victoria, (so was St. Elizabeth’s sister, the Tsarina Empress and Royal Martyr St. Alexandra). As Canadians, these are warm connections to our own country’s history.

The holy relics were carried to the church entrance over a welcoming walkway (see above feature image), strewn with hundreds of petals and herbs from parishioners’ gardens. The brisk afternoon breeze continuously swept the flowers in vibrant kaleidoscopes of colour.

The Saints’ Reliquary was venerated by the faithful and visitors to our parish… where many detected the relics emitting a gentle, heavenly fragrance of roses.

It was an extra blessing for those present, who have the New Martyr Grand Duchess Elizabeth as their Patron Saint.

Before and during the Hierarchical Divine Liturgy a new Reader was tonsured (Axios!), and our priest was awarded the right to wear the kamilavka (Axios!). The kamilavka is a special hat which reminds us of our Saviour’s Crown of Thorns.

After Divine Liturgy, a Molieben to St. Elizabeth was served, culminating with a joyful Procession around the church… where both the building and the congregation were blessed with refreshing and copious showers of Holy Water!

Holy New-Martyr Grand Duchess Elizabeth and Nun Barbara, pray to God for us!

Beautiful 6 minute Folk Hymn/Ballad about the life of St. Elizabeth, by Katina, (Memory Eternal)

In Thy Light…

For with thee is the fountain of life: in thy light shall we see light. ~ Psalm 36:9

The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it. ~ St. John 1:5

When Jesus spoke again to the people, he said, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.” ~ St. John 8:12

We are all vessels, sometimes of Light and sometimes of Darkness. ~ St. Gavrilia

O Lord, enlighten my darkness. ~ St. Gregory Palamas

A recent evening walk along the beach was exhilarating. The Light? Perfect. Mysterious. Discovery of tiny mirrors of the great were reflected in the rocky outcroppings of tidal pools.

The phrase “…For with Thee is the fountain of life; in Thy Light we shall see light; O continue Thy mercy unto them that know Thee…” from the Doxology Hymn, resounded joyfully and encouragingly in my heart. Indeed! Nature is the Secret Gospel!

Surfing the Chunder

Dawn Patrol on Kauai Beach – 2023
Chunder is a surfing term which means totally unsurfable waves.
Mullering means wiping out.

You don’t need to be polite with God, simply pour out your heart before Him. ~ Elder Sophrony of Essex

Never expect anyone to understand you, only God.
~ St. Gavrilia

I pray like this: “Father in heaven forgive me, Lord Jesus Christ have mercy on me, Holy Spirit enlighten me.”
~ Gerontissa (Eldress) Galaktia

Let us remember
that pray’r is the first resort –
not the last resort!

🏄🏽‍♀️

Holy Wisdom’s Water of Love

Exotic Heliconia Rostrata, the Hanging Lobster Claw Flower ~ Kauai 2023

Greetings on the Holy Mandylion Feast Day!

If you do not shatter and empty your Ego, how will you make room for God?… God’s gifts to us blossom only if watered with the water of Love… Those who love can do only beautiful things. ~ Gerontissa Gavrilia

Let us unfurl our thirsty roots and drink deeply from Holy Wisdom’s salvific Springs of Living Water.

May our hearts Blossom Forth choosing happy, beautiful, Songs of Joy and gladness today!