Image by Iryna from Pixabay
As the pure candle is derived from the pollen of a flower and has a sweet scent, so also should our souls have the sweet aroma of Divine Grace. ~ St. Symeon of Thessaloniki
When the door of our heart opens and we stand in prayer before Christ the Lord, our souls are as noetic candles of fire and light. With God’s help, may we be worthy to exude His Divine Warmth and Illumination, upon all of whom we interact with daily.
Image by Manfred Richter from Pixabay
One should not seek among others the truth that can be easily gotten from the Church. For in her, as in a rich treasury, the apostles have placed all that pertains to truth, so that everyone can drink this beverage of life. She is the door of life. ~ St. Irenaeus of Lyon
For the Lord is good; his mercy is everlasting; and his truth endureth to all generations. ~ Psalm 100:5
And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth. ~ St. John 1:14
God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth. ~ St. John 4:24
And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free. ~ St. John 8:32
For the fruit of the Spirit is in all goodness and righteousness and truth…~ Ephesians 5:9
My little children, let us not love in word, neither in tongue; but in deed and in truth. ~ 1 John 3:18
Image by Manfred Antranias Zimmer from Pixabay
Such is friendship, that through it we love places and seasons; for as bright bodies emit rays to a distance, and flowers drop their sweet leaves on the ground around them, so friends impart favour even to the places where they dwell. With friends even poverty is pleasant. Words cannot express the joy which a friend imparts; they only can know who have experienced. A friend is dearer than the light of heaven, for it would be better for us that the sun were exhausted than that we should be without friends. ~ St. John Chrysostom
Sunrise Over Lavender Fields
Image by Mouse23 from Pixabay
Truly the light is sweet, and a pleasant thing it is for the eyes to behold the sun… ~ Ecclesiastes 11:7
Image by cocoparisienne from Pixabay
“...Our place in God’s garden may be a very humble and sheltered spot; but, like the saints, we may keep our faces ever turned upward, and learn to grow, as they grew, like their Master, pure and straight and strong – fit flowers to blossom in the Garden of God...
Saints are like roses when they flush rarest,
Saints are like lilies when they bloom fairest,
Saints are like violets, sweetest of their kind.”
~ In God’s Garden Original Copyright 1907 by Amy Steedman; distributed by Heritage History 2009
Today is the special feast commemorating the 10th Century Icon of the Most Holy Theotokos (Axion Estin) and its Ancient Hymn, that’s so special.
Congratulations on your Saint’s Day Nathaniel… Remembering how you were baptised in a beautiful garden, beneath the warm summer sky! May God grant you many years!
In Old English, the word sky was heofan, from which we get the modern word heaven.
Pink Rosé Dogwood Tree Blossoms
For nothing is hidden that will not be made manifest, nor is anything secret that will not be known and come to light. ~ Luke 8:17
The wind bloweth where it listeth, and thou hearest the sound thereof, but canst not tell whence it cometh, and whither it goeth: so is every one that is born of the Spirit. ~ John 3:8
A few days ago, on the windy Post Feast, we took three (still amazingly fresh) floral Pentecost bouquets out to the cemetery.
The grassy gravesites were dotted with mantles of snow-white daisies and great golden dollops of buttercups. Purply-blue fields of floral confetti tangled with clover… and as quail, ravens and sparrows – scooted, soared and flitted nearby, the last line of the Creed came to mind: I look for the Resurrection of the dead, and the Life of the age to come.
We stood where past, present and future are tightly entwined, for… He shall come again with glory, to judge the living and the dead; Whose Kingdom shall have no end…
Off to the side, and distracting my reverie, a pink dogwood tree’s blossomed boughs thrashed wildly to and fro in the gusty winds. Narrowing my eyes thoughtfully at it, I noted it was not at all like its more staid and demure counterpart… the white-flowered Pacific dogwood growing beside our church.
Once, during an Archbishop’s past parish visit and upon noticing the young dogwood sapling (official flower of BC, Canada) newly planted beside our church, he recounted how the dogwood tree had a long, Christian-themed history.
While some Biblical scholars assert Christ was crucified on a dogwood tree’s Cross, Orthodox Church tradition conveys that the Cross was made from three different types of wood: cedar, pine and cypress. Regardless, and depending on the country, dogwoods are often found planted on church grounds.
I’d like to share this unknown poet’s sweet poem called:
Legend of the Dogwood Tree
When Christ was on earth, the dogwood grew
To a towering size with a lovely hue.
Its branches were strong and interwoven
And for Christ’s cross its timbers were chosen
Being distressed at the use of the wood
Christ made a promise which still holds good:
“Not ever again shall the dogwood grow
To be large enough for a tree, and so
Slender and twisted it shall always be
With cross-shaped blossoms for all to see.
The petals shall have bloodstains marked brown
And in the blossom’s center a thorny crown.
All who see it will think of Me,
Nailed to a cross from a dogwood tree.
Protected and cherished this tree shall be
A reflection to all of My agony.”
Surprisingly, there are at least 60 species of Dogwood (Cornus) Trees, and they grow quite quickly. In Europe, Dogwood Trees were known as Whipple Trees. The origin of of the name Dogwood comes from the Scandinavian word dag meaning skewer, because the hardwood from this plant was traditionally used to make dags (daggers). Besides being used medicinally, it was used to fashion archery bows, and continues being used in woodworking today.
Dogwood flowers represent durability and ability to withstand various challenges in life. The white dogwood in particular, is symbolic of rebirth, purity and faith… Reminding us of Christ’s Holy Resurrection and the beginning of a new Life in Him.
I look for the Resurrection of the dead, and the Life of the age to come.
The end part of the Creed reminds us death is not the end.
It’s a road we’ll all travel someday, and as Christians we look forward to beyond death, the resurrection of the dead, and life with God; Whose Kingdom shall have no end.
Which of course, is part of an even greater Mystery!
Poppy in Denmark, shared by Marianne
O God, thou art my God; early will I seek thee: my soul thirsteth for thee, my flesh longeth for thee in a dry and thirsty land, where no water is; To see thy power and thy glory, so as I have seen thee in the sanctuary. Because thy lovingkindness is better than life, my lips shall praise thee. Thus will I bless thee while I live: I will lift up my hands in thy name… ~Psalm 63
A dear subscriber has shared some brilliant reflections that I’ve found helpful.
Sometimes we feel like we’re digging channels, ever waiting for the Lord to fill them. (It takes faith to do that!)
We know God is with us, but sometimes we may struggle to feel His Presence and Love, or even pray.
Yet, there is consolation!
When we carry out our “religious duties” we are like people digging channels in a waterless land, in order that when at last water comes, it may find them ready. ~ C.S. Lewis, Reflections on the Psalms
During times of spiritual dryness, faithful perseverance in prayer is the sweetest of all our prayers to God. By clinging tenaciously to Christ’s love with prayer, regardless of circumstances, we are truly blessed.
May we persevere in ploughing our personal furrows and be ready when the Lord fills them… in God’s Good Time.
Truly He is risen!
and were He not,
we should not have met
like cells of an enormous, incomprehensible fabric
our eyes are slowly opened
to the miracle which binds us together
May the Lord continue to bless us
~ by an Anonymous Friend
I initially posted this with my friend’s permission and name, but he has since requested that “anon would do nicely” and gave me this humble reason…
The words that I write
Are rarely my own
But are more seeds of light
That some Angel has sown
They take root and flower
And raising their heads
By some mystical power
They rise in their beds
And sing the praise of their Sower.
Fragrant sakura cherry blossoms congregate as pink snow drifts on church stairs.
People travel to wonder at the height of the mountains, at the huge waves of the seas, at the long course of the rivers, at the vast compass of the ocean, at the circular motion of the stars, and yet they pass by themselves without wondering. ~ St. Augustine of Hippo
Local Neighbourhood Stone Garage with Grass and Floral Roof
As powerful ocean waves smooth and polish sharp edges of rock and stone, so does the Holy Spirit with our souls. It surrounds us. It strengthens us. It refines and completes us. And… bit by bit, with less and less, we become more.
Everyone then who hears these words of mine and does them will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock. And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house, but it did not fall, because it had been founded on the rock. And everyone who hears these words of mine and does not do them will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand. And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell, and great was the fall of it. ~ Matthew 7:24-27
The Lord is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer, my God, my rock, in whom I take refuge, my shield, and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold. ~ Psalm 18:2
May your Lenten Journey be steady, peaceful, and fruitful.
