Jesus Christ – Page 6

We are God’s Handiwork

The Passion Flower is sometimes used to illustrate the Crucifixion of Jesus Christ. The circular inner centre of the passion flower represents the crown of thorns. The five yellow prongs symbolize the five wounds Christ suffered on the cross. The purple “Y” represents the three spikes used to nail Christ to the cross. The outer circle of darker markings in the center of the flower represents the halo around Christ’s head.

Let us grow and thrive where planted!

For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them. ~ Ephesians 2:10

When you walk in a forest, garden, or meadow, and see the young shoots of the plants, the fruits on the trees, and the variety of the flowers of the field, learn a lesson from God’s plants – namely, the lesson that every tree each summer unfailingly puts forth at least one shoot of considerable size, and unfailingly grows in height and dimensions. It seems as though every tree endeavours each year to advance by the strength that God has given it; therefore, say to yourself, I, too, must each day, each year, absolutely grow higher and higher morally, better and better, more and more perfect; must advance on the road to the Kingdom of Heaven, or to the Father which is in Heaven, through the strength of our Lord Jesus Christ and His Spirit dwelling and working within me. As the field is adorned by a multitude of flowers, so should the field of my own soul be adorned by all the flowers of virtue; as the trees bring forth flowers and afterwards fruit, so must my soul bring forth the fruits of faith and good works. ~ St. John of Kronstadt; My Life in Christ

I Believe

A bouquet from Pentecost, with Peony… whose old English name was Pentecost Rose.

I believe in one God, the Father Almighty, Maker of heaven and earth, and of all things visible and invisible. And in one Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of God, the only-begotten, begotten of the Father before all ages. Light of Light; true God of true God; begotten, not made; of one essence with the Father, by whom all things were made; who for us men and for our salvation came down from heaven, and was incarnate of the Holy Spirit and the Virgin Mary, and became man. And He was crucified for us under Pontius Pilate, and suffered, and was buried. And the third day He rose again, according to the Scriptures; and ascended into heaven, and sitteth at the right hand of the Father; and He shall come again with glory to judge the living and the dead; whose Kingdom shall have no end. And in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the Giver of Life, who proceedeth from the Father; who with the Father and the Son together is worshipped and glorified; who spoke by the prophets. In one Holy, Catholic, and Apostolic Church. I acknowledge one baptism for the remission of sins. I look for the resurrection of the dead, and the life of the world to come. Amen.

The Nicene-Constantinopolitan Creed was formally drawn up at the First Ecumenical Council in Nicea (325 AD) and at the Second Ecumenical Council in Constantinople (381 AD).

Mid-Pentecost

Christ is Risen!

Today is the 25th day after Pascha, and we are midpoint in our journey to the upcoming Great Feast of Pentecost.

The Mid-Pentecost Icon above, illustrates the Gospel account of our Lord, Who at the age of twelve, taught and spoke with the Elders in the Temple of Jerusalem.

Today’s Troparion hymn, alludes to another Gospel encounter of Jesus Christ with the Samaritan Woman at the Well.

At MidFeast, give Thou my thirsty soul to drink of the waters of piety; for Thou, O Saviour, didst cry out to all: Whosoever is thirsty, let him come to Me and drink. Wherefore, O Well-spring of Life, Christ our God, glory to Thee. ~ Troparion of Mid-Pentecost

Our Lord God and Saviour, Jesus Christ, is the Well-spring of our life.

He invites all thirsty souls to come to Him and drink from the waters of immortality; never to thirst again. (St. John 7:37).

Truly He is Risen!

Sunday of the Holy Myrrhbearers

Memory Eternal, Joanna.

Christ is Risen!

…The myrrh bearing women at the break of dawn, drew near to the tomb of the Giver of Life. There they found an angel seated upon the stone, and he greeted them with these words: “Why do ye seek the Living among the dead? Why mourn ye the Incorrupt amid corruption? Go: proclaim the glad tidings to His disciples.” This is the day which the Lord hath made! Let us rejoice and be glad therein. Pascha of beauty! The Pascha of the Lord! A Pascha worthy of all honour hath dawned for us. Pascha! Pascha, ransom from affliction! For today, as from a bridal chamber, Christ hath shone forth from the tomb, and filled the women with joy, saying “Proclaim the glad tidings to the apostles.” ~ Excerpt from the Aposticha Paschal Stichera; Let God Arise

The third Sunday of Holy Pascha is designated as the Sunday of the Holy Myrrhbearers. These courageous and steadfast women disciples of the Lord followed Jesus Christ throughout His ministry… providing and caring for Him and His followers (St. Mark 15:41). They remained faithful to Him during the dangerous times of His arrest, crucifixion, and burial. On account of the preparation for the Sabbath, the initial burial preparations were incomplete and brief. As soon as the Sabbath passed, the women speedily returned, bringing precious myrrh and ointment to anoint His body. It was still dark and very early in the morning, when they arrived at the tomb. Christ’s Resurrection was revealed by an angel, and they were given the honour to announce the glad tidings to the apostles. Because of this, the Myrrhbearing Women, especially St. Mary Magdalene, are sometimes referred to as Equal to the Apostles.

The Holy Myrrhbearers represent all that is good in our Christian faith. They are the spiritual-embodiment of Faith, Hope and Love.

Truly He is Risen!

IC XC NIKA

IC XC ~ Jesus Christ (Abbreviated Greek for Jesus Christ. The lines above the letters indicate the words are abbreviated)

NIKA ~ Conquers

IC XC and NIKA (Greek) refer to Jesus Christ’s conquest of Hades and His victory over death and sin by His glorious Resurrection. IC XC and NIKA is stamped on Prosphora.

It’s a pious custom to keep holy bread and holy water in one’s icon corner. These are consumed upon breaking the previous night’s fast, along with morning prayers.

O Lord my God, may Thy holy gift and Thy Holy Water be unto forgiveness of my sins, unto enlightenment of my mind, unto strengthening of my spiritual and bodily powers, unto health of my soul and body, unto vanquishing of my passions and weaknesses, by Thy boundless merciful kindness, through the prayers of Thy Most-pure Mother and all Thy Saints. Amen. ~ Russian Orthodox Cathedral of St John the Baptist

The Runners

They were runners together in tandem
A perfect relay of mind and heart
Striving together towards a finish
Which each crosses separately
And we were the bystanders
Cheering them on.

They were upholding each other
Carrying each other toward the end
And we were the bystanders
Cheering them on
With bursting hearts.

Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God. ~ Hebrews 12: 1-2

Threshold

Today’s 28 Layer Blini Crepe Cake contained… almost zero calories?

Tomorrow’s appeasement-chickpeas are placidly soaking.

Bon Voyage! Wishing you a blessed and fruitful Great Lent!

Behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the season of repentance. Let us cast off the works of darkness and put on the armour of light, that having sailed across the great sea of the Fast, we may reach the third-day Resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Saviour of our souls. ~ Aposticha Sunday Night Forgiveness Vespers

Besides this you know the time, that the hour has come for you to wake from sleep. For salvation is nearer to us now than when we first believed. The night is far gone; the day is at hand. So then let us cast off the works of darkness and put on the armour of light. ~ Romans 13: 11-14

Forgive Me

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

Wherever They Are

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.

Beasts of the Earth

It’s been a blessing to have had various pets throughout my life, and at times I still miss them.

Besides providing unconditional love, support and comfort… they help people live longer. (Or it can seem longer, with a tone-deaf cockatiel.)

All creatures great and small, carry the Divine Spark within, thereby enriching our lives because they can love.

Although animals or birds can’t speak as we do, they do nonetheless, praise God in their own way.

The beasts of the earth are unpretentious. They have no agenda. They are not ambitious, and live fully in the moment.

If we let them, they will teach us so many beautiful things.

The humble man approaches ravening beasts, and when their gaze rests upon him, their wildness is tamed. They come up to him as to their Master, wag their heads and tails, and lick his hands and feet, for they smell coming from him that same scent that exhaled from Adam before the fall, when they were gathered together before him and he gave them names in Paradise. This was taken away from us, but Jesus has renewed it, and given it back to us through His Coming. This it is which has sweetened the fragrance of the race of men. ~ Isaac the Syrian