Light of Light…

The Lord is my light and my salvation – whom then shall I fear? The Lord is the stronghold of my life – of whom shall I be afraid? ~Psalm 27:1

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

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

For God, who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,” has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. ~ 2 Corinthians 4:6 

…Light of Light, True God of True God… Excerpt from the Nicene Creed

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

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

On the way home after an evening Vigil, a rising full moon’s reflective light pierced the darkness, transforming everything into a beautiful mystery. It brought to mind the first Scripture verse I had ever memorized. A gladsome verse, that even as a young child, I’d found simply delightful. Practical. Illuminating… Thy word is a lamp for my feet, a light unto my path. ~ Psalm 119:105

The second scripture verse I ever memorized soon after was… Thy word have I hid in my heart, that I might not sin against thee. ~ Psalm 119:11

The efforts of memorizing these verses were akin to discovering and collecting hidden treasure, something precious to carry within, the rest of my life.

Angelic Pearls

Feature photo from yesterday’s beautiful Feast of the Nativity of the Theotokos (September 21/8). Such a Light and Happy Celebration! Even the bright church flowers seem to point joyfully to the Altar’s Angel Doors.

Liturgically, everything’s connected, and I love how the day after the Nativity of the Virgin Mary, we also remember her parents, Sts. Joachim and Anna (September 22/9). St. Anna (Ann or Anne, from Hebrew Hannah – meaning favour or grace) is descended from the lineage of King David, and the mother of the Virgin Mary, and grandmother of Jesus Christ. 

Congratulations on your Saint’s Day today, goddaughter Anna! God grant you many years!

So many blessings! Each church also has its own Guardian Angel that always remains in the Altar. After a service, when the candles are snuffed and the congregation has left for home… if one sits quietly with their physical eyes closed, the eyes of the soul may catch a glimpse of comprehension – regarding that profound, peaceful silence steeped in holiness.

And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. ~ Philippians 4: 7

After the Divine Liturgy we should linger in church as long as we can. For the Angels. …If we are interrupted while speaking, we must not continue. It means that what we were about to say should not be heard. The Angels do this. …Talk with your Guardian Angel all the time, about everything. Especially when you are in trouble and when you cannot get along with other people. He always helps. … In my evening prayer I tell my Angel: “Take my soul this evening too and place her by the feet of Christ, to be perfected all night through, so that I may find her improved in the morning!” ~ Gerontissa Gavrilia

Memory Eternal Grandma Faith!

With love in Christ.

The Divine Mystery in Things

Image by RÜŞTÜ BOZKUŞ from Pixabay

Love all creation, the whole of it and every grain of sand within it. Love every leaf, every ray of God’s light. Love the animals, love the plants, love everything. If you love everything, you will perceive the divine mystery in things.~ Starets Zosima (Fyodor Dostoevsky’s The Brothers Karamazov)

I will lift up mine eyes unto the hills, from whence cometh my help. My help cometh from the Lord, which made heaven and earth. ~ Psalm 121:1-2

Remember-izing Psalm 121 Post

When Snowed Under…

Read Psalm 91!

(Also known as Psalm 90 in some translations)

He that dwelleth in the help of the Most High shall abide in the shelter of the God of heaven. He shall say unto the Lord: Thou art my helper and my refuge. He is my God, and I will hope in him. For he shall deliver thee from the snare of the hunters and from every troubling word. With his shoulders shall he overshadow thee, and under his wings shalt thou have hope. With a shield will his truth encompass thee; thou shalt not be afraid for the terror by night, nor for the arrow that flieth by day. Nor for the thing that walketh in darkness, nor for the mishap and demon of noonday. A thousand shall fall at thy side, and ten thousand at thy right hand, but unto thee shall it not come nigh. Only with thine eyes shalt thou behold, and thou shalt see the rewards of sinners. For Thou, O Lord, art my hope. Thou madest the Most High thy refuge; No evils shall come nigh unto thee, and no scourge shall draw nigh unto thy dwelling. For he shall give his angels charge over thee, to keep thee in all thy ways. On their hands shall they bear thee up, lest at any time thou dash thy foot against a stone. Upon the asp and basilisk shalt thou tread, and thou shalt trample upon the lion and dragon. For he hath set his hope on me, and I will deliver him; I will shelter him because he hath known my name. He shall cry unto me, and I will hearken unto him. I am with him in affliction, and I will rescue him and glorify him. With length of days will I satisfy him, and I will show him my salvation.

Thanks for reminding us of this wonderful Psalm, Vera!

Wrapped in Light

Inspiring local sunset accompanied with a natural quartet of peaceful, lapping waves, tangy seabreezes, soft rustling cliff grasses, and the yodeling of gulls flying home to roost for the night.

Bless the Lord, O my soul. O Lord my God, thou art very great; thou art clothed with honour and majesty. Who coverest thyself with light as with a garment: who stretchest out the heavens like a curtain: Who layeth the beams of his chambers in the waters: who maketh the clouds his chariot: who walketh upon the wings of the wind: Who maketh his angels spirits; his ministers a flaming fire: Who laid the foundations of the earth, that it should not be removed for ever. Thou coverest it with the deep as with a garment: the waters stood above the mountains. ~ Psalm 104:1-6

The word inspire comes from Middle English enspire, derived from the Latin inspirare, which means to breathe or blow breath into. Inspire was originally used in the sense of divinity imparting a truth or idea to someone.

Watching the sunset above inspired my soul with a few recollective breaths of memory verse, from Psalm 104.

Concerning Bubbles

Bubbulsh: A toddler’s pronunciation of Bubbles.

Bubbles: A short-lived, transient phenomenon, as seen in feature photo.

Bubbles during these times: A small group of people with whom one solely has close social or physical contact. Bubbles are now “exclusive” in the sense of once we’re in one, we can’t form new bubbles.

Before COVID, we already existed in family, school, work, worship, or recreational bubbles… of all shapes and sizes, and for various lengths of time. Some bubbles were comfortable, others not so much.

One of my first experiences of a Daily Bubble was the Kitchen Table Bubble… grumpily eating breakfast cereal with another sibling before school. The way the teaspoon would annoyingly clank against their metal dental braces… or the way they would just breathe at me across the table. Not a morning person, I unknowingly made the Kitchen Table Bubble, unpleasant for everyone… including myself.

My first recollection of a Restrictive Bubble was the Blizzard Bubble… when my kid brother and I were snow-bound at our grandma’s. It felt like a month, but was only a couple of weeks. A no-nonsense, pious woman, her unique approach in resolving cabin-fever-fueled sibling scraps was by encouraging us with contests to memorize Psalms. The mercenary winner could receive anything from a penny to a nickel, depending on the accuracy of the recitation. With delusions of wealth and riches, my brother and I ended up with a combined total 27 cents, although we can still recite by heart most of what we learned – and that’s actually priceless!

Unfortunately, in between the Psalms, we also discovered how to use a Bible Concordance, learning how to creatively admonish one another using scriptural quotes, in childlike ways… and out of context.

Him (justifying a slushball to my mouth): “Leviticus 19:17.” (“Thou shalt not hate thy brother in thine heart.”)

Me (refusing to pass the pancake syrup): “Proverbs 25:16.” (Hast thou found honey? eat so much as is sufficient for thee, lest thou be filled therewith, and vomit it.”); Then, graciously passing said syrup: “Proverbs 25:21 -22.” (“If thine enemy be hungry, give him bread to eat; and if he be thirsty, give him water to drink: For thou shalt heap coals of fire upon his head, and the LORD shall reward thee.”)

Him (besting me): “Proverbs 25: 24” (“It is better to dwell in the corner of the housetop, than with a brawling woman and in a wide house.”)

I could go on, but you get the picture.

During this past year, the initial new household restrictions sometimes bestowed joy and blessings. Families who could make it positive, spent extra quality time together… such as playing board games, or doing communal projects and hobbies.

Many acquired new skills! Some examples shared with me are friends and family who have taken up new crafts like knitting, painting, baking, and learning how to sing Somewhere Over the Rainbow in Klingon, on a ukulele.

Sometimes when we’re stuck inside a bubble for quite awhile, it feels like we’re going to pop.

When we forget to look up, we miss the light that make our temporary bubbles beautiful and iridescent… our small spheres become distressingly dull and nitpicky. Loved ones’ Foibles may seem to have duly earned the right to be spelled with a “capital F”.

Husband: “Did you know you always sniff once upon entering any room?”

Wife: “Did you know you always take three bites at a time when eating corn on the cob?”

I could go on, but you get the picture.

A wonderful passage which can be applied to anything, particularly Concerning Bubbles, is Colossians 3:12-16.

Therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, put on tender mercies, kindness, humility, meekness, longsuffering; bearing with one another, and forgiving one another, if anyone has a complaint against another; even as Christ forgave you, so you also must do. But above all these things put on love, which is the bond of perfection. And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to which also you were called in one body; and be thankful. Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom, teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord.

We may miss the opportunity of being with more family. We may miss our friends, and coming together to worship. This is good.

But, if not careful, it can become a downer if we let it. Sometimes we do. Forgiveness and love are the keys to Bubble Tranquility. Bubbles became what we make them… ranging from the ordinary to the extraordinary.

A dear, wise, priest rightly encourages us to remember, “This is just for now.”

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