Better Late than Never

Normally you receive our Daily Lenten Journey early in the morning, but the past couple days have been a bit hectic. We were not prepared to send our daily post this morning, but as they say better late then never! Here is today’s post, and it IS better late than never to start you Great Lenten Journey, even if tomorrow is the last day of Great Lent.

Great Lent ends tomorrow and if you haven’t started to fast, you can always start tomorrow. Don’t let another day go pass without making an effort in your spiritual journey. You’ll never complete a journey you don’t begin. Consider today’s reading below. Israel was willing to begin his journey and he was blessed by God. If you do not begin your Great Lenten Journey, you will not harvest the spiritual fruit promised by God.

For weeks we have heard about the spiritual fruit of fasting, prayer, helping the poor, confession, attending Church services, and reading the Holy Scriptures. On Pascha we will hear Saint John Chrysostom invite, “Those who came at the eleventh hour,” to enjoy the Feast of Pascha, but he never said we should actually wait until the eleventh hour. So think of today as 10:15, and you’ll be that much ahead. It is better late than never.

So Israel took his journey with all that he had, and came to Beersheba, and offered sacrifices to the God of his father Isaac. And God spoke to Israel in visions of the night, and said, “Jacob, Jacob.” And he said, “Here am I.” Then he said, “I am God, the God of your father; do not be afraid to go down to Egypt; for I will there make of you a great nation. I will go down with you to Egypt, and I will also bring you up again; and Joseph’s hand shall close your eyes.” Then Jacob set out from Beersheba; and the sons of Israel carried Jacob their father, their little ones, and their wives, in the wagons which Pharaoh had sent to carry him. They also took their cattle and their goods, which they had gained in the land of Canaan, and came into Egypt, Jacob and all his offspring with him, his sons, and his sons’ sons with him, his daughters, and his sons’ daughters; all his offspring he brought with him into Egypt. – Genesis 46.1-7