2026 Daily Lenten Journey Day 6

Our First Rest Stop

Today is the first Saturday of Great Lent, and the first day of ‘rest’ from the fast. That’s right. The fast is ‘eased’ today and tomorrow. Depending upon the strictness of your fasting, Saturday and Sunday are ‘days off’ or at least easier days of fasting.

I love road trips and every long-distance driver knows the joy of that sought-after rest stop. My car even has a timer that suggests ‘take a coffee break’ every three hours. Every journey needs a break every now and then. Today is our first break. It also commemorates a miracle of God.

On the first Saturday of Great Lent the Church remembers the Miracle of the Kolyva through the Great Martyr Theodore the Recruit. This is why the Gospel reading today refers to wheat. The miracle isn’t my focus today. I want to focus on rest because it is Saturday. Here’s the readings.

Timothy, my son, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus, and what you have heard from me before many witnesses entrust to faithful men who will be able to teach others also. Share in suffering as a good soldier of Christ Jesus. No soldier on service gets entangled in civilian pursuits, since his aim is to satisfy the one who enlisted him. An athlete is not crowned unless he competes according to the rules. It is the hardworking farmer who ought to have the first share of the crops. Think over what I say, for the Lord will grant you understanding in everything. Remember Jesus Christ, risen from the dead, descended from David, as preached in my gospel, the gospel for which I am suffering and wearing fetters like a criminal. But the word of God is not fettered. Therefore I endure everything for the sake of the elect, that they also may obtain salvation in Christ Jesus with its eternal glory. 2^nd Timothy 2.1-10

At that time, Jesus was going through the grainfields; and as they made their way his disciples began to pluck heads of grain.  And the Pharisees said to him, “Look, why are they doing what is not lawful on the sabbath?”  And he said to them, “Have you never read what David did, when he was in need and was hungry, he and those who were with him: how he entered the house of God, when Abiathar was high priest, and ate the bread of the Presence, which it is not lawful for any but the priests to eat, and also gave it to those who were with him?”  And he said to them, “The sabbath was made for man, not man for the sabbath; so the Son of man is lord even of the sabbath.” Again he entered the synagogue, and a man was there who had a withered hand.  And they watched him, to see whether he would heal him on the sabbath, so that they might accuse him.  And he said to the man who had the withered hand, “Come here.”  And he said to them, “Is it lawful on the sabbath to do good or to do harm, to save life or to kill?”  But they were silent.  And he looked around at them with anger, grieved at their hardness of heart, and said to the man, “Stretch it out,” and his hand was restored. Mark 2.23-3.5

As a little boy our family vacations often included long road trips. My mother would pack up to cooler with lunch supplies for the road, and off we would go. I think I enjoyed those rest stops just as much as our destinations. We would run and play then move on to the next stop.

For me that is what today represents. We’re still on our journey, but we have a break. We ease the fast. We don’t do prostrations. We celebrate full liturgies. Even the colors and lights inside the Church change today. Everything indicates ‘take a break’ so we can move on.

Without rest our bodies and minds would never succeed for the entire Great Lenten Journey. Today I invite you to ‘get your strength’ and rest up for the next leg of our journey. It is also a good time to take inventory for the trip.

When my family stopped on the highway, my mother would take out the map and make sure we were on the right path. My parents could adjust our route if needed. I suggest you do the same today. Take a moment and evaluate the past week. What worked. What didn’t work.

Make adjustments with your spiritual father if your prayer and fasting didn’t meet your expectations. Maybe you tried too hard. Maybe you didn’t try hard enough. Now is the time, before you get ‘off track’ to adjust the plan. Monday will come and we’ll be back on our journey.

I pray this first week of our 2026 Daily Lenten Journey has been a blessing for you. I pray my reflections and personal experiences serve to assist you rather than distract you. Have a blessed Lent.