Posts Tagged ‘Great Lent’
The Cross: A Sign of Victory Rather than Defeat
High above our Church stands a cross for all passersby to see. The cross, a long-time symbol of our Christian Faith, is held high in honor of the victory that Christ accomplishes in our lives every day. “Whoever desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me.”…
Read MoreHalf-Way Evaluation
Today is the half-way point of Great Lent. You now realize the days go by quickly when you’re focusing on Christ. You also realize that Pascha will be here ‘before you know it,’ and you still have work to do. It’s time for evaluation. Let’s review what the Church has asked us to focus on…
Read MoreForty Days
All week we have been reading about Noah and Flood. Today the story comes to an end with another Promise from God. After coming to rest on top of a mountain, Noah opened the Ark. Nothing was the same except one thing. After proving his faith in God, Noah worshiped God. And in the seventh…
Read MoreWaters from Heaven
We all learn as children that water is crucial to life. Our bodies are mostly water. Without water nothing lives. We also learn from the many storms that rage that water can also bring total destruction. We should not be surprised when God uses water to save us. In the six hundredth year of Noah’s…
Read MoreDependence on God
There was an expression I heard often when I was young. “When the going gets tough, the tough get going.” I don’t hear that much anymore, but it still rings true in the life of the Church. When life gets difficult, people of faith get going to Church and God, and blessings flow. Today the…
Read MoreThe Power of Discernment
Life is a series of choices. Some choices are more benign like what shall I eat for dinner tonight. Other choices are more consequential like whom I shall marry. Every choice, big or small, requires a certain level of discernment. Make the wrong choice and life turns upside down. And now, my sons, listen to…
Read MoreThe Power of Repentance
I keep writing that Great Lent is not about following the rules, but about changing our hearts. Fasting from food is how we learn to control our desires, but it all begins with repentance. When we decide to change, then we put into action life choices that change our hearts. But the LORD of hosts,…
Read MoreDoes Your Faith Drive You?
When four men were bringing their paralyzed friend to meet Jesus, they encountered a serious obstacle. Arriving at the house Jesus was teaching in, they could not enter since the crowds had already filled the house. They couldn’t even get near Jesus with their sick friend. They might have given up if not for their…
Read MoreThe Power of Today
From the moment we become aware of our mortality our minds ‘live’ in the future. Will we have enough money to retire? How much life insurance do I need? Will I ever pay off my student loans? The preoccupation with the future means we ignore the present. The spiritual problem with ‘living in the future’…
Read MoreThe Power of Hope
Danger seems to lurk around every corner. Whether it be the recent increase in crime or the political ‘doom and gloom’ we hear on TV news, we are encouraged to live a life of fear. If we allow ourselves to be afraid, we will see a revolution in the face of every stranger. Life teaches…
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