“Seeing her own Lamb being led to the slaughter, Mary was worn out, and she followed Him with the other women, and cried, "Where are You going, Child? Why are You going so fast? Maybe there is another wedding in Cana, and You are hurrying now to make wine out of water for them? Shall I come with You, Child, and stay with You? Give me a word, O Word, who preserved my purity. Please do not pass by me in silence. You are my Son and my God."

- Hymn from Orthros of Holy Friday (Holy Thursday Evening)

Reflection: 

We see the love of a mother wishing to co-suffer with her son, to be there with him. As one can imagine, she would want to take His place. And yet she knows He must do this for the salvation of all humanity and all creation.

The witness of the Theotokos here at the Cross was the sword piercing her soul(1), and yet she endured this unthinkable situation with confidence in God - through her close relationship to Christ.   

The Theotokos standing at the foot of the Cross with John the Apostle, the anguish she felt, and all that she went through, adds to why she is such a great intercessor for us.  First it is her relationship to Christ, as His mother, we see their exchange in Cana, and her intercessory role there…. and the second time we see direct interaction, is here at the Cross.  

The Ever-Virgin Mary suffered greatly, experiencing the unthinkable… and did with confidence in God - through her close relationship to Christ. 

We too, see these events in Christ’s life through the joyful lens of the resurrection - through our relationship with Christ. 

So as we witnessed last night and today, the Crucifixion, death, and burial of our Lord, it sobers us as we realize what God endured and suffered for our sake. We are at the same time beginning to feel the spark of joy within us…since tonight the hymnology begins to turn Resurrectional. 

So our mourning for Christ’s death is tempered with certainty, our sorrow with joy, and our sadness with hope. 

  May we be strengthened by the intercessions of the Theotokos, so that we may follow her example, and face extremely difficult situations with hope and peace, and imitate Christ’s sacrificial Divine love toward others.  Amen. 

Resources:

1) Luke Chapter 2

“As the sinful woman was offering myrrh, the disciple was scheming with lawless men. She rejoiced in pouring out her precious gift; he hastened to sell the precious One… She was set free, but Judas was enslaved by the enemy. How terrible his indolence! How great her repentance! O Savior who suffered for our sakes, grant us her repentance and save us.” 

- Hymn from the Orthros of Holy Wednesday (Holy Tuesday Night) 

Reflection: 

This hymn reminds us how even those close to the Lord can fall away, while those who were initially distant, through repentance can become even closer to Christ.(1)

As we draw closer to Christ's Passion we are called to remain vigilant making sure that we are not prideful nor content with our Faith - instead asking God for guidance and His mercy to continually grow closer to Him. 

Let us pray for humility and strength, as we join Christ during His Passion, so that we may be ready to venerate His Cross and Glorify His Resurrection.

Resources:

1) Matthew 26:6-16

“Build up the temple of God, not only within ourselves, but also in our neighbors, and thus we fulfill the purpose for which God brought us into this life.”  

- Archimandrite Zacharias, The Engraving of Christ in Man’s Heart, pg 18.

Reflection: 

“Do you not know that you are the temple of God and that the Spirit of God dwells in you?”(1)

We are created in God’s image, and when we unite ourselves to Christ through Holy Baptism and Chrismation, we are sealed with the Grace of the Holy Spirit.  

The seed of the Holy Spirit is placed in our hearts, with the full potential to grow, if we choose to live close to Christ in our lives. 

The more we depend on God, pray, attend Church, participate in the sacraments, read Scripture, and invite Christ into each moment of our day - we build up the temple of God within ourselves. 

We build up the temple of God in others when we listen to St Paul’s words:

“If a person is overtaken in any trespass, you who are spiritual restore such a one in a spirit of gentleness, considering yourself lest you also be tempted. Bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ.”(2)

In these final days of Great and Holy Lent and Holy Week, let us build up the temple of God both within us and in our neighbors so that we may approach our Lord’s Passion, Cross, and Resurrection with love and humility.  

Resources:

1) 1 Corinthians 3:16

2) Galatians 6:1-3

“Love, by its nature, is a resemblance to God, insofar as this is humanly possible. Its distinctive character is to be a fountain of faith, an abyss of long-suffering patience, a sea of humility.” 

- St John Climacus, 30 Steps to Heaven, pg 239. 

Reflection: 

When we are loving toward others, we begin to resemble God, we bring to the forefront the image of God that we are created in(1). People begin to see God through our love: which shows itself in our sacrifice, long-suffering patience, humility, and a faithful relationship with God. 

Only if we love others and love God can we truly become patient, as St Paul describes. We often read “love is patient” but the word St Paul used was that love μακροθιμεἰ.(2)  Love is long-suffering/enduring.  St Paul, and many hymns, use the same word to describe Christ’s suffering and sacrifice on the Cross. 

In order to be Christ-like, showing the image of God within us, we must have humility, long-suffering patience, and a trusting relationship with God. Christ shows us this by His example on the Cross, and instructs us to do the same: 

“A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; as I have loved you, that you also love one another. By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another”(3)   

“‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.”(4)

As we are about to witness the love of God through the long-suffering and sacrifice of our Lord and God and Savior Jesus Christ next week, let us build one another up, always giving our time and talents with long-suffering patience to strengthen one another, while fortifying our relationship with God. Our lives will be changed forever.  

Resources:

1) Genesis 1:26

2) St Paul uses the word "makrothimia" - long-suffering patience -  in these passages and more: Romans 2:4, Romans 9:22, 1 Corinthians 13:4, 2 Corinthians 6:6, Galatians 5:22, Ephesians 4:2

3) John 13:34

4) Matthew 22:37

“Vainglory induces pride in those who are favored and resentment in those who are slighted.”   

- St John Climacus, 30 Steps to Heaven, pg 167. 

Reflection: 

When we are praised, do we become full of ourselves? When we are criticized, are we hurt to the point of anger or sadness?  

Both extreme reactions reveal some level of pride (vainglory) that we have deep within our hearts. If we were are humble, neither praise nor criticism would result in a large reaction from us. 

When we realize we are reacting in this way, we can address this by prayer and asking for humility, seeking God in prayer, scripture, in the services of the Church, and in the sacraments Christ has given us.  

Filling our life with our best effort to be close to God is the only way we can begin to decrease our pride. 

We cannot simply avoid pride, we must push it out with humility and love.(1)  

Resources: 
1) Matthew 5:4-6 

“Love has no boundary, and both in the present life and the future age we will never cease to progress in it, as we add light to light.” 

- St John Climacus 30 Steps to Heaven, pg 246. 

 

Reflection: 

Our love for God is what strengthens our Faith in God. The more we love God and neighbor, it is like adding light to light; there is no end to love. 

“God is love, and he who abides in love abides in God, and God in him.”(1) Which means love is infinite, we will never reach the end of it.  We will continuously grow in our relationship with God. 

Our love for God guides our every decision and keeps us grounded with our behavior with others.  

How do we increase our love for God?   Think about people you love dearly…don't we think about them often?  Go out of our way to show that we are thinking of them?  Try to be there for them?  Spend time with them? Make time in our busy schedules for them?  

If we do all of these things for people we love, how much more should we do for God who created us and loves us, to the point of becoming human and dying on the Cross for us? 

Let us increase our love for God so that He may abide in us and us in Him, so that we may add light to light in our lives and experience everlasting joy. 

Resources: 

1) 1 John 4

“Our society teaches us an aggressive autonomy, a self-serving logic of our time which is a dead-end both socially and personally.”

- Archimandrite Zacharias, The Hidden Man of the Heart, pg 180.

Reflection:

Do you ever notice when you do something that benefits only you, the reward is short-lived?  But for some reason, when we give and sacrifice for others, the rewards are many and long lasting.

The way of Christ and His presence in the world overturns human standards and values.(1) He shows us that giving and sacrifice is the kind of love we are created to express. 

In a society and world where we are often out for ourselves, Christ our God reminds us that we are created and designed for love: loving both God and neighbor.(2)  We are designed for community. 

The way of Christ, His Gospel, can heal our self-centeredness and pride.(3) While we may not suffer physical crucifixion for our Faith, we do sometimes ‘crucify’ our minds.  In other words, we sacrifice our ego, our selfishness, in order to love God and others. 

To begin to ‘crucify’ our mind is to overcome the desire to exercise authority over anyone, and instead be ready to serve others.

Let us pray for the strength and wisdom to crucify our ego, so that we may express our love for God and neighbor through giving and sacrifice.  This is what brings people together, and shows us our purpose in God’s will.

Resources:

1) Archimandrite Zacharias, The Hidden Man of the Heart, pg 177

2) Luke 10:26-28 ‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your strength, and with all your mind,’ and ‘your neighbor as yourself.’

3) Archimandrite Zacharias, The Hidden Man of the Heart, pg 180

“When you are in meetings or councils, bring to mind the Lord’s advice on this subject in the Gospels. Do not try to appear superior to others when you speak. Practice any virtues you have in secret, looking only to God and seen only by Him.”

- St Gregory Palamas, pg 76. 

Reflection: 

When we think we have the best answer, is it difficult for us to speak about it in a humble manner? Or if we do something good, to not seek praise for it?  Lent helps us remember that our good deeds and God-given skills are to be done in a humble, loving way.(1)

Christ Himself teaches us, when we do good deeds, speak, pray, fast, not to parade ourselves in front of others.  But to do these things in secret:

“Take heed that you do not do your charitable deeds before men, to be seen by them. Otherwise you have no reward from your Father in heaven. Therefore, when you do a charitable deed, do not sound a trumpet before you as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may have glory from men.

Assuredly, I say to you, they have their reward. But when you do a charitable deed, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, that your charitable deed may be in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will Himself reward you openly.”(2)

If we seek praise of other people for doing good things, then we are only doing those things selfishly for ourselves.  Christ tells us how to avoid being prideful so that any good thing we do (giving, prayer, making right choices) is actually done in love for God, and love for neighbor.

Resources:

1) St Paul, "Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I have become sounding brass or a clanging cymbal. And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, but have not love, it profits me nothing. 1 Corinthians 13 2) Matthew 6:1-6

“Silence when exercised with awareness and discernment is the mother of prayer, custodian of zeal for God,

a guard on our thoughts...a friend of tears,

a companion of stillness, a growth of knowledge, a hand to shape contemplation, hidden progress, the mystical journey upward.” 

- St John Climacus, Thirty Steps to Heaven, pg 94.

Reflection:

Have we ever regretted saying too much?  

Silence as a response is humility and closeness with God. It is the foundation of so many virtues, while excessive or careless speaking leads to so many mistakes.   

St James reminds us, “let every person be swift to hear, slow to speak.”(1) Christ Himself was silent when being falsely accused by Pilate.(2) How often do we follow His example, responding only when needed and calmly in wisdom?

“The person who recognizes their sin has taken control of their tongue, while the chatterer has yet to discover himself/herself as they should.”(3)

In other words, the more we quiet our minds and listen, the easier we will hear God and come to know Him. In this way we also come to know ourselves, and foster personal growth when we ask for God’s help.   

“Be still and know that I am God”(4) This is one recipe for prayer, to be silent, still, and undistracted and reach out to God. 

Let us schedule time with God in silence, once a day, so that we may see ourselves for who we really are and have the opportunity to mature, while growing closer to Christ.

From our relationship with God we draw the strength to be ‘swift to listen, and slow to speak’ when situations arise around us.

Resources:

1) James 1:19

2) Matthew 27 

3) St John Climacus, Thirty Steps to Heaven, pg 97.

4) Psalm 46:10

“Forgetting what is behind and reaching forward to what is ahead. I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.”

-  Saint Paul, Philippians 3:13-14.

Reflection: 

Saint Paul describes repentance, knowing that once God has removed our past burdens from our hearts through Holy Confession, we press onward to the Kingdom of Heaven with joy, hope, and love. 

When we repent, our life acquires an attitude of expectation, and not of despair.(1) If we want to solve what is going on around us, we must address what is weighing on our hearts internally first. 

Repentance and confession become a personal celebration of what God has already done for us in Christ. It is not a bargaining for forgiveness nor is it motivated by punishment; the focus is reuniting with God in His love, being freed from our burdens having changed our mindset and giving it all to God.(2) 

Christ died for us and He loves us more than we can imagine. We must turn to Him in repentance, genuine change of heart, through the sacrament He has given us: Holy Confession.  

Confession seals one’s change of direction from individualism to communion; from pride to love of God and neighbor. The bond of union between God and us becomes closer than it was before, each time we repent and confess.(3)

Let us dig deep and offer our mistakes, burdens, and our will to change fully unto God, so that we may press onward in peace and joy, opening ourselves to God's will in our lives - reaching our fullest potential.

Resources:

1) Fr. Dn. John Chryssagis, Soul Mending, pg 32.

2) Fr. Dn. John Chryssagis, Soul Mending, pg 32.

3) Fr. Dn. John Chryssagis, Soul Mending, pg 27.

“Now Mary arose immediately and went into the hill country with haste, to a city of Judah, and entered the house of Zacharias and greeted Elizabeth. And it happened, when Elizabeth heard the greeting of Mary, that the babe leaped in her womb; and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit.”

- Luke 1:39-41

Reflection: 

Immediately after the event of the Annunciation, why did the Theotokos and Ever-Virgin Mary go  with “haste” to greet Elizabeth? (Nazareth to Judah an 80 mile journey)

She ran towards Elizabeth with eagerness and humility, in other words, she didn’t expect Elizabeth to run to her. When Mary greets her first, giving Elizabeth respect as a superior - even though she is the Mother of God, and Elizabeth was carrying God’s Prophet and Forerunner.(1)

There are two encounters when Mary greets Elizabeth: one between Mary and Elizabeth, and the other between Christ and John the Baptist.(2)

Mary runs to greet Elizabeth, and in essence Christ hastens to greet His forerunner - not simply greet him, but to fill John with the Holy Spirit, as “Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit”.(3)

Notice here the humility of both the Theotokos, not expecting others to come to her because of her role as Mother of God, and the extreme humility of Christ our God as an embryo, hastening to greet and bestow His forerunner with the Holy Spirit.(4)

The woman saw woman, the child saw child.  The women exchanged words, the children communicated silently by the Holy Spirit.(5) 

Let us rejoice with the Theotokos at the announcement of our salvation, and follow her example of humility. No matter what role we have in life or when any good thing that happens to us, we do not seek to be praised, but rather, continue to serve others.

Resources:

1) Rev Fr Maximos Constas, “Mary Greeted Elizabeth” Witnessing Christ in the World Today, pg 4.

2) Rev Fr Maximos Constas, “Mary Greeted Elizabeth” Witnessing Christ in the World Today, pg 4.

3) Rev Fr Maximos Constas, “Mary Greeted Elizabeth” Witnessing Christ in the World Today, pg 4.

4) Fulfilling this prophecy of the angel for John the Baptist: “He (i.e., John) will be great before the Lord, and he shall drink no wine nor strong drink, and he will be filled with the Holy Spirit, even from his mother’s womb” (Lk 1:15).

5) Rev Fr Maximos Constas, “Mary Greeted Elizabeth” Witnessing Christ in the World Today, pg 4.

“One person’s medicine can be another person’s poison, and something can be a medicine to the same person at one time and a poison at another.” 

- St John Climacus, Thirty Steps to Heaven, pg 201. 

Reflection: 

While this applies to spiritual guidance (the amount of prescribed prayer and fasting), it also applies to when and how we help one another.(1)

There is no ‘one size fits all’ in terms of how to be present for another person.  Each person is unique and their needs are different. The advice that helped a person one time may not help them a second time. 

The best gift we can give someone is the gift of our time, our presence, our focus and attention, our listening ear. Then we are showing them their extremely high value as a child of God.

Let us pray to Christ to enlighten us each time we find ourselves in the position to help someone, so that we do what is truly best and act according to God’s will, not our own, in their lives.

Resources:

1) John 13:34-35 “A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.”

“Simplicity is holy humility, that is, absolute trust in Christ, when we give our whole life to Christ."

- St Porphyrios, Wounded by Love Pg 117 

Reflection:

Seek the Lord in simplicity of heart.(1) Life can be complicated; so many unknowns, surprises, and decisions.  Christ is the one Who can help take the pressure off(2), with Christ guiding us we can peacefully approach everything with clarity. 

To live with simplicity in our heart is to, as we pray every Divine Liturgy, “commend our whole life to Christ our God.”(3)

To live simply does not necessarily mean that we give up all the things that we have, but rather, with all that we have we trust God completely to guide us.  To have the humility to know that without Him, nothing we have or are would be possible. 

We must turn to Him in prayer in everything we do; every decision we make by beginning to pray without calculations, without ulterior motives, but openly sharing in your thoughts, struggles, and joys with God.

What helps makes life simple absolute trust in God and knowing that the things we decide either bring us closer to God and our neighbors, or further away. 

Let us fully engage in the life of our Faith: liturgical, sacramental, and personal prayer so that our whole life may be grounded in and moving closer toward Christ.

Resources:

1) Wisdom of Solomon 1:1-2

2) Matthew 11:28-30

3) Divine Liturgy of St John Chrysostom

“Humility alone is capable of seeing the truth, of enabling us to see ourselves as we really are.” 

- Vassilios Papavassiliou,Thirty Steps to Heaven, pg 45

Reflection:

When we are humble, we compare ourselves not to others, but to God alone, before whom no one can be prideful.(1)  

When we compare ourselves to Jesus Christ, we aim to be Christ-like and we realize our strengths and weaknesses.  This is the beginning of repentance, seeing ourselves for who we really are. 

Any guilt or feeling bad for our weaknesses is not the goal of repentance, but rather finding comfort in the love and mercy of our Lord as we realize where we fall short and change our ways to get back on track to Christ.

We may feel that our weaknesses or mistakes restrict us from growing and making progress in life, but as St John Climacus writes, “Where there is real humility, all bonds are made free.”(2)  

When we turn to Christ in repentance and take part in Holy Confession, He gives our souls rest(3), and give us true inner peace and sense of direction in our lives.

Resources:

1) Vassilios Papavassiliou,Thirty Steps to Heaven,  pg 45

2) Vassilios Papavassiliou,Thirty Steps to Heaven, pg 45

3) Matthew 11:29-30 “Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.”

 “The keys that open the door to the deepest part of our heart are:

          1) Meditating on the teaching of the Gospel,

      2) Calling upon the Name of the Lord,

          3) Partaking of the sacrament of Holy Communion.”

- Archimandrite Zacharias, The Hidden Man of the Heart, pg 210.

Reflection:

Do we wish to grow and realize our worth and purpose this Lent?  We must open our hearts through the foundations of Scripture, prayer, and Holy Communion.

Within the deepest parts of our heart is the Gift of the Holy Spirit from our Baptism and the Image of God that we all are created in.(1) We sometimes cloud that image with our prideful thinking or our mistakes. Lent is here to guide us back to a pure heart in Christ.

Through Scripture we come to know God’s voice, through prayer we deepen our love for Him, and through Holy Confession and Holy Communion we are united in Liturgy to Christ our God in the most unique way in all creation. 

Christ reminds us, "Abide in Me, and I in you...If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, you will ask what you desire, and it shall be done for you. By this My Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit; so you will be My disciples."(2)

Let us utilize the foundations that Christ offers us through the Church, so that we may abide in Him and He in us, preparing ourselves with open humble hearts for His glorious Resurrection!

Resources:

1) Creation of Humanity 2) John 15