Daily Meditations Archives - Page 119 of 333

Sixth Thursday of Great Lent. ‘My Child, wake up and don’t waste your time on stupid things!’

04/09/2020

By Elder Joseph of Vatopaidi, September 9, 2019 I received your short letter and I share your pain. I brought to mind the image of how things are and, aware of my own wretchedness, sighed at the possibility of being saved. ‘Alas, Saviour of the world, I am overwhelmed by my iniquities and am unable to see. Hasten, as merciful, and make speed, as compassionate, to our aid, for you can do whatsoever you wish’.

The Sixth Wednesday of Great Lent. Fast from…Feast on…

04/08/2020

FAST from self-concern and FEAST on compassion for others. FAST from discouragement and FEAST on hope. FAST from lethargy and FEAST on enthusiasm. FAST from suspicion and FEAST on truth. FAST from thoughts that weaken and FEAST on promises that inspire. FAST from shadows of sorrow and FEAST on the sunlight of serenity. FAST from idle gossip and FEAST on purposeful silence. FAST from problems that overwhelm you and FEAST on prayer that sustains. FAST

Sixth Tuesday of Great Lent. The Ethos of Lent

04/07/2020

By Fr. George Morelli The ethos of Lent for the committed Orthodox Christian is told to us by St. Dorotheus of Gaza. He likened it to a wake-up call, ‘a coming to one’s self’ (like the Prodigal Son) to find meaning for the entire year. The “great and saving forty days” are to wake us up to all times and seasons of all year. St. Dorotheus means more than this year only because each and

Sixth Monday of Great Lent. At the Heart of Lent

04/06/2020

By Fr Stephen Freeman, March 2, 2018 Your word I have hidden in my heart, That I might not sin against You! (Ps. 119:11) Years ago, I heard a statement from an American monk: “The contemplative need go no further than his own heart to find the source of all violence in the world.” It struck me as true then and has only seemed more so as the years have passed. At the time (not

The Fifth Friday of Lent. The Fullness in Lent

04/03/2020

By Fr. Stephen Freeman, March 18, 2014 This article keeps coming to mind as I celebrate the Liturgy of the Pre-Sanctified Gifts on these Lenten Wednesdays and Fridays. There is nothing to compare to them in the Christian liturgical world. It’s hard to thinking of fasting in the midst of such a feast. Orthodoxy has a number of “favorite” words – all of which fall outside the bounds of normal speech. Though we commonly use

The Fifth Thursday of Great Lent. Thoughts on Great Lent

04/02/2020

By Metropolitan Ioïl (Frangkakos) of Edessa, Pella, and Almopia, February 20, 2018 In this period, we have two fasts, as we all know. There are about seven weeks of strict fasting, eight if you include the Cheese-fare week which precedes. For a lot of people this is an enjoyable and desirable time, for others it’s difficult and for others again not at all pleasant. We’ll try to convey some thoughts on this period, as it

The Fifth Wednesday of Great Lent. The Banishment of Hell. Repentance.

04/01/2020

One of my favorite authors as a young man, was Thomas Merton, the famous Trappist monk. In the introduction to his work New Seeds of Contemplation he wrote: “Hell was where no one has anything in common with anyone else except the fact that they all hate one other and cannot get away from each other and from themselves.” This very much fits with the Orthodox view of hell as being in the presence of

Fifth Tuesday of Great Lent. Orthodox Christian Lent, Prayer, Fasting and Baptism

03/31/2020

By Fr. Patrick Reardon, March 13, 2005 The word “Lent,” now associated exclusively with the observance of the liturgical year, originally meant “spring” and had no directly religious significance. In English usage, however, its reference was gradually limited to the season of preparation for Pascha, a season that does, in fact, coincide with spring. In languages dependent on Latin, the word for Lent is some variant of “forty,” derived from the Latin *quadragesima*. This is

The Fifth Monday of Great Lent. A Southern Lent

03/30/2020

By Fr. Stephen Freeman, February 28, 2010 One of the hallmarks of my generation in the South is that we never grew up without a great deal of attention to God. Whether it was the absolute assurance in the sermons of preachers who could say with some precision who was going where when they died, or even with assurance describe heaven, or the far more mundane mutterings of public figures giving lip-service to the God

The Fourth Friday of Great Lent. The Ladder of Divine Ascent and Moral Improvement

03/27/2020

By Fr. Stephen Freeman, April 4, 2019 The Fourth Sunday of Great Lent in the Orthodox Church, is dedicated to St. John Climacus, the author of the ancient work, The Ladder of Divine Ascent. It is a classic work describing “steps” within the life of the struggling ascetic. There is an icon associated with this work, picturing monastics climbing the rungs of a ladder to heaven, battling demons who are trying to pull them off. However,