Sunday

Ephesians 5:  Brethren: Be ye therefore followers of God, as dear children; and walk in love, as Christ also hath loved us, and hath given himself for us an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweet-smelling savour. But fornication, and all uncleanness, or covetousness, let it not be once named among you, as becometh saints; neither filthiness, nor foolish talking, nor jesting, which are not convenient: but rather giving of thanks. For this ye know, that no whoremonger, nor unclean person, nor covetous man, who is an idolater, hath any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and of God. Let no man deceive you with vain words: for because of these things cometh the wrath of God upon the children of disobedience. Be not ye therefore partakers with them. For ye were sometimes darkness, but now are ye light in the Lord: walk as children of light: for the fruit of the Spirit is in all goodness and righteousness and truth, proving what is acceptable unto the Lord. And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather reprove them. For it is a shame even to speak of those things which are done of them in secret. But all things that are reproved are made manifest by the light: for whatsoever doth make manifest is light. Wherefore he saith, Awake thou that sleepest, and arise from the dead, and Christ shall give thee light.

Saint Focus:  St Mary of Egypt whose life is read as part of the Great Canon during Lent is commemorated on Monday. While often described as a prostitute she actually was completely addicted to physical pleasure. She was motivated by the desire for it rather than income although she also enjoyed the material benefits. In many ways her life before Christ is a miniature of today’s modern Western society which shares the same characteristic and obsession with sex. The solution she found is the same which is available today: Jesus Christ.

Monday

The purpose of instituting the Holy Cross in the service on the third Sunday will be revealed as a beautiful comparison by the Holy Church to the tree of life in paradise, the tree which sweetened the bitter waters of Marah, the tree with the canopy of leaves under whose shade tired travelers seeking the eternal promised land may find coolness and rest. Thus, the Holy Church offers the Holy Cross for spiritual reinforcement to those going through the ascetic effort of the fast, just as food, drink and rest serve as bodily reinforcement.  now in the middle of the large and difficult arena of the Holy Forty Day Fast the Holy Church offers the Holy Cross for great comfort and encouragement as needed for raising the flagging strength of those fasting.

Tuesday

In the opinion of some, the name of Holy Cross is explained by the following tradition “about the tree of the cross”. The Patriarch Abraham, wishing to find out whether the Lord will forgive the heavy sin of Lot (Gen 19:30-38), planted three saplings from three healthy trees: the cypress, the plane tree (i. e. a date palm) and the cedar  and ordered Lot to carry water from the Jordan and to water these saplings. Abraham thought to himself, that if the designated branches starts to grow, then God will forgive Lot, and if not, the sin of Lot is not forgiven.   Lot fervently fulfilled the obedience (podvig/struggle) of sincere penance laid on him. The tempter of the human race the devil, seeing the unceasing labor of Lot, perpetrated all kinds of obstacles to not allow him to water the three entrusted branches. The penitential effort overcame the intrigues of the tempter. The plentifully watered branches grew. Moreover, they grew together into one tree. From this one, but three-sourced tree the arms of the cross of crucifixion was subsequently made, on which the Savior was crucified.

Wednesday

“And of course, a central part of this going deeper into Orthodoxy are the Church’s medicines of confession and Holy Communion, which you should participate in as fully as possible, according to the counsel of your spiritual father. Then there are the daily opportunities for expressing Christian love — giving alms, visiting the sick, helping those in need. All of these means, if one’s heart is in them, are what help to make the Christian different from the world, because they lift his eyes above this passing world to the heavenly Kingdom which is our goal as Christians. These are the positive means of going deeper into Orthodoxy. There are, of course, negative things you will have to fight against as well. Once you become aware that there is an unseen warfare going on, that our Christianity is constantly being attacked by our unseen enemies, especially through the spirit of worldliness, you will begin to see also the negative things in your life that have to be changed. But with a firm understanding of the positive, inspiring side of Christian life, this struggle against negative faults and habits becomes much easier. Part of our awareness of what Orthodoxy is involves knowing that this world is largely the domain of the devil, the prince of this world, who acts on our souls and hearts chiefly by the love of this passing world. But if we are struggling in an Orthodox way, we are receiving the grace of God which is the only thing that can raise us above this world that lies in evil. “  (Fr Seraphim Rose)

Thursday

“In a rightful and accurate look at sin, we see that sin is actually a disease that needs curing… and it’s an epidemic that destroys the soul and the whole person slowly and methodically. In scripture we read that all sin leads to death. And that is true. It is like a dark and heavy shroud that chokes out the light of illumination and separates us from God. In the parable of Lazarus and the Rich man, we see that there is a chasm affixed between those in Hades and those who rested in the Bosom of Abraham. This chasm is the physical representation of the great and giant wound that sin causes in the very fabric of creation. It was impossible for the condemned rich man to cross over to those on the other side and neither would those on the other side cross over to those who receive the just fruits of their sinfulness in Hades. It’s all about the separation. It is a woundedness that begs for healing. It’s actually killing us from within, for as the soul goes, the body is soon to follow… I know… Some will say that its the physical act that is sinful… Jesus corrected those who thought just that when he expounded the fact that adultery began in the heart and even imagined lustful acts were as bad as doing them physically. Sin is an affliction of the soul. Thus the fact remains that it is borne out in the thoughts and in the desires of the heart.”
(Fr. Benedict of Ascension Monastery in Resaca, GA)

Friday

Metropolitan Ephrem Kyriakos on the ‘Civilization of the Flesh’…
“The world today, and especially the West, is more and more inclined toward secular, worldly life. This means that in its life it departs from the scope of God and is increasingly immersed in material affairs far removed from the Church and spiritual affairs. It is attached to the surface of things, the most important of which is the flesh. There is nothing more common than the greetings “How’s your health?”, “Your health is poor”, “The important thing is health.

People are not content with just that, but they go and focus on physical elegance, concerning themselves with outward appearance and going to the gym, as though they have become worshipers of the body rather than God. Members of the Church are not an exception to all this– even priests, bishops, and the construction of churches where “the important thing is the stone, not the people.” All of this is contrary to the rules of religion and the true faith. Among us, one mostly strives after the pleasure of the flesh, the pleasure of food and drink. Life has come to be focused on health and wealth and not on pleasing God first.”

Saturday

Elder Paisios on ‘hearing’…  “A person must attain a kind of divine absence of mind in order to experience inner tranquillity and not be distracted by outside noises while praying. One can actually reach such a state of divine absentmindedness that he no longer hears any noise, or hears it only when he wants to, or probably, when his mind is ready to come back from Heaven. And we will reach this point if we work spiritually, if we strive. Then we will hear only what we want to hear. When I was in the army, I told a fellow soldier who was very pious, “We will meet at such and such a place.” “But there is a loudspeaker there,” he replied. “If one wants to hear it,” I said, “he will hear it; and if he does not, he will not.” When our minds are absorbed in something, do we hear other things? In the forest across from my Kalyvi, they have stripped the mountain with chain saws. When I was absorbed in reading or praying, I did not hear a thing. When I stopped, I heard every single sound.”