Why We Fast

Orthodox fasting is easily misunderstood as “justification through works,” which is not what the Orthodox Church holds true as a prescription for salvation. Salvation is a gift from God, which we cannot ourselves do anything to make ourselves worthy of. What we can do, however, is attempt to remove all the obstacles that stand in our way, so that we can receive God’s grace of free will and a ready spirit.

Satan has many means at his disposal to keep us from moving closer in our relationship with God, and our passions for worldly things is one of them. Fasting is about controlling those passions: eating good food, and plenty of it, is generally one of the most pleasurable things that we do as human beings. Fasting is therefore merely a practical exercise in abstinence from something that we enjoy so much that it keeps us from the balanced spiritual life that God intended for us.

Oftentimes, it is not until fasting is attempted that one realizes just how strong a hold our worldly passions have over us. The Devil’s greatest victory in modern times is that people have stopped believing in his existence. With that, ignorance of what binds us to what is evil, or not godly, has increased, and the effort put into combating it decreased.

Furthermore, as fasting is really quite hard work, it focuses our attention on God instead of ourselves and allows us an opportunity to think about something else than our own desires, but it does not buy us a place in the Kingdom of God. It’s an opportunity to think very concretely about something but ourselves and thus a gift to be savored.

Thus, fasting is an outward sign of repentance.

Fasting is meant to aid us in our effort to overcome temptations and to discipline ourselves to replace our self-will and personal desires with doing things that are in harmony with God’s will. This exercise of control is to extend to our thoughts, our words, and actions. In our pursuit to return to that divine image that we were all created in, the Church asks us to focus on the person of our Savior and to embrace His words with like action. Of Christ’s many recorded directives, those which extol the necessity of prayer and fasting for the curing of bodily and spiritual infirmities cannot be ignored (see Matthew 17:21).

Reposted from Michelle

Time For A Picnic

Once again, it was time for our annual parish picnic.  A wonderful time of fellowship, food and fun, all in a beautiful setting.  The weather was perfect (how often is the weather "just right" for an outdoor event).  Children swam in the lake and played on the expansive property and the adults enjoyed volleyball games and campfire conversation  that lasted well into the evening.  It reminded me so much of similar events from my childhood where one simply did not want it to end..but end it did and now we pack away our memories and look forward, longingly, to next summer's picnic.....

Apparently....

I write like
David Foster Wallace

I Write Like by Mémoires, Mac journal software. Analyze your writing!

I'm not familiar with him but somehow I write like him.  Research pending, please stand by......
Thanks to Mama Michelle for the interesting link

Triumphs and Failures

Every life is subject to some of each.  A failure to one person can be a triumph to another.  What God teaches us is to be thankful for both as they are each integral to the spiritual life.  This can be especially difficult to remember when dealing with the negative events in our lives.  During these events, we often feel farther away from God, even abandoned by him and we are angry.

When something good occurs, we have a tendency to forget to thank God for the good fortune, somehow believing that he had nothing to do with it.  Today, I remember to give thanks to God for my mother in law.  She has been waiting to see if she will get a visa to come to visit us and this morning, she was told that she will be given the visa (pending a medical exam).  It will be the first time in her 67 years that she has ever been outside Colombia!  Thanks be to God.

Twelve Passion Gospels

Tonight we celebrated the Twelve Passion Gospels.  One of the most beautiful services of Holy Week.  Pascha is nearly upon us.  Our Lord and Saviour gives us life through his death and resurrection.

He who is King of the Angels is arrayed in a crown of thorns. 

Better Stuff

In a post modern, consumer driven society (like the one we live in) it is all too common to watch as people scurry about trying to improve their "stuff".  You know, things like flat panel TV's, cars, houses...anything and everything material.  When I was younger, I never gave this any thought at all, sadly, but I find myself getting angry at the situation these days.  How dare advertisers try to trick and cajole us into buying things we don't need, I say to myself.  It may be a stretch to say that this is the work of the evil one but in a sense, it is.  Anything that takes us away from all that is good, either directly or indirectly, done deliberately or without thinking, is somethng that we must fight against. 

I must remember that what I need is not more or better stuff...I need to pray and draw closer to God.

Real Winter

Today was the first day that felt like winter to me.  The mercury plunged to -21C (-34C with wind chill).  A transformer blew near our house and caused a 2 hour power outage.  Not exactly the kind of event you want to have when the temperature is this low!  But I love the bright sunshine that comes with days like this and the hidden beauty that can only be found when it gets this cold...God's creation has many faces...