My Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

Having passed the halfway point of the Great Fast, shortly we will be participating in the divine services of Holy Week. Throughout the Great Fast, the Church has afforded us the opportunity to prepare ourselves for this most solemn time. We have been called to nourish our souls through fasting, increased prayer and participation in the liturgical and sacramental life of the Church.

One of the Desert Fathers, Abba Isidore reminds us, “If you fast regularly, do not be inflated with pride; if you think highly of yourself because of it, then you had better eat meat. It is better for a man to eat meat than to be inflated with pride and glorify himself.” Choosing to participate in the Great Fast cannot be, for us, a choice intended to glorify ourselves. Instead, it must be a choice to recognize our shortcomings and glorify God for all things.

If we are to fully experience all that is offered on our journey, St Nektarios suggests we “seek God daily inside our heart, not outside it.” We hold what is dear to us in our heart. Anything outside it is mundane and largely insignificant. When we seek God in our heart it becomes a personal and cherished endeavor. Might we consider making the remaining portion of our journey a personal and cherished endeavor?

There is no stifling uncertainty in what will come at the end of our Lenten journey; the Joy and Hope of what is our Lord’s Resurrection. St Clement of Alexandria explains that “if God rewarded the righteous immediately, we would soon be engaged in business, not Godliness… we would be pursuing not piety but profit.” We piously traverse this road, regardless of what is happening around us, knowing that through the Resurrection, our reward will come.

In these last days of the Great Fast let us consider our choices and make the effort to participate in the divine services that are offered. Let us make these days meaningful and relevant to our spiritual well-being to God’s glory. St Paisios reminds us, “Desire and effort must come from you. God will provide the power and the result.”

I pray that our Lord strengthens each of you as you continue on your path that will ultimately lead to the Feast of Feasts.

In His Service,

+Fr. Mario