The Fifth Sunday of Lent...Who?? 04/06/2014 by Rev. Father Al Demos The Pre-Lenten and Lenten Sundays convey a profound Christ-centered message for us in our preparation to celebrate Holy Week and Easter…thus, The Sunday of: Zachaeus teaches us to faithfully “seek God”; The Canaanite Woman, tells us to be consistently persistent in our Faith; The Publican and Pharisee to be sincerely humble; The Prodigal Son teaches us to “repent” and “return to God”; Meatfare Sunday calls to mind Adam & Eve’s expulsion from the Garden of Paradise because they would not fast from the fruit of the tree of knowledge of good and evil; Cheesefare Sunday reminds us of our need for “forgiveness”,not only to be forgiven, but to forgive others first, and to forgive ourselves. Of Orthodoxy when we proclaim the True Faith and Worship of God; and to remember that we only honor Saints and Icons…but worship belongs exclusively to God in Trinity; St. Gregory Palamas, Silent meditative Prayer; The Veneration of the Cross, Christ’s sacrifice strengthens us in Mid-Lent; The Ladder of Divine Ascent to overcome ‘Pride’ as the greatest stumbling block in pursuing a truly spiritual life; Then we arrive to the last Sunday before Palm Sunday and Holy Week. What lesson could the Fathers of the Church provide that would have a lasting and profound meaning for us in this spiritual journey? Who or what could be so important to occupy that crucial Sunday before Palm Sunday? They dedicate the last Lenten Sunday to St. Mary of Egypt, the greatest example of one falling into the ‘deepest of sins’, who then experienced the truest Transformation or Transfiguration ever recorded. How interesting it is that she was by far the most stunningly beautiful harlot of all. But upon hearing the word of God she was so transformed in spirit that she devoted her life to Christ by leaving the world and becoming a monk in the Egyptian desert. She lived such a virtuous life, that became so vividly inspiring to the other monks, to the point where she is recognized as having become one of the greatest saints of the Church. The theme of the Prodigal Son is re-echoed here again as a statement of God’s profound love and forgiveness – no matter how deeply one may have sinned; there is always room for repentance and the return to God. With this standard of Faith, hope, love and forgiveness we are reminded that our journey through Lent is reminiscent of our journey through life. As we struggle in our desire to become better Christians, we learn in all truth, that each one of us is the “greatest sinner”. This is realized when we do not compare ourselves to one another, but to the only Holy One…Who is Perfect God and Perfect Man…our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ! When we look to Him we realize our need to repent and return to Him. If we dare to compare ourselves to Him, it is almost automatic…we experience almost annihilating humbleness. We could be devastated in our sinfulness when our life is compared to His Holiness and Purity. We seek His forgiveness by forgiving others and ourselves. We proclaim our devotion to God by sacrificing our usual schedules in order to attend Worship Services, while also offering more time to our personal prayer. All of the above mentioned exercises help to “tune-up” our spiritual life, which God so subtly transfigures and transforms - little by little, day by day, until the time when He calls us to His Kingdom. Then we will eternally celebrate the joy of God’s Divine Glory, as we will experience our own personal Easter.
Posted on: Wed, 02 Apr 2014 16:03:21 +0000
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