CATECHETICAL HOMILY
For Holy and Great Lent
+ B A R T H O L O M E W
By God’s Grace Archbishop of Constantinople,
New Rome and Ecumenical Patriarch
To the Plenitude of the Church,
Grace and Peace from our Savior Jesus Christ
And Prayers, Blessings and Forgiveness from Us
“Come, all peoples, let us today welcome
The gift of fasting
The period of repentance granted to us by God”
(Monday, First Week of Fasting)
Holy and Great Lent 2009
Your fervent supplicant before God,
XBARTHOLOMEW of Constantinople
Friday, February 27, 2009
Encyclical of Archbishop Demetrios on the Beginning of Great and Holy Lent
March 2, 2009
Great and Holy Lent
“Let us set out with joy upon the season of the Fast….”
Vespers of the Sunday of Forgiveness
To the Most Reverend Hierarchs, the Reverend Priests and Deacons, the Monks and Nuns, the Presidents and Members of the Parish Councils of the Greek Orthodox Communities, the Distinguished Archons of the Ecumenical Patriarchate, the Day, Afternoon, and Church Schools, the Philoptochos Sisterhoods, the Youth, the Hellenic Organizations, and the entire Greek Orthodox Family in America
Beloved Brothers and Sisters in Christ,
On this first day of Great and Holy Lent, which our Holy Orthodox Church designates as “Clean Monday,” we are called to intensify the manner by which we contemplate our lives. Through the sacred services and commemorations of the Church, and through prayer, fasting and sacrificial gifts of service and resources, we participate within a complete environment of holiness and reflection so that we may examine our relationship with God and the spiritual state of our souls. Through repentance and obedience to the will of God, we strive to return to that which was lost. Through struggling with and confronting our earthly temptations and passions, we travel along the path to salvation. Through renewal and commitment to holiness, we return from the exile of the Fall to Life-giving communion with our Creator and Redeemer.
The hymns and commentaries of Great and Holy Lent often refer to this effort as a journey. One of the analogies used to help us understand this spiritual pilgrimage is that of the Hebrew people and their journey from bondage in Egypt to the land of promise. Their commitment to the will of God, His provision for their freedom, and His presence with them throughout every step of their journey began with faith. By faith they began the journey that would lead them home. This journey was not easy. The Hebrew people struggled to remain faithful to God. Sin and disobedience resulted in forty years of wandering in the wilderness, with many never reaching the Promised Land. But for those who remained faithful to the covenant, the promise was fulfilled.
Like the children of Israel, we too are called to have faith as we set out on a journey that we know is not easy. The days and sacred services of this holy season lead us to the Holy Week, to the Cross of our Lord whereupon we venerate His crucifixion, the supreme act of sacrifice and love by God for us. At the same time, we enter this Lenten journey today with hearts filled with faith, hope, and love; because we know that the destination of this journey, after the spiritual intensity of the Holy Week, culminates with the glorious Resurrection of Christ and His complete triumph over sin, evil, and death.
Today, as we embark upon this great Lenten journey, these forty days of the Great Fast, let us be mindful of all of those before us who also wandered in the wilderness. Let us not squander this beautiful opportunity for repentance and renewal; but rather, let us remain faithful to our calling to holiness and continue on our journey ahead. May our good and gracious Lord grant us all strength for this journey, and may this season of Great and Holy Lent be a blessed time for all our Greek Orthodox communities as we direct our steps towards an encounter with our Lord, Who is waiting for us with His open arms on the Cross, ready to embrace us with the brilliant light of His Resurrection.
With paternal love in Christ,
† DEMETRIOS
Archbishop of America
Acquire the Spirit of Peace and a Thousand Souls Around You Shall Be Saved
Frequently over the past several weeks - and even months - the topic of evangelism has arisen. I use the term rather broadly, as meaning everything from reaching those who are not currently Christian to dealing with those whose behavior we find problematic, or at the least are having struggles in some aspect of their lives.
Typically, the discussion leads quickly to questions about what books can we buy the individual so that they can understand what the right thing to do is. If not books, what do we say to them. What words of wisdom can we bring to bear on the situation. Leaving aside the question of whether we aren't, in fact, demonstrating an utter lack of humility in judging the behavior of others (and more often, judging their motivations or heart), we are certainly demonstrating a lack of humility by assuming that anything we can say will lead anyone else into a better place. At a loss for words, we resort to a book. Conditioned by years in Western Christianity, we think the intellect is the path to salvation. We ultimately want to convert people, either in core belief, or at least in behavior, by force of argument.
I've been thinking lately of a quote by St. Seraphim of Sarov, "Acquire the Spirit of Peace and a thousand souls around you shall be saved." This reminds me of a saying attributed to St. Francis of Assisi, "preach the Gospel, and if necessary, use words." What St. Seraphim is saying, is that if we become holier, if God's grace fill us, other people will be drawn to that grace. They will then seek out the source of that grace themselves. Holiness is attractive. That is why so many people flock to see the spiritual elders at the various monasteries. Once you been once, you mourn the longer you are away.
The problem, here, is twofold. The first is that acquiring the Spirit of Peace requires work. It requires conquering our passions by fasting, it requires spending time in prayer. It requires dying to ourselves. How much easier is it to order a book from Amazon and consider your job done? Move on to yelling at the guy who cut you off on the freeway, or gossiping about your neighbor's recent troubles. Actually attempting to correct your neighbor is better, because although it may take a bit more work, you may actually get the ego boost of winning an argument.
The problem, of course, is that ego boosting rarely helps the other person, and most certainly does not help us. Growing in grace, means growing in humility. When the day comes that we do not seek to correct others, and instead love them, when the day comes that we understand we are probably worse sinners than they are, then we will be closer to helping everyone. That is what the Fathers have always said, and always demonstrated.
Oh, but that requires work, and I don't much care for that.
Tuesday, February 24, 2009
Ride Report
Joshua and I successfully completed the 56 mile Tour de Palm on Valentine's day. I was really impressed that Joshua managed it, as he has never done anything more than 25 miles, and that only once. I, at least, had a 40 mile ride under my belt, and routinely do 24-25 miles. At that, I'll admit to a great deal of satisfaction that I was able to complete this. More on why towards the end of the report.
The weather for the ride was probably as good as you could ever want. The morning started out quite cold - down around 48 or so, but never warmed up much past 65.
The ride started out in downtown Palm Springs. An estimated 10,000 riders attended for the entire event. I don't know what percentage set out on the 56 mile event, but I think it was a rather large percentage given the number of people at the start.
We were sent off in small waves, so it probably took about 15 minutes for the Joshua and I to get going. Once going we were directed around the corner by one of the many police officers helping out with the ride.
Of course, in keeping with Murphy's Law, once we turned the corner and started cranking we immediately hit a red light. Oh well. Right after that, the ride went into full swing. With the storms that had visited Southern California this year, and the overall cold weather, the scenery was gorgeous, with snow capped mountains/foothills everywhere.
Joshua, as I noted, really had to work hard at this,
and work hard he did.
The ride took us through several communities, including 1000 Palms and Rancho Mirage. It also afforded us an opportunity to travel along the southern edge of Joshua Tree national monument, and around the vast windmill farms in that area.
The ride was well supported, with vans and motorcycles traveling the route to assist cyclists with mechanical problems. There were also 3 SAG (Support and Gear, I believe) stops along the way with additional mechanical support. They were located at 19, 33, and 45 miles in. These spots also provided water and some carbs for the first two stops. The problem with water being that it lacks the electrolytes you really need, but we had packed plenty of gatorade and powder, as well as power bars, so that water was a nice supplement. The opportunity to rest a bit was even more welcome.
Especially with the hard riding going on.
The last stop had some sandwiches, but they were clearly not expecting the numbers as all of the meat sandwiches were gone by the time we pulled in (of course, we weren't riding very fast. We averaged 11.8 mph for the ride, which for me is quite good, but more serious riders were probably in the high teens), and even the PB&J were running out. Fortunately, they did have bananas. At the beginning of the ride, I was offered a banana but figured I was good with the supplies I had. My mistake. By mile 40, I was starting to battle muscle cramps, likely from the blood pressure meds I'm on. A few miles after the last SAG, the banana started to kick in and it was welcome. I'll remember that the next trip out.
The ride continued with more beautiful scenery as we headed back into town.
However, scenery aside, we were glad when the finish line was approaching.
This ride was really a great opportunity. It raises quite a bit of money for charities in the Coachella Valley, and we attempted to raise some funds for the Osteogenesis Imperfecta Foundation - with very limited success - but a good try. In some ways for us the greatest thing was to attempt something beyond what we had ever accomplished before. Joshua had never ridden even half this distance, and I had never ridden so hard for such a distance. I'm now looking forward to the next challenge.
Monday, February 23, 2009
Encyclical from our Metropolitan for Great Lent
“Let us fast an acceptable fast that is pleasing to God.”
Hymn of the Triodion for the First Day of Great Lent
Dearly Beloved,
With this prayer and admonition I greet you as we begin this period of fasting and Great Lent. The Church has named the first day of Lent “Pure/Clean Monday”. It is expected that Lent gives us the opportunity for an inner catharsis in all things. Our thoughts, our feelings, our actions – all need cleansing having already polluted and stained our souls and our daily lives. It is the pastoral concern of the Church that we be given every opportunity, through prayer and fasting, for self-concentration and restrain, first, for the spiritual benefit of our souls and, second, for the benefit of all society which directly or indirectly we affect.
Great Lent is not simply a forty-day period in the calendar year which prepares us for the Great Feast of Pascha. Rather, it is a period which, if properly adhered to, could and should prepare us for personal inner renewal. Our Church knows the human psyche – our enthusiasm, our emotions, our passions. The Church recognizes that enthusiasm easily wanes and that feelings of remorse and repentance become nothing more than fleeting spiritual reflections. It is difficult for man to restrain his passions which persistently weaken his capacity for spiritual growth. This is what Christ had in mind when in speaking to His disciples said, “This generation will not pass but through the power of prayer and fasting.” This is the true meaning of Lent.
Our Church offers us these two antidotes to the power of evil, with the belief that only through continuous and consistent prayer and fasting we can regain our inner spiritual qualities. It is these qualities which protect us from further failings and prevent evil from dominating our lives. Through prayer we are taught that the hand of God can guide us in our earthly journey. We are accountable to Him on how we live our lives. By fasting we are given the potential to conquer our desires, and weaknesses and the capacity for self-discipline. Even from a negative viewpoint, when we realize how little we fast and pray, there is much benefit and much to be learned. It is easy for us to use common excuses of our daily pressures at home and at work. But when will we cease using these rationalizations which in the final analysis are mistakes committed against our own spiritual welfare? There are no substitutes for prayer and fasting. Fasting is not simply a denial from certain foods. It is a response to the cravings of the flesh; it is our only opportunity to subordinate our weaknesses and passions to the will of God within us.
It is for this reason that I began this letter with the exhortation that “our fasting be pleasing to the Lord”. Let us then focus our attention so that our fasting is acceptable in the eyes of God. Let this period of Great Lent renew within us the essence of our responsibility and task so that we may, with the help of God, attain the salvation of our souls.
With my warmest prayers for a most meaningful period of prayer and fasting, I greet you in the Lord and remain,
With Love in Christ,
+GERASIMOS
Metropolitan of
Sunday, February 01, 2009
Broken Trike Fixed
After much pain and anguish the trike is back in action. With a new frame, new boom, new front derailer (necessary because of the new boom), and even a new flag, it looks quite a bit different.
Riding and Raising Money
Joshua and I will be riding the 55 mile route on the Tour de Palm Springs in a couple of weeks. At the same time, we're hoping to raise some money for the Osteogenesis Imperfecta Foundation. You can donate money to the cause, or just find out more about the OIF here.