"To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven"
- Ecclesiastes 3:1 (TMB)
Creation operates in a cyclic existence - we are seasonal creatures that both physically and spiritually (according to the Bible) measure the passing of time.
Although God, being the Creator, exists outside of time, He reveals Himself from within His creation in time, that He may be seen in all the diversity of nature as it proclaims life within it.
Ecclesiastes goes on to say:
"He (God) hath made every thing beautiful in His time.
Also He hath set the world in their heart,
so that no man can find out the work that God maketh from the beginning to the end."
Also He hath set the world in their heart,
so that no man can find out the work that God maketh from the beginning to the end."
- Ecclesiastes 3:11
NO SATISFACTION
All of us have within us a deep awareness of how things "should be," which feeds that urge and enthusiasm for life that we all have in varying degrees, yet never seem able to achieve it to our satisfaction. I always thought it interesting that the number one rock and roll song of all time, to date, is "(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction" by the Rolling Stones......so many people identify with the sentiments of that song - ultimate dissatisfaction with life.
All of us have within us a deep awareness of how things "should be," which feeds that urge and enthusiasm for life that we all have in varying degrees, yet never seem able to achieve it to our satisfaction. I always thought it interesting that the number one rock and roll song of all time, to date, is "(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction" by the Rolling Stones......so many people identify with the sentiments of that song - ultimate dissatisfaction with life.
Eastern Orthodoxy teaches that through Christ - harmony is being restored to all aspects of physical reality - we are no longer aliens in a strange land - but are part of the creation that God originally declared as "very good."
The church's practice of commemorating the seasons; Lent, Pascha(Easter), Pentecost, and others, provides a physical manifestation of the spiritual journey that we are on to full union with God.
This past Sunday was another step towards the beginning of Lent. The Pre-Lenten season is preparation for the journey that begins at Lent.
FROM THE HEAD TO THE HEART
Lent is the journey that takes us from the head to the heart. By descending into the full awareness of our human condition - through the stages of humility, repentance, and judgment, (each commemorated during the Sundays of Pre-Lent), we ultimately receive forgiveness and ascend with Christ into rebirth, restoration and transformation. Celebrating the end of the beginning of the journey to salvation at Pascha and Pentecost.
I have found that practicing Orthodox Christianity turns life with Christ into a daily experience. It is Christianity lived with Christ, not a weekend activity that generates periodic awareness of moral issues.
Orthodoxy has shown me that Christianity is living with and in Jesus Christ - it is not just accepting a set of beliefs about a character called Jesus.
THE END OF RELIGION
Lent is the most religious time for the Orthodox Christian. It is the time when we turn our thoughts to the more disciplined observance of outward laws, like those of fasting, confession, and prostrating. It is not that we believe that we achieve a special place with God or attain "righteousness" by practicing these laws. It is a way of preserving the remembrance of what Christ has done for us.
This Sunday was designated by the church as the "Sunday of the Last Judgment." Judgment and mercy are always balanced in God's perspective. In his homily this week, Fr. Steven said that the judgment of God affirms that our actions are eternally significant; what we do matters. We are each of very high value to God. I'd add that God has declared us responsible for distributing His love amongst our fellow human beings - when we fail to do that, we pass judgment on ourselves, because we judge ourselves by our own desires and expectations to be treated compassionately.
Religion is really only needed when God is not near us - when He is apart from us.
Through the advent of Pascha(Easter) - God not only became one of us - He is within us. So, on the night of Pascha - the Church celebrates the enlightenment of the entire creation. The light of Christ has come - we are forgiven our wrongs and healed of our Sin disease. There is no longer a requirement for religion. Now we can just worship......and boy, do we worship in the Orthodox Church!!!
The church's practice of commemorating the seasons; Lent, Pascha(Easter), Pentecost, and others, provides a physical manifestation of the spiritual journey that we are on to full union with God.
This past Sunday was another step towards the beginning of Lent. The Pre-Lenten season is preparation for the journey that begins at Lent.
FROM THE HEAD TO THE HEART
Lent is the journey that takes us from the head to the heart. By descending into the full awareness of our human condition - through the stages of humility, repentance, and judgment, (each commemorated during the Sundays of Pre-Lent), we ultimately receive forgiveness and ascend with Christ into rebirth, restoration and transformation. Celebrating the end of the beginning of the journey to salvation at Pascha and Pentecost.
I have found that practicing Orthodox Christianity turns life with Christ into a daily experience. It is Christianity lived with Christ, not a weekend activity that generates periodic awareness of moral issues.
Orthodoxy has shown me that Christianity is living with and in Jesus Christ - it is not just accepting a set of beliefs about a character called Jesus.
THE END OF RELIGION
Lent is the most religious time for the Orthodox Christian. It is the time when we turn our thoughts to the more disciplined observance of outward laws, like those of fasting, confession, and prostrating. It is not that we believe that we achieve a special place with God or attain "righteousness" by practicing these laws. It is a way of preserving the remembrance of what Christ has done for us.
This Sunday was designated by the church as the "Sunday of the Last Judgment." Judgment and mercy are always balanced in God's perspective. In his homily this week, Fr. Steven said that the judgment of God affirms that our actions are eternally significant; what we do matters. We are each of very high value to God. I'd add that God has declared us responsible for distributing His love amongst our fellow human beings - when we fail to do that, we pass judgment on ourselves, because we judge ourselves by our own desires and expectations to be treated compassionately.
Religion is really only needed when God is not near us - when He is apart from us.
Through the advent of Pascha(Easter) - God not only became one of us - He is within us. So, on the night of Pascha - the Church celebrates the enlightenment of the entire creation. The light of Christ has come - we are forgiven our wrongs and healed of our Sin disease. There is no longer a requirement for religion. Now we can just worship......and boy, do we worship in the Orthodox Church!!!
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