Great and Holy Wednesday. Our Venerable Father Hilarion the New; the Holy Stephen the Wonderworker (464)
Great and Holy Week. Abstention from meat and foods that contain meat. According to liturgical prescriptions, the Divine Liturgy is not celebrated today
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Matins – John 12:17-50
Sixth Hour – Ezekiel 2:3-3:3
Liturgy of the Presanctified Gifts – Exodus 2:11-22; Job 2:1-10; Matthew 26:6-16
Glory to Jesus Christ! Glory forever!
Today’s Exodus story gives us an insight of what happens when someone acts without thought. Moses begins to understand the injustice that his people are suffering. He begins to identify himself with the poor and downtrodden and is moved to some sort of action. In his youthful exuberance Moses acts with disproportional vengeance against the Egyptian. Thinking that with his own strength he would somehow be able to overcome the powerful grip of the Egyptian masters. His two great shortcomings in the moment was prideful ignorance that I can be the saviour without God. And the second that I can save by the same means as the oppressors: fight fire with fire. The result was a total failure. He could not hide his crime and surprisingly even the people who he intended to save he could not win over. The final result was a humbling retreat and a despair knowing that you are powerless to accomplish needed change.
How often does it happen that I take vengeance and retaliation into my own hands. This is a basic fallen human instinct that if allowed to reign does not bear good fruit. Instead of self-reliance, in these moments we aught to turn to the true Saviour for we are powerless without Him. The Lord reminds us: “I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in me, and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing (John 15:5).” Without Moses’ humble submission to the power of God his story would end at verse twenty-two. The fact that the story continues and comes to a blessed end is a testament and lesson for us on how we should always strive to seek God’s will and power before our own.