Saturday before Cheesefare; The Discovery of the Relics of the Holy Martyrs at Eugenius (345-408)
Read
Romans 14:19-26; Galatians 5:22-6:2; Matthew 6:1-13; Matthew 11:27-30
As we are on the threshold of the Great Fast (it begins Sunday evening at the Vespers service), many of us may be wondering, “What should I be giving up” or “What shall I not do?” Perhaps these are the wrong questions. Perhaps we should be asking, “What shall I embrace?” or “What shall I do?”
It has often been said that the three legs of our journey for the Great Fast are: prayer, fasting, and almsgiving. This is evidenced in today’s and tomorrow’s Gospel readings—almsgiving and prayer today, fasting tomorrow. The Holy Church, in a manner very much like our own mother, strongly encourages each of us and all of us to increase our efforts in these areas as a means to help increase our focus upon our saving Lord and to submit to Him in all ways.
Regarding fasting. We often focus on the outward practise of fasting whereby we abstain from certain types and amount of foods and drink. Ascetic fasting always has an inward purpose—it helps us understand that we, as human beings, are a body-soul composite, a unity of visible and invisible. This is often rejected in our world today. St. Paul reminds us, “Your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit… glorify God with your body” (1 Cor 19-20). The primary aim of fasting is to assist us in recognizing our dependence upon the Lord. And fasting aids us in developing more fervent prayer in our life, to draw near to the mountain of prayer.
Regarding almsgiving. We recognize that almsgiving is much more than simply giving money to the Church and to the poor and needy, that it is offering time, talent and treasure to those in need. Perhaps we can out of our way to visit with someone who is ill, homebound, or simply needs cheering. This would be done with the intention that the Lord would use us as an instrument of His joy, peace and mercy to others.
We need to recognize that an increase in these practices as listed above will be difficult and humbly ask others for their prayers. May we all enter into this holy time of year with a joy in our step, and grow and be strengthened so as to celebrate worthily His Death and Resurrection.