Our Venerable Father Isaac, Hegumen of the Dalmatin Monastery.
Abstention from meat and foods that contain meat.
Acts 19:1-8; John 14:1-11.
Read John 14:1-11
One of the things to focus on is the Father’s House. Jesus tells His disciples that He is going away from them and that where He is going they are to come also. Death is something that is approaching and yet it is not the final destination. There is a dwelling that is being prepared for those who follow in the steps of Jesus. However, we have to understand that without Jesus and without His help access to the Father’s House is not automatic. Jesus wants to bring us with Him to the Kingdom of Heaven but we must first abandon our will to His Will. It will either be our human will that will dominate the Divine Will or the Divine Will that will dominate the human will. In other words, the death of the body is not as important as the death of our self-will. What actually needs to take place is an exchange where we offer Jesus our will in exchange for His Divine Will. Just as in Jesus, where His human will was always subject to His Divine Will, so must our will become subject to the Will of God. For the Will of God is always far better than anything we could will for ourselves.