Our Venerable Father Hilarion the New; the Holy Stephen the Wonderworker (464)
Isaiah 37:33-38:6; Genesis 13:12-18; Proverbs 14:27-15:4
Great Fast Day 29. Abstention from meat and foods that contain meat. According to liturgical prescriptions, the Divine Liturgy is not celebrated today.
Read Proverbs 14:27-15:4
Glory to Jesus Christ! Glory forever!
A man with a gentle spirit is a healer of the heart,
But a sensual heart is the moth of the bones.
There are just another eleven days until the end of the Great Fast. Can you believe that we are already at the three-quarter mark? I hope that you have had the Lord bless you through this Lenten journey so far.
With the fasting and increased prayer, spiritual reading, and increased almsgiving, I have come to understand something within my own heart. As much as I desire for my heart to be peaceful, I have come to understand that there is a lot of traffic in there, a lot of unexpected traffic. I have also realised that I have somehow let this traffic in, the cares of the world drawing my attention away from my heart’s desire – to be at peace. I can certainly entertain the traffic I find there – but it has turned out to be fleeting at best. No. I need to turn to the Lord. He will give me that gentle spirit which will heal my heart. With the hymns of the Church throughout the Great Fast, I have fallen prostrate and pleaded for His mercy. He is so ready to pour out His mercy on me, on us. If we only ask. Let us not miss this moment. In these last days, let us ask for Him to grant us a gentle spirit and to heal our hearts. Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on us!