Friday, February 28, 2014

Getting the house ready for Lent, one step at a time










Just a few pictures of my home and icons...
Soon I will have my Lenten icons out...
I have been inspired by Mat. Emily and others 
in seeking to have a better ordered home.
I realized how much a clean kitchen table means
and having a neat coffee table.
I am seeing more and more how the simple things,
like keeping things tidy in the home,
can make so many things easier.
I often feel I live in a bit of a fog and keeping things in a better
order really helps with this.

Thursday, February 27, 2014

Ideas for the six weeks of Great Lent


  • Here are a few ideas for Great Lent
  • that I have had this year.
  • I welcome all ideas, comments and other thoughts on
  • how we can do our Lenten Journey.
  • I hope to be doing some posts on books for Great Lent
  • and other places for encouragement, learning and inspiration for our
  • Lenten Journey.
  • *
  • Here is what I have so far:

  • The six weeks of the Great Lent are:
    1. First Sunday (Sunday of Orthodoxy),
      • Forgiveness Sunday
        • ask forgiveness to family, friends
        • Be at peace with everyone as much as possible
        • Pray prayer of St. Ephraim the Syrian
        • Consider doing things like:
          • limiting or stopping watching TV, listening to distracting music, having a time each day or certain days a week for 15 or 20 minutes of silence, read a spiritual book, book a time for going to Confession, being off FB, limiting computer time,
          • Fasting but with humility
      • Blessing of Icons
    2. Second Sunday (St. Gregory Palamas),
      • Put out icon of St. Gregory
      • Read a homily St. Gregory wrote
      • Read about St. Gregory’s life
    3. Third Sunday (Adoration of Cross),
      • Read the prayer to the Cross
      • pray part or all of the Akathist to the Life-Giving Cross
      • We are halfway there… think of ways that you can gain refreshment and strength for the rest of the way
      • Think about how you or you and your family are going to do Holy Week… start planning for this, including what you will need to have ready for Pascha (practically speaking: clothes, baskets, food, recipes, hotel if needed), plan for going to confession before Holy Week
    4. Fourth Sunday (St. John of Climacus),
      • Put out icon of the Ladder if you have not done so and own one
      • read part of St. John’s book, the ladder of divine ascent or about this book
      • Read this homily about the Ladder and St. John
    5. Fifth Sunday (St. Mary of Egypt),
      • Put out icon of St.Mary of Egypt
      • Read or listen to the story of St. Mary’s life
    6. Palm Sunday through Holy Saturday and Easter Sunday.
      • Pray for God’s mercy in Holy Week as many temptations can arise
      • Go to the services of Holy Week
      • Be at peace as much as possible, judge no one

A Treat ~ blueberry, French vanilla ice cream and a dust of cocoa



Mr. Husband and I enjoyed a nice 
bowl of French vanilla ice cream this past weekend!


With fresh organic blue berries that I had found on sale! 

Wednesday, February 26, 2014

The Four Weeks before Great Lent

The icons for the first four weeks before
Great Lent officially begins are:


The Publican and the Pharisee.
*
Sunday of the Tax Collector and Pharisee:
Beautifully we are shown how we need humility 
to be saved and that prayer is not telling God
a list of what we proudly think we do right
but instead simply that we realize our state before God,
our spiritual poverty, our sin, our illnesses
and ask God for mercy.


The Prodigal Son and his Father
*
Sunday of the Prodigal Son (from the Parable):
Having realized our state before God, 
that we have wasted all that we have been given in 
distraction, in poor choices, in even giving ourselves over to
a harlot, seeing that we have loved ourselves instead of loving God,
we realize we are the prodigal and need to make our way home
to our Father...
*
Instructive also is the realization of how we are often also the 
un-compassionate older brother who refuses to rejoice with
the salvation of his younger brother who has come home:
it is safe to say that for the most of us 
we are not only the prodigal but still sadly the self-righteous older brother
who does not see his own spiritual poverty,
demonstrated if only by his lack of compassion... 
*
Wonderfully the Father is compassionate, is waiting for us,
runs to us when we turn towards Him in repentance.
He waits to heal us, restore us to His family and He loves us.
Deep hope is given for repentance! 


The Final Judgment
*
Sunday of Meat (the Final Judgment):
A sober realization that what we do on this earth
will be judged one day and that we truly need 
God's mercy and that we need to 
examine our lives...
are we seeing others as a Christ
 that we are to love, to serve?
What will Christ say to us one day?
It is all the more reason for us to learn to pray:
Lord Jesus Christ have mercy on me a sinner!


Adam and Eve's expulsion for Paradise
*
Sunday of Cheese (Adam's expulsion from Paradise):
We realize that we too have been expelled from Paradise:
This world is not our home ~ it is fallen from Paradise...
Heaven or Hell is made in part daily by us
in our hearts and in our world:
Great Lent could be seen as a journey towards
the only thing that can restore Paradise to us:
Christ's Cross and Christ's Resurrection.
*
Many of us are wondering this Lent how we can make this journey.
Great Lent is often a time of great trials for us,
as well as for seeking to see where we really are:
in great need of God's mercy and often, we realize, far from our
Heavenly Father and poor in our love of His Son,
Our Saviour Christ.
*
Here is a small list of ideas I have come up with for these 4 weeks
before Great Lent begins...
(my apologies for not having this ready 4 weeks, 
it's just how it has happened...)
*
FYI, the headings for these 4 weeks are from here.
*
    • The four weeks preceding Lent are known as:
      1. Sunday of the Tax Collector and Pharisee (from the Parable),
        • Begin reading focused spiritual reading to prepare for Lent as our life situation permits
      2. Sunday of the Prodigal Son (from the Parable),
        • Clean lampadas, clean house for blessing before Lent, begin thinking pointedly on what one can do differently during Great Lent, ideas include:
          • tithe of the year - see this list and this podcast by Fr. Thomas Hopko
          • going off FB
          • Psalter reading, praying an Akathist, praying one of the hours,
          • building habits of order in one’s life and home
          • books on Lent for children, YA and adults
          • being reconciled with one another
          • fasting in food but also can do ‘spiritual fasts’... like from worry or judging others
      3. Sunday of Meat (the Final Judgment),
        • This Sunday is the last day to eat meat, as health permits (talking to one's spiritual father or priest about this is best, esp. if you have issues of health, have young children, have an infant, or are in a family that are not ready to engage in the fast as a family, for whatever reason).
        • Butterweek ~ special pancakes, meals, preparing for the fast
        • Praying the Akathist to the Protection of the Mother of God for her help during Great Lent
        • Continue praying for wisdom as to what one can do for our Lenten Journey of this year
      4. Sunday of Cheese (Adam's expulsion from Paradise);
        • This Sunday is the last day to eat dairy, as health permits
        • Read something about Lent, think about how we too have been expelled from Paradise and that we need to desire Christ
        • Being reconciled to each other, forgiving each other as we start Lent so that we can indeed have the first day of Lent being our 'Clean Monday'
        • Putting out Lenten Icons

      *
      This list is in now ways exhaustive and is based on my
      own experience and what I have learned.
      That said,
      I would LOVE to hear other people's ideas, thoughts and suggestions
      for preparing for this Great Lenten Journey.
      So please do leave comments or send me an email!