Saturday: the mundane and the profound

A pretty bowl for breakfast.  We had pizza for lunch.  Ice cream and

strawberries...

Then to evening vespers... 

I found myself thinking about the world, and the multiplicity of views

and this world, with so many religions, ideas and such.

But also about some ideas that I discovered Madeleine L'Engle 

and Elder Sophrony (who wrote the books on St Silouan)

about hell and heaven and 

two different ways of it and one, Madeleine's, at least in the middle of her life,

was the idea she said of some thought that heaven could include being able to see 

people in hell and she could not imagine that as heaven 

and then St Sophrony saying that St Silouan saying that love cannot 

bear the idea of those in hell but yet believing that people can/are there

and suffering and praying for those there.  And it is suggested that God has pain about it.

The same thing but different conclusion.

I know this is perhaps not my normal discussion here but well, I do often write

what is on my mind and so here I am, writing about it.

And I thought about this as I was in church and the idea of some

refusing God and how could that be and yet,

I saw the Lord on His Cross in the front side of Church.

It was like I realized that life is cluttered, and that seeing Christ on the Cross

may be missed but yet He is THERE.

***

(even in the two pictures above, you can miss seeing Him there, 

on the Cross, because the view I looked towards Christ made it

visually cluttered and you do not immediately notice the Cross....)

***

It was like I realized for a minute anyway, that somehow the Cross

with Christ on it, is really the centre of everything, the centre of history,

that He came and died for us

and that His death tell us His love

and His Resurrection tells us our Hope

and that Christ, seen here, is the answer.

There He is.  Silent. Still. So Still.  On the Cross, 

poured out for all the world.

And while I don't have an answer to the questions the L'Engle and Elder Sophrony

are raising, as they are nuanced and I don't have the wisdom to answer them,

but I can say that I saw that Christ came and that the Cross,

the suffering, the offering of Christ 

is the answer to the question, to everything, in the end.

***

I saw it but I can only pray that I can remember it,

have this more deeply in my own heart,

my own fickle struggling heart.

I also thought of how good it is to be in church

and that while right now in NJ things are pretty good with the 

pandemic numbers and such but that one does not know

if it will get worse again and I was just glad to be there.....

We had lamb, rice, veggies, bread and 

again ice cream with strawberries for dessert

(good thing I got a walk in this morning with Mr Husband!)

It's the last of our fast-free week and the beginning, on Monday,

of the Apostle's fast.... so extra treats today!

***

I showed my priest the picture of Fr I who died in Ottawa

and he said, well, he is with God now and that he would pray for him.

That is a real comfort.

***

So, life is this mixture of loss, of questions, of even, at times,

profundity, and also, for me, now, the blessing of wonderful food

and life in all it's ups and downs with my Husband

who I am so thankful for and that I have life with,

and that over all, we have Christ to save us.

***

May God bless and save you dear readers!

Lord have mercy on us!