Last Assignment in Lent

I have had a lot of quietness this weekend.

I finished (almost completely) my last assignment for my online course.

I am a bit more hopeful about work.

Tomorrow is going to be a very social day, so I am glad to have had quiet beforehand.

This Lent has gone so quickly.

I relaxed more than last Lent; but I do not think this was a wrong thing to do.

I think (or hope) I was and am being more realistic,

and true to my circumstances.

That said,

laziness must not reign in my house or in my heart.

May God give us the support we need to complete the fast -

we are almost to Holy Week...

Short Update - 4th week of Great Lent

Lent - we are nearing the end already. May the Lord give us mercy to keep at the spiritual disciplines.

I gained clarification about "rights" at work. Work, unlike the Kingdom of God, is contractual. It is okay to ask work to honour what it has contracted. Merciful but not being walked on when regarding contractual agreements.

How much I need God's wisdom and mercy.

My apartment is really coming together. Another month and I hope a lot of it will be done.

I feel "at home" when I am here now. However, I must remember that I am never to feel that this earth is our final home. A challenge to our home-loving North American culture. It has been said that the upkeep, decoration and furnishing of one's home has become the new religion. This is something I must remember, as much as I love IKEA, paint colours and coziness.

Church is home though and this past Sunday it felt so home-like; the rain outside, the brightness and icons inside, my church family, the silence. How I wish everyone could find such nourishing homes with such love.

I treasure such times. May the Lord pour out His mercy to us as we strive to come to the end of this Lent. Lord have mercy, we have such a long way to go!

3 down 3 to go

I just submitted Assignment # 3. I am very happy that this is done. The rest of the course will not be as hard, as it is areas I am more familiar with.

It is quite possible that I will need to take an additional course to learn more.

I am feeling a bit more hopeful about learning for my job. Learning the book collection still seems a bit daunting.

Now I need to go on with the day - the usual domestic tasks of dishes, laundry and groceries. Also preparing for vespers and the eve of Lent.

Blessed Lent to everyone!

Lent, soon upon us

Lord have mercy on us.

I feel a mix of anticipation, exhaustion and apprehension.

Lord have mercy on us!

So much can be a mystery or not as we expect it.

My priest has challenged us various times to remember that the Pharisees in their day were the religious elite, who were well versed in Scripture and faithful in all matters related to religious practice. We can know all the rules of the fast, attend all the services and still miss it.

Humility. Praying for a broken and contrite heart. Praying for a willing spirit.

How much my heart needs to be changed. And to not fear such change but to seek it.

Lord have mercy.

May we dwell always in His temple; may His mercy pursue us all the days of our lives; May He forgive us for our blindness and confusion. May we learn to see our brokenness, may we learn to desire humility and the love of God.