Pascha the Passover of the World

"The Church is the entrance into the risen life of Christ. It is communion in life eternal. Joy and peace in the Holy Spirit.  It is the expectation of the day without evening of the Kingdom. Of the fulfillment of all things and all life in Christ. In Christ death itself has become an act of life; for he has filled it with himself with his love and his light. And if I make this new life of Christ my own; mine this hunger and thirst for the kingdom, mine this expectation of Christ, mine the certitude that Christ is life then my very death will be an act of communion with life. For neither life nor death can separate us from the love of Christ. I do not know how and when the fulfillment will come. I do not know when all things will be consummated in Christ. I know nothing about the whens and the how's. But I do know that in Christ this great passage the Pascha the passover of the world has begun. That the light of the world comes to us in the joy and peace of the Holy Spirit. For Christ is risen and life reigns."

-Alexander Schmemann in For the Life of the World

2 No's 1 Yes and Eschatology!

" When I die you can write my immemorian in one brief paragraph. You can say that my vision consisted in 2 No's 1 Yes and the Kingdom of God (eschatology). The first No is to secularism in all it's forms. To any attempt to define man and the world without reference to God. The second No is to religion. By this I mean religion as one part of life. One sacred compartment as opposed to all the rest considered as profane and worldly. Christ did not come to bring religion. Christianity is not religion. Christ brought the Kingdom of God. The righteousness the peace the joy in the Holy Spirit. This is my yes. Yes to Christ and the Church. Yes to Christ's Church understood not as an institution or an organization or an agency of any sort. However helpful and laudable it's purposes. But Yes to the church as the sacramental presence in this world of the eternal life of the world to come. Yes to the whole of God's creation. To all of Life. As found and fulfilled in it's God given substance in Christ and in the Church." 

- Father Alexander Schmemann

The Glorious Mystery of The Descent of the Holy Spirit

"and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance" (Acts 2:4)

Within this Mystery the veil that has so long shrouded the trinity has been pulled back. With the descent of the Holy Spirit we the Church welcome the appearance of the blessed and undivided Holy Trinity in it's fullness. We have a clear picture of the Father sending; through the Son the Holy Spirit; Paraclete, Advocate, Consoler, and "Spirit of truth" (John 16:13). As our Paraclete he calls us to remember the Risen and Ascended Lord: "the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you" (John 14:26). As our Advocate The Holy Spirit teaches us Christ's truth "the Spirit of truth, who proceeds from the Father, he will bear witness to me" (John 15:26).  Finally as our Consoler the Holy Spirit opens our hearts to wholly welcome the truth. 

As the "other tongues" suggest the incommunicable language of the Trinity has now become a human language of prayer available to each member of the Church. St. Paul himself announces the special gift that comes with the grace of Pentecost: "When we cry 'Abba Father!' it is the Spirit himself bearing witness with our spirit that we are children of God" (Romans 8:15). When we remember that the Holy Spirit makes it possible for us to communicate with God, then we recognize the possibility of sharing that communion with others.  It is through the now fulfilled and revealed love shared by the Holy Trinity we are reminded of Christ's wish "that they may be one" (John 17 :11). This plan of love, which was conceived by the Father and realized by the Son victorious over death, continually unfolds under the impulse of the Holy Spirit who leads "to all truth" (John 16:13). While contemplating this Glorious descent of the Holy Spirit  we are given an occasion to thank God for his grace, and to recall that which unites us in divine truth. 

The Glorious Mystery of the Ascenscion

"So then the Lord Jesus, after he had spoken to them, was taken up into heaven, and sat down at the right hand of God" (Mark 16:19).

Here we have the very beginning of the public ministry of the Church. Christ's physical body returns to heaven and his mystical body (the church) is established on earth. At the ascension the disciples witnessed Christ pass from their visible sight. No longer will he remain present among them. In the same moment the disciples learn that they must now become witnesses to his presence throughout the world. Christ has entrusted his message to his church; which by the the power of the Holy Spirit will preach and manifest "the mighty works and wonders and signs which God did through him"(Acts 2:22) " to the entire world. However Christ has not left us to the cleverness of ourselves to win the the hearts of men, rather he "consequently is able for all time to save those who draw near to God through him, since he always lives to make intercession for them" (Heb 7:25). 

While this glorious mystery celebrates the absence of Christ's presence in the world, it also celebrates the presence of Christ in the Church of faith and sacraments. The visible presence of Christ has now passed to his Church and the sacraments. The most precious gift that the ascended Christ offers to his church is the bread of heaven itself. The mystery of the ascension prepares the Church to contemplate the blessed Eucharist. In this blessed sacrament we venerate the real presence of Christ, even as we struggle in faith the absence of his visible appearance. That which the eyes of our bodies cannot see of the visible Christ, the eyes of faith behold in the sacrament of Eucharist. The sacraments are not just signs but rather they are "sacred realities". Our Holy Communion with the body and blood of Christ develops unity and charity within the church, and in these gifts  we experience the very presence of our saviour who has gone to "sit at the right hand of the Father".   

O God illumine the riches of your glorious mystery the ascension,

  so that your saint's may glorify your holy name. Amen

The little birds of Francis

Up soared the lark into the air,

A shaft of song, a winged prayer,

As if a soul released from pain

Were flying back to heaven again.

St. Francis heard: it was to him

An emblem of the seraphim

The upward motion of fire

The light, the heat, the heart's desire.

Around Assissi's convent gate

The bird's, God's poor who cannot wait,

From moor and mere and darksome wood

Come flocking for their dole of food

"O brother birds," Francis said,

"Ye come to me and ask for bread,

But not with bread alone today

Shall ye be fed and sent away.

"Ye shall be fed, ye happy birds,

With manna of celestial words;

Not mine, though mine they seem to be,

Not mine, though they be spoken through me."

"Oh, doubly are ye bound to praise 

The great Creator in your lays;

He giveth you your plumes of down,

Your crimson hoods, your cloaks of brown.

"He giveth you your wings to fly

And breathe a purer air on high,

And who careth for you everywhere,

Who for yourselves so little care!"

With flutter of soft wings and songs

Together rose the feathered throngs,

And singing scattered far apart;

Deep peace was in St. Francis' heart.

He knew not if the brotherhood

His homily had understood;

He only knew that to one ear

The meaning of his words was clear.

-Anonymous

untitled 2

radiance reflected by eyes unknowing

motions so smooth deemed decipherable 

to gaze and see grace what a glimpse

how can believing beget knowing

eyes searching 

hands wandering

mouth sipping

foot shaking

shall we share a drink 

shall we share a tune

we shall sit 

and be happy

untitled

O season of sorrow

be not too long 

but in thy presence

create in us anew

to live is to die

rather

to die is to live

to live is to hope

life groans expectant

but what is it's hope

it is already alive

can it possess more than itself?

brokenness lights the path

a flower blooms 

then it withers

death has no venom

truly it lies

It is not the end

Except to that plague 

of imperfection

For all things 

are awakened

from temporal slumber

awake!

awake!

be not afraid 

for darkness flees

 

The Greatest

 

"Love is patient; love is kind

and envies no one.

Love is never boastful, nor conceited, nor rude;

never selfish, not quick to take offense.

There is nothing love cannot face;

there is no limit to it's faith,

it's hope, and endurance.

In a word, there are three things

that last forever: faith, hope, and love;

but the greatest of them is love."

Oh! how this speaks to me.

"Come back to me, with all your heart"

 

In following the example of sacrifice modeled for us by Jesus, we the Church are invited to imitate him during this concentrated period of mourning. During this season of Lent may we be a community that hears and responds to Gods invitation: "Come back to me, with all your heart." (Joel 2:12)

The Faith of Saint Francis of Assisi

 

In 1219 Saint Francis left, together with a few companions, on a pilgrimage of non-violence to Egypt. Crossing the lines between the sultan and the Crusaders in Damietta, he was received by the sultan Melek-el-Kamel. Francis challenged the Muslim scholars to a test of true religion by fire; but they retreated. When Francis proposed to enter the fire first and, if he left the fire unharmed, the sultan would have to recognize Christ as the true God, the sultan was so impressed that he allowed him to preach to his subjects. Though he didn't succeed in converting the sultan, the last words of the sultan to Francis of Assisi were "Pray for me that God may deign to reveal to me that law and faith which is most pleasing to him. 

Beginning to Pray

 

   

Prayer is a strange thought. Who wants to talk to someone who doesn't talk back. After all people who do that are usually diagnosed as insane. For most of my life i did the crazy person prayer. I talked to God but never allowed him to speak back. How could he, I filled all the quiet time of my life with my own desires or thoughts. What kind of relationship is that? It was a selfish one. God always seemed silent too me. I have to ask myself how long i would stick around if some one was always talking to me but never listened. I might be silent to. 

Anthony Bloom says that "... the beginning of prayer is when God is silent." What a gracious thing it is that He is silent, because we are probably not ready to hear what He has to say. How do we become ready to hear? I believe it comes from a proper perspective of ourselves in relation to Him. We are not God. We must come before the throne wanting nothing but Him. To enter his presence should be enough. With this mindset we are ready to receive. We should listen and talk less. How does this happen? Easily enough if your silent it might surprise you how quick He is to speak. He desires to. I think a better way to approach prayer is to be quiet myself and wait. This is awkward. Silence is hard. It has to be practiced. 

I have this philosophy that the longer you can be quiet with a friend in utter comfort, the more real and vibrant your relationship is. I wonder if this is applicable in our relationship with our Creator. I hope so! May God begin to speak to us in our silence. So that we may have our desires transformed by his Holy Spirit. We then shall begin to pray.

St. Francis the Italian Troubadour

"What wonderful majesty!

What stupendous condescension!

O sublime humility!

That the Lord of the whole universe,

God and the Son of God

should humble Himself like this 

under the form of a little bread, 

for our salvation"

"...In this world i cannot see

the Most High Son of God 

with my own eyes, except 

for His Most Holy Body and Blood."

- Saint Francis of Assisi

"Season of Sorrow"

O season of sorrow

when death prevails

be not too long, but in thy presence 

create in us anew.

 

"The Lenten season is meant to kindle a "bright sadness" within our hearts. It's aim is precisely the remembrance of Christ, a longing for a relationship with God that has been lost. Lent offers the time and place for recovery of this relationship. The darkness of Lent allows the flame of the Holy Spirit to burn within our hearts until we are led to the brilliance of the Resurrection."

-Fr. Alexander Schmemann

 

What is this "bright sadness"? My sadness seems to be motivated by the sense that things are not as they should be. We all feel that we do not live the way that we should. Or that when faced with the immovable God of creation we feel as though nothing we can do will fix our standing with him. These things should and i hope do cause a sense of sadness in our lives. Not so that we may be downtrodden and live life in a fake humility, rather that we might be challenged to change the desires of our hearts. This i believe is where the brightness comes in. The reality is that we are subject to something much bigger than ourselves. His name is God and he desires to change us into the very image of himself. When confronted with this reality my sadness is suddenly transformed into a unexplainable hope and desire for things in me to be made right. 

Still, how do we get to the place of being ready and open to receive this sadness which manifests itself into unfathomable joy. It is my opinion that this is the very reason for Lent. For in this time of the year we begin to posture ourselves in a way which will teach us the sufferings of Christ. We are encouraged to remember Christ and to contemplate his sacrifice. In this season of sorrow we are brought closer to the heart of our suffering Messiah. I believe we forget that our Saviour suffered under the authorities unto death, but this suffering had a purpose and that purpose was the redemption of mankind on that Sacred first Easter. This is the beginning of our brightness for we know that death and suffering will be destroyed. Jesus will be resurrected and leave that dark tomb having defeated death. 

My prayer for all of us this season is that we would place ourselves behind Christ in his suffering, so that we may follow him out of the tomb come Easter day and walk into newness of life. That we would look the same but inside our spirits would be renewed. In leaving our figurative tombs and walking into the world new creations we shall truly be the people of God.