Great Lent Week 7, Day 1

St. Joseph of Arimathea, by the hand of Nicholas Papas.  It can be purchase here from Come & See Icons.

Our final week of this exercise, also Holy Week, is dedicated to final corporal work (or act) of mercy which is to:

Bury the Dead.

How appropriate for this final week of the Lenten season, when on Good and Holy Friday, we bury Christ, the suffering servant, that this act of mercy should be recalled.  As the noble Joseph of Arimathea (Mark 15:42-46, Matt 27:57-60,  and John 19:38-42) with the utmost of respect (and tremendous courage) took the Lord's body and buried it, so too should we respect the bodies of our brothers and sisters and carry out this final act of love.  Orthodox Christians believe that the body is not evil, but a temple of the Holy Spirit. (1 Corinthians 6:19-20)  So even if the soul has departed the body, it remains a sanctified vessel.   We have countless accounts in Orthodox Christianity, of both recognized saints and simple believers, whose bodily remains do not corrupt and when touched by the sick, they are healed.  If you ever happen to be in San Francisco, stop by the Joy of All Who Sorrow Russian Orthodox Cathedral where one can visit the incorrupt remains of St. John of San Francisco and Shanghai.  I have not yet been myself, but have heard first hand accounts of people, who have received healing and/or consolation of their sorrows.  This is not un-scriptural by the way. (See the account of Elisha's death 2 Kings 13:20-21 and the subsequent healing of a man that falls on his relics)

As an FYI, I wrote a post several months ago regarding the act of the noble Joseph removing the Lord's body from the cross which can be found here.  It contains a short video of a hymn that is sung at the service of the Lord's burial.

So...back to the task at hand...how do we bury the dead?

Other than the obvious, which is actually burying our loved ones, you can help people to do so.  Read your local paper's obituary section and you may come across people who state that they cannot afford burial, and there is a bank account number at the bottom of the obituary as to where you can donate.  I've done it, it's really easy.  You just walk into the bank and tell them that you would like to make a deposit into such-and-such account, and it gets done.  I don't recall them asking for ID or my name, so it can by done anonymously as well.  Another option, and I see these a lot in Phoenix, is going to a memorial car wash which raises money for funeral costs.  Now maybe you may not be comfortable with a bunch of kids washing your car, or you don't have the time to wait in line, but just walking/driving up to them and handing them a few bucks works too. 

This will be the last post prior to Pascha (Easter).  I'm going to do my best to stay off the Internet as much as possible for this final week of Great Lent.  Have a blessed Holy Week and I'll see you on that bright and beautiful day of the Lord's resurrection.

Great Lent Week 6, Day 2

We are now in the home stretch of Great Lent.  At the end of this week we have Lazarus Saturday, followed by Palm Sunday and then we are plunged into the quiet and sanctity of Holy Week.  It is time to really start putting off the everyday and preparing ourselves for the balance of the Lenten journey which is somber and sober.  

So we are now left with the final two Acts of Mercy.  This week it is to visit the sick, pretty self explanatory, but not easy.

Visiting the sick can be daunting.  Many times we don't know what to say, or we are uncomfortable with hospitals and nursing centers.   Not to be crass, but those places can really smell awful, and there can be people with dementia crying out making it an "unpleasant" experience.  These people are us though.  They too worked hard, raised children, buried their parents, defended our nation, and dealt with all the other harshness that is inherent with life on this planet ...and now they are sick and sometimes alone, with their lives seemingly to have meant nothing because now they are no longer "useful".   Oh what a horrid thing to say! May God help the society that adopts this type of ideology.   

Again, this is no easy task, especially since we live in a culture that likes to keep things sanitary and pleasant.  Try to find a way though.  I'm sure if you called a local nursing home and asked if they needed volunteers for bingo night or someone to play the piano during dinner hours, they would find a place for you.  If you can't do that, send a card to someone, make phone calls on a regular basis, or drop by for even 10 minutes with some cookies or whatever.  I'm telling you from experience, that even the slightest of acknowledgments can make a difference.          

Great Lent Week 5, Day 2

It's Week 5 people...can you believe it?

Week 5's Chief Corporal Work of Mercy (which I have been just calling Acts of Mercy) is:

To Shelter the Homeless

To be quite honest, I can't say that I would take a stranger off the street and put him/her in my home.  For a number of reasons, I just wouldn't do it.  If I "knew" someone that need a place to crash for a while, well that might be different.  But I don't, so I need some other options.

There is of course the easy option of donating to a homeless shelter.  With a credit card and a few clicks, you can knock this one off the list quite easily.  But, let's put ourselves out of our comfort zone.

Do you know someone that seems kinda lost or maybe doesn't have many friends?  Although they may have physical shelter, they may not have any sort of emotional shelter.  Perhaps there is someone in your church or community that appears to be alone alot or due to social anxiety just can't make friends.  I know lots of people who are very quiet, introverted people and are often mistaken for being jerks because they appear to be aloof. I have found that, more often than not, these quiet folks just have a difficult time in social circumstances. So....make an effort to start a conversation, even if it to just introduce yourself and talk about the weather. You don't have to become best buds or divulge your deepest darkest secrets!  It's just that never know what even a simple smile can do for a person...read this for confirmation of this thought:   Just a Smile and a Hello on the Golden Gate Bridge.

Great Lent Week 4 Meditation

Icon from biography at the OCA website (link below)

Today in the Orthodox Christian Church we remember St. Mary of Egypt.  Additionally, during Great Lent we also remember her on the the 5th Sunday of the fast, which will be April 10th this year.

St. Mary was born in Egypt in the fifth century, and at the age of 12 began to live a life of "debauchery" in Alexandria and spent the next 17 years in such an unfortunate manner. It wasn't until a life-changing encounter in Jerusalem that the course of her life took a 180° turn and St. Mary fled to the desert to live the rest of her days in repentance.  St. Mary's life is tremendous witness of battle and victory and it is no wonder why we remember her specifically during Great Lent.  Here's a longer version of her life and that of Abba Zosimas, the priest who discovered her living in the desert as a hermit: St. Mary of Egypt

Continuing with the reflections from The Prologue of Ohrid by St. Nikolai Velimirovic, here is his reflection on St. Mary of Egypt:

Why is it that much is said and written about the sufferings of holy men and holy women?  Because the saints alone are considered victors.  Can anyone be a victor without conflict, pain and suffering?  In ordinary earthly combat, no one can be considered victorious or heroic who has not been in combat, endured much or suffered greatly.  The more so in spiritual combat, where the truth is known, and where self-boasting not only does not help at all but, indeed, hinders it.  He who does not engage in combat for the sake of Christ, either with this world, with the devil or with one's self, how can he be counted among the soldiers of Christ?  How then is it with Christ's fellow victors?  St. Mary spoke about her savage spiritual combat to Elder Zosimas: "For the first seventeen years in this wilderness, I struggled with my deranged lusts as though with fierce beasts.  I desired to eat meat and fish, which I had in abundance in Egypt.  I also desired to drink wine, and here I did not have even water to drink.  I desired to hear lustful songs.  I cried and beat my breast.  I prayed to the All-pure Mother of God to banish such thoughts from me.  When I had sufficiently wept and beat my breast, it was then that I saw a light encompassing me on all sides, and a certain miraculous peace filled me."

Great Lent Week 4, Day 1

This is a tough one...the fourth act of mercy is Ransoming the Captives.

I have to admit to not knowing a single person in captivity that would need financial ransoming, which I am assuming was the original meaning of this act of mercy. (I could be wrong though..it's happened before..) However, there are others ways in which people are held captive.

The first could simply be someone who is an invalid.  They are being held captive by their physical or psychological infirmities.  A visitation, a phone call or a card, anything that could relieve them, even for just a little while from their "captor" certainly would fulfill this act of mercy.

The second requires a little more legwork.  Believe it or not, the child sex trafficking business is a horrendous problem that plagues many of America's cities.  According to Streetlight PHX, a group dedicated to eradicating child sex slavery in Phoenix, Arizona, the average age in which a child enters prostitution is 13. Unbelievable. Finding an agency such as Streetlight PHX in your area and supporting it in any way you can, even if it's a couple bucks just once would certainly help ransom some poor kid stuck in such a desperate situation.

Great Lent Week 3, Day 3

To Clothe the Naked..the third act of mercy for the third week of Great Lent...

This is fairly easy to accomplish.  Go through your closet, clean it out, and don't be stingy!  What I mean by not being stingy is don't hold back a designer label item because you don't think it will be appreciated by the recipient or you want to hold onto it "just in case".  I believe the rule of thumb is if you haven't worn something in five years, you never will.  And, just perhaps, that designer label jacket you donate may be the reason someone gets a job.  Your donation could be that one needed catalyst that changes the course of a person's life.  Just a thought... 

Places to go...women's shelters, homeless shelters, someone in your parish...

If you live in a state that has a Sports Chalet store, you can donate gently used or new shoes to Soles 4 Souls through April 10th.   All shoe donations will be sent to the suffering people of Japan.  You may also visit their website to find other ways to donate.  Soles 4 Souls

Great Lent 2011, Week 2, Day 2

Sorry I'm a day late...it's already Day 2 of Week 2.

Desert Deliberation's Great Lenten commission in week 2 is to give drink to the thirsty.  Being that I live in the desert, this is fairly easy for me.  Homeless shelters will soon be in dire need of cases of water as the temps rise above 100°.  Even now, with it being in the 80's, you can find yourself thirsty pretty quickly. 

Other ways of fulfilling Week 2 could be returning back to your local food pantry and donating water.  Or, given the dire circumstances in Japan, a donation to your favorite international charity certainly works too.  If you don't have a favorite one, you can use one of mine, International Orthodox Christian Charities found here.  In addition to monetary donations, you can also assemble Emergency Kits in your home and mail the items to the IOCC.  There are emergency health kits, baby kits, school kits and clean-up buckets.   Here's the direct link to this idea.  It can be an easy way to get your children involved as well.

I would like to add, if I wasn't clear last week, that the point of this Lenten project is not just "to do" a nice deed.  We should be doing these things every week of the year, not just during Lent.  Hopefully we can put in motion this idea of fulfilling these acts of mercy on a more regular conscious basis, not having to be prompted by a food drive at school or catastrophic world events.  It is easy to get wrapped up in one's own life and completely forget those around you.  I just figured that Great Lent would be perfect opportunity to unwrap myself.

Yes, like the One who completely unwrapped himself and willingly spread His arms out to embrace all of humanity...I think you know who I'm talking about...

Lenten mediation to follow later this week... 

Great Lent Week 1 Check-In

So....how are you doing?  Just checking in to make sure that Week 1 of Great Lent is going smoothly for you.  And if it isn't, that's to be expected.  No one ever promised that increased amounts of fasting, praying and loving your neighbor would be easy.  Satan knows what's goin' on.  It's one of his busiest times of year I suspect.

I thought of some other ways to help out the hungry...and, of course, I missed the most obvious one that is linked to this blog...The Hunger Site!  Take a look at my sidebar stuff and click on the Hunger Site tab.  It's free, you can do it every day of your life, and it helps feed the hungry.  It is so like me to not see the most obvious thing on my own blog.  Dingbat is the word for it I think. 

Also, if you can't get to a food bank, you can make monetary donations through their websites.  I ended up having to do this.  My mom has been in the hospital all week and some other things came up that did not give much time to do anything else.  Thankfully my mother should be released to a physical rehabilitation center soon and the other things will pass. 

So until we meet again on Day 1 of Week 2 of Great Lent, I leave you with this meditation from St. Nikolai Velimirovic (1881-1956) from The Prologue of Ohrid, March 11th reflection:

"Good works are accomplished not by our efforts alone, but by the power and will of God.  Nevertheless, God demands effort on our part in conforming to His will."  These are the words of St. Barsanuphius and John - few words, but much is said in them.  We are obliged to labor, cultivate and prepare every good thing, and if some good will take root, grow, and bring fruit, that is up to the power and will of God.  We plow the furrows, and God sows - if He wills it.  He can do anything if He wills it.  And He will do everything that answers to the highest wisdom and wholeness, that is, to His plan of man's salvation.  In interpreting the words of our Lord, Be ye therefore wise as serpents, and harmless as doves (Matthew 10:16), St. John Chrysostom writes that our Lord gave this commandment to His disciples that "they themselves should cooperate in some way, so that it will not appear that all effort is of grace alone and so that they will not think they received the wreaths of glory for nothing."  And so, both of them are indispensable for our salvation:  our effort and the power of God's grace.

Great Lent 2011, Week 1, Day 1

From the first Scripture reading of the first day of Lent...

Wash yourselves;
Make yourselves clean;
Remove the evil of your doings from before my eyes;
Cease to do evil, learn to do good;
Seek justice, correct oppression;
Defend the fatherless, plead for the widow

Isaiah 1:16-17

If you said to yourself  "Gee I just don't know what to do for Great Lent!"  the Orthodox Church comes out and tells you the very first day from the very first Scripture reading. (Here's Isaiah 1:1-20 if you want to read it in context).  "Cease to do evil, learn to do good". 
 
So since this seems to be the command, I am proposing the following for the 7 weeks leading up to Easter (or Pascha as we call it in Orthodox Christianity).  Each week we should focus on fulfilling a Chief Corporal Work of Mercy.  Here's the list:

1. To feed the hungry
2. To give drink to the thirsty
3. To clothe the naked
4. To ransom captives
5. To shelter the homeless
6. To visit the sick
7. To bury the dead

For the the first week of Lent the plan will be to deliberately focus on #1, feed the hungry. The goal is that by the end of Lent, all 7 will have been done and a greater awareness has been created to those around us that we don't see because we are too busy with ourselves.  Obviously if it is week 1 and the opportunity to do # 6 arises, then certainly hop to it.  Additionally, repeating a week is greatly encouraged!

Week 1 is easy enough to fulfill...every town has an organization that collect foods.  Take a second to google and find out their greatest needs and do what you can.   Or, look to your own neighborhood.  Do you know a family that is struggling?  There are plenty of people having a rough go of it right now.  Ask your priest or pastor if there is a family in your church that you can anonymously help out with a gift card to a food store.   If there are other less obvious ways that you can think of, drop a comment and let me know.

Now, I'm going to be checking up on you all...I'll publish another post in a few days, probably with a mid-week meditation from someone über-holy, so don't think you can get away with doing nothing.  I've got my eye on you!!!

Best wishes for a beautiful, fruitful and blessed Lent.

Trina