☦️Hawaiian Iveron Icon

In 5th-century Ireland, Saint Patrick (Mar 17) took up the unfinished fight against paganism. He did so with the missionary zeal of one who before conversion, was in his words “like a stone lying in deep mire” until “He that is mighty came and in His mercy raised me up and, indeed, lifted me high up and placed me on top of the wall. And from there I ought to shout out in gratitude to the Lord for His great favours in this world and forever, that the mind of man cannot measure.”

✝️ Holy Enlightener of Ireland, pray for us! ✝️

☦️St. Patrick's Breastplate Prayer

Abba Macarius of Egypt said there is no need to waste time with words [in prayer]. It is enough to hold out your hands and say, “Lord, according to your desire and your wisdom, have mercy.”

If pressed in the struggle, say, “Lord, save me!” or say, “Lord.” He knows what is best for us, and will have mercy upon us.

The Spring Equinox has arrived in the Northern Hemisphere. At Aptekarsky Botanical Garden, Moscow, Snowdrops bloom-- a confirmation of spring and the hope of Resurrection.

St. John Climacus thought himself unworthy to compose a guide to the monastic life. However, in obedience to his abbot, St. John (4th Sunday of Great Lent) did so, drawing inspiration from the story of Jacob's ladder in the Old Testament (Gen. 28:12). St. John called his work The Ladder, for the book is “a fixed ladder leading from earthly things to the Holy of Holies." The thirty steps of spiritual perfection correspond to the Lord's age at the beginning of His ministry.

In the book, the fourth step of the ladder is obedience— a word so many people misunderstand. It is not “giving up one's will and losing one's freedom. Christian obedience … is the proper exercise of our freedom, freely offered to God and to our neighbor. As St. John Climacus teaches us, this type of obedience - true obedience- is an act of love.”

—Patriarch Ilia Il of Georgia ☦️

“Behold the maidservant of the Lord! Let it be to me according to your word.”

The Annunciation to the Most-Holy Theotokos (Mar 25) "is the beginning of our salvation, the revelation of the eternal mystery! The Son of God becomes the Son of the Virgin as Gabriel announces the coming of Grace. Together with him let us cry to the Theotokos: Rejoice, O Full of Grace, the Lord is with you!" (Troparion of the Feast, Tone 4)

“The man who really loves the Lord, who has made a real effort to find the future Kingdom, who is really pained by his sins, who is really mindful of eternal torment and judgment, who really lives in fear of his own departure, will not love, carry, or worry about money, or possessions, or parents, or worldly glory, or friends, or brothers, or anything at all on earth. But having shaken off all ties with earthly things and having stripped himself of all his cares, and having come to hate even his own flesh, and having stripped himself of everything, he will follow Christ without anxiety or hesitation. . ."

☦️ St John of the Ladder

Having been a sinful woman,
she became through repentance a Bride of Christ.

“Now, Father, believe me, I am very amazed, that the sea tolerated my wantonness and fornication, that the earth did not open up its mouth and take me down alive into hell, because I had ensnared so many souls. I think that God was seeking my repentance. He did not desire the death of a sinner, but awaited my conversion."

St Mary of Egypt (5th Sunday of Great Lent) to St Zosimas

“The image of God was truly preserved in you, mother,
for you took up the Cross and followed Christ.
By so doing, you taught us to disregard the flesh, for it passes away, but to care instead for the soul, since it is immortal.
Therefore your spirit, holy mother Mary, Rejoices with the angels!”

Troparion — Tone 8

On the long ladder of Lent, Christ “waits patiently to receive us at the top. More than that, the Lord is at our side during this ascent, giving us the strength to keep climbing and catching us when we slip. To paraphrase St. John [of the Ladder], Let us hasten, brethren, to make our ascent! —Met. Tikhon of America

If you bear your cross with perseverance and seek comfort only from Him, then He, through His mercy, will not abandon you but will touch your heart and will impart to you the gifts of the Holy Spirit. … Then your heart will be kindled with love of God and all people. All these are gifts of the Holy Spirit.

When the Lord decides to honour you with such gifts, do not consider them as rewards for your labors, and do not think that you have attained perfection. Such thoughts come from pride. The comforts and grace of the Holy Spirit are not rewards but gifts of divine mercy.

☦️ St Innocent, Enlightener of Siberia and Alaska (Reposed Mar 31, 1879),"The Way Into the Kingdom of Heaven"

Several videos and photos posted online show holy myrrh streaming abundantly over a photograph of Patriarch Ilia Il of All Georgia. The images show cotton wadding at the bottom of the photograph being used for the collection of the myrrh. The beloved Patriarch reposed on March 17.

Lazarus Saturday is Little Pascha. Death receives a foretaste of its defeat.

"On Great Tuesday at Matins we are still in the time of repentance, for repentance alone makes us partakers of the Pascha of Our Lord, opens to us the doors of the Paschal banquet." (The Very Rev. Alexander Schmemann) We remember the Lord's condemnation of the scribes and Pharisees, those who think they are the leaders of man, but who in fact “shut up the Kingdom of heaven to men."

At the Presanctified Liturgy, we remember Christ's parables of the End: the ten wise virgins who had enough oil in their lamps and the ten foolish ones who were not admitted to the bridal banquet, the resurrection of the dead, the ten talents, and the Last Judgment.

St Tikhon, the Apostle to America and Enlightener of North America Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia (repose April 7) was known for his loving manner with everyone and was never overbearing. Even when he had to reprimand someone, he did so in a good-natured, sometimes even joking, manner that encouraged the person to correct their mistakes.

"O Holy Confessor and Patriarch, Father Tikhon, Chosen by God in a turbulent time, you glorified God in complete holiness; and attained greatness through humility. Pray to Christ God to Whom you were also crucified, that He may save our souls."

Great and Holy Wednesday

“In pouring this ointment on my body she has done it to prepare me for burial. Truly, I say to you wherever this gospel is preached in the whole world, what she has done will be told in memory of her." ✝️ Matthew 26:12-13

You crucify, O people, Him who is the hope of the despairing, the consolation of the comfortless, the eyes of the blind, the ears of the deaf, the resurrection of the dead.

God crucified… Have you been satisfied, fighters against God? Have you rejoiced, killers of God? What do you think Christ is upon the Cross? A deceiver? Weak? A scandal-maker? But what does the Lord think upon the Cross about the people who stand beneath it?

That which only the God of love and meekness can think:

“Father, forgive them; for they do not know what they are doing.” (Luke 23:34)

☦︎ Saint Justin Popović

The Holy Fire has descended! Israeli authorities only yesterday lifted the ban on visiting holy sites in Jerusalem. This ensured the attendance of many faithful and the Holy Fire being preserved and shared again this year in churches and homes. https://youtube.com/shorts/g1GjKH7ZR4E