“The word ‘humility’ comes from the Latin word ‘humus’ which means fertile ground. Humility is the situation of the earth. The earth is always there, always taken for granted, never remembered, always trodden on by everyone, somewhere we cast and pour out all the refuse, all we don’t need. It’s there, silent and accepting everything and in a miraculous way making out of all the refuse new richness in spite of corruption,…
I think of Pascha as a new beginning. New life! New spring! New resolve to live in the hope of the Resurrection! It is a perfect time for beginning again to take seriously my vocation as co-creator, pouring into each day as much beauty and goodness and kindness as humanly possible, trusting God The Creator to transform my humble offerings and efforts into divine reflections of His great compassion for this…
2017 arrived just when I needed it most. I’m not great at keeping resolutions or anything but I can’t help being lured into introspection by official new beginnings. I’ve been in dire need of purging stale thought patterns to make room for fresh perspectives. The last several months were … well… actually, I don’t want to dwell on them. Let’s just say they were “trying.” I think we can all agree on…
Like most other times a fast approaches, my initial thoughts about this Nativity Fast were laced with stress: “I’m not ready!” And this year, gearing up for a sacred period of preparation for the incarnation seemed especially challenging. Truth be told, I’ve been wrestling with a lot of disappointment lately, in my own failings and in the state of our nation. I’ve been discouraged, disillusioned, and downright depressed over the dwindling…