| Home |
| About Us |
|
News and Events
|
| Orthodox Christianity |
| Schedule of Services |
| Ministries & Organizations |
| Multimedia |
| Directions |
| Contact |
 |
March 2006
Dear
Sisters and Brothers in Christ,
In order to become spiritually active, it is absolutely essential that we learn to be and to love silence. "Be still and know that I am God" is not a suggestion; it is something we need to incorporate in our daily lives.
Great Lent is called "the school of repentance;" but it is much more than a cursory request for the erasure of our list of sins. Repentance is coming to grips with reality, clearing the fog, letting go of the illusions that inform how we live; but this is impossible unless we learn to still the cacophony of voices in our heads. We identify these voices with who we are; but in reality, they are little more than ghosts, insubstantial and ephemeral. Many Orthodox prayer manuals begin with instructions that "calm the heart" or "still the mind" before prayer. One of the Desert Fathers taught that preliminary to prayer, one must learn to control the thoughts.
So, let Great Lent become a spiritual laboratory for you. Along with fasting and prayer and charity, sit down each day and begin to experiment with silence. Let the mind come to a rest, let thoughts that arise come and go, let the Name of Jesus become your focus in these moments of meditation. When the mind drifts away do not worry, simply re-focus gently, treating yourself with tenderness and understanding. St. John Climacus teaches this very thing in his Divine Ladder. Let peace rise in your hearts, let everrything be as it is and take some time to rest. "Lay aside all earthly cares" is how we say it in the Divine Liturgy.
Repentance is more than a listing of sins; it is a restructuring of life from inside out. The inside of the cup must be attended to and yet, this is precisely what we most often ignore; but as our Lord taught, "Where the heart is there is the treasure." If our mind is a jumble of conflicting, noisy and unruly thoughts, our poor hearts cannot be far behind.
May God bless our Lenten journey,
Fr. Antony Hughes
Pastor
Archives of Fr Antony's Monthly Notes
2011
Summer 2011
May 2011
April 2011
March 2011
February 2011
January 2011
2010
November 2010
October 2010
September 2010
August 2010
June 2010
May 2010
March 2010
2009
December 2009
November 2009
October 2009
September 2009
June 2009
May 2009
April 2009
March 2009
February 2009
January 2009
2008
December 2008
November 2008
October 2008
September 2008
August 2008
June 2008
May 2008
April 2008
March 2008
February 2008
January 2008
2007
December 2007
November 2007
October 2007
September 2007
Summer 2007
May 2007
May 2007
March 2007
February 2007
January 2007
2006
December 2006
November 2006
October 2006
September 2006
August 2006
June 2006
May 2006
April 2006
March 2006
February 2006
January 2006
2005
December 2005
November 2005
October 2005
September 2005
August 2005
June 2005
May 2005
April 2005
March 2005
February 2005
January 2005
2004
December 2004
November 2004
October 2004
September 2004
July 2004
June 2004
May 2004
April 2004
March 2004
February 2004
January 2004
2003
December 2003
November 2003
October 2003
September 2003
June 2003
May 2003
April 2003
March 2003
2002
May 2002
April 2002
March 2002
February 2002
January 2002
2001
November 2001
October 2001
May 2001
April 2001
© 2012 - St. Mary Orthodox Church - Cambridge, MA
8 Inman Street Cambridge, MA 02139 | (O) 617-547-1234 | (F) 617-902-2370 | Directions | Contact