Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

Christ’s Holy Orthodox Church once again invites us to enter the season of the Great Fast, which begins March 1. We begin our Lenten observance in he spirit of repentance, both requesting and grant forgiveness.  We do this in order to prepare ourselves for Holy Pascha, for our celebration of the great mystery of Christ’s passion, death, and resurrection.  Through the traditional, scriptural Lenten practices of prayer, fasting, and almsgiving, we are called to put aside the things that distract us from fully living the Christian life, in order to more intently focus on our life in Christ, and to renew within ourselves the commitment of Holy Baptism, through which we “died with Christ so that we may also live with Him” (Romans 6:8).

In his letter to the Philippians, the Holy Apostle Paul reminds us that Christ “humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross” (Philippians 2:8).  Obedience to the will of His Father and the fulfillment of the Saving Mission entrusted Him by His Father was central to the Lord’s life and ministry.  On the night of Holy Thursday, at that time of great anguish, as He awaited the kiss of the betrayer Judas, and faced the passion and death He was to undergo, the Lord prayed in agony in the Garden of Gethsemane.  As “His sweat became like great drops of blood falling to the ground,” He entreated, “Father, if it is Your will, take this cup away from Me; nevertheless not My will, but Yours, be done” (cf. Luke 22:39-45).  At this time of affliction and suffering, the Lord Jesus desired to obediently accept the divine plan for the salvation of the world.

This grace-filled season of the Great Fast provides us with the opportunity to reflect upon the obedience of the Lord to His Father as well as our own obedience to the Will of God.  Reflecting upon the Word of God, especially when we attend the Divine Services, we look to the example of the Lord Jesus Christ Himself with the hope that our obedience to and acceptance of the Will of God may find its foundation and inspiration in His own obedience and acceptance.

In a time when everyone seeks to “do his own thing,” and when the rights of the individual are all too often considered to be more important that the good of the whole, obedience seems to be a little cherished virtue.  However, possibly without even realizing it, our lives are filled with moments and situations in which we are given the chance to accept or reject obedience.  The moment we start our cars and pull them onto the street, we choose to obey or not to obey the laws regulating traffic; whether it be stopping at a red light or adhering to the posted speed limit.  We obey laws regarding taxes, moral conduct, the structure of government, etc. that all affect the common life and wellbeing of society.  We are obedient to and obey the laws enacted to moderate the life of our city, state, and country.  Sometimes we’re living in obedience without even realizing it.

Even more importantly, we are called to obediently accept the Will of God. By reading the Scriptures, through prayer, by repentance, spiritual direction, by reverently and “with fear and love” approaching the Holy Mysteries, by following the teachings of Christ’s Holy Orthodox Church, by observing the practices which the Church calls us to we are able to discern what that Will is for us.  And then, with humility and confidence in God’s love and by His grace, we are able to accept His Will, praying in the words of the Lord Jesus “not my will, but Yours, be done.”

My prayer is that this year Great Lent will be for all of us a moment in which we can reflect upon our obedience to the Lord, and, where we acknowledge ourselves in disobedience we may be given the grace to change, to repent, and to grow in the image of Christ the Obedient Servant of His Father.  In doing this, we can be assured of a fruitful Lent that leads us to an ever-growing, ever-deepening relationship with Our Lord Jesus Christ, the Crucified and Risen Savior.

Be assured of my prayers for you and yours.  May this journey through Lent find its end at a bright and joyful celebration of the Lord’s three-day Pascha.

With love in the Lord,
Father David