| February
19,
2007
Now
Is
the
Day
of
Salvation
by
V.
Rev.
Archimandrite
Joseph
(Morris),
National
A.R.O.Y.
Spiritual
Advisor
(1995-2000)
During
the
first
week
of
Great
Lent
we
enter
upon
a
journey.
A
journey
that
leads
from
death
to
life
and
from
the
grave
to
paradise.
This
is
not
imaginary.
It
is
God’s
gift
and
the
Church’s
program
for
restoring
life
and
hope
to
lives
that
are
broken
and
sometimes
joyless
because
of
the
bad
choices
that
we
and
others
make
(these
bad
choices
are
what
we
call
“sin”).
Why
is
it
that
we
experience
stress
and
unhappiness?
It
is
because
we
make
choices
and
commit
acts
that
are
self-centered
and
really
in
conflict
with
our
true
selves.
Sometimes,
when
we
are
young,
we
wonder
about
the
person
that
we
are
or
will
become.
However,
our
faith
informs
us
that
every
one
of
us
is
meant
to
be
a
saint.
Our
true
self
and
our
true
identity
is
found
in
God.
Therefore,
if
we
want
to
live
in
joy,
the
beginning
place
is
to
take
our
cue
from
our
Lord
Jesus
Christ,
His
Most
Pure
Mother
and
all
the
saints.
These
are
the
real
people
to
take
as
our
role
models.
These
are
the
people
who
live
naturally,
according
to
the
design
of
God,
and
they
live
shining
with
the
image
and
likeness
of
God.
Great
Lent
is
the
time
to
recapture
that
“Original
beauty”
that
our
first
parents
lost
through
disobedience.
The
Great
Lent
is
a
challenge
to
the
courageous
and
committed,
and
even
for
the
wimps
and
cowards
it
is
a
challenge
to
be
strong
to
arise
and
return
to
the
way
of
our
Heavenly
Father.
If
we
follow
the
program
of
the
Church,
we
will
face
ourselves
as
we
really
are.
It
is
evident
in
that
mystical
moment
of
confession
when
we
see
our
mistakes
and
failures
without
excuse
and
without
pretense.
We
will
also
face
and
experience
the
truth
of
our
lives
in
the
face
of
the
greater
and
deeper
truth
of
God’s
love
and
forgiveness.
The
real
challenge
will
be
in
that
Great
and
Holy
Week,
when
we
bow
down
to
adore
the
Death
and
Burial
of
Christ,
and
when
on
the
Holy
Pascha
we
take
the
“light
that
is
never
overtaken
by
night”
–
will
we
really
rejoice
because
we
have
in
a
small
way
died
to
sin
and
been
resurrected
to
eternal
life,
or
will
the
services
be
just
another
formality
in
the
long
list
of
obligations
and
“shoulds”
that
are
in
our
lives?
My
prayer
for
you
is
that
you
will
use
the
strength
of
your
youth
in
fasting,
prayer,
clean
and
pure
confession,
and
almsgiving
during
the
Great
Lent.
I
pray
that
your
effort
will
be
strong
and
bring
you
victory
over
sin
and
passions,
and
that
with
all
of
fullness
of
joy
and
life
that
you
will
adore
the
death
and
Resurrection
with
faces
unashamed.
I
pray
that
this
Great
Lent
will
be
like
no
other
and
I
pray
especially
that
it
will
be
for
you
a
personal
resurrection.
*
from
The
A.R.O.Y.
Newsletter,
April
1997 |
