February 2013 - St. Thomas Philadelphia

Vicar’s MessageT he Great Lent has come again, starting onFebruary 11th. A new era of prayer, fasting and disciplinedlife has come. I know well how much it helpedour members last year in sharpening their spirituallife. I am glad to note that many people made somepermanent changes in their life. At the same time, formany, it was just another formality and so no impacton their life. I hope this year it will help at least a few.Lent is Our Way:In the Orthodox tradition lent is something that isnot replaceable with any other discipline. It is uniqueto us. We observe lent by abstaining from all evil activities,non-vegetarian food, spend more time onprayer, Bible reading, and meditation, and engage inhumanitarian activities. Some people do some of it,some do all of it but some none of these. Dependingon how serious a person takes the Lenten season, thereflection of divine power in them is evident. Butgenerally the entire Church is in the mood of lentwith which we avoid all public eating of nonvegetarianfood, celebrations, marriages etc. Therefore,we consider this as a special season and specialstyle of our spirituality.Lent is the Source of Power:Great Lent: A New BeginningOften we forget that lent is a source of power to leadChristian life. In our daily life we feel so oppressedand attacked by the devil compelling us to do manythings that are displeasing to God. We feel so weakto overcome that. In those situations, lent will help usacquire that power. Lent helps us forsake some of ourmost beloved habits and wants. Thus we arestrengthened at heart to leave those things that areattracting us too much. Many temptations can bewarded off by the power of a strong observance oflent.By the time Eastercomes, we wouldhave thoroughlycleansed our life tocelebrate thegreatest festival ofChristians,the Resurrection ofour Lord.Lent Leads us to Holiness:Various spiritual activities can become instrumentalin leading us to holiness and sanctity. Purifying ourmind, our life style and relations is a great achievementthat we can have through lent. Often peoplethink it is impossible to achieve holiness but that isnot true. When the Word of God is obeyed well andthe Holy Spirit is allowed to control our life, we automaticallyachieve sanctity. In a common definition ofholiness we can see good thoughts, acts and words,along with a good disciplined life. People who cansustain some sanctity at heart will love others andcare for others without any conditions. Such peoplewill worship God without any guilt. It is not easybut Lenten discipline will help us purify our life as wego for confession and Holy Communion during thisseason. Psalmist says, “blessed is the man whose sinsare forgiven” Ps. 32:1. By the time Easter comes, wewould have thoroughly cleansed our life to celebratethe greatest festival of Christians, the Resurrection ofour Lord.A New Beginning:For all who follow lent strictly, it will help them havea new beginning in their life. Do you want to changeyour life to dedicate it to the Lord? Come, let us observethe Lent together!Lovingly, Fr. M. K. KuriakoseFEBRUARY 2013 2 NEWSLETTER