“The Standing of Mary of Egypt” on last Thursday is the culmination of Lent. In the Church for two months now, we have been taught examples of piety: the repentance of publicans and fornicators, icon worship and hesychasm. Like the Tree of life in the middle of Paradise, the Cross of the Lord is brought to us for worship in the middle of the Lent. As a guide to heaven, “The Ladder” of St John is recommended. And as the highest example of repentance (not for imitation, but for admiration) – the life of St. Mary. The fragile female nature was capable of impossible feats, surpassing the greatest men of desert. Her story fits into a few paragraphs, but can you imagine 47 years in the desert without food and clothing? What willpower and desire to please God helped her endure the external and internal fire? On the day of her memory – on the 5th Sunday of Lent – the Canon at Matins commemorates the righteous Job and the poor Lazarus: “As Job in leprosy, eaten by worms, so Lazarus before the gates of the rich prayed: blessed is the God of our fathers. And no one gave him even a crumb from the rich man’s table, but he received instead the bosom of Abraham.” Because none of our sacrifices, nothing earthly, can compare with what God has prepared for those who love Him. “The Kingdom of heaven is like a merchant who, had found one pearl of great price, went and sold all that he had, and bought it” (Matthew 13: 45-46). This pearl is Christ. To be with Him, true Christians are willing to bare with suffering, privation, and even premature death. The main thing is that both life be Christ and death be gain (Epistle to the Philippians, 1: 21).
Parish News
В Светлый Понедельник, в праздник св. вмч. Георгия Победоносца, на приходе в честь св. Матроны Московской в г. Давао было совершено крещение двух человек.
Resurrection of Christ was solemnly celebrated in Vung Tau, Vietnam. Parish of the Kazan icon of the Mother of God
…Grant us more perfectly to partake of Thee! Paschal service in Tagaytay
Pascha is Christ the Redeemer Who opens Paradise for us… This Easter, the Vietnamese Deanery of the Philippine-Vietnamese Diocese was replenished with another cleric. With the blessing of Metropolitan Pavel of Manila and Hanoi, Hegumen Micah (Selyakov) was appointed rector of the parish in honour of St. Ksenia of St. […]
… angels hymn in the heavens; vouchsafe also us on earth with pure hearts to glorify Thee Patronal feast at Resurrection parish in General Santos
Do Thou exult, O pure Theotokos, in the arising of Him Whom Thou didst bear! Pascha at the parish of the Nativity of The Theotokos in Arakan