| Fri Mar 28 | am: 88 pm: 91, 92 | Jere 11:18-20 | Rom 6:1-11 | John 8:33-47 |
THIRD FRIDAY OF LENT – Saint Hilarion the New, 754
LITURGICAL THEME FOR THE DAY: St Hilarion the New, Abbot of Peleke Monastery, from his youth, he devoted himself to the service of God and spent many years as a hermit. Due to his holy and blameless life he was ordained a Priest, and later he was made abbot of the Pelekete monastery. St Hilarion suffered on Great and Holy Thursday in the year 754 AD, when the military commander Lakhanodrakon suddenly descended upon the Pelekete monastery in pursuit of icon-venerators, boldly forcing his way into the church, disrupting the service and throwing the Holy Gifts upon the ground. Forty-two monks were arrested, slapped into chains, sent to the Edessa district and murdered. The remaining monks were horribly mutilated, they beat them, they burned their beards with fire, and they smeared their faces with tar and cut off the noses of
some of the confessors. St Hilarion died for the veneration of icons during this persecution.
MEDITATION OF THE DAY: “MEDITATION OF THE DAY: Have you paid a dear price for the faith you hold and cherish? That is an essential element to the Eucharistic lessons today and the festival day that is an optional commemoration. As a prophet, Jeremiah certainly suffered for his message and his identity. He was misjudged, maligned, and rejected and his ministry was plagued to be sure. Think about the times you have been misunderstood, judged unfairly, maligned or rejected. Do we look for solace, strength and comfort or revenge?
The days of Lent are a good time to think about what it means for us to “take refuge in God,” rather than seek revenge. Jeremiah’s shows his struggle with this when he says: “the vengeance you take on them, for to you I have entrusted my cause!” How often is this approach to and consider that “trusting in God”. At the very least we may be the types who simply sit back and wait and watch for misfortune or trouble to land on those who wronged us – and then we feel justified?! Ultimately this approach hardens our hearts.
Saint Hilarion, whose feasts commemorated this day on the Eastern calendar desired to promote the spiritual life through the safeguarding of the icon tradition. He and his monks were convinced of this aspect of spirituality and paid the price willingly.
PRAYER OF THE DAY: Give us, O Lord, a steadfast heart, which no unworthy affection may drag downwards; give us an unconquered heart, which no tribulation can wear out; give us an upright heart, which no unworthy purpose may tempt aside. Bestow upon us also, O Lord our God, understanding to know you, diligence to seek you, wisdom to find you, and a faithfulness that may finally embrace you, through Jesus Christ our Lord, Amen.
ANCIENT WISDOM/PRESENT GRACE: “ Faith and hope are not simple or accidental spiritual states, because faith demands spiritual strength while hope — proper morals and a proper heart. Apart from this, how can a person freely believe in the unseen without the collaboration of grace, —Blessed Theodore of Edessa, Bishop and Martyr,848.
LENTEN DISICPLINE : When you consider the above wisdom quote from a Bishop in Syria and the feast day of Hilarion in Dalmatia, our mind and heart do go to similar places today such as Syria where Christian faithful are being persecuted for their faith and life. So today
1) Say a prayer and send it.
2) Sign a petition
3) Write a letter to your Member of Parliament http://www.writetothem.com
4) Keep updated by following the situation on Twitter: https://twitter.com/syriaschristian
5) Send a donation to the https://iocc.org/where-we-work/syria
SONG OF THE SEASON – People of The Cross by SELAH