Great Monday April 6, 2009

Today's Readings: Matthew 21:18-43, Ezekiel 1:1-20, Exodus 1:1-20, Job 1:1-12

I really like my coffee with cream and sugar, but today I drank it black. This week, I decided to give up not just meat, but dairy products as well. For those who follow the strict fast, this is normal. They've been doing it for 40 days already. I've gotten used to not eating meat while at college, so this is stepping it up a notch for me.

Yesterday in Liturgy we sang "Hosanna in the highest, He who comes is blessed!" Jesus is like a rock star (only better). He brought a man back to life! A stinking, festering corpse rose from the dead at the sound of his words! Fr. Tom mentioned in his sermon that it is easy for us to be gun ho for Jesus now. It is easy to stand with him, to praise him. This is a glorious moment. It is like we've all jumped on the bandwagon. Then, Fr. Tom asked us to think about where we would be later on this week. Would we stand by Jesus? Would you? Would I?

One of the most beautiful things to me about Great Week in the Eastern churches is that we really "get into it". We immerse ourselves into the story of Christ's Passion, Death and Resurrection. We walked with Christ into Jerusalem but would we walk with him to Calvary?

I am a creative/imaginative person so the idea of fully immersing myself into the story is really appealing. Ever since my senior year of high school, I've felt a particular connection with the women who followed Christ, his Mother, Salome, and especially, Mary Magdalene. The very first radio show I taped with Fr. Tom was for the Sunday of the Myrrh-bearing women. Katie Reidy was also there. In a way, they were like biblical journalists, proclaiming the news that Christ had risen! I'm getting ahead of myself, it is only Monday. So, as I go through Great Week, I try and imagine what those women who were friends (yes, Dan Brown, just friends! Not wife, not lover, etc.) and followers of Christ must have gone through. Today we are still excited about Lazarus being brought back to life and Palm/Flowery Sunday. It is still easy to stand up for Christ.

In a very small way I did make an attempt to stand up for Christ by urging all of my facebook friends (especially those at secular schools) to stand up for their faith by not attending class on Friday. It isn't good enough for me that my absence is excused for religious reasons. No one should attend classes on Great Friday. Whether or not you accept Christ is rather trivial. He, as St. Paul said in Romans 6:10 "died to sin once and for ALL." Christ is so loving that He died for everyone, even those who don't believe in him as their Savior.

Today, during Bridegroom Matins, Christ is compared to the Old Testament figure of Joseph. The stories draw interesting parallels: both have 12 guys, an innocent man betrayed by those closest to him, condemned for something he did not do and then the man forgives those who have wronged them and saves them. When I was young, the story of Joseph was one of my favorites. Now, as a young adult, I appreciate the similarities between the two stories all the more.

Being at college during even a part of Holy Week is very difficult for me. Last year, by some twist of scheduling, or divine intervention, my spring break well during Holy Week. Unfortunately, it is not so this year. Of course, I have one large project due on the day I get to leave for home (Wednesday). It is a journalism project that is mercilessly hanging over my head. Several story ideas have fallen through and then, our of nowhere, my partner found one. No matter how many times this happens to me, and that is a LOT, I am always so amazed at how God works sometimes.

As I was pondering on how much I feel God has always helped me in things such as this, I decided to read the gospel for today: Matthew 21:18-43. It is a bit lengthy but full of amazing things. The first part really struck me:

"Amen, I say to you, if you have faith and do not waiver, not only will you
do what has been done to the fig tree, but even if you say to the
mountain 'be lifted up and thrown into the sea' it will be done.
Whatever you ask for in prayer in faith, you will receive."

I really found this passage all too fitting for me. I'm a huge fan of the phrase "where the Lord closes a door, somewhere he opens a window." My friends call me overly optimistic at times because I really believe that things work out for the best in the end. It may not be what we think is best, but it is always what God, our loving Father, knowsis best. I don't know about you, but I would take God's wisdom over my notions any day.


The Gospel readings for Great Week are, largely, from the later chapters, the stories from Jesus' entry into Jerusalem, through his Passion and glorious Resurrection on the third day. Now, Holy Week, is also a time to look back at the beginning. Recently, while taping an episode of Light of the East with Fr. Tom and Fr. Maximos, I learned of a practice done by monks of reading all of the gospels throughout Great Week. So today, as I was sitting, bored, in one of my classes, I pulled out my Amazon Kindle (a digital book reading device), downloaded the Bible (for FREE!) and began to read the Gospel of Matthew. While I was reading, I was still slightly worried about my journalism project until I read a passage from Matthew 6:27 where Christ says: "Can any of you by worrying add a single moment to your life span?" and again in verse 34: "Do not worry about tomorrow; tomorrow will take care of itself. Sufficient for today is its own evil."

So, I try not to worry about tomorrow, I try to think about today. Where am I today in this journey through Great Week with Christ? Today, I am still humming "Rejoice today with all of your heart, O daughter Zion. Here is your King coming to you, as he sits upon a colt." Even though I try not to worry about tomorrow, I can't help but wonder if I'll still be brave enough to stand next to Jesus.

I promise, the next one won't be this long. I wrote all of this at one time. Once I am home and attending services, they will be shorter and broken up a little but more.