Prodigal

Troparion of the Prodigal Son
“Foolishly I have left Thy Fatherly glory,
having squandered in things the wealth that Thou gavest me.
Therefore, I bring to Thee the voice of the prodigal:
I have sinned before Thee, O compassionate Father.
Accept me in repentance and make me as one of Thy hired servants.

What is meant by prodigal? According to Merriam-Webster, it is characterized by wasteful or reckless expenditure. Thus, the translation commonly used is “loose living.”

We can either look at our lives as “I am not as bad as others,” as did the Publican with the Pharisee, or we can acknowledge that we have areas that are loose and need to be tightened up. Like the Prodigal Son, we can recognize what we have “squandered in things the wealth that Thou gavest me.” In our material frenzied world, we often squander what is meant for our spiritual life. We use our time, energy, talent, money for other things. We get distracted.

People often ask monastics if distractions are an issue. The answer is “YES!” Distraction can pull anyone away from the path, if we allow it. If we allow distraction to overcome us, then it becomes easy to be distracted. The same is true of focus, which we can also allow. If distraction has gotten out of hand, then our efforts at focus will require more concentration in the beginning. Bad habits and good habits require the same amount of effort. This is wisdom from the Fathers infused during childhood vis a vis Get Smart: Maxwell Smart said of the evil Siegfried, “If only he had used his powers for good instead of evil.”

If there was an Epilogue to the story of the Prodigal Son, would the eldest son repent? And, would the Prodigal maintain his regained focus which he expressed so clearly upon his return to his father?

New - Prayer Request Form

Many have asked about a Prayer Request form, so one is now available on Scribd.  Simply emailing the monastery works too.

Preparing for Great Lent

A few weeks ago while doing research on the internet, an interesting link came up, “monasticism for sale.” Wouldn’t that be convenient? At the time, it was amusing, and since then the occurrence has engendered other thoughts about the extent to which Orthodox Christians engage in preparation.

As an athlete about to engage in a contest, we know that we must prepare. No one else can prepare for us. This preparation has to start somewhere, and, as Orthodox Christians, we are always preparing. We prepare for Pascha with Great Lent. We prepare for Great Lent in the weeks preceding with Zacchaeus, the Publican and the Pharisee, the Prodigal Son, and the Last Judgment. We were even preparing for these Sundays during Nativity: “Greatly rejoice, O heaven; be glad, O earth. For the Lamb of God has been born on earth, granting the world forgiveness;” and during Theophany: “Thou hast appeared today to the inhabited earth, and Thy light, O Lord, has been marked upon us.” [from respective matins canons] We have all the equipment necessary for this training, but will we use it or will it fade into misuse?

New - Scribd pictures of Building Site

Since many have asked about the building site, a slide show was added today so that you can take a little tour while staying warm.  The pictures were taken on January 16, 2010.  For now, all that can be seen are the clearing and the woods.  For those familiar with the Village, the site is opposite the ropes course.  Thanks for visiting.  Enjoy!

The Scribd link is in the right side bar.

New - Scribd pictures and calendar options

Some pictures of the longterm temporary house and January through March 2010 Calendar of the Convent of St Thekla were added. Scribd link is in the right sidebar.

For Google Calendar subscribers, a link to the Convent of St Thekla Google Calendar has also been added to the right sidebar.

Christ is Born! Glorify Him!

Many will exchange gifts today, commenting on the beautiful packaging and the care or struggle that occurred in wrapping.  Then, there will be the guessing, aloud and silent, about the size of the package and what could fit in those dimensions?

Of course, the most wonderful gift we receive is that the immortal One is born as a little child, an Incarnation that signals the Kingdom of God at hand.  He is a gift that is beyond imagination and human wisdom: “a Word made flesh, yet ceases not to dwell with the Father.”  This is packaging humankind never expected!  God is by nature, an invisible God, but now seen in the flesh.  This gift is miraculous:  “He whom nothing can contain is contained in the womb.”  If this were not enough, the gift is never exhausted:  “Today heaven and earth are united, for Christ is born;” and, because He has come to earth, we have gone up to heaven!

And a bold question, in our relationship with God,  “What shall we offer Thee, O Christ, who for our sakes appeared on earth as a man?” [Nativity, Vespers stikhera] The Vespers stikhera continues by stating that all creation offers something: the angels, a hymn; the heavens, a star; the Magi, gifts; the shepherds, their wonder; the earth, a cave; the wilderness, a manger; and we offer the Virgin Mother, the Theotokos, who contains the uncontainable.  This verse always serves as a reminder of how God approaches relationship with each of us, providing us with all that we need and desire, even if we don’t have a handle on that.  We are able to offer the Birthgiver of God, who represents humanity and provides us the daily example of bearing Immanuel, God with us.

Have a blessed Nativity!

Brochure Available

The Convent Brochure is now available for viewing, downloading or printing.  There is a Scribd link on the right of the page under the Contact Us box.  Scribd works a lot like Picasa but allows for pdf uploads.