INDIAN ORTHODOX CHURCH,LONDON

This is the beginning of a series of a simple meditation for the liturgical season of Great Lent. An attempt is made to get acquainted 50 verses/phrases during the season. The text is II Corinthians. Every day one verse/phrase is introduced followed by a brief explanation and a short prayer. The prayer is taken from the 'Promiyon/Sedro/Ethro' (Prayers from West Syrian Liturgy) of the respective day.

1st Sunday, Great Lent: Grace and peace to you from God. 2 Corinthians 1: 2

Let us greet each other with the divine 'grace and peace'. 'Grace' from New Testament original language is 'the wholly generous act of God', which is something essentially and undoubtedly needed by all of us. We are busy in making our life and we wish to have peace in life. We cannot attain peace unless we ourselves are 'peace-makers'. With all the 'Grace' we have, let us become carriers of 'peace'.

(from the 'Sedro' of the 'Third Hour' of Kothne Sunday)

We began this observation by greeting each other with Divine grace and peace. But who is God to us? He is our compassionate Father and source of all our comfort. We may justify our acts and deeds substantially in many ways; hence it is only even easy to prove that we survive and exist in this way because of our 'acts and deeds'! But how far we can realize that we exist because He is compassionate to us?

"Some trust in chariots and some in horses". Are we among them? There will be many sources of comforts in this world but the real source of comfort is Him.

Prayer: Lord our compassionate Father, may this lent be an unfailing weapon for us to prepare ourselves to eternal goodness. (from the Ethro of 'First Monday Morning Prayers', Great Lent). God help us to realize that You are compassionate and You are the real source of all comfort. Amen

Obviously the highlight is "comforting others". What we would feel then? Feeling good that we have helped somebody out of our generosity?! But from where we have received this goodness? The verse continues to say, "…with the comfort we have received from God". Yes, He has provided all these resources. If we are not sharing these that becomes unnatural; it is only natural to comfort others in trouble and it is our duty.

Prayer: In accordance to Your Will to the humankind, Lord, through this Lent strengthen us to dispense our whole life. Amen (from the ethro of the 'First Tuesday, Morning Prayer' of the Great Lent).

Distressed! Troubles and afflictions are unavoidable. It may be cruel to say that it is with a purpose but a person in his/her spiritual journey has to find positive results in it. St. Paul with his fellow Christian workers confirm that all their distresses are for the 'comfort and salvation' of others. Someone, somewhere has to be burned out for the cause of goodness in community and family, which is again the duty of a Christian.

Prayer: Lord, who offered Himself as a remissive incense for us kindly accept our prayers. (from the ethro of the 'First Wednesday, Evening Prayer' of the Great Lent). Help and bless us to happily spend us for the cause of goodness. Amen.

The reference is made to the hope of the Apostolic Community in the early Church on the standard of life that they would fulfill. There is an anticipated level of life for the baptized Christians. We have firm hopes about our children and we expect them to be responsible enough to rise up to the level of our hope. God as the loving and caring Father have firm hopes about us; do we feel responsible?

Prayer: Our Lord; through the Holy Baptism You have put on the weapon of justice on us. Through Your redemptive fasting to fight against all greed you have given us this Holy Lent…. Help us to fulfill our vows to You. Amen (from the sedro of the 'First Thursday-Morning Prayer' of the Great Lent)

Once again St. Paul is narrating the hardships he and his companions endured for the cause of the Gospel. There were even life threatening experiences but he accepted all these in high spirit. Specifically he was convinced that all those things has happened that they will not rely on themselves but on God and that there will be many who will be giving thanks on their behalf for all those endurances. We may not be able take this as a doctrine of the Church but at least we could see that a spiritual person takes things in a different way. We will be 'under great pressure'; but are we ready to takes things in a different way?

Prayer: Lord, give us the strength to face all the tribulations; bless us that we all will always find happiness in keeping Your Commandments. Amen. (from the Sedro of 'First Friday, Evening Prayer' Great Lent)

The aspect in question is 'conscience'. St. Paul, on behalf of his companions and on behalf of his personal self gives the testimony that they have behaved well and according to him they did this 'in the holiness and sincerity from God'.

For anything which need a justification in our life we rely on our conscience which is an ultimate 'measuring rod' for us. But have we ever thought that our conscience is just another relative thing as it is very much tuned according to our own personal ethical understandings? Here Paul makes a difference by taking 'sincerity and holiness from God' as the measuring rod. Source of all goodness is Him.

Prayer: Lord, establish in us Your true wisdom so that we will have a proper life. Amen (from the Sedro of the 'second watch' of the 'Night Prayer of First Saturday, Great Lent)

We can commence and continue a work in different modes with variant motives. In Christian perspective in a work or a service, priority is not personal aspects but the beneficiaries. Are we ready to take up a responsibility just for the joy of others?

Prayer: Lord, in Your mercy make us perfect with all goodness; in Your Glory enlighten us with all kindness. Amen (from the Sedro of the Garbo Sunday, Morning Prayer).

St. Paul was stating the reason for which he is writing the letter. He was in anguish and distress because of the churches but he never wanted to grieve the church by telling all those things. Yet he would like to moderately present something just to communicate the depth of his love.

It is important to draw a fine line between what is to be expressed and what not.

Prayer: We praise you Lord, who provided us this blissful day. Amen (from the 'Monday Morning promiyon of the Garbo Week)

Somebody stood against the good will of the Community and St. Paul instructs them to forgive him. For Paul doesn't want to see anybody being "overwhelmed by excessive sorrow". In family and in community we may tend to marginalize people who did anything wrong but it is quite important to think whether they have been put into an agonizing situation by our attitude and actions.

Prayer: Lord, may Your peace dwell among us. Preserve your peace for us. Amen

There were times in our life when all the possibilities of getting through were absolutely shut. And then we might have definitely asked this question, "now what?" Whether that were the end of our life? He was gracious enough to be an answer in all those times.

Do we have a real record on the number of doors that Lord had opened to us in our life?

Prayer: Lord, the lover of humankind, please do not forsake us to get trapped in any nets in the ways of our life. Amen (from the 'Wednesday Evening' slooso of the Garbo Week)

…through us spreads everywhere the fragrance of the knowledge of Him. 2 Corinthians 2: 14

There are at least two aspects here: a) What/who am I to others? Are we stumbling blocks or the fragrance of the knowledge of Him?

b) We are becoming instrumental in this! We are not the very source of this fragrance but it is only that, "through us the fragrance spreads".

Prayer: Lord, strengthen us to offer our souls as living sacrifice, our bodies are weapons of holiness, our life as goodness, emotions of our heart are sanctified presents, our words as burnt offerings and our acts as sweet fragrant Myron. Amen. (from the sedro of the 'Thursday Evening Prayer' of the 'Garbo Week' of the Great Lent

For others, "who am I?" was yesterday's thought but today it is working towards the other end. For God who/what am I? Apostle is giving us another responsibility by presenting us as aroma of Christ to God. We are not supposed to be otherwise.

Prayer: Lord, may our incense be pleasing for your divinity, our service be in Your Will and our intercessions be in accordance to Your Wish. Amen. (from the ethro of the Friday Evening of the Garbo week of Great Lent)

If we ask to ourselves whether we (mis)interpret the message of the Gospel for our own personal gains probably we may say a big NO. But if we go to the extend of asking ourselves, are we in any manner making the life of the Church as a vehicle of our 'personal honour' what would be the answer? Is there any fine line between these two questions? It is important to have a self examination to find out whether even in the remotest corner we are peddling the word of God for our profit.

Prayer: Lord, sanctify our thoughts, enlighten our inner sights, open the ears of our hearts, calm the pronounces of our mouth and purify the praises of our tongues. Amen (from the sedro of the Saturday Evening Prayer of the Garbo week)

Here the Apostle is figuratively referring to the Corinthians as they themselves are the letter. As parents, as teachers, as leaders or as responsible people at our work place through our children, our aspirants or with whom all we are engaged with we are leaving this same legacy of making them as our letters. Are we in the process of bringing out good and effective letters? Being 'ambassadors of Christ' (another phrase from St. Paul- 2 Cor. 5: 20), we are suppose to produce creative letters from Him.

Prayers: Lord, You have made the earth a heaven with chanting and praises of your glory. Now that You have given us the right to be in Your presence, strengthen us to sing You praises and bring out good fruits. Amen(from the sedro of the First Watch of the Night Prayer of Msario Sunday)

We have discussed almost the similar idea that 'source of all goodness is God' (cf. Seventh Day, Great Lent). Does this mean that we have no role in becoming good? We are becoming good with in the way which we dispense things. The resource of goodness is the same but we become good in the way how we handle this resource.

Nature has tremendous resources but it is up to us the utility of those resources. We can exploit it, we can use those for the benefit of the humankind, we can privatize and so on. In the same way the author of competence or any other goodness is Him but it is up to us how we would exercise it.

Prayer: Lord, help us to be fragrant incense with good works, to be scented-flowers leading a good life and to be holy temples with true worship. Amen (from the ethro of Monday Morning, Msario week, Great Lent)

…what was glorious has no glory now in comparison with the surpassing glory. 2 Corinthians 3: 10

'Future Glory' is a recurring theme in St. Paul. Here in this context St. Paul was but having a comparison between the glory of the old Covenant and that of what is experienced in Jesus Christ.

Rather than looking into the doctrinal part of this let us meditate on this comparison of 'passing glory' and 'surpassing glory.

We consider many things as glorious in our life. When we meet people in the process of getting acquainted to what extend we try to sell our so-called 'glory'!? Even aspirations about our future generations are not altogether free from these glories. Christian way of life doesn't demand a total negligence of what is 'present' but it will obviously highlight on the 'future glory' and will consider the life here as a preparation to be made for 'that future'.

Lord, without any hindrances of body, mind and spirit help us to carry out the rest of our life. .. give us all the strength to do all possible good things. Amen (Sedro Tuesday Evening, Msario Week)

…whenever anyone turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away. 2 Corinthians 3: 16

If we are looking into the context of the text St. Paul was again referring to the Old Testament event of 'Moses Putting veil on his face' because of the glory he had on his face as he gazed the presence of God in Mount Sinai and the people of Israel couldn't look upon him. (Ex. 34:29-35). But here, St. Paul says, in Christ, all such veil has been taken away. The experience of God became more imminent.

To put this in a simpler way: let us think of two things: a) The closeness that we would experience in Jesus Christ and b) the transparency we would have in Him. He is closer to us than we could even imagine and we cannot put any veil on us as our life is transparent before Him. This transparency should not be in anyway a frightening experience for us on the contrary it should be a matter of consolation that He knows us. Yes, He is close to us and He knows us with all our infirmities.

Lord who is the ocean of mercy and endless goodness, bless Your people with the Almighty right hand. Bless us to aspire for what is good in life. Amen