Our Desert of Purification

“But I have heard that God Who was born of you became man on purpose to call sinners to repentance.” —The words of ST. MARY OF EGYPT while standing outside the Church of the Holy Cross before the icon of the Theotokos, unable to enter because of her impure way of life

Our impure ways of life albeit by our words, our deeds, or our thoughts will always hinder us from approaching the all-loving and merciful God in one way or another. However, our Lord and Savior can lead us out of the impurity into all righteousness no matter what degree of impurity we have allowed into our life.

The Great Fast is our desert of purification, which can lead us out of sin into holiness. Just as the time St. Mary spent in the desert led her out of her sinful way of life to a life purified by God’s indwelling in her, so too can our time spent in the Great Fast bring us to a purified life.

The first step for us toward purification is the same as that of St. Mary: that is to confess we are sinners and are in need of repentance. We will never be able to be admitted into the Kingdom of God without admitting we need repentance.

The desert of the Great Fast offers us so many opportunities to repent and move closer to God: from the Great Canon to the weekly Presanctified Liturgies; from daily reflections and good works to our increased almsgiving; and from the sacred mysteries of Holy Confession and the Holy Eucharist. God has come into the world for the purpose of calling sinners to repentance. Let us answer that call and join the journey that leads to a purified life. May you have a blessed Pascha!

This week’s reflection is written by V. Rev. Father Miles Zdinak, of Saints Peter & Paul Orthodox Church in Windber, Pennsylvania

Icon courtesy of ArtByChimevi.com