O Lord and Master of my life. Keep from me the spirit of indifference and discouragement, lust of power and idle chatter. Instead, grant to me, your servant, the spirit of wholeness of being, humble-mindedness, patience and love. O Lord and King, grant me the grace to be aware of my sins and not to judge my brother, for You are blessed, now and ever, and forever. Amen. (The Prayer of St. Ephraim of Syria, prayed daily throughout Lent.) It's hard to believe that Lent is already here. As Byzantine Catholics, we follow the Gregorian calendar along with our Roman brethren, but follow the Byzantine liturgical calendar as do our Orthodox brethren who are on the Julian calendar. Christmas just ended last Wednesday for us with the Feast of the Presentation of the Lord to the Temple, though technically we've been in the Pascha (Easter) cycle for a few weeks now. At least the weather here in Portland is cooperating. It's felt like Spring for a couple of weeks now and there's no s...
"I have since had a deeper sense of the horror and wonder which lurk behind life and which are concealed, as it were, behind the usual surface of health." Oliver Sacks