Today we celebrate the Veneration of the Holy Cross, “planted” like a tree in the middle of Great Lent for our refreshment and encouragement, and as a foretaste of Pascha. We haven’t completed our Lenten labors, but the fatigue of them is lightened by the joyous hymns of this feast, such as this from Matins:
“Let all the trees of the forest dance and sing, as they behold their fellow-tree, the Cross, today receiving veneration: for Christ, as holy David prophesied, has exalted it on high.”
This quote from the shining Mother Gavrilia also reflects that joyful mood:
“Think and see only the Light. Everything else is irrelevant and should not affect you in any way… By reliving regrettable incidents of the past, you cause much harm to yourself… We should take all our sorrow and place it at the Feet of Christ. Because He suffered on the Cross for our sins, and for our sorrows, and for our problems, and for all the gloom of our souls. For everything! And when you remember that the Blood of our Lord is cleansing us from everything, that’s the end of it! Nothing of all these exist anymore… Place them at the Feet of Christ… and then go forth as a joyful person.”
~Mother Gavrilia, The Ascetic of Love
Gladsome Lights 
Perfect. ❤❤❤
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Excellent advice!
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May I add another quote? It seems to me that it is also relevant on this Sunday. It comes from Fr. Arsenie Boca, a Romanian priest who spent many years in the Communist prisons and is considered a saint in the part of the world from where I come. He says, “Many believe that everything ends with the tomb. A Christian however writes on the cross that stays at his head, I am looking for the resurrection of the dead. The faithful does not fear death for it was vanquished by Jesus. Man was reborn in Jesus. From now, death is no longer the punishment given to creation, but the punishment given to sin. Behold how much life there is in our daily cross, how much life the week of our passion that is our entire life… Living in Christ is rising from the dead. Glory to Your Resurrection, the beginning of our resurrection.”
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“…how much life there is in our daily cross…” Yes! Thank you, Tavi, for the very relevant quote.
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A wonderful quote…..I feel much lighter already….Too easy to forget this.
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The first three sentences of Mother G. mean so much to me. Thank you, Gretchen. I missed this day while traveling.
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This is a true and good quote. I have often tried to do this- we did a course called ‘Freedom in Christ’ and we did this. I wish the remembrance of the past sins didn’t still remind me of itself- popping into my brain every so often, even though they’ve been forgiven. xx
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