The First Sunday of the Great Lent

The gospel of the first Sunday of Lent calls for the surrender of life to the Father. “Take no thought for your life, what you shall eat…nor yet for the body, what you shall wear…do not worry about tomorrow.” The reason for not worrying is that, “your heavenly Father knows that you have of all these things” (Mt. 6:32).

The practice of this week is a call to a secure life in the care of the Father and the carrying out of what comes in the verse, “Do not worry about tomorrow,” physically, mentally and spiritually.

The Christian commandment is full of risks but its assurance is the care of the Father. The woman who gave the two mites was risking her meal. During the fast, Satan wages his war by convincing us that we are risking the necessities of the body and causes us to worry about our health. Likewise, in charity, there is a risk of wealth.

In this week, we experience the complete surrender to the care of the Father and to His commandment.
 

Quote: Let each of us then who possess earthly wealth open our hearts to those who are in need. Let us show ourselves faithful and obedient to the laws of God, and followers of our Lord’s will in those things which are from without, and not our own, that we may receive that which is our own, even that holy and admirable beauty which God forms in the souls of men, fashioning them like unto Himself, according to what we originally were.

Quote Author: St. Cyril of Alexandria, Commentary on Luke, Sermon 109 on Luke 16:10-13

pimairomy.mp3

2.5 MB