Read A Powerful Psalm of Humility written by St. Ephraim the Syrian as we continue our preparation for Great Lent!

“The soul that has come to know God fully, no longer desires anything else, nor does it attach itself to anything on earth. If you put before the soul an entire kingdom, it would not even desire it! For the love of God gives such sweetness and joy to the soul, that even the life of a king can no longer give it any sweetness.”

The abundant grace from God can sometimes be seen as a special gift intended only for us and our own personal use. But like prayer, it is something that will grow in value when we use it as a means for blessing others. The grace we receive, and the strength of our prayer life are both directly related to our growth in faith as we give away those blessings in order to fully actuate God’s plan for our world. We are called as Christians to give in order that we may receive.

Let us go forth and gaze into the graves, for man is naked bones, food for the worms, and stench. Only then will we learn of what are true riches, and comeliness, beauty, and strength!

Why does that verse from the funeral service hit so hard those who hear it? Because it is a pure does of truth that so many in the world, especially living in our material driven society, do not want to admit: The desire to gain money, power, and wealth, those things which the world holds so dear, are meaningless to the existence of mankind.

Learning to reject this weak material existence that plagues 21st century mankind, and to draw closer to God through the Church, the partaking of the sacraments, by coming into communion with each other…and by deep and contemplative prayer; this is how we come to know God, and be guided through this temporal life.