When Christ Comes into His Glory

Image from the Antiochian Diocese of Los Angeles and the West

I was musing on passage in scripture where the two disciples ask Christ to allow them to sit at his right and left (or their mother asks on their behalf - compare the Gospel of St. Mark Ch. 10 and Gospel of St. Matthew Ch. 20). He admonishes them that they really don't know what they are asking and notes that those appointments he cannot give - they have been appointed.

Are the two thieves those that are appointed to be on his right and left? And the Glory - it is (isn't it?) the Glory of his suffering, the Glory of his Cross. Death is confounded by His death.

And in the two thieves, we see perhaps also an illustration of the parable of the Sheep and Goats.

I wonder.

Quote of the Day - St. John of Damascus

This morning I ran across this quote from my patron, St. John of Damascus:

As regards what God is, it is impossible to say what he is in his essence, so it is better to discuss him by abstraction from all things. For he does not belong to the class of existing things, not because he does not exist, but because he transcends all existing things, even existence itself. For if all forms of knowing have to do with what exists, certainly that which transcends knowledge must certainly also transcend essence: and so conversely that which transcends essence will also transcend knowledge.

An Exact Exposition of the Orthodox Faith, 1.4

Many of you know that St. John wrote the Paschal Canon which in a few days we will hear. Here is a worthy, footnoted version of that Canon (in .pdf form) from Archimandrite Ephrem in England that you may find useful as we come into Holy Week [there are depths there which are easily missed by neophytes like me].

Holy St. John, pray for us!

Lambs in time for St. Patrick's Day (Updated)

We were blessed to have two twin ewe lambs last night in time for St Patrick's Day. We hope for our other ewe to lamb in the next few weeks.




We are also enjoying 7 new chicks which will add to our flock of laying hens.

[Updated with photos]