At this time of year, as we start Great Lent, it is always good to start off with a positive attitude.We go to confession, ask others to forgive us, start to think more seriously about sacrifice of food, and extending our daily prayer efforts all for the glory of God.

As I was writing this my son just came into the room asked what I am writing about. After I told him he asked me to add the following to this blog post; ‘Kids know that this time of year they should sacrifice at least one thing. They know there are different things going on at the services and should try to listen to Mom and Dad when they are asked to be more respectful and good at Church’. Thank you my son!

I’d like to offer a thought on how we can view others every day, but especially during Great Lent. I suggest that we think about how we feel when we see or interact with a severely handicapped or disabled person.Let's use an example of an American Veteran who lost a limb and has a speech impediment that were caused from being injured in the line of duty and service to our country.

A majority of us will see this Veteran as a hero, see the good in their service and have respect for them as a fellow American. Before we get to know them, we will feel these appreciative feelings for their service and have a positive view of the person. We are willing to quickly say, "thank you for your service". And we easily connect with them as a fellow American who loves our great country.

We would have a positive attitude and patience with them as we did an activity together, such as sharing a cab. Knowing there may be something extra that needs to be done because of the lost limb to get into the vehicle. We would not get frustrated if they had to repeat something because of their speech impediment. We would be quick to forgive them and have mercy and compassion on them. After all it is because of people like that Veteran that we enjoy our freedom in this good old U.S.A.

Now I’d like to tie these thoughts about interacting with a disabled Veteran in with Holy Scripture and Great Lent. In The Holy Bible, Mathew: Chapter five, from the sermon on the mount, Jesus gives us His beatitudes. In verse 8 He gives us His sixth beatitude “blessed are the pure in heart for they shall see God.”

During Great Lent we exercise our spiritual hearts and do a soul cleanse . We train to be more prayerful and nutritionally watch what we eat by sacrificing food and set goals to spend our time in Church so that we may be more "pure of heart" and more connected to God. Let us use what we learn from all that hard mental and physical training at home and in Church to look around and see God in all of creation, but especially in everyone we see. Then let us see ourselves and others as handicapped and disabled with sin.

Let us remember how we thought of the disabled Veteran. We respected the Veteran because right away we could connect with them as a fellow American and we could quickly see and hear that they were handicap.

Like Jesus asks us to, let us respect each other as fellow children of God. Before we are quick to judge others let us remember we are all handicapped with sin and our sinfulness causes us, at times, to give into temptation and choose with our free will to do evil.

Let us be quick to forgive others and have mercy and compassion on them like we would the Veteran. Not out of respect for our country, but out of respect and love for our God and His humanity.

During this Great Lent let us remember Jesus came to us at Christmas, Emanuel, God with us, for one purpose. To be the new Passover (Pascha). To die for our sins and for everyone's sins all the way back to the first-created Adam. To defeat death by His own death on the cross. And show Himself to us in His resurrected form, after being in the tomb for three days, so we can know there is a Heaven and Eternal Life. To teach us to go to Church, sacrifice food, pray and strive to be pure in heart so we can see Him in our neighbor and love our neighbor who is God's creation.

May God bless your forty-day Lenten journey! Stay strong and train hard to see God!

Lenten Journey Towards Easter