“I am the vine, you are the branches… for apart from Me, you can do nothing.”  - John 15:5

Beloved brothers and sisters in the Lord,

When a child is born, it is the first responsibility of that child’s parents to care for it, as the child cannot care for itself. The child is fed, clothed, bathed, and in all ways taken care of by its parents, regardless of how strong or how many months old the child is. A child is completely reliant on its parents in all ways, for which of course, there is no shame. Even as a child matures and grows older, there is still a connection and reliance on the parents in some way, and even after fully grown!  

As Christians, we believe that we rely on our Lord in a similar way. Spiritually, we cannot heal ourselves, nor can we save ourselves! It is for this reason that Jesus Christ came to earth, and why He reminds us always to turn toward Him, the One who will always care!  

While there are many reasons that Orthodox Christians fast each year during Lent, one of these reasons is to remind ourselves of our reliance on God. In his preface to the Lenten Triodion, Metropolitan Kallistos Ware affirms, “The primary aim of fasting is to make us conscious of our dependence upon God… to the point where we appreciate the full force of Christ’s statement, ‘Without Me you can do nothing.’” In this sense, fasting leads us once again to God as a child crying for its parent to care for it. As we begin our fasting period this month, beautifully leading us to the Feast of Feasts, let us have our dependence upon God in our mind.

Wishing you a blessed Triodion, and Kali Sarakosti!  Blessed Lent!

With love in Christ,

Father Nikolaos Bekris
Proistamenos

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