Visit #167 ~ Staying on the Ladder!

The Ladder of Divine Ascent....STAY ON IT!
photo by Flickr user, FutUndBeidl,
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Church was good on Sunday. I had been sick so I missed all of the Cross veneration last week and that kinda bummed me out but I'll take what I can!   This week's theme was, as everyone knows, the Ladder of Divine Ascent. Because the Orthodox world was rocked this week by the passing of Fr. Thomas Hopko, Fr. Gary did mention him in his homily. Indeed, he read the entire 55 maxims for living a Christian life written by Fr. Tom and compared them to the Ladder of Divine Ascent and, indeed, it is a good comparison. Right after the homily, Tami came up to me and said, "Wasn't that great?" Of course, I agreed!

During Communion, I, like the seeker I am, stayed put and I remember thinking how much God loves His people, so much that He provides Himself as nourishment for their sick souls with His own Body and Blood. I found this thought very comforting as I stood there. I also was overwhelmed by offers of the "fellowship" bread that the faithful partake of after they have received the Mysteries. About, four or five people made sure I had some "fellowship" bread and I was beginning to think that I wouldn't be hungry for coffee hour if this kept up! :) Maybe, that was God's way of making sure that I understood that, even though I was not receiving the Body and Blood of Christ, I was still loved!

Right after Liturgy, Matushka Mary handed out copies of Fr. Thomas' 55 maxims. Here is a copy of it below:

They are good to read and think about and put into practice.  #6: Make Prostrations when you pray. I decided that I would do just that. For me, it's not that easy to make prostration (for physical reasons) but I can do so with some effort. So, I will make that effort!

Here is a link to the entire list http://holycrossoca.org/newslet/0907.html

Which ones are your favorites?