Clean Monday; A Reminder of Where it all Began

During the next seven weeks, we shall be invited by the Church to spend our days in prayer, fasting, reading Scriptures, helping the poor, and participating in the Divine Services of the Church. By the time of Pascha, we will have read Genesis, Isaiah, and Proverbs in their entirety.

As we begin our Great Lenten journey, we return to the beginning with a reading from Genesis which tells of the first three days of creation. This is combined with the opening verses of Isaiah which tell of a people who have no longer know their God.

In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. The earth was without form, and void; and darkness was on the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters. Then God said, "Let there be light"; and there was light. And God saw the light, that it was good; and God divided the light from the darkness. God called the light Day, and the darkness He called Night. So the evening and the morning were the first day. Then God said, "Let there be a firmament in the midst of the waters, and let it divide the waters from the waters." Thus God made the firmament, and divided the waters which were under the firmament from the waters which were above the firmament; and it was so. And God called the firmament Heaven. So the evening and the morning were the second day. Then God said, "Let the waters under the heavens be gathered together into one place, and let the dry land appear"; and it was so. And God called the dry land Earth, and the gathering together of the waters He called Seas. And God saw that it was good. Then God said, "Let the earth bring forth grass, the herb that yields seed, and the fruit tree that yields fruit according to its kind, whose seed is in itself, on the earth"; and it was so. And the earth brought forth grass, the herb that yields seed according to its kind, and the tree that yields fruit, whose seed is in itself according to its kind. And God saw that it was good. So the evening and the morning were the third day. Genesis 1.1-13

The vision of Isaiah the son of Amoz, which he saw concerning Judah and Jerusalem in the days of Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah, kings of Judah. Hear, O heavens, and give ear, O earth! For the LORD has spoken: "I have nourished and brought up children, And they have rebelled against Me; The ox knows its owner And the donkey its master's crib; But Israel does not know, My people do not consider." Alas, sinful nation, A people laden with iniquity, A brood of evildoers, Children who are corrupters! They have forsaken the LORD, They have provoked to anger The Holy One of Israel, They have turned away backward. Why should you be stricken again? You will revolt more and more. The whole head is sick, And the whole heart faints. From the sole of the foot even to the head, There is no soundness in it, But wounds and bruises and putrefying sores; They have not been closed or bound up, Or soothed with ointment. Your country is desolate, Your cities are burned with fire; Strangers devour your land in your presence; And it is desolate, as overthrown by strangers. So the daughter of Zion is left as a booth in a vineyard, As a hut in a garden of cucumbers, As a besieged city. Unless the LORD of hosts Had left to us a very small remnant, We would have become like Sodom, We would have been made like Gomorrah. Hear the word of the LORD, You rulers of Sodom; Give ear to the law of our God, You people of Gomorrah: "To what purpose is the multitude of your sacrifices to Me?" Says the LORD. "I have had enough of burnt offerings of rams And the fat of fed cattle. I do not delight in the blood of bulls, Or of lambs or goats. "When you come to appear before Me, Who has required this from your hand, To trample My courts? Bring no more futile sacrifices; Incense is an abomination to Me. The New Moons, the Sabbaths, and the calling of assemblies -- I cannot endure iniquity and the sacred meeting. Your New Moons and your appointed feasts My soul hates; They are a trouble to Me, I am weary of bearing them. When you spread out your hands, I will hide My eyes from you; Even though you make many prayers, I will not hear. Your hands are full of blood. "Wash yourselves, make yourselves clean; Put away the evil of your doings from before My eyes. Cease to do evil, Learn to do good; Seek justice, Rebuke the oppressor; Defend the fatherless, Plead for the widow. "Come now, and let us reason together," Says the LORD, "Though your sins are like scarlet, They shall be as white as snow; Though they are red like crimson, They shall be as wool. If you are willing and obedient, You shall eat the good of the land; But if you refuse and rebel, You shall be devoured by the sword"; For the mouth of the LORD has spoken. Isaiah 1.1-20

It is important for us to be reminded of two things on this first day of the Great Fast. First, that God is the source of all life. It is because God desires life to flourish on the Earth that in fact it does flourish sometimes even despite our lack of proper care. Great Lent is our annual journey to prepare for the Feast of Feasts, Pascha; the conquering of sin and death by our Lord God and Savior Jesus Christ. With this reminder of our humble beginnings on Earth and the reality that humanity has a long history of turning our back on God that we can embark upon these next seven weeks with a proper intent.

Great Lent isn’t about self denial and punishment meant to somehow “repay” God for suffering on the Cross. Great Lent isn’t about “religiously” following a list of rules in order to earn favor with God. Great Lent isn’t about offering God “many prayers,” as He will not hear for our lack of sincerity. Too many people journey through Great Lent as if we are cramming for a final exam and need some extra credit points because we’re not fully prepared. There are no extra points that can earn our entrance into heaven.

We were created to commune with God, and His creation is supposed to assist us in finding Him, but we have chosen instead to use creation for our own selfish demands.

Eve “saw that the tree was good for food, that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree desirable to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate. She also gave to her husband with her, and he ate.” (Genesis 3.6)

We continue to abuse His creation for our own selfish needs, so Great Lent is given to us as an opportunity to return to our ancient “relationship” with His creation, to find God. During Great Lent, our fasting is meant to focus our attention on Him rather than ourselves. Limiting what and how much we eat is designed to assist us in repairing the broken understanding of food.

The great Prophet Isaiah reminds us of God’s promise, despite our former rejection of Him.

"Come now, and let us reason together," Says the LORD, "Though your sins are like scarlet, They shall be as white as snow; Though they are red like crimson, They shall be as wool. If you are willing and obedient, You shall eat the good of the land; But if you refuse and rebel, You shall be devoured by the sword"; For the mouth of the LORD has spoken. – Isaiah 1.18-20

Great Lent is our opportunity to express our willingness to be obedient to Him rather than serve our own desires. Though our sins are red like crimson, they shall be as wool. Then we shall be restored to our original glory and commune with God. We will once again enjoy the blessings of Paradise and eat the good of the land, unless we refuse and rebel…..

Have a blessed Great Lenten journey!