Today, we commemorate Martyr Thomais of Alexandria who was beheaded by her father-in-law for refusing to give into his lustful demands. At the age of 15, Thomais married a Christian fisherman and lived with his family. One day while her husband was working, the saint's father-in-law tried to force himself on her sexually. Despite his advances, Thomais remained true to the faith and fended him off. Her father-in-law then flew into a rage and cut off her head that same night in the year 476. After committing his sin, the man was blinded and was unable to escape from the house. He was later found near the saint's body covered in blood and taken to a judge, who ordered that his head was to be cut off too. One quite beautiful addition to this gory story is that St. Daniel of Skete instructed the monks of the Oktodekadian monastery to bury St. Thomais's body in the monastery's cemetery. "After some of the monks questioned the decision to bury her with the monks, St. Daniel responded, 'She is a mother to me and to you, because she died for her chastity'." Material for this post was gathered from here and here .

Sweet, succulent peace. We want you. We desire you. We yearn for you. Savory, satisfying peace. We hunger for you. We thirst for you. We even crave you. But do we know you? Can we find you? How do you work? Safety Stability Consistency Care Kindness Calm Simplicity Generosity Quietude We pray for you. We hope for you. We have faith in you. Keep us close Show us the way Stay with us forever... Magnificent view of ocean beneath light pink sky · Free Stock Photo

Great Lent provides to us a specific time to reflect more honestly and deeply on the state of our individual and collective faith. Fundamentally, it causes us to ask the ultimate question: "would I give everything for my God who gave everything to me?" Put differently, "would I die for my faith." This is not simply an abstract question. There are people around the world who die for their Christianity more often than we realize. Here is a case in point. On 15 February 2015, 20 Coptic (Egyptian) Orthodox Christians, along with one man from Ghana, who also declared that he believed the same as his fellow captives, were beheaded because of their faith. These martyrs were immediately proclaimed saints by Coptic Pope Tawadros II of Alexandria. In 2023, the Catholic Church added their names to the Roman Martyrology. They are commemorated on 15 February (civil calendar) in both churches. The above icon was painted by Tony Rezk in the Neo-Coptic iconographic style. The martyrs are wearing orange jumpsuits, as they were dressed at the time, and they are kneeling on the Mediterranean coast. The water is red with their blood, and 21 crowns of martyrdom descend from heaven. Above is a short film about these martyrs. The producers decided to use animation to better portray the spiritual victory won by these modern saints. The 21 film presents "a more accurate narrative of the sainted men’s abduction, detention and execution. Our short film has been developed based on extensive research and multiple conversations with the family members, friends and Coptic clergy who knew the 21." For more background visit About - The 21 Short Animated Film — 21 Martyrs Film .

I cannot see it Hear it Smell it Taste it, or Touch it. Yet, it has never escaped my notice. An infinitely thin space, which bridges the Physical Intellectual Emotional, and Relational. It is a space without Length or width or height. Yet, it is the largest part of me. The most important part of me. The very source of my being The Energy of the Essence The synergy of the self Mind, heart, body, Soul and spirit. It is the mystical edge. An apophatic space with A knowable unknowability An unknowable knowability A limitless connection A boundless communion An infinitude of Eternal Presence. White Clouds and Blue Sky · Free Stock Photo

We humbly ask you to intercede for us, St. Filarete of Calabria. Teach us how to serve others without concern for the personal cost and to remain in silent prayer before God who is the eternal source and summit of all things. St. Filarete of Calabria (also known as the gardener) (c. 1020 – 1070) was born in Palermo in c. 1020, into a family of Calabrian origin who were deported to Sicily by the Saracens and subsequently released. Back in Calabria by 1040, Filarete lived in Reggio Calabria and then in the monastery of St. Elias, which was on Mount Aulinas at Palmi. He died in 1070. An icon of Ss. Elias and Filarete.

I fixated on the many shades set against The yellow, late afternoon sun as I was staring out the window. I hadn't planned to be there, Exactly in that moment, and I didn't know why it caught my eye. But there I was Transfixed by the Greenest of leaves Bluest of skies Grayest of clouds and Deadest of eyes Focused only on What was in front of them ... Instead of Creation. The sheer wonder of its Goodness, and Beauty The absolute Truth of its Complexity and simultaneous Simplicity. Then I realized why I needed to see what I saw And feel what I felt. Sometimes people don't Notice a tree until the Reddest of blood flows down its trunk. Ghastly, I know. But we forget all too easily That Divinity itself Walked on this Earth And yet we tried to kill it. Maybe we're the thing that's gruesome. Thank God for the Resurrection And our own little resurrections. Can you imagine what the world would be like without them? Solitary Tree in Rocky Landscape Under Cloudy Sky · Free Stock Photo

Lent is the time to reflect, to discern, to forgive, and to be forgiven. To be healed and to help others heal. Lent is the time to pray to seek and to find. To be heard, to be seen, and to see others for who they really are. Lent is the time to walk with Christ To be renewed in His sacrifice To seek the Spirit and To embrace Eternal love. Lent is the time to appreciate others, to share in their giftedness and to share your gifts. Lent is the time to love others, to care for them and to let them care for you. Real love exists. It lasts forever. Seek it. Seashore · Free Stock Photo

You who prayed without ceasing, healed the sick, and guided the lost towards the path of salvation, I beg of you to intercede for me before our Lord, God, and Savior Jesus Christ. I ask for the simplicity, faithfulness, and passion of those who entered the desert to commune with the Holy Spirit and to help others in their many afflictions. Amen. St. Leoluca, also Leone Luca, Leo Luke of Corleone, or Luke of Sicily (c. 815 – c. 915) was the abbot and wonderworker of the monastery of Mount Mula in Calabria and a founder of Italo-Greek monasticism in southern Italy. His feast day is March 1.

Every mountain I climb ... Every desert I traverse ... Every ocean I sail ... Every relic I kiss ... Every prayer I utter ... I find that I lose a piece of myself and yet I gain a piece of myself. Going home again doesn't feel the same More and more it looks less and less Like the familiar past But a future known only by the trail of My own footprints in the sand. A personal photo in the Sinai.

St. Leo, Bishop of Catania in Sicily was born in Ravenna, Italy. He was loving and studious. St. Leo was ordained a priest at Ravenna and became the Bishop of Catania where he was known as a good shepherd. St. Leo was quite knowledgeable and fought against heretics both by his words and through his writings. He also had the charisms of healing people from various diseases, and of working miracles. An icon of St. Leo Troparion — Tone 1 You were shown forth as a resplendent priest, / a teacher of godliness and a wonderworker, blessed hierarch Leo; / by the light of heavenly virtue you were enriched with the power of the Spirit, / and heal the souls and bodies of those who hasten to you. / Glory to Christ who has glorified you! / Glory to Him who has crowned you! / Glory to Him who through you works healing for all! Kontakion — Tone 2 With hymns of praise let us crown Leo, / who was consecrated to the Lord from early childhood; / he received grace while still a babe in swaddling clothes. / He is a brightly shining star in the Church: / its valiant defender and firm support!

Mountains call me Deserts too And don't forget about the oceans It's their clarity, I suppose Rock Sand Water Reaching upward and outward Toward the apophatic The infinitude of things And yet, there I stand On or near them Pondering The Eternity of the One The Unity of the Three That is why I return to the Peaks and the cliffs and the dunes The ferocious desolation Makes me present to the Energy given as Mystical love. Photo Of Desert · Free Stock Photo

Help us Most Holy Martyr Agatha (231-251) of Palermo whose feast we celebrate today (February 5). You who were beautiful inside and out ... You who were devout and spiritually advanced ... You who resisted temptation ... You who were beaten ... You who were visited by St. Peter in prison and restored to health ... You who ultimately preferred martyrdom rather than betray Christ ... Show us the path of piety, prayer, steadfastness, faithfulness, and love. Keep our enemies at bay and more than anything else, show us the place where we make our stand for Christ and those who need our help. Today, especially, I ask you to visit those who are suffering the most and who have lost faith over these last two years. Assure them that their patience has not been in vain. An icon of St. Agatha the Martyr of Palermo