Armodoxy for Today: The Lenten Vestry

Every Sunday, before the Divine Liturgy is celebrated, in the vestry of the church, the priest offers a group of prayers to prepare himself for the celebration of the Holy Eucharist. Each article of clothing – from the crown on his head, to the ornate robes and vestments that surround him, to the slippers on his feet, have special significance and meaning, which are articulated in these prayers. The word “celebrating” the Liturgy may not share the fact that these prayers were prayed during times of disaster and war, lighting the darkness by focusing on the Glory of Christ, which illuminates the darkness.  Without this preparation, without these prayers, the Liturgy is incomplete.

The Lenten period is your time in the vestry of life. A place where you take an inventory of all the beauty that surrounds you. The ornaments that give your life meaning, from head to toe. With the difficulties that surround your life, focus on the beauty, and if the darkness is great remember the generations that “lit one candle rather than curse the darkness.” This is an exercise that allows you to focus on the blessings and see them as victories over your pain.

Practice your charity today by sharing a goodness in your life as a lit candle with someone who has darkness surrounding them. And fast today from something that bothers you and causes you feelings of negativity.

You’re in the vestry preparing for the reset of life. Take some time to enjoy a helping of sweet potatoes with cranberries and pecans, today’s recipe, share in the show notes.

We pray, a prayer from the vesting of the priest, “Put, O Lord, upon my head the helmet of salvation to fight against the powers of the enemy, by the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ. Amen.”

Lenten Recipes by Deacon Varoujan: Recipe 5: Glazed Sweet Potatoes with Cranberries and Pecans!