Learning to be Quick to Listen

As we journey through the early days of Lent , we are invited to follow Jesus into the quiet, searing heat of the Judean desert. It is here that we witness the profound mystery of the Incarnation : Jesus was fully divine, yet fully human. After forty days without food, His body was not merely "performing" a fast ; He was truly, viscerally hungry and parched. In His weakened physical state, He felt the crushing weight of exhaustion that any of us would experience. This vulnerability wasn't a flaw, but a testament to His love—He chose to enter into our frailty so that no human struggle would be foreign to Him. Yet it was in this moment of extreme physical depletion that the "Stronger Man" emerged victorious. The devil sought to exploit Christ’s hunger and humanity, dangling comfort and power as bait, but he found no foothold. Though His body was faint, Jesus’ will remained perfectly anchored in the Father. By defeating the tempter through Scripture and sacrifice, ...

The Ascension of our Lord, as described in Mark 16:19-20, Luke 24:50-53, and Acts 1:6-11, is a pivotal moment not just for Christ, but for all humanity. As St. Cyril of Alexandria so profoundly explains, what happened to Christ affects the entire human race. When Christ was raised to heaven, he didn't just go alone; he brought us with him into paradise. He secured a path, smoothed an impassable way, and opened heaven, which was once closed to mortal man. This act was a first for flesh to enter that pure and holy realm, presenting himself to the Father as the " first fruits " of humanity in heaven. The angels themselves were astonished, questioning who this was coming from "Edom"—from the earth. Yet, the Spirit revealed the marvelous wisdom of God, commanding them to open the heavenly gates for the King of Glory. Christ, our Lord Jesus the Messiah, created a "new and living way" for us, entering not into a man-made sanctuary, but into heaven itself t...