It is night. Jesus is in the tomb. The soldiers guard the tomb. Where is the Mother of God this night? How does she spend this night? Where are the Apostles? What is their state of mind? What do they feel? Horror and fear. And what about the women who had followed Jesus? What about the soldiers, enemies? What is the spiritual atmosphere in Jerusalem like? Christ is in the tomb. The enemies rejoice over Him…

But this is not the end! JESUS ROSE FROM THE DEAD! We do not know when exactly, the Scriptures do not say whether it was at midnight or at one or two o’clock in the morning. It is not important when exactly it happened. The whole night is holy. After Jesus’ death His spirit descended from the Father’s hands into the place called Sheol, or Hades, and crushed its gates. Then His spirit returns into the body. His body is not only raised to life but also transfigured. It means that Christ’s body is glorified. Jesus comes out of the tomb. He passes through the stone walls. The soldiers still guard the tomb but it is now empty. In the morning, an angel rolls back the stone from the door of the tomb but Christ does not come out. The angel just reveals that Jesus is not there. The tomb is empty, Jesus left the tomb. Where in Jerusalem is His spirit and His glorious body this night? Tradition has it that He first appeared to the Blessed Virgin.

“But now Christ is risen from the dead, and has become the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. For since by man came death, by Man also came the resurrection of the dead.” (1Cor 15:20-21) It is written: “The first man Adam became a living soul.” But breaking the commandment, he sinned and became a dead soul. He lost the divine life. All his descendants are born dead souls, deprived of the divine life. “The last Adam – Jesus became a life-giving Spirit.” This is the only solution for a dead soul – to receive a life-giving Spirit. How? By repentance. It means to stand up against the system of lies and pride which manipulates reason and to accept the basic realities and truths concerning earthly and eternal life: the reality of death, the reality of personal sin, the reality of God’s judgment and consequently of just eternal punishment. Another reality is to acknowledge God as the Creator of the whole universe and of all living creatures on earth. To receive the love of God, which is in Christ. He took the just punishment for our sin.

We are now more than halfway through Lent. Let us make at least a little act of self-denial every day: let us suppress a negative thought or laziness or fear: “Lord, out of love for You! I turn my eyes to Your cross. How much suffering You have endured for my sake – scourging, crowning with thorns, the way of the cross, crucifixion! You shed all Your blood for me, You paid the price for me, You love me! And what am I doing for You and for the salvation of my soul? Lord, give me true zeal and help me to deny myself in particular situations, to take up my cross and to follow You.

Sometimes the Lenten period is a time similar to the time which Jesus spent in the wilderness. He prayed and fasted, and was tempted by the devil. Facing certain trials, we also are exposed to attacks by God’s enemy. The enemy works through lies. He tries to instil hatred towards our closest relatives and friends and ultimately even towards Jesus and the Heavenly Father. He attacks us with all kinds of blasphemous thoughts and seeks to lay the blame on God for evil which he caused himself. God endowed man with free will and respects it. Evil is either caused by the enemy of God or it may be caused by ourselves when we are deceived by our feelings, reason, lusts or pride. God causes this evil to work for good if we humble ourselves before Him and walk in the truth, humility, discipline and love, if we bear one another’s burdens and show mercy to those who hurt us consciously or unconsciously. God is LOVE. He gave His Son for us (Joh 3:16), and in Him we have eternal life. “Whom the Lord loves He chastens” (Heb 12:6) and lays a cross on him.

St Ephraim’s prayer for Lent reads: “O Lord and Master of my life, a spirit of idleness, of discouragement, of lust for power, and of vain speaking (vain thoughts and daydreams) give not unto me!” So the first problem is spiritual and physical idleness which leads to mental dullness, and the power that should be transformed into love is transformed into self-love, anger, self-pity, daydreams and unchaste thoughts and feelings. An old proverb says: “Idleness is the mother of all vices.” In this prayer, we pray for deliverance from idleness and three more spirits, namely: discouragement, lust for power or self-love, and vain speaking. In fact, our vain speaking just proves that our thoughts are vain, worldly and self-centred. Therefore we must strike at the root and change our way of thinking. But this is not a one-time act. Our worldly, futile and selfish thoughts causing us to be idle and discouraged must be changed time and again in the obedience of faith.

God’s Word says: “Now when the dragon saw that he had been cast to the earth, he persecuted the woman who gave birth to the male Child. But the woman was given two mighty eagle’s wings to fly into the wilderness to her refuge…” (Rev 12:13-14)

Just as Moses, sent by God, led the people out of the slavery of Egypt into the wilderness, so also today God sends the Queen of Prophets to lead us on our way through the spiritual wilderness. She knows the way, she walked it before us.

God has given us “two mighty eagle’s wings” – prayer and fasting. These are the wings that have the power to lift us onto the path of holiness. The lives of saints testify to this. Without them, we will not get out of Egypt – that is, from bondage to the spirit of the world. These are the means of coming out of Egypt into the wilderness, onto the way of purification, which must follow conversion. These wings will help us break the bonds of Egypt and begin to live in God’s presence, to know the depth of our misery and God’s immense love.

The saints often encourage us to remember the Last Things especially during Lent: death, judgment, heaven and hell. God knows the day, hour and place of your death. There is nothing more certain than the fact that this earthly pilgrimage will end one day for each of us. And then we shall stand before the judgment seat of God. Jesus says: “There is nothing covered that will not be revealed.” We shall be judged before angels, the whole universe and all mankind. What to do so as not to hear one day the words of Jesus spoken to the foolish virgins: “Amen, I say to you, I do not know you!” What to do to hear the words instead: “Come, you blessed, inherit the kingdom!” What to do? To live by faith, to believe in Jesus and His word, and not to believe the liar and deceiver who leads us away from Jesus and from His programme given to us.

Original sin is in every one of us. It is inborn stupidity which deceives us all our life. We must fight against it. That is why Jesus says: “Deny yourself!” Deny that lie in you which wants to harm you, leads you by the nose into self-destruction and finally into hell. That’s our pride. If someone points out our fault or tells us that we are proud, we are mortally offended. How foolish we are! We should be grateful to everyone who tells us: you are such and such. Even if someone spat in our face, we should be thankful: “Really, maybe I do not yet understand what you tell me but I am aware of my sins…” If you are humble, the devil flees. Let us walk in the truth and we will fear nothing. Or else, how shall we stand before the judgment seat of God where eye witnesses will accuse us?

Jesus loves you; He puts His trust in you. Never say that something is beyond your power. God always gives us the strength. Trust in God’s Word which says: “When I am weak, then I am strong.” Do not believe in the words of the devil who says: You can’t stick it any longer! These are the devil’s words, and the old self like a cunning fox full of pride is inclined to believe this nonsense and lies over and over again!

Each day has enough trouble of its own, but I need to give it to the Lord. Don’t let it worry me, and if I must carry it, so let me carry it together with Jesus – Jesus and I. Only one thing is needed: together – Jesus and you!!! Jesus and I, together! Never more alone! We need to try it in practice not just every day but a number of times a day. And not just for one or two days but until death. This is the miraculous remedy for everything: union with Jesus!!!

To deny yourself, to abandon yourself for the sake of Jesus – this is pure love. In Him is eternal life. However, people cling to deceit, philosophies, doctrines and all kinds of –isms which mislead us. We must put our faith in Jesus and His Gospel. This is plain wisdom which leads us to eternal life.

Jesus says: “Whoever is ashamed of Me and My words in this adulterous and sinful generation, of him the Son of Man also will be ashamed when He comes in the glory of His Father with the holy angels.” (Mk 8:38)

Human pride is in the heart of every one of us. If someone ridicules us, we react to it immediately. But we must learn to say: “Even if all laugh at me, only one thing is important to me: How is God looking at me?” This is the one thing that is needed. I need to stop in a particular situation and to stand in the presence of God: “Lord, let them defame me and spit at me. They did the same to You, called You bad names…” No one has ever said such words about us as the religious hierarchy said about Jesus. They said that He was out of His mind, possessed by a demon and the like, and sought to kill Him. Let us follow Jesus even if all spit in our face.

Unfortunately, one often surrenders in such situation, thinks to oneself: “They have no regard for me, I am a nobody…” and denies Christ and His Gospel.

Michelangelo was about to make a sculpture of Moses. One day a large stone or rather a huge boulder was brought to him. He and his apprentice went to see it. They walked around it with delight. Michelangelo thought for a while, looking at the stone, and then said: “I see Moses in there.” The apprentice wondered, saying: “Moses? It’s no Moses; it’s just a stone.” Michelangelo replied: “But I see him there.” “What needs to be done to really have him in there?” Michelangelo said: “All that is not Moses must be removed.” “And how will it happen?” “Chisel, hammer, and blows. It is blows that give shape.”

It is the same with us. All that is not Jesus in us must be removed. And how will it happen? It is blows that give shape. God often has to visit trials or suffering on us, sometimes even through other people who scold us or do us a wrong, or through a loss or the death of our dear ones… It is the blows that give shape.

Sometimes we have too much work and no time for prayer. But if we take it into account, then if we have at least some time for prayer, we try to make the most of it. However, we must think of God in work as well: “Lord, this is for You.” Simply, we need to rely on God in everything we do. Unless we stop, we run astray. But if we stop, God gives us the light for our work, for what to do. All things of the Lord and all divine inspirations are born on knees. If we do not pray, we get nothing.

He who prays has power because God works through him. It is a fight with the realm of darkness.

If we pray in earnest and give our problems to God, He really solves them. We do not seek advice from fortune-tellers who are inspired by the devil. It is not good to seek advice from them because their advice is the devil’s lie.

That is why we pray 7 times a day: “Shema, Israel, you shall love God with all your heart, with all your soul and with all your strength. Lord Jesus, I love You with all my heart, with all my soul and with all my strength. Now I lose my soul for Your sake and the Gospel’s.”

When we will pray so this week, let us realize at least once what we are saying. Be aware that Jesus hears you. And when you say to Him: “I love You”, let it really be with all your heart. “I lose my soul” – this is a concrete act of love. Love does not lie in emotions. Pure love is the sign of the will – I want to love even if I do not feel that I give Jesus the first place in my life.

Victory begins with the name of Jesus on our lips but cannot be achieved until the nature of Jesus Christ is in our hearts. The question is: And how can this happen and through whom? Jesus possesses two natures: one divine and the other human, and these two are united without division or separation. He assumed a human nature through the Virgin Mary, through her obedience of faith, through her “yes” to God! How did it happen? Through the Holy Spirit. And this is the answer for us too: The nature of Jesus can be rooted in us through Mary and through the Holy Spirit. We should not only receive the Holy Spirit like the Apostles on the day of Pentecost but we should also be guided by the Holy Spirit, walk in the Holy Spirit, i.e. our minds should be guided by Him so that we may have the mind of Jesus. The Holy Scripture commands: “Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus.” (Phi 2:5) So the Holy Spirit will inspire us and make us think in the same way Jesus does. But we need a sound foundation, which is the foundation of humility and faith in relation to God, and this foundation is not stable in the old Eve’s heart.

Even an unbelieving person, when suddenly confronted by a difficult situation, subconsciously cries out like a small child: “Mummy!” We can have recourse to Mary as our Mother. Jesus gave her to us as our Mother. Eve is the mother of the human race. Mary became our spiritual Mother. The task of a mother is not only to give birth to or receive children, but to feed and rear them. Mary accompanied Jesus on His Way of the Cross. None of the people knew Him so intimately, none was in so deep unity with Him as His Mother. And Jesus gave His Mother to us, His children. We have the same Mother: you and I and Jesus.

Turning to her in life situations is not like turning to God, but to someone who is older and more experienced – like turning to mother. We are inexperienced children in our spiritual life. We should have recourse to her especially when we are overwhelmed by worries and weaknesses so much that we are unable to turn directly to Jesus. This is mainly when we are subject to various temptations and are like drunk: we say “no” to sin but actually in our innermost being we agree with sin and our soul is in confusion.