The First day of September is the beginning of the Church New Year. We often think of New Years to be January, but in the Orthodox Faith, September 1st is the beginning of the Ecclesiastical Cycle. This is the period when the summer harvest has been brought in and stored and school will be beginning in our area.
Often as we approach this time we wonder what will the New Year bring, what new opportunities or choices lie ahead for us. But the most important thought of this time should be what will our attitude be and how will we pursue our journey towards the Lord, during the coming Fall and Winter months.
We already know that we have a full schedule of workshops in preparation of the Annual Festival; but more importantly, now that our coffee hours are in full swing it behooves us to reacquaint ourselves with past parishioners as well as the many new faces who have joined us in our common journey.
There are many important lessons that we can learn from just talking and conversing in an informal setting about our shared experiences. Remember the coming New Year is God’s to give and God’s to bless: after all, it is a year of the Lord. As it says in the prayers for the new year. “Bless O Lord, the crown, the beginning of the year with Your goodness! … The goodness of the Lord is His Love, Mercy and Grace”. It is our hope that the Church Year will be a year of Grace, a year blessed by God, and most of all a year of new goals for the salvation of all of us.
Therefore, let us pray fervently that we will be prepared and ready to accept the tasks that lie ahead for us knowing that Our Lord will protect us and our families and community.
