Adoration of the Cross

This Sunday marks the halfway point of Great Lent, the season of spiritual striving for Orthodox Christians. At St. John the Forerunner we celebrated it with the brief Adoration of the Cross service between Orthros and Divine Liturgy. Father Aidan and Father Deacon Basil processed with a small cross surrounded by flowers that lay in a wooden box. Father placed the cross on a lectern in the middle of the nave. We all performed three metanias (genuflections) and sang of the victory of the Cross -- not the suffering.

During the homily, though, Father Aidan focused on suffering. Of course, the suffering we are called to during Great Lent -- extra services, fasting (essentially a vegan diet), additional giving, confession -- are a far cry from what Jesus endured at Golgotha. Nonetheless, through our suffering we are working toward the salvation of all mankind. Which is a pretty big deal.

Now, you probably think I'm going to segue into the suffering I will surely endure as I train for a marathon. Nope. The Maximus Run isn't just a chronicle of my physical journey; it's about the spiritual, as well. So while one of the things I love about Orthodoxy is the re-integration of soul, mind and body, I'm not going to go there in this blog. Not yet, anyway.

The truth is I've gotten soft in spirit as well as body. Maybe more so, as painful as that is to admit. The Run is just as much about being diligent spiritually, about living my faith with meaning and intention. And not the kind of intention like, "I intend to go to Vespers more frequently," and then not do it. I'm done with that kind of intention.

That's the goal, certainly. Part of the reason for the blog is to hold myself accountable in a public forum. (I'm already feeling it from those of you who responded to my first post!) It's been too easy to let myself off the hook when the only person I've been accountable to is me.

So I sent an email to Father Aiden after services today suggesting a time to get together this week to make my confession, something I've neglected to do too many times during Great Lent.

OK, so now's the time when I blend the physical and spiritual aspects of The Run. The Gospel Reading today included this from Mark 8:34: "Whosoever will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me."

Consider this another first step.