God’s ass

God's ass

 Today we went to the Monastery of the Descent of the Holy Spirit for the Readers Service, but there was nobody there, as Fr Elias had celebrated the Divine Liturgy the previous day, and Nikhon the Reader was ill.

Then Evgenia came, and said she would join us, and while we were waiting for her to get the keys to the church a cat came out of the veld, where it must have been hunting, and approached us, then seeing we were no one it knew turned aside and continued on its way.

We sang the Hours and Readers Service the way we usually do, just the three of us, and the angels and the heavenly host, and perhaps Fr Nazarius (Pribojan) paused in his dance with the angels to listen. I hope he approved.

Outside afterwards the lavender hedge was in bloom, and there was a lovely smell. The donkey came up and greeted us, then turned aside to sniff the hedge. Ir was marvellously peaceful, with a fresh wind blowing.

We had coffee with Evgenia, and she said God had sent us, because if the church was always closed, no one would come. But we pray for monastics to cme and live there. Evgenia lives a semi-monastic life, painting ikons, and there is Nikhon the Reader. But the place is waiting for people to come and once again fill it with prayer and praise, as the lavender fills the air.