BEGIN:VCALENDAR
VERSION:2.0
PRODID:-//Lay Cistercians of Gethsemani Abbey - ECPv6.15.18//NONSGML v1.0//EN
CALSCALE:GREGORIAN
METHOD:PUBLISH
X-WR-CALNAME:Lay Cistercians of Gethsemani Abbey
X-ORIGINAL-URL:https://laycisterciansofgethsemani.org
X-WR-CALDESC:Events for Lay Cistercians of Gethsemani Abbey
REFRESH-INTERVAL;VALUE=DURATION:PT1H
X-Robots-Tag:noindex
X-PUBLISHED-TTL:PT1H
BEGIN:VTIMEZONE
TZID:America/New_York
BEGIN:DAYLIGHT
TZOFFSETFROM:-0500
TZOFFSETTO:-0400
TZNAME:EDT
DTSTART:20250309T070000
END:DAYLIGHT
BEGIN:STANDARD
TZOFFSETFROM:-0400
TZOFFSETTO:-0500
TZNAME:EST
DTSTART:20251102T060000
END:STANDARD
BEGIN:DAYLIGHT
TZOFFSETFROM:-0500
TZOFFSETTO:-0400
TZNAME:EDT
DTSTART:20260308T070000
END:DAYLIGHT
BEGIN:STANDARD
TZOFFSETFROM:-0400
TZOFFSETTO:-0500
TZNAME:EST
DTSTART:20261101T060000
END:STANDARD
BEGIN:DAYLIGHT
TZOFFSETFROM:-0500
TZOFFSETTO:-0400
TZNAME:EDT
DTSTART:20270314T070000
END:DAYLIGHT
BEGIN:STANDARD
TZOFFSETFROM:-0400
TZOFFSETTO:-0500
TZNAME:EST
DTSTART:20271107T060000
END:STANDARD
END:VTIMEZONE
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20260224
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20260225
DTSTAMP:20260406T034519
CREATED:20260222T103340Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260222T103340Z
UID:14637-1771891200-1771977599@laycisterciansofgethsemani.org
SUMMARY:Vigils Reading
DESCRIPTION:THE RAYS SHINING \nFROM THE THORNS \nFrom a commentary by St Gregory of Nyssa \n◊◊◊ \nLet us\, like Moses\, live a solitary life\, no longer entangled with adversaries \nor mediating between them. Let us live among those of like mind who are fed by \nus\, while all the movements of our soul are led by reason like sheep by their \nshepherd. Then\, as we are living at peace\, the truth will shine upon us and its \nradiance will illuminate the eyes of our soul. \nNow this truth is God. Once in an ineffable and mysterious vision it \nmanifested itself to Moses\, and it is not without significance for us that the \nflame from which the soul of the Prophet was illuminated was kindled from a \nthorn-bush. \nIf truth is God and if it is also light – two of the sublime and sacred \nepithets by which the Gospel describes the God who manifested himself to us in \nthe flesh – it follows that a virtuous life will lead us to a knowledge of that light \nwhich descended to the level of our human nature. It is not from some luminary \nset among the stars that it sheds its radiance\, which might then be thought to \nhave a material origin\, but from a bush on the earth\, although it outshines the \nstars of heaven. \nThis also symbolizes the mystery of the Virgin\, from whom came the \ndivine light that shone upon the world without damaging the bush from which it \nemanated or allowing the virgin shoot to wither. This light teaches us what we \nmust do to stand in the rays of the true light\, and that it is impossible with our \nfeet in shackles to run toward the mountain where the light of truth appears. We \nhave first to free the feet of our soul from the covering of dead skins in which our \nnature was clad in the beginning when it disobeyed God’s will and was left \nnaked. \nTo know that which is\, we must purify our minds of assumptions \nregarding things which are not. In my opinion the definition of truth is an \nunerring comprehension of that which is. He who is immutable\, who does not \nincrease or diminish\, who is subject to no change for better or worse\, but is \nperfectly self-sufficient; he who alone is desirable\, in whom all else participates \nwithout causing in him any diminution\, he indeed is that which truly is\, and to \ncomprehend him is to know the truth. \nIt is he whom Moses approached and whom today all approach who like \nMoses free themselves from their earthly coverings and look toward the light \ncoming from the bramble bush\, at the ray shining on us from the thorns\, which \nstand for the flesh\, for as the Gospel says\, that ray is the real light and the truth. \nThen such people will also be able to help others find salvation. They will be \ncapable of destroying the forces of evil and of restoring those enslaved by them \nto liberty.
URL:https://laycisterciansofgethsemani.org/event/vigils-reading-399/
CATEGORIES:Vigils Readings
END:VEVENT
END:VCALENDAR