“And the Lord God made for Adam and for his wife garments of skins, and clothed them. Then the Lord God said, ‘Behold, the man has become like one of us, knowing good and evil; and now, lest he put forth his hand and take also of the tree of life, and eat, and live for ever’— therefore the Lord God sent him forth from the garden of Eden, to till the ground from which he was taken. He drove out the man; and at the east of the garden of Eden he placed the cherubim, and a flaming sword which turned every way, to guard the way to the tree of life.” (Gen 3: 21-24)
The Lord God lovingly made for us our very first clothing, made of “skins,” after sin had made us uncomfortable in our own skin. Much later, He entered our “skin” in the incarnation of His Son, Who also clothed Himself as we do, thus dignifying for us both our skin and our clothing. The Lord also made anew for us the Tree of Life, the Cross, and opened the Way to it, – Himself, that in communion with Him we may “eat, and live for ever” in His kind of new life.
Thank You, Lord, for this second week of Lent, which offers me, among other things, the inspiring passage quoted above, read at Vespers this Monday. Thank You for caring for us, clothing us, and picking us up when we’ve fallen. Let me care for myself today, both spiritually and physically, in communion with You, as I pick up the life-bringing tools offered to me in the great “wellness program” that is Lent. I take some time this morning for heartfelt prayer, Scripture-reading, physical exercise, and planning of my Lenten food-choices, opening my heart to Your presence and guidance. Lord, Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, the sinner! Happy Monday of the 2nd Week of Lent, dear friends! Join our daily, weekday “Morning Coffee” audio-podcasts for some daily inspiration on your Lenten journey! Sign up at: patreon.com/sistervassa. Love from Vienna, Sister Vassa & Crew
