Orthodox

  • Day 7: The Rock in the Wilderness

    💧 Day 7 – The Rock That Gave Water

    The people at Rephidim were not behaving like saints.

    They were thirsty. Frightened. Angry with Moses. They even accused God of bringing them into the wilderness to die.

    And God gave them water anyway.

    That simple detail lies at the heart of today’s reflection.

    The Syriac Fathers looked at the rock struck by Moses and discovered layers of meaning within it. They saw a figure of the Virgin, from whom the “Drink of Heaven” came forth. St Paul tells us even more plainly:

    “That Rock was Christ.”
    1 Corinthians 10:4

    And Sebastian Brock points to another beautiful Syriac connection: the water flowing from the rock also recalls the waters of Baptism, waters from which the Christian drinks and receives new life.

    The rock was struck, and water flowed.

    Christ was pierced, and blood and water came forth.

    Seven days into the Shoonoyo Fast, perhaps fasting has begun to uncover something beneath our ordinary appetites:

    What are we really thirsty for?

    And if the fast has not gone as we hoped, the answer of Rephidim is not despair.

    It is an invitation:

    Come and drink.

    📖 Read the full Day 7 reflection, The Rock That Gave Water, on Seeking Theosis.

  • Day 5 – The Ship Whose Cargo is God

    The Syriac Fathers gave the Blessed Virgin one of the most beautiful titles ever written:

    “Welcome, O Ship whose cargo is God.”

    She carried no earthly treasure.

    She carried the eternal Word made flesh.

    The One who steers the whole creation allowed Himself to be carried within His Mother’s womb so that the riches of heaven might reach the shores of humanity.

    Even today, this beautiful imagery continues to be sung in the Friday Vespers of the Shehimo in the Indian Orthodox Church.

    As we continue our journey through the Shoonoyo Fast, the question it leaves us with is simple:

    Are we waiting with open hearts to receive the Treasure that heaven has brought to us?

    📖 Read the full reflection on Seeking Theosis.

    “She is the ship. He is the Treasure.”