I picked up that little book on the life of St. Cyprian again this morning while the coffee was brewing. The part where he talks about how long it took him to really let go of his old habits hit me — I’m the same way, still fighting the same small things after all these years. Going to read a couple more pages after I get back from choir practice tonight.

Last week I made my simple lentil soup again for Lent Sunday, this time with a little more carrot and celery. The boys both drank more, even the big one, who usually complains. The evening before the service for St. Cyprian I warmed up the rest again and it went well.

The Serbian Orthodox Church sent a high-ranking delegation to Tbilisi this week to join the Georgian Orthodox Church in marking 1700 years since Christianity became the state religion of Georgia. Catholicos-Patriarch Shio received the guests along with other Orthodox representatives, while Romanian Patriarch Daniel addressed a special message of greeting to the Georgian primate. In related observances, the Bulgarian Orthodox Church held archierarchical vespers with five loaves for the feast of St Petka at the Klisura monastery, drawing large crowds of laity. Meanwhile, the Greek Orthodox Patriarchate of Alexandria saw Bishop Ayensu publicly affirm his preference for completing the National Cathedral project over infrastructure priorities in Ghana. These coordinated visits and local feasts show how historic milestones continue to draw Orthodox Churches together across borders. May these communities and their leaders remain in our prayers.

A Romanian abbot recently drove more than 1,350 kilometers from his monastery to serve Liturgy for a small parish in Canada. The visit brought the full cycle of services to a community that rarely sees a priest. At the same time the Romanian Church marked the feast of St Paraskeva, whose relics draw thousands to Iași each year. In Serbia, Patriarch Porfirije served at Novi Kalenić monastery on the Feast of the Protection of the Theotokos, reminding the faithful of the Mother of God's constant care. The Macedonian Orthodox Church held evening vespers for the same feast at its cathedral in Ohrid and began regular religious education classes for children at the Cathedral of the Nativity in Sydenham. These quiet acts of travel, prayer, and teaching keep parishes alive across continents. Such dedication shows how the Church reaches even the farthest corners.

Choir rehearsal went well last night. The new song "St. Epthyme" hymn was still awkward for us, but in the end we got better. I came home, my wife was already waiting for me at the table, we sat together and talked about how to receive tomorrow's service.