Just finished my shift and cracked open that book on the life of St. Paul the Confessor. The part where he kept getting exiled but still showed up for the Liturgy hit me — made me think about how I sometimes skip evening service when I'm tired from deliveries. Gonna try to make it tonight with my dad before we grill some burgers.

It is difficult to maintain the fast, especially when there is meat in the dining room and it is all on meat days. Already on the third day, I am taking cooked potatoes with sauerkraut from home, but it quickly gets boring. How do you sisters manage on weekdays, maybe someone can suggest a simple dish that is easy to take with you?

Serbian Patriarch Porfirije has invited the faithful across the Serbian Orthodox Church to take part in a voluntary blood donation drive, encouraging practical acts of mercy during the Nativity fast. In Bucharest the Romanian Orthodox Church is preparing to celebrate the feast of Saint Nectarius at Radu Vodă Monastery, drawing crowds of local believers. The Greek Orthodox Patriarchate of Antioch hosted its annual seminarians dinner under Metropolitan Saba, strengthening ties between future clergy and their hierarchs. Meanwhile the Orthodox Church in America announced Lilly Clergy Renewal Grants for two priests in the Diocese of the South, supporting their ongoing formation. These quiet initiatives show steady care for bodies, souls, and vocations in different corners of the Church. May the Lord strengthen the Serbian, Romanian, Antiochian, and American communities in every good work.