Month: March 2006





  • hanging_icon_virgin_mary.jpg       


    I really like this icon of the Mother of God for Maria~Angelica’s baptism favors.  I found them on this site. I need about 50 of them so they are out of the question. If anyone knows of something similar that isn’t so expensive please let me know.


    For the boys we ordered  wooden icons from Greece of their patron Saints  Basil, Nicholas and Prophet Jonah.


    If I can’t find a silver and pink icon I will probably get something like this. I would appreciate any links with icon favors/boubounieres.


    ORTHODOX CHAT


    I don’t know what happened to www.orthodoxchat.com I was really hoping it would just come back.  I will happily pay $100 a year to keep it going. I just need some help in the technical side of things. Let me know if anyone can lend a hand. Thank you.

  •  

    Today February 9 we commemorate








    40 Martyrs Of Sebaste

    The Holy Forty Martyrs of Sebaste

    In the year 313 St Constantine the Great issued an edict granting Christians religious freedom, and officially recognizing Christianity as equal with paganism under the law. But his co-ruler Licinius was a pagan, and he decided to stamp out Christianity in his part of the Empire. As Licinius prepared his army to fight Constantine, he decided to remove Christians from his army, fearing mutiny.

    One of the military commanders of that time in the Armenian city of Sebaste was Agricola, a zealous champion of idolatry. Under his command was a company of forty Cappadocians, brave soldiers who had distinguished themselves in many battles. When these Christian soldiers refused to offer sacrifice to the pagan gods, Agricola locked them up in prison. The soldiers occupied themselves with prayer and psalmody, and during the night they heard a voice saying, “Persevere until the end, then you shall be saved.”

    On the following morning, the soldiers were again taken to Agricola. This time the pagan tried flattery. He began to praise their valor, their youth and strength, and once more he urged them to renounce Christ and thereby win themselves the respect and favor of their emperor.

    Seven days later, the renowned judge Licius arrived at Sebaste and put the soldiers on trial. The saints steadfastly answered, “Take not only our military insignia, but also our lives, since nothing is more precious to us than Christ God.” Licius then ordered his servants to stone the holy martyrs. But the stones missed the saints and returned to strike those who had thrown them. One stone thrown by Licius hit Agricola in the face, smashing his teeth. The torturers realized that the saints were guarded by some invisible power. In prison, the soldiers spent the night in prayer and again they heard the voice of the Lord comforting them: “He who believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live (John 11:25). Be brave and fear not, for you shall obtain imperishable crowns.”

    On the following day the judge repeated the interrogation in front of the torturer, but the soldiers remained unyielding.

    It was winter, and there was a severe frost. They lined up the holy soldiers, threw them into a lake near the city, and set a guard to prevent them from coming out of the water. In order to break the will of the martyrs, a warm bath-house was set up on the shore. During the first hour of the night, when the cold had become unbearable, one of the soldiers made a dash for the bath-house, but no sooner had he stepped over the threshold, than he fell down dead.

    During the third hour of the night, the Lord sent consolation to the martyrs. Suddenly there was light, the ice melted away, and the water in the lake became warm. All the guards were asleep, except for Aglaius, who was keeping watch. Looking at the lake he saw that a radiant crown had appeared over the head of each martyr. Aglaius counted thirty-nine crowns and realized that the soldier who fled had lost his crown.

    Aggias then woke up the other guards, took off his uniform and said to them, “I too am a Christian,” and he joined the martyrs. Standing in the water he prayed, “Lord God, I believe in You, in Whom these soldiers believe. Add me to their number, and make me worthy to suffer with Your servants.” Then a fortieth crown appeared over his head.

    In the morning, the torturers saw with surprise that the martyrs were still alive, and their guard Aggias was glorifying Christ together with them. They led the soldiers out of the water and broke their legs. During this horrible execution the mother of the youngest of the soldiers, Meliton, pleaded with her son not to persevere until death.
    They put the bodies of the martyrs on a cart and committed them to fire. Young Meliton was still breathing, and they left him to lay on the ground. His mother then picked up her son, and on her own shoulders she carried him behind the cart. When Meliton drew his last breath, his mother put him on the cart with the bodies of his fellow sufferers. The bodies of the saints were tossed in the fire, and their charred bones were thrown into the water, so that Christians would not gather them up.
    Three days later the martyrs appeared in a dream to St Peter, Bishop of Sebaste, and commanded him to bury their remains. The bishop together with several clergy gathered up the relics of the glorious martyrs by night and buried them with honor.
    There is a pious custom of baking “skylarks” (pastries shaped like skylarks) on this day, because people believed that birds sing at this time to announce the arrival of spring. Forty “skylarks” are prepared in honor of the Forty Martyrs.


    THE STEWARDSHIP OF


    THE HOLY 40 MARTYRS OF SEBASTEIA MARCH 9


    When studying the lives of the saints, we see that there are times that, rather than learning about a saintly individual, we see a group of people who are recognized as being sanctified. Christian Orthodox Stewardship is not only rooted in the individual commitment, but also in the participation of the community as a whole, i.e. the parish!

    In each parish we usually see a small number of stewards who seem to be doing most of the work. While those stewards are to be commended for their time and dedication, we must realize that we as a community are not meeting our full potential. We learn an important lesson from the writing of Aesop: “A farmer who had a quarrelsome family, after having tried in vain to reconcile them by words, thought he might more readily prevail by an example. So he called his sons and told them to lay a bundle of sticks before him. Then having tied them together, he told the boys, one after another, to pick it up and break it. They all tried, but tried in vain. Then, untying the bundle, he gave them the sticks to break one by one. This they did with the greatest ease. Then said the father: Thus, my sons, as long as you remain united, you are a match for all your enemies; but differ and separate, and you are undone.”


    The martyrdom of the Holy 40 Martyrs of Sebasteia is a powerful lesson in Christian faith, perseverance, sacrifice, and friendship. The story of this martyrdom begins in the early part of the 4th century when the persecution of Christians was still active. There were 40 soldiers of the Roman army who possessed sincere faith in Jesus Christ. When it was realized that they would not deny their belief in the Lord, they were brought to trial before their commander who threatened to have them discharged from the military dishonorably. One of the soldiers responded: “Do not take only our military status, but also our bodies; nothing is dearer or of greater honor to us than Christ our God.” Following a number of failed attempts to torture them, they were finally stripped, tied, and thrown into a lake. It happened to be wintertime and the temperature was extremely cold. To tempt the soldiers to deny Christ, the torturers lit fires near the lake to entice them to deny Christ. One soldier actually did come out of the water and headed for the fire, but before he could get there, he died. During the night, a light from heaven came down and heated the lake and warmed these Christian witnesses. At the same time, thirty-nine crowns were sent from heaven and rested upon each of them. One of the soldiers torturing them saw this and, moved by this event, confessed the Christ as Lord and Savior and joined the others in the lake. A fortieth crown appeared and descended upon him at that very moment. In the morning, the commander was furious when he learned of the events and ordered that their legs be broken and they be thrown back into the lake. On the third day following their drowning, the martyrs appeared to the local bishop and told him to search beneath the water and recover their relics. In the middle of the night, the bishop, along with his priests, went to the lake where they found the relics glowing in the water and, gathering them together, they gave them a proper burial.


    The process of our salvation is achieved by proclaiming Jesus Christ as Savior and by doing the will of God the Father. Our Christian Orthodox Stewardship is experienced in this manner; our actions must support our words of faith in Christ our Lord and Savior. This is what the Holy 40 Martyrs of Sebasteia understood and we, too, are called, not just as individuals, but as the entire assembly of believers, i.e. the Church, to give our Time, Talents and Treasure so that: “we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God” (Hebrews 12:1-2).

  • Hello Everyone,

     

    I talked to Jenny and this is  what we are thinking of buying. Jenny is going to see about setting up a trial version and if we like we could by the classic for $100 a year.  Let us know what you think.  Thank you for all your e-mails forgive me if I haven’t written you  back, it has been a busy day.

     

    Also please pray for our community. Tonight a homeless man was caught breaking into the church.  There are several people in the community that are very against housing the homeless (we do a community homeless shelter with other Churches every couple weeks in the winter months) This will not help the cause. Fr. found his blessing cross from the altar had been bent and thrown on the floor in the Narthex. The man was probably trying to pry open something. He also broke into the bookcases to steal some cross necklaces. Just pray , pray for the man pray for all our people, pray for the evil one to leave us alone.

     

    “For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.’  “Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink?  When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you?  When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?’ “The King will reply, ‘I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.’ 

     

    ~ Mathew 25:35-40



     

    I saw the snares that the enemy spreads out over the world and I said groaning, “What can get through from such snares?” Then I heard a voice saying to me, “Humility”.


    ~ St. Anthony the Great



     

     

  • Hello Everyone,


    Many people have e-mailed me about Orthodox Chat. I am so sorry I don’t know what has happened to the boards. I miss them too and was hoping and praying that they were doing some updates on Sunday and the boards would be up again soon.


    Jenny (Sojourner) and her dh Les (Gregory) set up the board. Jenny is very busy with the foster children they received a few weeks ago  , so I hate to burden them with the boards.


    Jenny was thinking of the possibility of buying a new site and setting up on a new server. Jenny and Les made a back up copy of  www.orthodoxchat.com  not too long ago; so all is not lost!  If anyone has any suggestions or advice about what to do next and what site to purchase please let us know. I have no idea what it may cost but I am happy to pay towards the continuation of Orthodox Chat. 


    Let me know your thoughts and if anyone is willing to help with the new board. We could use some of you computer geniuses out there!


    Thank you in advance. I pray that you are having a good start to Lent.


    In Christ,


    Presv. Lisa







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  • ~Recommended Lenten Reading~





    • Great Lent,Father Alexander Schmemann, St. Vladimir’s Seminary Press, Crestwood, New York.


    • His Life Is Mine,Archimandrite Sophrony, St. Vladimir’s Seminary Press, Crestwood, New York.


    • The Lenten Triodion,Mother Mary and Archimandrite Kallistos Ware, Faber and Faber, London, England.


    • The Life in Christ,Nicholas Cabasilas, St. Vladimir’s Seminary Press, Crestwood, New York.


    • The Life of Father John of Kronstadt,St. Vladimir’s Seminary Press, Crestwood, New York.


    • Living Prayer,Archbishop Anthony Bloom, Paulist Press, New York, New York.


    • Making God Real in the Orthodox Home,Father Anthony M. Coniaris, Light and Life Publishing Company, Minneapolis, Minnesota.



    • The Mystic of Fire and Light: Saint Symeon the New Theologian,Father George A. Maloney, St. Vladimir’s Seminary Press, Crestwood, New York


    • Orthodox Spirituality,Lev Gillet, The Fellowship of SS. Alban and Sergius, London, England.


    • Partakers of Divine Nature,Archimandrite Christoforos Stavropoulos, Light and Life Publishing Company, Minneapolis, Minnesota.


    • The Passion of Christ,Veselin Kesich (pamphlet).


    • The Power of the Name: The Jesus Prayer in Orthodox Spirituality,Archimandrite Kallistos Ware, SLG Press, Convent of the Incarnation, Fairacres, Oxford, England.


    • Saint Seraphim of Sarov,Valentine Zander, St. Vladimir’s Seminary Press, Crestwood, New York.


    • Unseen Warfare,edited by Nicodemus of the Holy Mountain and revised by Theophan the Recluse, St. Vladimir’s Seminary Press, Crestwood, New York.


    • The Way of the Ascetics,Tito Colliander, St. Nectarios Press, Medina, Washington.


    • The Way of the Pilgrim and the Pilgrim Continues His Way,R. M. French, The Seabury Press, New York, New York.


    • Writings From the Philokalia on Prayer of the Heart, ed. E. Kadoubovsky and G. Palmer, Faber and Faber, London, England.


    • The Art of Prayer, Igumen Chariton, Faber and Faber, London, England.


    • The Ladder of Divine Ascent, St. John Climacus, Holy Transfiguration Monastery, Boston, Massachusetts.


    • Beginning to Pray, Archbishop Anthony Bloom, Paulist Press, New York, New York.


    • The Undistorted Image, Staretz Silouan, Faith Press, London, England.


    • Living the Liturgy, Fr. Stanley S. Harakas, Light and Life, Minneapolis, Minnesota.


    • The Orthodox Way, Fr. Kallistos Ware, St. Vladimir’s Seminary Press, Crestwood New York.


    • Orthodoxy: Faith and Life, Bishop Gerasimos, Holy Cross Orthodox Press, Brookline, Massachusetts.


    • The Faith We Hold, Archbishop Paul, St. Vladimir’s Seminary Press, Crestwood, New York.


    • The Bread of Life, Fr. Theodore Stylianopoulos, Greek Orthodox Department of Religious Education, Brookline, MA.




  • CLEAN MONDAY (Kathara Deftera)


    Today is Clean Monday and the beginning of  Great Lent in the Orthodox Church.


    This first day of Great Lent is called “Clean Monday” because Orthodox Christians are required to begin a spiritual and moral purification through fasting, prayer, meditation, repentance, attending Lenten services and partaking of the Sacraments of Confession and Communion.


    Because Clean Monday is also considered the first day of spring in Greece,  Greeks  celebrate it has a  day that families gather with their children and friends to fly kites and eat traditional Lenten dishes. Greeks usually eat particular types of seafood on Clean Monday, such as octopus, squid, mussels and shrimp; an array of pickled vegetables, especially pickled small green peppers, carrots and cauliflower, olives, and dips that  The dips are Lenten, such as taramosalata (made with fish roe).


    His Eminence Archbishop Demetrios, spiritual leader of the Greek Orthodox Church in America, acknowledging the spiritual significance of the Lenten period, states in his Lenten encyclical to the faithful:

    “As we embark upon this most sacred season of our Holy Orthodox Church, I pray that we may all look toward Holy Lent as an opportunity for renewed spiritual growth in Christ. Through increased opportunities for prayer and worship, increased opportunities to receive the grace of God through the Holy Sacraments, and intensified efforts at spiritual askesis and almsgiving, we embark upon a journey for our building of faith and our nourishing of love for one another. May God provide you with strength during this journey of Holy Lent, so that each and every day along it you may “grow in grace and in the knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. “ (2 Peter 3:18)


     




  • Beginning of Great Lent

    In the Orthodox Church, the last Sunday before Great Lent – the day on which, at Vespers, Lent is liturgically announced and inaugurated – is called Forgiveness Sunday. On the morning of that Sunday, at the Divine Liturgy, we hear the words of Christ:

    “If you forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you, but if you forgive not men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses…” (Mark 6:14-15).

    Then after Vespers – after hearing the announcement of Lent in the Great Prokeimenon”: Turn not away Thy face from Thy child, for I am afflicted! Hear me speedily! Draw near unto my soul and deliver it!”, after making our entrance into Lenten worship, with its special melodies, with the prayer of St Ephraim the Syrian, with its prostrations – we ask forgiveness from each other, we perform the rite of forgiveness and reconciliation. And as we approach each other with words of reconciliation, the choir intones the Paschal hymns, filling the church with the anticipation of Paschal joy.

    What is the meaning of this rite? Why is it that the Church wants us to begin the Lenten season with forgiveness and reconciliation? These questions are in order because for too many people Lent means primarily, and almost exclusively, a change of diet, the compliance with ecclesiastical regulations concerning fasting. They understand fasting as an end in itself, as a “good deed” required by God and carrying in itself its merit and its reward. But the Church spares no effort in revealing to us that fasting is but a means, one among many, towards a higher goal: the spiritual renewal of man, his return to God, true repentance and, therefore, true reconciliation. The Church spares no effort in warning us against a hypocritical and pharisaic fasting, against the reduction of religion to mere external obligations. As a Lenten hymn says:

    “In vain do you rejoice in not eating, O soul! For you abstain from food, But from passions you are not purified. If you persevere in sin, you will perform a useless fast!”

    Now, forgiveness stands at the very center of Christian faith and of Christian life because Christianity itself is, above all, the religion of forgiveness. God forgives us, and His forgiveness is in Christ, His Son, whom He sends to us so that by sharing in His humanity we may share in His love and be truly reconciled with God. Indeed, Christianity has no other content but love. And it is primarily the renewal of that love, a growth in it, that we seek in Great Lent, in fasting and prayer, in the entire spirit and the entire effort of that season. Thus, truly forgiveness is both the beginning of, and the proper condition for, the Lenten season.

    One may ask, however: Why should I perform this rite when I have no “enemies?” Why should I ask forgiveness from people who have done nothing to me, and whom I hardly know? To ask these questions is to misunderstand the Orthodox teaching concerning forgiveness. It is true that open enmity, personal hatred, real animosity may be absent from our life, though if we experience them, it may be easier for us to repent, for these feelings openly contradict Divine commandments. But the Church reveals to us that there are much subtler ways of offending Divine Love. These are indifference, selfishness, lack of interest in other people, of any real concern for them – in short, that wall which we usually erect around ourselves, thinking that by being “polite” and “friendly” we fulfill God’s commandments. The rite of forgiveness is so important precisely because it makes us realize – be it only for one minute – that our entire relationship to other men is wrong, makes us experience that encounter of one child of God with another, of one person created by God with another, makes us feel that mutual “recognition” which is so terribly lacking in our cold and dehumanized world.

    On that unique evening, listening to the joyful Paschal hymns we are called to make a spiritual discovery: to taste of another mode of life and relationship with people, of life whose essence is love. We can discover that always and everywhere Christ, the Divine Love Himself, stands in the midst of us, transforming our mutual alienation into brotherhood. As I advance towards the other, as the other comes to me – we begin to realize that it is Christ who brings us together by His love for both of us.

    And because we make this discovery – and because this discovery is that of the Kingdom of God itself: the Kingdom of Peace and Love, of reconciliation with God and, in Him, with all that exists – we hear the hymns of that Feast, which once a year “opens to us the doors of Paradise.” We know why we shall fast and pray, what we shall seek during the long Lenten pilgrimage.

    Forgiveness Sunday: the day on which we acquire the power to make our fasting – true fasting; our effort – true effort; our reconciliation with God – true reconciliation.

    - Father Alexander Schmemann

  • And my ”walk through Lent” blogging begins.

     

    Tomorrow is Forgiveness Sunday.

     

    I ask your forgiveness!

     





    Sunday of Forgiveness (Cheesefare Sunday)

     

    Introduction

     

    The Sunday of Forgiveness is the last Sunday prior to the commencement of Great Lent. During the pre-Lenten period, the services of the Church include hymns from the Triodion, a liturgical book that contains the services from the Sunday of the Publican and the Pharisee, the tenth before Pascha (Easter), through Great and Holy Saturday. On the Sunday of Forgiveness focus is placed on the exile of Adam and Eve from the Garden of Eden, and event that shows us how far we have fallen in sin and separated ourselves from God. At the onset of Great Lent and a period of intense fasting, this Sunday reminds us of our need for God’s forgiveness and guides our hearts, minds, and spiritual efforts on returning to Him in repentance.

     




    The Lord Confronts the Disobedience of Adam & Eve; The Expulsion from Paradise Nave Mosaics from Palatine Chapel, Palermo, Sicily. Mid 12th Century.

    Biblical Story

     

    The Sunday of Forgiveness, the last of the preparatory Sundays before Great Lent, has two themes: it commemorates Adam’s expulsion from Paradise, and it accentuates our need for forgiveness. There are obvious reasons why these two things should be brought to our attention as we stand on the threshold of Great Lent. One of the primary images in the Triodion is that of the return to Paradise. Lent is a time when we weep with Adam and Eve before the closed gate of Eden, repenting with them for the sins that have deprived us of our free communion with God. But Lent is also a time when we are preparing to celebrate the saving event of Christ’s death and rising, which has reopened Paradise to us once more (Luke 23:43). So sorrow for our exile in sin is tempered by hope of our re-entry into Paradise.

     

    The second theme, that of forgiveness, is emphasized in the Gospel reading for this Sunday (Matthew 6:14-21) and in the special ceremony of mutual forgiveness at the end of the Vespers on Sunday evening. Before we enter the Lenten fast, we are reminded that there can be no true fast, no genuine repentance, no reconciliation with God, unless we are at the same time reconciled with one another. A fast without mutual love is the fast of demons. We do not travel the road of Lent as isolated individuals but as members of a family. Our asceticism and fasting should not separate us from others, but should link us to them with ever-stronger bonds.

     

    The Sunday of Forgiveness also directs us to see that Great Lent is a journey of liberation from our enslavement to sin. The Gospel lesson sets the conditions for this liberation. The first one is fasting—the refusal to accept the desires and urges of our fallen nature as normal, the effort to free ourselves from the dictatorship of the flesh and matter over the spirit. To be effective, however, our fast must not be hypocritical, a “showing off.” We must “appear not unto men to fast but to our Father who is in secret” (vv. 16-18).

     

    The second condition is forgiveness—“If you forgive men their trespasses, your Heavenly Father will also forgive you” (vv. 14-15). The triumph of sin, the main sign of its rule over the world, is division, opposition, separation, hatred. Therefore, the first break through this fortress of sin is forgiveness—the return to unity, solidarity, love. To forgive is to put between me and my “enemy” the radiant forgiveness of God Himself. To forgive is to reject the hopeless “dead-ends” of human relations and to refer them to Christ. Forgiveness is truly a “breakthrough” of the Kingdom into this sinful and fallen world.

     

     

    Icon of the Feast

     

    The icon of the Sunday of Forgiveness is of the exile of Adam and Eve from the Garden of Eden. The hymns of the Church also refer to the garden as Paradise. The story of the fall of humankind and this expulsion is found in Genesis 3.





    1. Ashamed for the sin that they committed by eating the fruit from the tree of the knowlege of good and evil, Adam and Eve now stand before Christ.

    The icon shows Adam and Eve standing before Jesus Christ [1.]. Prior to their descent into sin through disobedience, Adam and Eve were blessed with a beautiful relationship of communion and fellowship with God. However, they were tempted by the devil appearing in the form of a serpent [2.] to disobey God and eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil (Genesis 2:15-17).






    2. Adam and Eve were tempted to sin by the devil who appeared to them as a serpent.


    3. A cherubim with a flaming sword was appointed by God to guard the gate of Eden and the way to the tree of life.

    When they took of the fruit and sinned, they realized that they were naked. Further, when “they heard the sound of the Lord God walking in the garden”…they hid themselves “from the presence of the Lord” (3:8). The icon shows Adam and Eve attempting to cover themselves with fig leaves as they try to hide, and yet they stand ashamed before the Lord.

     

    Because of their disobedience the Lord expelled them from the garden. The icon shows the Archangel of the Lord directing them out of Paradise, through the gate of Eden where God placed “the cherubim and a sword flaming and guarding the way to the tree of life” (3:23-24) [3.]. Adam and Eve are dressed in the garments of skins made for them by God (3:20) [4.].



    Orthodox Christian Commemoration of the Sunday of Forgiveness

     

    The Sunday of Forgiveness is commemorated with the Divine Liturgy of Saint John Chrysostom, which is preceded by the Matins service. A Great Vespers is conducted on Saturday evening. The hymns of the Triodion for this day are added to the usual prayers and hymns of the weekly commemoration of the Resurrection of Christ. The naming of the Sunday is taken from the commemoration of the Exile of Adam and Eve from Paradise and from the Gospel reading of the Divine Liturgy.

     

    Scripture readings for the Sunday of the Last Judgment are: At the Orthros (Matins): The prescribed weekly Gospel reading. At the Divine Liturgy: Romans 13:11-14:4, Matthew 6:14-21.

     

    The Sunday of Forgiveness is also known as Cheesefare Sunday. This is the last day that dairy products can be eaten before the Lenten fast. The full fast begins the following day on Clean Monday, the first day of Great Lent. On the evening of the Sunday of Forgiveness the Church conducts the first service of Great Lent, the Vespers of Forgiveness, a service that directs us further on the path of repentance and helps us to acknowledge our need for forgiveness from God and to seek forgiveness from our brothers and sisters in Christ. This is the first time that the Lenten prayer of St. Ephraim accompanied by prostrations is read. At the end of the service all the faithful approach the priest and one another asking for mutual forgiveness.

     

    Orthodox Christians are encouraged to enter Great Lent in repentance and confession by attending these services, coming for the Sacrament of Confession, and dedicating themselves to worship, prayer, and fasting throughout the Lenten period. The first day of Lent, Clean Monday, signifies the beginning of a period of cleansing and purification of sins through repentance.

     

    On the Saturday before this Sunday, the second of three Saturdays of the Souls are held. This is a special commemoration when the Church offers a Divine Liturgy and Memorial Service for the departed faithful. This is considered a universal commemoration of the dead. Through the memorial services, the Church is commending to God all who have departed and who are now awaiting the Last Judgment. This specific Saturday is a general commemoration of all the ascetic Saints of the Church, both men and women. As we set out on the Lenten fast we are reminded that we will make this journey as members of a family, supported by the intercessions of the Saints.


    Hymns of the Feast


    Exapostelarion of Matins
    (Second Tone)


    Wretch that I am I disobeyed Your good commandment, O my Lord. And being stripped of Your glory, alas, with shame I am laden. And I have been evicted from the pure delights of Paradise. O merciful and compassionate, have mercy on me who rightly has been deprived of Your goodness.

     

    We were expelled of old, O Lord, from the Garden of Eden, for wrongly eating from the tree. But, O my God and Savior, You once again have restored us through Your Cross and Your Passion. Thereby, O Master, fortify and enable us purely to finish Lent and to worship Your holy resurrection, Pascha our saving Passover, by the prayers of Your Mother. Listen»

     

    Prokeimenon of Vespers
    (tone Plagal Fourth)
    Idiomela: Turn not away Thy face from Thy child for I am afflicted; hear me speedily. Draw near to my soul and deliver me.

     

    Stichos: Thy salvation, O God, hath set me up. The poor see and rejoice. Listen»

     

    Kontakion
    (Tone Plagal Second)


    O Master, Guide to wisdom, Giver of prudent counsel, Instructor of the foolish and Champion of the poor, make firm my heart and grant it understanding. O Word of the Father, give me words, for see, I shall not stop my lips from crying out to Thee: I am fallen, in Thy compassion have mercy on me.



    The Lenten Triodion. translated by Mother Mary and Kallistos Ware (South Canaan, PA: St. Tikhon’s Seminary Press, 1994), pp. 46-47, 168-188.

     

    Schmemann, Alexander. Great Lent: Journey

  • For all those wondering about Lent and fasting and what is the point;  you can listen to this weekend’s COME RECEIVE THE LIGHT PROGRAM Just Click here.


    LET US DRAW NEAR!

    All of creation has a rhythm. Because of our freedom, we humans have interpreted this rhythm of life in many ways. As Christians, we resonate in this created rhythm with the Resurrection life of Jesus Christ.

    And that’s why this Sunday is “Forgiveness Sunday” for Orthodox Christians in their Churches all around the world.

    It is also called “Cheesefare Sunday,” because on that day we say goodbye to dairy products, embracing the common discipline of our faith together. We thereby prepare our bodies and souls for the celebration of the Feast of feasts – Pascha. Our 40-day focus on a common diet, discipline and prayer is a vital bit of WISDOM (not rules) given us in the ancient faith of the Orthodox Church. Jesus meets us in our fasting to help us tame the passions of our lives that actually fight against our best interests. Our true interest is not to make ourselves hungry, but to know God and love Him above all else – our only hope of salvation.

    We set aside some of the good things of life (meat, dairy, etc.) to help us focus on the state of our souls. The eternal stakes for our souls is so high. Each of us is inevitably rushing toward an eternal appointment – the awesome judgment seat of Christ. At that throne we will hear Him say “well done” – or “depart from Me!” The Church serves us by giving us the gift of the Fast so that we can know the state of our souls, and change the course of our self-centered lives.

    We pray each week in the Divine Liturgy to have “the right answer before the awesome judgment seat of Christ.” We are each going to come into the presence of the uncreated God, and He will not diminish Himself in that eternity to accommodate our self-centeredness. Our destiny is to experience His presence for eternity. We will return to Him Who made us, and we will not escape Him – ever!

    Some theologians have attempted to describe the torments of hell throughout history. Others have attempted to describe the blessings of heaven. They have all failed.

    The truth is that hell is immeasurably more horrible than any can imagine and heaven is indescribably more wonderful than humans can express. And this is true because the horrors of hell and the blessings of heaven have the same source, in the inescapable intimate presence of the uncreated God Who is more awesome (a word entirely used too often in this culture) than we will even know. We WILL enter His presence. We WILL NEVER escape Him. Our true selves will be revealed to all. We will experience the blazing love of His presence as blessing or bane all based on the reality of our love for Him. If we yearn for Him, our hearts will find home. If we rebel against Him, our self-imposed agony will be absolute. Our hearts, our true nature will determine our eternity.

    No wonder the Church has preserved the wisdom necessary to shape our souls here and now for that awesome event. No wonder, even in the midst of our best efforts, we are also taught to cry out, “Lord, have mercy on me, a sinner” and prostrate with the prayer of St. Ephraim. The Church preserves the dual truths of personal responsibility for the state of our souls and absolute dependence on the inexhaustible mercy and grace of God. Both of these realities are equally important.

    So, how does the wisdom of Great Lent prepare us for this inevitable Divine appointment?

    First, the wisdom of Great Lent teaches me Humility. In the light of God’s eternal Presence, His eternal Power, and His eternal Knowledge, we humans cannot ever enter a loving relationship with Him without acknowledging our own finiteness. We are not God, but we are invited by this loving and gracious God to become His companions and share all He is by grace. This glorious reality drives us to confess our own limits. The wisdom of Great Lent stirs in us this humble confession of both need and desire. During the Great Forty Days, we subjugate our temporary desires so we can learn and respond to our eternal needs.

    Second, the wisdom of Great Lent teaches me Honesty. On the heels of humility, the wisdom of Great Lent calls me to honesty. This discipline of prayer, fasting, and almsgiving can reveal our true selves. The Lenten mirror can present an uncomfortable picture, and many times we go to great lengths to avoid seeing our true selves.

    But the wisdom of Great Lent holds an accurate mirror up to our souls. If we are courageous and trusting in God’s goodness and mercy, we will learn from this experience and offer our weaknesses to God Who always receives our repentance and always forgives.

    Finally, the wisdom of Great Lent teaches me Hope. The rhythm of creation has been baptized by the resurrection life of Jesus Christ. Jesus has come into His world to bring us safely back to the Father. His life of loving sacrifice and victorious power have forever made the way open for each of us to grow up spiritually so that we will have the “right answer” before His awesome judgment seat. The spiritual “tools” preserved in the wisdom of Great Lent offers each of us, once again this year, the path to not only enduring eternity but actually experiencing “joy unspeakable” in the awesome presence of a God Who loves us more than we, ourselves, know how to love.

    Great Lent is here again. The eternal invitation to Divine joy and intimate love with God is extended to you once more. Wisdom is offered to you again. What will your answer be – this year?

    This week Emmy and I visit with a dear friend. Frederica Matthewes-Green talks to us about her recent book “First Fruits: A Forty-Day Journey Through the Canon of St. Andrew.” The canon of St. Andrew is a wonderful Lenten tool to help us actually do the hard work of repentance during this special time of the year.

    Don’t let Pascha sneak up on you this year. Prepare for this celebration by entering into the spirit of Great Lent.

    Until next week,

    Yours for the spread of Orthodoxy,

    Fr. Chris Metropulos
    http://www.receive.org/index.php