Great Lent Archives - Page 19 of 28

The First Day (Pure Monday) of Great Lent: The Journey to Pascha

03/11/2019

By Alexander Schmemann When a man leaves on a journey, he must know where he is going. Thus with Lent. Above all, Lent is a spiritual journey and its destination is Pascha, “the Feast of Feasts.” It is the preparation for the “fulfillment of Pascha, the true Revelation.” We must begin, therefore, by trying to understand this connection between Lent and Pascha, for it reveals something very essential, very crucial about our Christian faith and

Forgiveness – Do We Know What We’re Doing?

03/08/2019

By Fr Stephen Freeman, March 13, 2016 The first service of Great Lent in the Orthodox Church is “Forgiveness Vespers,” served on the eve of Monday of the First Week. There is nothing unusual about the service itself – other than the “rite of forgiveness” appended to it. In this, the priest and the faithful ask forgiveness of one another. Often this is done with mutual prostrations. Each asks the forgiveness of the other. The

The Eighth Day of Christmas. Feast of Saint Basil the Great, Archbishop of Caesarea in Cappadocia

01/01/2019

Saint Basil the Great (329-379) The Archbishop of Caesarea, Saint Basil is revered—together with Saints John Chrysostom and Gregory Nazianzos—as one of the “Three Holy Hierarchs” of the Church. Together with that same Nazianzos and Saint Gregory of Nyssa, Saint Basil is revered as one the “Cappadocian Fathers,” whose homiletical and mystical writings helped establish what is now considered the heart of Orthodox theology and spirituality. As Saint Benedict is honored for founding monasticism in

Christos Anesti! Christ is Risen! Thursday of the Fourth Week of Pascha. Man is an Idolater of Himself.

05/03/2018

From our own experience and from our observation of others we are aware that human nature is damaged. Damaged, first of all, within each one of us; the ‘self is a shadow theatre of neurotic characters, and it is they who are pulling our strings instead of the other way about. Our faculties are disunited and out of order. While the rational intelligence is busy making distinctions, the ‘heart’, in obedience to dark subconscious forces,

Friday of the Sixth Week of Great Lent: The Ruler’s Responsibility. The Most Efficient Ruler is the One Who Serves with Love.

03/30/2018

The Ruler’s Responsibility The Superior who has the task of looking after everyone must act as if he had to give an account of each individual. He must realize that he will answer personally for a brother who has fallen into sin, because he has not shown him the Law of God. He will also have to answer for the brother who remains still in his sin, because he has not pointed out to him

Thursday of the Sixth Week of Great Lent: A Chatterer is like an Old Boot. The Powerful have a Thousand Masters.

03/29/2018

A Chatterer is like an Old Boot If two people are engaged in conversation they should speak in measured tones. Yelling and shouting is what idiots do. Talking in a whisper so that the person cannot hear is the mark of a fool. In conversation we must not let ourselves be seized with the desire always to interrupt in order to show off our fatuous superiority. Everything ought to lead to tranquility, as in the

Wednesday of the Sixth Week of Great Lent: Learn to Laugh in a Relaxed Way. High Life.

03/28/2018

Learn to Laugh in a Relaxed Way Laughter is a sign of friendliness so long as it is not coarse. In general, a person can do whatever is natural, but it must be in due measure and at the right time. Therefore, you ought not to laugh always simply because you have the capacity, any more than a horse is always neighing because it is capable of neighing. We ought to control our laughter, to

Tuesday of the Sixth Week of Great Lent: Open the Route to God for your Opponents. I Suggest a Different Kind of Envy

03/27/2018

Open the Route to God for your Opponents Don’t ever hurt one of your neighbours by using words in two senses. He could reply in the same way and you would both be wandering off the path of love. Go to him and warn him with affectionate sincerity. When you have between you removed the cause of your unhappiness, you will both of you be free from anxiety and bitterness. Don’t recall to your memory

Monday of the Sixth Week of Great Lent: How to Love a Friend … and Persecute an Enemy. Our Enemies do not Know the Gratitude We Owe Them.

03/26/2018

How to Love a Friend … and Persecute an Enemy Augustine said: ‘The evil-doer is sad when he sees that his enemy has taken a warning and avoided punishment.’ Gregory said: ‘We are only faithful to our friends when our actions match our promises. ‘People have no right to persecute their enemies with the sword, but they should persecute them with prayer.’ Jerome said: ‘Often our friends are only so-called friends: not being able to

The Feast of the Annunciation of Our Most Holy Lady, the Theotokos and Ever-Virgin Mary

03/25/2018

Commemorated on March 25 The Feast of the Annunciation is one of the earliest Christian feasts, and was already being celebrated in the fourth century. There is a painting of the Annunciation in the catacombs of Priscilla in Rome dating from the second century. The Council of Toledo in 656 mentions the Feast. In 692 the Council in Trullo celebrated the Annunciation during Great Lent. The Greek and Slavonic names for the Feast may be

Archive

The First Day (Pure Monday) of Great Lent: The Journey to Pascha

Forgiveness – Do We Know What We’re Doing?

The Eighth Day of Christmas. Feast of Saint Basil the Great, Archbishop of Caesarea in Cappadocia

Christos Anesti! Christ is Risen! Thursday of the Fourth Week of Pascha. Man is an Idolater of Himself.

Friday of the Sixth Week of Great Lent: The Ruler’s Responsibility. The Most Efficient Ruler is the One Who Serves with Love.

Thursday of the Sixth Week of Great Lent: A Chatterer is like an Old Boot. The Powerful have a Thousand Masters.

Wednesday of the Sixth Week of Great Lent: Learn to Laugh in a Relaxed Way. High Life.

Tuesday of the Sixth Week of Great Lent: Open the Route to God for your Opponents. I Suggest a Different Kind of Envy

Monday of the Sixth Week of Great Lent: How to Love a Friend … and Persecute an Enemy. Our Enemies do not Know the Gratitude We Owe Them.

The Feast of the Annunciation of Our Most Holy Lady, the Theotokos and Ever-Virgin Mary

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