Fr. Seraphim Holland The Great Canon of St Andrew, Bishop of Crete, is the longest canon in all of our services, and is associated with Great Lent, since the only times it is appointed to be read in church are the first four nights of Great Lent (Clean Monday through Clean Thursday, at Great Compline,…
Father Alexander Shmemann 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…
AKATHIST for the REPOSE of Those Who have FALLEN ASLEEP KONTAKION 1 O Thou Who by Thy inscrutable Providence didst prepare the world for eternal beatitude and Who appointest times and seasons and the manner of our end: Forgive, O Lord, those who have died in past ages all their sins, receive them into…
The mystery of the Pasch is new and old, eternal and temporal, corruptible and incorruptible, mortal and immortal. Old according to the Law, new according to the Word; temporal according to the world, eternal by grace; corruptible by the immolation of the lamb, incorruptible by the life of the Lord; mortal by his burial in…
The somber tone of Holy Week is preceded by a two day feast commemorating the resurrection of Lazarus who had been dead for 4 days, and the triumphant entry of our Lord into Jerusalem. It is significant that Holy Week begins with Christ resurrecting Lazarus from the dead. This event confirms the power of Christ…
Dear Faithful, We have reached the last Sunday of Great Lent. On this last Sunday, the Church presents before us the quintessential example of repentance—the life of St. Mary of Egypt. The Church has put repentance before us as the central task we are trying to accomplish throughout the course of the Fast and…
St Zosimas (April 4) was a monk at a certain Palestinian monastery on the outskirts of Caesarea. Having dwelt at the monastery since his childhood, he lived there in asceticism until he reached the age of fifty-three. Then he was disturbed by the thought that he had attained perfection, and needed no one to instruct…
Dear Faithful, We are officially halfway through the Holy Fast. Great Lent is already past its midpoint. During the middle of the Fast, it is good for us to examine ourselves. How am I doing this Lent? Am I repenting? Have I really attempted to repent through the means of prayer, almsgiving, and fasting?…
