Lent

[MoNiCa4316]

:wave: What do you do during Lent apart from fasting? I've never really done it before but I think it's a great idea and I'm planning to start sometime... sooo...how do the Orthodox celebrate Lent? :D please enlighten me :D

[MoNiCa4316]

aand..importantly..when does it start? lol

[Michael the Iconographer]

I try to attend Pre-Sanctified Liturgy atleast once a week, if not twice.

[Prawnik]

Monica: as you probably are aware, there is a regime of fasting throughout Great Lent.

That said, I strongly advise you to discuss your fast with your Priest; because the fast is very difficult for a first-timer, some persons new to the faith get frustrated and fall away. Therefore, many Priests will relax the discipline at least at first, just as they will relax the fast for the ill or nursing mothers.

[Hoankan]

Lent fasting is tough. In addition, I try to give up different passions I have for more Christ oriented things (i.e. giving up rock and jazz for classical and Orthodox chant).

[nestoj]

You do all you find good more, and you do all you find is taking your focus away from God less. About fasting, it's not just the food. I know a man whose spine was broken three years ago when his parachute didn't open fully. He survived, he's tied to bed, but he's faith is radiant as it ever was, maybe even more. He doesn't complain, is not depressed and he doesn't loose his faith. All around him believe his situation to be a fast above all ours (spare me God from such a fast). Unwilling fast maybe, but, by his behavior, he made it a fast nonetheless. Forgiveness and tolerance are great parts of fast (greater then abstaining from food). Increased praying and guard over one's mouth are to. Helping whomever you can, also. Point is not to do something for God, He doesn't need any of that. Point is to help ourselves, to change ourselves more to the image of our Lord and trough that to help those around us, maybe, by God's mercy, even set them to narrow path...without persuading, debating, arguing...but by being witness through the example. One guy here said it nicely "Don't tell me you are sorry, show me you are sorry and I'll believe you."

Anyway, it can be difficult even with just the food, so don't try to do all at once. Talk to your priest and he'll tell you what to do.

God helps

[Monica, child of God]

A priest told me to think of Great Lent as a tithe of the year. Just like all of our money and wealth comes from God and should be used for God honoring purposes, all of our time in this life comes from God and should be used for God honoring purposes. But we set aside a portion of our money to give to the church and during Lent, we set aside a specific portion of time and energy to devote to God in a special way.

So during Lent, we make more room for God in our lives. We may turn off the TV so that we have more time to read Scripture. We may not turn on the radio in the car so that we can say the Jesus prayer on the way to work. We may get up an hour earlier so that we can do the prayers that we may skip over or in order to read extra Psalms. We make time in our schedule to attend Presanctified Liturgy and/or other special services. What is so special to me is that Orthodox everywhere are striving to do these things at the same time and so the whole Church is united in seeking experience the events of the passion of our Lord. It is so intense and I love it :)

Here is a list of things that mark Lent in the Orthodox Church:

~it begins with Forgiveness Sunday (http://www.frederica.com/writings/forgiveness-vespers.html). So, so beautiful!
~fasting (ask your priest about your own rule)
~increased prayer (as your priest about your own rule)
~the Lenten prayer of Saint Ephraim the Syrian (http://www.monachos.net/library/Lenten_Prayer_of_St_Ephraim_the_Syrian)we all pray it several times a day with prostrations
~The Canon of St. Andrew (check your parish calendar)
~Presanctified Liturgy (Wednesdays or Wednesdays and Fridays)
~confession at least once during Lent. If one never goes to confession at any other time during the year, to claim to be Orthodox one must confess during this time of the year. Similarly, one must commune at least once during the season of Pascha

This is just a partial list. The whole of the Lenten season is peppered with jewels of devotion like Refreshment Sunday/Veneration of the Cross, Sunday of Orthodoxy/pan Orthodox vespers, Annunciation, Lazarus Saturday, memorial Saturdays, etc.

This year Feb. 10 is Zaccheaus Sunday, the first harbinger of the Lenten season. We, like Zaccheaus, are beginning to seek out Christ and He will come into our homes and hearts and commune with us. Four weeks of "pre-Lent" follow that prepare us for ascetic labor. Then Lent begins on Monday March 3rd.

I truly hope you engage the Church with all your senses and energy during this time Monica. You will be well rewarded :angel:

M.

[Andrew21091]

I try to give up different passions I have for more Christ oriented things (i.e. giving up rock and jazz for classical and Orthodox chant).

I should really do this when Lent starts.

[Macarius]

The "likely" calander for parishes for this year's Lent:


The four preperatory Sundays:
Feb 10: Zacchaeus Sunday (WF normal fast)
Feb 17: Publican and Pharisee (fast free week)
Feb 24: Prodigal Son (WF normal fast)
Mar 2: Last Judgment (meatfare week - we fast from all meat after this)
Mar 9: Forgiveness Sunday (Lent officially begins with Forgiveness Vespers that evening or afternoon; at this service each person asks for forgiveness from each other person in the congregation as an entrance into this period of repentance - so our first act of lent is to repent in front of one another and affirm that God forgives us all). Lots of bowing, so wear comfy shoes.
Lent: Mar 10 - April 19; This fast can be different for everyone, but the basic prescription is to eat vegan food, with no oil used in cooking or as a condiment. Additionally, we fast from alchohal (specifically wine). Ask your priest before undertaking any fast. It is not something self-appointed, but must be done in obedience to avoid pride and pharisaism. Additionally, I have heard that many Fathers taught that the meals should be simpler, and that the time and money saved should be spend praying and giving (respectively), so that Lent becomes a time of hightened fulfillment of the Sermon on the Mount, in which Christ commands us to pray, fast, and give alms. All three are part of Lent. If you're interested in the ascetic life of the church, I highly recommend reading Way of the Ascetics (http://www.stvladimirs.ca/library/way-ascetics-one.html) during Lent. It will encourage and exhort you to enter fully into the asceticism of the fast.
First Week of Lent:
Mar 10: Canon of St. Andrew (evening service)
Mar 11: Part II of Canon of St. Andrew
Mar 12: Part III of Canon of St. Andrew after the vesperal Pre-sanctified liturgy. Pre-sanctified is the way we take eucharist during Lent. Because Eucharist is the celebration of the passion, any day we celebrate the Eucharist cannot be a full fasting day. Yet, during times of asceticism, we need the eucharist more often. To aid this, the Church celebrates vespers with a partaking of the eucharist that was celebrated the previous sunday - that way we can remain in the fast, but still take communion. It is an evening service. Most parishes I've been to start it around 6:30. It is done every Wednesday and Friday during Lent.
Mar 13: Part IV Canon of St. Andrew. This concludes the Great Canon, which was composed in the 8th century, and remains one of the greatest pieces of liturgical poetry ever composed. In it, St. Andrew reflects on countless biblical figures and images, and applies them to himself (the sinner) as a medidation on our need for repentance. It is... haunting and powerful. It's also very very physically active - lots of bowing, prostrating, and standing, so wear comfy shoes or you will get blisters and wobbly legs :P
Mar 14: Presanctifed Liturgy.
Mar 15: Wine and Oil are allowed on the weekends, as they are part of the eucharistic celebration and so are not fully part of Lent (the music changes, the vestments are slightly brighter). There will probably be a Great Vespers at whatever normal time the parish celebrates on Saturday night.
Mar 16: Divine Liturgy, Sunday of Orthodoxy Vespers. Each Sunday of Lent commemorates something special. This one celebrates the triumph of Orthodoxy after the 7th ecumenical council and the restoration of the icons. As such, there is a vespers service (re-entering Lenten time since Vespers is technically part of monday), with a joyful procession of the icons around the church building. Wine and oil are allowed.
Second Week of Lent:
Mar 19 (Wed): Presanctified Lit
Mar 21 (Fri): Presanctified Lit
Mar 22 (Sat): Vespers, wine and oil
Mar 23 (Sun): Great Liturgy, wine and oil. St. Gregory Palamas Sunday, sometimes a vespers will be celebrated. I recommend reading a life of St. Gregory. His work defended the Orthodox theology of theosis (divinization) during the late byzantine empire (14th century). Additionally, this used to be the Sunday of the Paralytic, so listen for the hymns and gospel reading about the dedication show by the friends of the paralytic as they lowered him through the roof to see Christ.
Third Week of Lent:
Mar 24: Vespers or Festal Vigil, this is the forefeast of the Annunciation. Wine and Oil is allowed.
Mar 25: Annunciation. Matins (attend this if at all possible! If there is a Vigil on the 24th, Matins will be celebrated as part of it, Annunciation Matins is truly special), and Divine Liturgy. As this is one of the great feasts of the year (celebrating the Incarnation itself!) fish, wine, and oil are allowed. Eat some fish today if you are fasting. The fat and protein are suprisingly welcome and will probably improve your mood if the fast is getting to you as it should :P
Mar 26: Presanctified Lit, leavetaking of the Annunciation (so wine and oil allowed).
Mar 28: Presanctified Lit
Mar 29: Vespers, wine and oil allowed
Mar 30: Liturgy, wine and oil allowed. Sunday of the Cross (if there's a vespers, go see it - the hymns to the cross are powerful!).
Fourth Week of Lent:
Apr 2: Presanctified Lit
Apr 4: Presanctified Lit
Apr 5: Vespers, wine and oil allowed
Apr 6: Liturgy; wine and oil; Sunday of St. John Climacus - like Gregory Palamas, this saint defended and wrote about the spiritual life. St. John of the Ladder, as he is also known, wrote about the stages and steps of the spiritual life, and what to do at each one. Though written for monks, his work is hard hitting and very appropriate for parishoners. Another excellent Lenten read.
Fifth Week of Lent:
Apr 9: Presanctified, wine and oil allowed
Apr 10: Full reading of the canon of St. Andrew after Royal Hours. This is typically done in the morning, but as it always falls on a Thursday, is generally sparsely attended. It is also traditional for a reader to chant the life of St. Mary of Egypt - the greatest model of true asceticism in the history of the Church, a whore whom Christ transformed into a beacon of grace and purity. Attend if you can! Wine and oil are allowed.
Apr 11: Presanctified Lit, wine and oil
Apr 12: Vespers, w&o
Apr 13: Liturgy, St. Mary of Egypt Sunday. Wonderful saint! Wonderful hymns! Find and read a copy of her life if you haven't already.
Sixth Week of Lent:
Apr 16: Presanctified Lit
Apr 18: Presanctified Lit
Apr 19: Lazarus Saturday, commemorating the raising of Lazarus by Christ just prior to entering Jerusalem. Wine, Oil, and Caviar (fish eggs) are allowed. No one knows why Caviar. It's a mystery. If you figure it out, please, tell us! Traditionally, there will be two services today: Great Liturgy in the morning and Vespers in the Evening. Vespers marks the end of Lent - you are now into Holy Week, a different fast (though the prescriptions are the same, the music, vestments, service times, and hymnity change).
Holy Week: Apr 20 - 26
Holy Monday:
Presanctified Lit in the morning
Bridegroom Matins in the evening
Because Holy Week is when Christ died, the natural order of things is inverted. This sets the season very much apart. Definitely attend a Bridegroom Matins - extremely beautiful (if a bit long - all the Holy Week services run between 1 1/2 and 3 hours).
Holy Tuesday:
Presanctified Lit in the morning
Bridegroom Matins in the evening.
Holy Wednesday:
Presanctified Lit in the morning (the last of the year!)
Holy Unction in the evening - a very well attended service. This is the blessing of the oil of unction, and the only time of year where the Church collectively partakes of this sacrament. We do so in memory of Christ's annointing before His death (those gospels are read). We, mystically, as His body, enter that annointing as well, and prepare for the burial of our old self to rise with Christ in the His life at Pascha. About 3 hours long, but well worth it and an important service.
Holy Thursday:
St. Basil Liturgy (Vesperal) in the afternoon. This commemorates Christ's institution of the eucharist at the Last Supper.
Holy Thursday Evening Service: I think, technically, this is a Matins service. Because it is the evening, liturgically we've entered into Good Friday at this point. So this is the MAIN Holy Friday service. Attend it if at all humanly possible. It's long, as there are 12 Gospel readings, all of which center around the passion narratives of the four gospels. There is also a procession of the cross (the big cross) around the Church, and a large, full body icon of Christ is placed on the cross, victorious over death. We have entered into the passion of our Lord.
Holy Friday:
Strict Fast: eat only if you absolutely have to to keep going (again, this is a general prescription, check with your priest before attempting). IF you do eat, eat steamed veggies and drink some water - as simple and ascetic as possible. This is the day that Christ is not with us (though Christ is always with us). Christ is in the tomb! The bridegroom is not with us, and so we fast.
Royal Hours in the morning, multiple OT readings.
Typically, in the afternoon, there's the entombment of Christ, when His icon is taken off the cross and placed in a lavishly decorated "tomb" (a table in the middle of the Church). This is a vespers service.
In the evening, there are the lamentations before the tomb of Christ. Wonderful to attend. Beautiful, and long.
Some parishes will have rotations of chanters chantings psalms and lamentations before the tomb all night in a true vigil. This way, there is never a time when the Church is not before the tomb of Christ, lamenting and praising His holy work.
Holy Saturday: This day often feels like the calm after a storm (and before the next one), we've entered into the passion - death is overcome because Christ is among the dead, filling death with His infinite life. As such, the vestments for the Vesperal liturgy are white. This vesperal liturgy is also FILLED with baptismal imagery from the OT and NT and in its hymns. Baptism is our entrance into Christ's death that we may be raised with Him. As such, we commemorate it during our commemoration of Christ's death. This Holy Saturday Vesperal Liturgy is also the time when, traditionally (in the ancient church) catechumens would be baptized to enter the Church, so they would recieve Eucharist on Pascha.
PASCHA: Feast of feasts. Queen and Lady of days.
Services begin on Saturday night, with the very end of Holy Week being the last of the lamentations and a beautiful canon (shorter than St. Andrews! Don't worry). Typically starts around 11:30 at night. Some parishes read the Acts of the Apostles starting around 9pm. Arrive earlier than 11:30 - the Church will be its fullest tonight as a lot of culturally orthodox families who don't typically attend show up for this service. Arrive around 11 to find a reasonible amount of space and a good spot.
At midnight, exactly, with the Church completely dark, the priest will chant "Come and recieve the light from the light, for Christ is light. Come and recieve Christ, for He is risen from the tomb!" A candle will be lit at the altar, and as the priest and celebrants move back through the sanctuary, they will light the candles of the faithful (if you don't have one, you can grab one at the door - most people bring their baptismal candle if they still have it, or they buy very nicley decorated ones specifically for Pascha). The faithful follow the priest out of the church into a three-time procession around the building, chanting the hymn the priest chanted, and there is a short service at the front of the Church while the liturgical color inside is changed. Then, the congregation enters, and Paschal Matins begins. Afterwords, there's a "coffee hour" (typically two or three long tables of food that, as I put it, is a vegan's worst nightmare). CHRIST IS RISEN!!!And there you go! So the Church supplies plenty of opportunities to pray, the more fully you can take advantage of them, the more fully you'll enter into Lent and the more fully you'll experience Pascha. Check in with your priest for his recomendations on fasting.

Hope that helps!
Macarius

[nutroll]

Thanks for posting that Macarius. Normally I go through all that and it is difficult and exhausting, and it is easy to focus on the difficulties that lie ahead and lose sight of how wonderful it all is. As I read down through the list, it was like a greatest hits collection. I love all those services, and when I think about the hymns, and processions, I realize how vital they are to my life, and yet in the midst of it all, I find myself anxious for it to be over and to hear Christ is Risen! Last year was really the first time that I realized how important it is to go through the pain, the sorrow, and the anticipation in order to fully realize the joy of the feast. Speaking personally, it doesn't get much better than being in Church on Saturday morning and hearing "Arise O God, judge the earth" and really understanding that though Christ was just a corpse in a tomb to the world, our salvation was being accomplished as Christ broke the bars and gates of Hades. It is such a wonderful taste of the fuller joy that is revealed that evening when we rejoice in the risen Lord.

[Monica, child of God]

Speaking personally, it doesn't get much better than being in Church on Saturday morning and hearing "Arise O God, judge the earth"

:thumbsup:

M.

[Philothei]

http://www.easternchristiansupply.biz/images/big/42229.jpeg translated from the original Greek by Mother Mary and Archimandrite Kallistos Ware

Volume II of The Service Books of the Orthodox Church (http://www.easternchristiansupply.biz/products.cgi/c48/c118/c19785/a19646)

“This volume is the second in the series The Service Books of the Orthodox Church and forms a sequel to The Festal Menaion[...]. Practical considerations render it impossible at this juncture to issue a printed translation of the Lenten Triodion in its entirety. [...W]e have included the full text for the following days: All Sundays in the period of the Triodion (omitting Small Vespers); The Saturday of the Dead; The first week of Lent (in its entirety); Thursday in the fifth week (the service of the Great Canon); Saturday in the fifth week (the service of the Akathistos Hymn); Saturday in the sixth week (the Saturday of Lazarus); Holy Week (in its entirety). Altogether this represents about two-thirds of the total contents of the Triodion.”
—“The Meaning of the Great Fast: The Present Translation”

CONTENTS

THE MEANING OF THE GREAT FAST
by Archimandrite Kallistos
THE STRUCTURE OF THE LENTEN OFFICES
THE SUNDAY OF THE PUBLICAN AND THE PHARISEE
Vespers on Saturday Evening
Mattins Liturgy
THE SUNDAY OF THE PRODIGAL SON
Vespers on Saturday Evening
Mattins Liturgy
THE SATURDAY OF THE DEAD
Vespers on Friday Evening
Mattins
Liturgy
STICHERA TO THE MARTYRS AND FOR THE DEAD SUNG AT VESPERS ON FRIDAY EVENING
THE SUNDAY OF THE LAST JUDGEMENT
Vespers on Saturday Evening
Mattins
Liturgy
Vespers on Sunday Evening
THE SUNDAY OF FORGIVENESS
Vespers on Saturday Evening
Mattins
Liturgy
Vespers on Sunday Evening
STICHERA OF REPENTANCE SUNG AT VESPERS ON SUNDAY EVENING
MONDAY IN THE FIRST WEEK
Mattins
Sixth Hour
Vespers
Great Compline
TUESDAY IN THE FIRST WEEK
Mattins
Sixth Hour
Vespers
Great Compline
WEDNESDAY IN THE FIRST WEEK
Mattins
Sixth Hour
Vespers with the Liturgy of the Presanctified
Great Compline
THURSDAY IN THE FIRST WEEK
Mattins
Sixth Hour
Vespers
Great Compline
FRIDAY IN THE FIRST WEEK
Mattins
Sixth Hour
Vespers with the Liturgy of the Presanctified
Canon of Intercession to the Holy and Great Martyr Theodore the Recruit
Compline
SATURDAY IN THE FIRST WEEK
Mattins
Liturgy
THE FIRST SUNDAY IN LENT (THE SUNDAY OF ORTHODOXY)
Great Vespers on Saturday Evening
Mattins
Liturgy
Vespers on Sunday Evening
THE SECOND SUNDAY IN LENT (ST. GREGORY PALAMAS)
Vespers on Saturday Evening
Mattins
Liturgy
Vespers on Sunday Evening
THE THIRD SUNDAY IN LENT (THE ADORATION OF THE CROSS)
Great Vespers on Saturday Evening
Mattins
Liturgy
Vespers on Sunday Evening
THE FOURTH SUNDAY IN LENT (OUR HOLY FATHER JOHN OF THE LADDER)
Vespers on Saturday Evening
Mattins
Liturgy
Vespers on Sunday Evening
THURSDAY IN THE FIFTH WEEK (THE GREAT CANON)
Vespers with the Liturgy of the Presanctified on Wednesday Evening
Mattins
Sixth Hour
Vespers with the Liturgy of the Presanctified on Thursday Evening
SATURDAY IN THE FIFTH WEEK (THE AKATHISTOS HYMN)
Vespers with the Liturgy of the Presanctified on Friday Evening
Mattins
Liturgy
THE FIFTH SUNDAY IN LENT (OUR HOLY MOTHER MARY OF EGYPT)
Vespers on Saturday Evening
Mattins
Liturgy
Vespers on Sunday Evening
THE SATURDAY BEFORE PALM SUNDAY (THE SATURDAY OF LAZARUS)
Vespers with the Liturgy of the Presanctified on Friday Evening
Great Compline
Midnight Office
Mattins
Liturgy
PALM SUNDAY
Great Vespers on Saturday Evening
Mattins
Liturgy
Vespers on Sunday Evening
Small Compline
HOLY AND GREAT MONDAY
Mattins
The Hours
Sixth Hour
Vespers with the Liturgy of the Presanctified
Great Compline
HOLY AND GREAT TUESDAY
Mattins
Sixth Hour
Vespers with the Liturgy of the Presanctified
Great Compline
HOLY AND GREAT WEDNESDAY
Mattins
Sixth Hour
Vespers with the Liturgy of the Presanctified
Great Compline
HOLY AND GREAT THURSDAY
Mattins
Sixth Hour
Vespers with the Liturgy of St. Basil the Great
Small Compline
HOLY AND GREAT FRIDAY
Mattins (The Office of the Holy and Redeeming Passion)
The Royal Hours
The Typika
Vespers
Small Compline
HOLY AND GREAT SATURDAY
Mattins
Vespers with the Liturgy of St. Basil the Great
Midnight Office
HYMNS TO THE TRINITY AND HYMNS OF LIGHT SUNG AT MATTINS IN THE EIGHT TONES
SESSIONAL HYMNS SUNG AT MATTINS IN THE EIGHT TONES Item Number: BKST486C
Publication data: South Canaan, PA: St. Tikhon’s Seminary Press, 2002
Format: hardcover
Number of pages: 699
Dimensions (l × w × h): 22.4 cm × 14.6 cm × 4.0 cm
ISBN: 1‒878997‒51‒3
$27.95 (USD)

http://www.easternchristiansupply.biz/products.cgi/c120/c14/c97/42229

You can just buy that book ....it is a must have for the Lent.... I am lost without it... Maybe amazon has it for less....

Philothei

[Khaleas]

http://www.easternchristiansupply.biz/images/big/42229.jpeg translated from the original Greek by Mother Mary and Archimandrite Kallistos Ware

Volume II of The Service Books of the Orthodox Church (http://www.easternchristiansupply.biz/products.cgi/c48/c118/c19785/a19646)

“This volume is the second in the series The Service Books of the Orthodox Church and forms a sequel to The Festal Menaion[...]. Practical considerations render it impossible at this juncture to issue a printed translation of the Lenten Triodion in its entirety. [...W]e have included the full text for the following days: All Sundays in the period of the Triodion (omitting Small Vespers); The Saturday of the Dead; The first week of Lent (in its entirety); Thursday in the fifth week (the service of the Great Canon); Saturday in the fifth week (the service of the Akathistos Hymn); Saturday in the sixth week (the Saturday of Lazarus); Holy Week (in its entirety). Altogether this represents about two-thirds of the total contents of the Triodion.”
—“The Meaning of the Great Fast: The Present Translation”


http://www.easternchristiansupply.biz/products.cgi/c120/c14/c97/42229

You can just buy that book ....it is a must have for the Lent.... I am lost without it... Maybe amazon has it for less....

Philothei

I just moved all my Orthodox books yesterday and was holding that one for a while... I love it!!! I'm starting to wait for Lent again... In Finland Forgiveness Sunday is next Sunday... crazy Finns!

[Philothei]

lol...yeah the western lent is upon us and we have not yet had put the christmas stuff away....I would not know the a from a b without it that is how I made it through liturgics... also the other useful book for Easter is the

Holy week and Pascha by Fr. Calivas....

It has the whole book here but cannot cut and paste...

http://www.annunciationgoc.com/worship11.htm

Also there is another book by Fr. Hopko....


Lenten Spring, The[PB-LESPHO] Thomas Hopkohttp://www.svspress.com/images/pixel_trans.gifhttp://www.svspress.com/images/PB-LESPHO.jpg
Click to enlarge (javascript:popupWindow('http://www.svspress.com/popup_image.php?pID=127&osCsid=61df544a05717b7e3436bc45fb94239f'))

"The Church welcomes the Lenten spring with a spirit of exultation...with the enthusiasm of a child... The tone of the church services is one of brightness and light."
Thus the author begins the first of forty meditation on Great Lent, casting out the gloom and darkness with which many Christians approach this holy season and revealing, in a simple, clear and beautiful manner, its true meaning.
In his meditations, Fr Hopko draws on his long experience as a pastor and teacher, working with young and old throughout the country, to present to the modern reader the relevance of the Church's two-thousand-year-old tradition of preparing to greet our Lord's Resurrection. In his work he also makes extensive use of all facets of the church tradition: inspiring scriptural and liturgical passages from the Lenten services, the spiritual wisdom of the ancient saints and fathers, as well as the teachings of modern guides to the Christian life. All Christians who undertake the yearly journey to the blessed Pascha of our Lord will find inspiration and guidance in these meditations. All can enjoy reading and rereading them and share in the profound thoughts of the author as they make their own spiritual way through this holy season. The Author: Fr Thomas Hopko is the former dean of St Vladimir's Seminary and professor emeritus of dogmatic theology. He has authored numerous works on all aspects of the Orthodox Church's faith and practice.
ISBN 978-0-881-41014-3
5.5 x 8.5
229 pp
Price: US $15.00

http://www.svspress.com/product_info.php?products_id=127



Hope that helps....

Philothei

[Mary of Bethany]

Macarius,

I tried to rep you for that wonderful post, but couldn't. Thank you so much for making me yearn for Great Lent again. It is all so beautiful, and so full. Every year I realize how I've only begun to scratch the surface of the riches that are in our services and hymns and prayers.

:bow: :crosseo:

Mary

[Philothei]

taken care already...Mary

[Monica, child of God]

I love Great Lent (http://books.google.com/books?id=jgmnechszvcC&dq=great+lent+schmemann&pg=PP1&ots=HBE0idxvKX&sig=D_b-eyYHYBtyoEmOqO4_jx2a8U4&hl=en&prev=http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&client=safari&rls=en&sa=X&oi=spell&resnum=0&ct=result&cd=1&q=great+lent+schmemann&spell=1&oi=print&ct=title&cad=one-book-with-thumbnail) by Fr. Alexander Schmemman too.

[Monica, child of God]

Here is the Lenten Triodion (http://www.ocf.org/OrthodoxPage/prayers/triodion/triodion.html) online.

M.

[MoNiCa4316]

Thanks everyone, that really helps! :thumbsup: :wave:

God bless

monica

[EmperorConstantine]

There are three things that I like about Lent.

1) Forgiveness Sunday. Few things are more humbling than asking everyone for their forgiveness.
2) The Canon of St. Andrew of Crete. indescribable.
3) Pascha!

[Monica, child of God]

Lenten potlucks after PSL are good too :D

M.

[Philothei]

bump

[Protoevangel]

I love Great Lent (http://books.google.com/books?id=jgmnechszvcC&dq=great+lent+schmemann&pg=PP1&ots=HBE0idxvKX&sig=D_b-eyYHYBtyoEmOqO4_jx2a8U4&hl=en&prev=http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&client=safari&rls=en&sa=X&oi=spell&resnum=0&ct=result&cd=1&q=great+lent+schmemann&spell=1&oi=print&ct=title&cad=one-book-with-thumbnail) by Fr. Alexander Schmemman too.
I pulled that off my shelf last night. I'm going to start it tonight. I was waiting to read it until just before Great Lent, so it would be fresh in my mind when it begins.

[Mary of Bethany]

I read it last year, and plan to read it again this year. It's so good!

I also just bought "Gifts of the Desert" (which I hope I can read without getting too angry at the author's viewpoint), a short book (forget the name) of letters from Abbess Thaisia in Russia in the late 19th/early 20th century to a novice, and "The Lenten Spring" by Fr. Thomas Hopko. Father also wants me to read "Wounded by Love" by Elder Porphyrios (sp?), but I don't have it yet.

Mary

[All4Christ]

I am so excited for Pascha! This will be my first time having Pascha at an Orthodox Church. I can't wait :-)

[Mary of Bethany]

Will you be able to attend most of the Lenten services, or at least during Holy Week?

If you can - it's the most awesome thing you can do. And Pascha is beyond awesome.

Mary

[All4Christ]

Not sure if you're talking to me or someone else - but I'm hoping to :-)

[Matrona]

Here is the Lenten Triodion (http://www.ocf.org/OrthodoxPage/prayers/triodion/triodion.html) online.

M.

Oh, you're an angel! :clap: I've been saving up to buy a hard copy of that. :doh:

[katherine2001]

Besides the Pre-Sanctified Liturgies (and the opportunity to receive the Eucharist), my favorite services of Lent are The Canon of St. Andrew. I have requested to have the entire first week of Lent off, so I am hoping I can make it to all 4 services. If that doesn't put you in a frame of mind to repent, I'm not sure anything will!

[Dorothea]

I try to make it to most of the Holy Week services (especially Wednesday and Friday and Saturday). The thursday one is just so long with little ones. Maybe we'll make it this year though!!!

[Philothei]

Lent is coming "fast"...on us. Mary I think I need a copy of Fr. Porphyrios book and yes you got the spelling right :)

[Mary of Bethany]

Lent is coming "fast"...on us. Mary I think I need a copy of Fr. Porphyrios book and yes you got the spelling right :)
A friend loaned "Wounded By Love" to me so I could start reading it. I finished the first half - about his life, and have just started on his teachings. So much wisdom to try to take in my feeble little brain and heart!

Mary

[Monica, child of God]

Monachos has put up their page for Lent

Resources for Great Lent, 2008 (http://www.monachos.net/library/Great_and_Holy_Lent)

M.

[Monica, child of God]

Just now the phrase "Oh taste and see..." came to me in the Lenten tone, clear as a bell. My heart fluttered with anticipation...

M.