LENT

Fr. Richard Rohr

Founding Director, Center for Action and Contemplation
Lent Is About Transformation
Please join the HuffPost community in "A Lenten Journey" for reflections through
out Lent, and join our online Lenten community here.
Did you ever notice that Jesus does not tend to give what we would call "inspiri
ng" or "motivational" talks? He is not a football coach, nor does he try to enga
ge your will power as such. Your common Christian sense would deny this until yo
u actually study his recorded Gospel messages, and see that it is factually true
! Jesus is much more concerned about shaking your foundations, giving you an utt
erly alternative self image, world image, and God image, and thus reframing your
entire reality. Mere inspiration can never do this.
If you depend on being emotionally inspired or newly motivated, you will need a
new fix almost every day. If it is a true Gospel message, it will be more about
regrounding, reshaping and redirecting you from your core. Thus the quintessenti
al Lenten reading is Jesus' first public proclamation that we know of. In some w
ays, it summarizes everything he says: "Now is the time, God's reign is present,
change your life, and believe some very good news" (Mark 1:15, my translation).

Yes, we do need an emotional charge to make most decisions, adopt specific behav
iors, "give up candy for Lent," or make some changes in our life. But Jesus is n
ot talking about changes. He is talking about change! Many changes might well be
good and even needed, and surely some changes will result from any shaking of t
he foundations, but they are not what we mean by Biblical conversion or transfor
mation ("changing the form itself"). These things do not change the seer as such
, but only his or her acceptable self image -- and usually for a short while. It
is the old and perennial problem of putting the cart before the horse, or think
ing that lots of carts ("changes") will eventually create the horsepower. It nev
er finally works.
Any appeal to will power, or even the presentation of some good new ideas, merel
y engages YOU, but at your present level of maturity and consciousness. Now YOU
(in your old form!) try harder, think more or better, and do something different
, but your YOU has not been changed in any substantial way. It is still "You" wh
o try harder, think more or better, or do something different. Maybe this will g
et you into the right ball park for eventual and actual conversion, but in my ex
perience, most people stay right where they are, and wait for the next motivatio
nal spiritual message. This is why so much organized religion is so ineffectual
in actually changing people.
As the AA people say, religion usually depends far too much on "promotion instea
d of attraction." The old self needs constant promotional material to keep it go
ing. The new self "hidden with Christ in God" (Colossians 3:3) is both attracted
and attractive just by being itself. A transformed self engenders life from wit
hin, pulls life from without, and channels life in outer directions -- without "
trying." The essential religious question is always this: "You must get your WHO
right!" Who is the subject here? Who is doing the acting, the loving, the motiv
ating, the repenting? Is "little ol' me" doing this or not doing this? All matur
e religion is somehow talking about finding your God self, your Christ self, you
r Buddha self, your Sufi dance. And when it happens, you know it was not a "chan
ge" after all, but a wondrous discovery and constant rediscovery of what was alw
ays true anyway.
After transformation one realizes that one is a participant! And always has been
! It is being done unto me, through me, with me, and for me? Until we realize an
d act from this larger I AM, there has been no essential transformation, but onl
y an accessorizing of the old outfit. For many of us, this change of form is sum
med up rather perfectly in Paul's oft quoted line "I live no longer my own life,
but the life of Christ who lives in me" (Galatians 2:20). Choosing this or that
religious form is often nothing more than a delay tactic avoiding our participa
tion in a Ride that is already happening beneath, before, and beyond all of the
forms, and this Ride is much larger than ME. Paul again says shortly thereafter,
"It does not matter whether one is circumcised or not, what matters is that you
become an altogether new creation" (Galatians 6:15).
The big rub is that to surrender my "singularity" (John 12:24) and fall into thi
s "altogether new creation" will always feel like dying. How could it not? It is
a dying of the self that we thought we were, but it is the only self that we kn
ew until then. It will indeed be a "revolution of the mind" (Ephesians 4:23). He
art and body will soon follow.
This is the real "try harder" that applies to Lent, and its ultimate irony is th
at it is not a trying at all, but an ultimate surrendering, dying, and foundatio
nal letting go. You will not do it yourself, but it will be done unto you (Luke
1:38) by the events of your life. Such deep allowing is the most humiliating, sa
crificial, and daily kind of trying! Pep talks seldom get you there, but the suf
fering of life and love itself will always get you there. Lent is just magnified
and intensified life.
Lent Isn't About Denial -- It's About Transformation
But for a long time I thought it was. Everything I heard about Lent revolved aro
und acts of self-denial. It was all about what object or habit one would give up
and how hard it was to deny oneself of that thing. Of course that denial was me
ant to help one think about God and Christ's sacrifice, but in truth the focus w
as always on the act of denial itself. The question always is, "what are you giv
ing up for Lent?" as if that is what the season is about. On one hand it's under
standable that we miss the point of Lent. In our religious traditions rituals an
d legalism are far easier to promote, understand, and implement than spiritualit
y and faith. We can grasp rules. It is far easier to tell kids to obey rules tha
n to explain to them why they should desire to act rightly. They then end up fol
lowing the rules simply because the rules exist. When it comes to Lent we often
do the same, denying ourselves something for the sake of denial. We give up choc
olate or Facebook, thinking the act of denial is the purpose of Lent. And we end
up missing the point. googletag.cmd.push(function() { googletag.display("ad-blo
gs-1-65741"); }); But Lent isn't about denial; it is about transformation. It is
the season in which we prepare to encounter Christ's sacrifice by endeavoring t
o become more Christ like ourselves. Transformation is about letting ourselves b
e filled with God's presence so that we can be shaped by God's grace. Our acts o
f kenosis -- denying ourselves in order to empty ourselves enough to allow God t
o fill us -- are means to an end. They are disciplines that prepare us to be tra
nsformed. We deny ourselves so that we can be reborn as new creations -- to live
more fully as the kingdom citizens God desires us to be. So I am very tentative
in choosing what disciplines I will follow during Lent to open myself up to God
's transforming power. I've discovered that for me personally, legalistic denial
for the sake of denial often achieves the opposite purpose. Giving up coffee do
esn't make me a better follower of Christ, it just makes me more irritable. Givi
ng up Facebook doesn't help me build community in the body of Christ; it simply
helps me as a detached introverted person creep further into my shell. Those dis
ciplines don't assist me in emptying myself in order to let God in; they simply
fill me with more of me. I've come to learn that in order to become more fully t
he person God wants me to be, I instead need to make sacrifices that actually al
low me to achieve those ends. Often those sacrifices are less about personal den
ial, and more about following disciplines that encourage me to love others more.
In the past I've attempted to eat more ethically or shop fairly -- which of cou
rse required discipline and sacrifice on my part (and a bit of denial as well),
but the outcome of these outwardly focused changes was far more personally trans
formative than if I had just eliminated something from my life for forty days. S
o for me the question for Lent is not "what am I giving up?" but instead "what c
an I do to allow God to transform me this season?" The answers to those question
s might be the same for some people; for me, changing the question shifted how I
observed Lent. Whatever the case, I think it is important to understand what th
e ultimate purpose is behind why we engage in certain disciplines unless we miss
their very point. Julie Clawson is the author of Everyday Justice: The Global I
mpact of Our Daily Choices (IVP 2009). She blogs at julieclawson.com and emergin
gwomen.us.
Will we be transformed at the end of Lent? - Go and sin no more
Homily for the Fifth Sunday of Lent Year C
by Fr. Tommy Lane
The season of Lent will soon be drawing to a close. Will we be different afterwa
rds? Will we have overcome sin in our lives? How will our lives be different at
the end of Lent? Will we be spending more time in spiritual reading or reading S
acred Scripture? Will we be wasting less time with TV or other things and spendi
ng the time saved with the Lord. Will we be more faithful to the Rosary? What is
happening to us this Lent that will last beyond Lent for the rest of the year?
The Scripture readings today are wonderful readings for Lent because they tell o
f people who were transformed, who experienced in their own unique way the grace
s that we hope to gain during our Lent.
In the first reading God reminded his people through the prophet how he led the
Hebrews through the sea and the Egyptian chariots that followed them lay in the
sea never to rise again (Isa 43:17). But then God, through the prophet, says the
re is no need to recall that exodus of the past because now God is doing a new t
hing, a new exodus (Isa 43:18-10). In the prophet s time many centuries later God s
people are not enslaved in Egypt but are held in Babylon longing to return to Is
rael and God tells them the exodus of the past is going to become a present real
ity once again, because there will be a new exodus, this time from Babylon not E
gypt. Therefore Isaiah says God is making a way in the desert and rivers in the
wasteland (Isa 43:19). What happened in the past would become a present reality
for them. The exodus becomes a present reality for us also because when we are b
aptized our sins are washed completely away in baptism just as the Egyptians all
perished in the sea. No sin remains after baptism but Lent gives us the opportu
nity to wash ourselves clean of the sins we commit after baptism and overcome te
mptations. The climax of Lent is the Easter Vigil, and part of the Easter Vigil
is renewing our baptismal promises. So the exodus continues to be a present real
ity in the lives of all of us as we continually wash ourselves clean of sin. Nat
urally the best way to wash ourselves clean of sin is the Sacrament of Reconcili
ation. What better way could we find to prepare for renewing our baptismal promi
ses during the Easter Vigil than having already washed ourselves clean of sin be
forehand in the Sacrament of Reconciliation? The exodus becomes a present realit
y in lives at baptism and every time we renew our baptismal promises and overcom
e sin.
St. Paul also experienced an exodus in his life on the road to Damascus when Jes
us appeared to him, and Paul requested baptism when he arrived in Damascus (Acts
9:18). In the second reading today he wrote, I have accepted the loss of all thin
gs and I consider them so much rubbish, that I may gain Christ (Phil 3:8) What a t
ransformation occurred in Paul. The reason he was going to Damascus was to visit
the synagogues there and find Jews who believed in Jesus to bring them back to
Jerusalem in chains (Acts 9:2). But look at him in the second reading today. I hav
e accepted the loss of all things and I consider them so much rubbish, that I ma
y gain Christ He is totally transformed. Nothing matters to him but living his lif
e with Christ. This leads us to ask ourselves, Where is Jesus in our life? Can we
say that we consider everything in our lives as rubbish and we want only Christ?
Is our love for Christ such that we can say like Paul we want to share the suff
erings of Christ and his resurrection? How will our lives be different at the en
d of Lent? What is happening to us this Lent that will last beyond Lent for the
rest of the year?
The woman saved from death by Jesus in the Gospel (John 8:1-11) certainly experi
enced an exodus, leaving the past to live a new life. Jesus said to her, Go and s
in no more (John 8:11). Jesus challenged her to move from one type of life to ano
ther, to move from sin to a life of grace. We are not told what happened afterwa
rds because it does not matter to us. What matters to us is that we make this me
eting with Jesus a present reality in our lives. What matters is that we hear Je
sus saying to us that he doesn t condemn us but asks us to sin no more. The transf
ormation that Jesus asked of the woman is the transformation that Jesus asks of
us. Lent is the season of personal transformation. Can you make that story of Je
sus and the woman a personal reality in your life? Neither do I condemn you. Go a
nd sin no more. (John 8:11)
The season of Lent will soon be drawing to a close. The Scripture readings today
are wonderful readings for Lent because they tell of people who were transforme
d, who experienced in their own unique way the graces that we hope to gain durin
g our Lent. God promises in the first reading that the lives of his people will
be transformed because they will experience a new exodus and freedom from Babylo
n. In the second reading Paul shares the testimony of the transformation that to
ok place in his life. Now he considers everything as rubbish and wants only Chri
st. In the Gospel Jesus challenges the woman to personal transformation, Go and s
in no more. Will we be different after Lent? Will we have overcome sin in our liv
es? Will we be spending more time in spiritual reading or reading Sacred Scriptu
re? Will we be wasting less time with TV or other things and spending the time s
aved with the Lord. Will we be more faithful to the Rosary? What is happening to
us this Lent that will last beyond Lent for the rest of the year? I have accepted
the loss of all things and I consider them so much rubbish, that I may gain Chr
ist (Phil 3:8)
Copyright Fr. Tommy Lane 2013
This homily was delivered in a parish in Maryland near where I have joined the f
aculty of Mount St. Mary s Seminary, Emmitsburg, Maryland.
More homilies for the Fifth Sunday of Lent
The Woman Caught in Adultery - Go and Do Not Sin any more because sin damages us a
nd the whole Church
Do not throw stones at others - Jesus forgives you, do not sin again 2013
Related Homilies: Penance Service Homily
Let Jesus dispose of the garbage caused by sin
Let us wash at the Pool of Siloam and be filled with Jesus light
Jesus forgives Peter and restores him
Decide to Overcome Sin
If you love me you will keep my Commandments
Why confess sins to a priest?
stories about God s Mercy
stories about confession of sin
stories about sin
Lent Fasting - Lent Fasting as Penance and a Tool of Transformation and Breakthr
ough
In this page we are going to talk about lent fasting and how it can be a tool of
penance for shortcomings, as well as a powerful tool of breakthrough and transf
ormation
If you are a Christian and/or practitioner of the Catholic faith, then lent fast
ing is an excellent way for you to show your devotion next Lenten season.
From what history books indicate, lent was done -- to a great extent -- in prepa
ration for baptism and the forgiveness of sins.
One of the questions we are always asked is whether one needs to fast partially
or for the entire 40 days of the Lenten season.
Lent fasting should be a matter of conscience, but definitely it is a time of re
flection.
A time of looking at ourselves honestly and without reserve with the aim of enha
ncing our spiritual condition through a closer relationship with God.
And abstinence from food through juice or water fasting is certainly one way to
do it. Many dear friends who are believers start out with a partial juice or wat
er fast, then resume normal eating habits with the exception of certain customar
y foods as a form of penance.
Lent fasting is a way of denying the flesh and its appetites in favor of submiss
ion and humility before God.
But it ought not become a practice of self-flagellation or punishment. Neither s
hould it be done grudgingly just to observe a religious requirement.
The true power of fasting comes when human eyes are placed on God with childlike
expectation of what he is, and continues to do in our lives.
Yes, we believe the most important part of lent fasting is the attitude of our h
earts. A sincere desire and willingness to let go of old destructive habits and
behaviors, thus allowing the Grace of God to cleanse and purify us.
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True Fasting
Lent fasting does not necessarily have to be a fast from food on all 40 days, al
though Church proclamations strongly suggest it. For example, Catholics who are
ill are not bound to observe the laws on lent fasting.
To be sure, there are many ways in which we can humble ourselves during this sea
son in regret for our sins.
As indicated in Isaiah 58, true fasting is fasting where our purpose is to glorify
God both externally and in our hearts.
The Scripture -- which relates to lent fasting and fasting anytime - says starti
ng in verse 6:
"Is not this the kind of fasting I have chosen: to loose the chains of injustice
and untie the cords of the yoke, to set the oppressed free and break every yoke
?
7 Is it not to share your food with the hungry and to provide the poor wanderer
with shelter when you see the naked, to clothe him, and not to turn away from you
r own flesh and blood?
8 Then your light will break forth like the dawn, and your healing will quickly
appear; then your righteousness] will go before you, and the glory of the LORD w
ill be your rear guard.
9 Then you will call, and the LORD will answer; you will cry for help, and he wi
ll say: Here am I.
If you do away with the yoke of oppression, with the pointing finger and malicio
us talk, 10 and if you spend yourselves in behalf of the hungry and satisfy the
needs of the oppressed, then your light will rise in the darkness, and your nigh
t will become like the noonday.
It is clear in this passage that lent fasting, and fasting anytime, can produce
a breakthrough in areas of your life where you might be struggling.

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What I am saying is that while it is done for penance, fasting is a tool used by G
od to transform and break chains in our lives.
Let s take one more look at the amazing promises God s word gives us related to fast
ing in this passage:
Then your light will break forth like the dawn, and your healing will quickly ap
pear; then your righteousness] will go before you, and the glory of the LORD wil
l be your rear guard.
Then you will call, and the LORD will answer; you will cry for help, and he will
say: Here am I. Then your light will rise in the darkness, and your night will
become like the noonday.
I hope this promise gives you a new perspective on fasting, which is what this w
ebsite is all about.
And it is our sincere desire that this Lenten season you may experience a profou
nd and life-changing spiritual awakening through this wonderful discipline.
Historical Lent Fasting

Even though fasting and abstinence were part of the practice throughout history,
there was initially no specific structure under which it was performed.
Over time, however, this changed as Rome extended Lent from three to six weeks e
xcepting Sundays, which is the special day of the Lord.
But since this made the Lenten season only 36 days in length, four more days wer
e eventually added to make it an even 40 days.
This, in many ways, was done to commemorate the fast Jesus carried out in the de
ssert prior to the start of his ministry.
So fasting during lent, in its purest essence, is an act designed to emulate Chr
ist, who is the Author or our Faith.
Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil and
he fasted forty days and forty nights" (Matthew 4:1-2).
During this time Jesus ate no food whatever, placing himself fully in God s hands
for sustenance and, some say, further revelation and understanding.
It is important to point out that fasting during lent for all 40 days did not co
me up until the fourth century in the decrees of the Council of Nicea in 325 AD,
according to various historical books.
The modern Church, nonetheless, strongly recommends that believers fast all 40 d
ays. According to Catholic church records, The National Conference of Catholic B
ishops proclaimed in 1996 that, as people of God, the Church should indeed make
the entire season of Lenten one of penance.

Heart-Felt Fasting

In addition to making it clear that Catholic believers are required to fast and
not eat meat on Ash Wednesday and Good Friday, and to abstain from meat on every
Friday of Lent, the Conference also recommended participation in daily Mass and
a self-imposed observance of fasting.
Even when bishops in the US stopped making it a requirement that believers not e
at meat on all Fridays of each year, it is unlikely they meant that fasting duri
ng lent should be abandoned altogether.
Rather, more than likely what they hoped was to remove cumbersome requirements w
hile still allowing believers to observe lent fasting out of their love for God.

The point is that fasting should be done out of one's own volition, not our of d
uty which can bring bitterness and strife.
Return from Lent Fasting to Spiritual Fasting MAIN
robert dave johnston
Lenten Transformation: Part 3 Fasting & Almsgiving
Home .
Part 3
Fasting
Yet how do we tie Lent into social transformation? Fasting, praying, almsgiving
. How can these activities affect society? Let s look at each one of these in tu
rn. First, fasting. You know, my wife Sheri and I spend a lot less on food dur
ing Lent. A diet without meat and dairy can be healthier, but it definitely sho
uld be cheaper. We hear a lot in our country about the need to grow the economy
; we re told to spend even though most of us are just putting it on a credit card.
I guess the assumption is that we can eventually pay off that visa bill. But by
changing our diet, we are actually being quite counter-cultural. You see, we re
not just accepting the society s Eat more, Buy more, Be more mentality. And this is
hard. There used to be a time in America when because of the Catholic populati
on, there were always fish dishes on menus. Well, now that Catholics are not st
ressing fasting from meat on Fridays, that has been largely lost. And so, it se
ems that there are even fewer voices saying, No, man does not live by bread alone
, but by every word which comes from the mouth of God. We need these reminders.
And so does our society, desperately. Our society, and we are part of it, have
become satiated.
A Lenten attitude brings us back to things as they are. And what is that in this
case? That, in fact, in two-thirds of the world, it is the norm to not eat mea
t--not for religious reasons but because meat is so expensive. Seeing things as
they are means realizing that resources are limited, and should thus should be w
ell-used. Did you know that in this country one in ten households experience hu
nger or the risk of hunger, or that 840 million people in the world are malnouri
shed? One hundred fifty three million of these people are under the age of five
. Churches have been very active in trying to alleviate hunger. It s been church
es running the soup kitchens reporting an increase in the number of people in th
eir programs, increases that churches can t match. The US Conference of Mayors re
ported that last year requests for emergency food assistance increased an averag
e of 19%. Also, 48% of those requesting this aid were members of families, and
38% of the adults requesting help were employed, they had jobs. Some of the rea
sons given for this include high housing costs, low-paying jobs, unemployment, a
nd the economic downturn.
Almsgiving
So by looking at fasting and our relationship to food, we may get a sense of wha
t it is like for most of the world s population; it also moves us towards doing so
me things about hunger. Seeing things as they are includes coming to terms with
the suffering of our neighbors. Because if we spend less on our stomachs, if w
e slow down our lifestyles to support a lighter diet, then we have more time to
spend on helping our neighbor, both with our time and with our financial resourc
es. I want to stress that the best way to give is to give of ourselves. As Ort
hodox we believe in the inherent value of persons. I liked what Father said a c
ouple weeks ago about saying hello to a person on the streets. So often we aver
t our eyes, we get scared. After all, He might push me beyond my comfort zone. He
may ask me for something. She may want something I don t want to give. What if I get
embarrassed? Is that person really poor? What if he hurts me? Seeing the face of Ch
rist in the poor takes time; it s a gift but it s also a muscle that develops through
the ins and outs of service.
In 1993 I visited Mother Teresa s Missionaries of Charity for the first time in Ca
lcutta. On the third day, a few us were asked to work at a place called Prem Da
n. Among other things, it serves as a shelter for the aged, retarded and disabl
ed. We donned our aprons and went to work. But then I saw what we had to do:
I looked out and saw scores of elderly and sick men who needed to be bathed by h
and. I thought to myself, Dear God, this is too much for me. All around were men
who looked like concentration camp survivors. Most were so thin and frail tha
t we had to carry them to the large outdoor baths to be washed. I remember one
man. He was nineteen years old, dying of tuberculosis. He was my height, but m
aybe 60 pounds. I remember washing him every part of him--awkwardly, praying for
strength. He looked up at me with these eyes full of life and understanding at
the awkwardness of the moment, and a certain amount of quiet resignation. How b
eyond my comfort zone was this experience, yet how utterly ridiculous are comfor
t zones in such situations. There were few times in my life when I felt like I
was doing the right thing, but at this moment, everything made sense. There was
no room for rationalizations, for hiding, for the totalitarianism of the ego. T
his was one of the most real experiences I had ever had. The point of the story
is that I couldn t think my way into this understanding; I had to live it, I had
to do it. And isn t that the way of the Lenten disciplines? We have do them. Yo
u see, most often, we don t think our way into a new way of acting, we act our way
into a new way of thinking. And when we re giving alms, we are not only changing
our world, we are changing ourselves one action at a time.
Now the word almsgiving in Greek is eliomousyne. It literally means doing acts of
mercy. So we should not think of this discipline as even being primarily financia
l. It is to imitate the merciful God, by which we mean the God who shows steadf
ast love. By imitating God s steadfast love, we become like God. Nevertheless, do
ing acts of mercy will probably include the financial element. As we begin to s
ee Christ in one of the least of these, it is also important to put our resource
s where our mouths are. You want to see what people really believe in? Take a
look at how they spend their money. Through my work with non-profits, I ve learne
d that you should be able to figure out the mission and values of the agency by
looking at its budget. If someone were to look at your spending, would there be
enough evidence to indict you as a one who cares for the poor?
Now giving alms in this day and age actually takes careful discernment. In this
country we don t often see beggars sitting at the church doorstep. Again, this is
the reality in many parts of the world, and it certainly was true in the patris
tic period. This means that we have a tougher job. We have to discern the best
ways to spend our money and time, the best agencies to work with, the best poli
ticians to elect who believe in helping the poor in the best ways possible. Now
if we re just rushing from one activity to the next, not thinking about God and n
eighbor, then it will be nearly impossible to find time. But if we are dedicate
d to taking the Lenten lifestyle into the rest of the year, slowing down, taking
stock, prioritizing our activities based on our values, then we will find more
time.
Hopefully, you see that when I speak about almsgiving I m not talking about writin
g a check. ELIOMOUSYNE. I m talking about personal engagement, which might includ
e writing a check. A lot of us don t have much money. But we can give some time,
we can give of ourselves, our most valuable commodity.

Lenten Transformation: Part2

Part 2
Well these are the basics of Lent. If we could get a handle on these realities,
to really internalize them, we would do more than move mountains. But tonight, I
want to take this theme of Lenten transformation one step further. It s a step we
often fail to make. Because if Lent is about transformation, it is not merely a
bout individual transformation. During the next few minutes, I d like us to think
about the social implications of prayer, worship, almsgiving, fasting, repentan
ce, honesty about who we are, reconciliation with God and with neighbor. Because
, after all, none of these actions take place in a vacuum. We are inherently soc
ial beings. The story of Robinson Crusoe the story of one man marooned on an islan
d, who can do everything himself and needs no one is a bourgeois myth of the ninet
eenth century, reflecting the aspirations of Western Europeans of the age. That
reality has never existed and will never exist thank God. And John Wayne--the acto
r who went it alone, who never showed emotions--well, that was just bad acting.
Of course, if you think about our Orthodox faith, we know this to be true. Every
sacrament is social. We began this Lenten journey with Forgiveness Vespers. Let s
note the obvious: we did it together. We asked one another for forgiveness. Our
failings and our triumphs are experienced in community, within relationships. W
e did not prostrate ourselves in front of our bedroom mirror. Salvation, like li
fe, is a corporate affair. We read in Ephesians 4:28 For we are members of one an
other. Perhaps the only thing we truly do alone is go to hell. How unnatural, the
n, how unlike God s intention, is that place.
We are social beings. And if this is the case, then all that fasting, praying, a
lmsgiving, reconciliation, soul-searching, should have effects on society. I wan
t us to think about the radical transformation of society that could take place,
if we took these Lenten characteristics out of the forty days and applied them
to the other 325. But just before I do that, I want to talk about our relationsh
ip as Christians to the world around us.
You know, perhaps one of the biggest issues to face Christianity over the last t
wo millennia is Christ s relationship with culture. Do we reject it, forming isola
ted communities attempting to be sealed off from the world? Do we say Christ and
culture are basically the same the problem when nationalism and religion get mixe
d up? Do we say that the calling of God and that of the world forever will make
conflicting yet legitimate claims on us, forever placing us in a paradoxical rel
ationship to both God and society? Or do we see Christ as the transformer of cul
ture? [1] There s that word again, transformation. Christ the Transformer of culture.
I want to argue that when the Orthodox faith particularly and Christianity gener
ally has been true to itself, it has had the effect of transforming the environm
ent in it which it finds itself. Whether we speak of the transformation that too
k place as Christianity encountered Hellenism, thus changing Hellenism from the
inside out, or whether we speak of Christianity s civilizing influence over the tr
ibes of Northwestern Europe up through the Middle Ages, or the process that took
place between the Russian missionaries and the native Aleuts of Alaska in the 1
9th century, we can see a pattern wherein Christianity affirms that which God ha
s given a culture, affirms it as good, while rejecting those elements of culture
believed to be contrary to the Gospel.
Let me give you an example from the fourth century, with St. Basil the Great and
a letter he wrote to some youths preparing to begin studies in Athens, [2] some
thing that he had himself done a couple generations earlier. Now Basil knew that
his young charges would be encountering pagan thought, literature, poetry, scie
nce, for it was this education that formed the typical Roman citizen. But Basil
knew there were pitfalls, he knew there were aspects of this culture that were d
eeply antithetical to the Christian faith. He writes to them, At the very outset,
therefore, we should examine each of the branches of knowledge and adapt it to
our end, according to the Doric proverb, bringing the stone to the line. That is, a
ll learning is to be tested to see if it measures up to the Christian standard.
Not just in learning, but seemingly in all aspects of life and with all forms of
knowledge, the students are commended to seek that which leads to eternity. And
they are to discern the possible eternal nature of all of this by placing it up
against the Christian standard, exemplified by Christ s teaching to love God and
neighbor.
Now I hear you asking, What about ascetics, the monks? Weren t they trying to get
away from society? Well, yes, but remember, the good ones were there praying for
the people back in those cities. And there is a long ascetical tradition of wit
hdrawal that ends in service. This was the case for St. Antony, St. Basil, St. B
enedict, St. Gregory Palamas, and for St. Seraphim of Sarov, among others. These
two aspects of withdrawal and leadership in service are connected, because with
out first undergoing ascetical preparation, often for decades, they would not ha
ve had the spiritual resources to be spiritual and ecclesial guides and masters.
Moreover, as we often read about the in the writings of the Desert Fathers, the
great ascetics would soon be discovered and sought out, with monasteries formin
g soon thereafter and we see the birth of coenobitic or communal monasticism. So e
ven there in the desert, society cannot be avoided. There is no escaping the soc
ial.
[1] These basic positions towards culture are examined in H. Richard Niebuhr, Ch
rist and Culture (San Francisco: HarperSan Francisco, 2001).
[2] Saint Basil, To the Young Men, On How They Might Profit from Pagan Literature
. Saint Basil, The Letters. RJ Deferrari and MRP McGuire, trans. London/Cambridge
: W. Heinemann/Harvard University Press, 1961-72, 378-435.

Lenten Transformation: Part 1

Part of St. Mary's Lenten Lecture Series 2003
Delivered at St. Mary Orthodox Church, Cambridge, MA
Sunday, March 21, 2003

The title Lenten Transformation is rather broad. Perhaps when you read it, you n
aturally thought of a transformation within the person who maintains the discipl
ines of the season, those being prayer, almsgiving and fasting. Well, you are pa
rtially right. A couple weeks ago, in preparation for the Lenten Spring, we read
the story of the Prodigal Son. Thinking about this parable, it dawned on me tha
t our activities in Lent can be likened to the Prodigal s journey back to the fath
er. We take stock of who we are, we prepare in anticipation for the eventual enc
ounter, we rehearse our words, we are filled with anxiety about how we will be r
eceived. Struggling along that path, we might wonder how we ever got into this m
ess. We experience moments of rebellion, then humility, then supplication, bored
om, expectant joy, then trepidation. Lent, as we often hear, is our journey home
. In this way, Great Lent is a condensed lifetime, and we may find ourselves fac
ing in microcosm, what we face not only throughout the year, but throughout our
lives. Moreover, because the time is so condensed, both our victories and even m
ore our weaknesses are seen in striking relief. Our shadows become stark, dense,
taking on lives of their own. This is interesting, because in nature, shadows a
re the darkest when the light is the closest. So in those dark times, as counter
-intuitive as it may seem, the Son is actually the nearest. As we were reminded
last week, there is no place where God is not.
For I am convinced, St Paul confesses, that neither death nor life, neither angels
nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height n
or depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from th
e love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord (Romans 8:38-39).
And we read from the Psalter,
Where can I go from your Spirit? Where can I flee from your presence? If I go up
to the heavens, you are there; if I make my bed in the depths, you are there. If
I rise on the wings of the dawn, if I settle on the far side of the sea, even t
here your hand will guide me, your right hand will hold me fast. If I say, Surely
the darkness will hide me, and the light become night around me, even the darkne
ss will not be dark to you; the night will shine like the day, for darkness is a
s light to you (Psalm 139).
Now there is one significant difference between us and the Prodigal Son, of cour
se. We know the father s response to him when he arrived in those rags. Before the
 Prodigal even got those well-rehearsed words out of his mouth, the elder father
was running out to greet him. And this is God s fundamental disposition towards u
s, His children. Unlike the Prodigal, we can be assured of the Father s embrace. W
e know that God hears the prayers of us sinners, that, as Fr. Antony reminds us
over and over again, the love of God for us is as inexhaustible as God is Himsel
f. This is good news.
The Lenten transformation is thus a coming to our senses, the realization of who
we are in the Father. It is brought about by comparing our identity in Christ w
ith the identity we consciously and subconsciously fashion out of the rags and r
efuse of the world. Of course, this is the meaning of that clichd word spirituali
ty. If you want a definition of it, consider this one: spirituality, in the Chri
stian sense, is the process of growing into things as they are. It is the stripp
ing away of all the illusions we attach to ourselves both inadvertently and will
ingly. This stripping away takes place by God s grace through faith and by our par
ticipation in that grace.
[PH]name=Clone,id=7703[/PH]
[PH]name=Clone,id=7710[/PH]
[PH]name=Clone,id=7745[/PH]
Download the Full PDF Version
Also read: Justice as Asceticism
KERRY PATRICK SAN CHIRICO holds a Master of Divinity Degree from Princeton Theol
ogical Seminary, a Master of Social Work from Rutgers University and a Master of
Theology from St. Vladimir s Seminary. He served with Habitat for Humanity in Ind
ia from 1993-1996 and in the inner cities of New Jersey. He is currently pursuin
g doctoral studies in the theology department at Boston College and lives with h
is wife Sheri in Arlington, MA.
Lenten Transformation: Part 4 Prayer & Conclusion

Prayer & Conclusion

Which leads us finally to prayer. We know that without prayer, our ascetical ef
forts will be short-lived. Prayer under-girds Lent from beginning to end. We k
now this--that s why there are so many services. They provide us with the strengt
h to make it through the Lenten journey, just as it s prayer that will get us thro
ugh life. It is prayer that places all things before God, and prayer that trans
forms us and our world. Looking at what we ve discussed so far, it s prayer that he
lps sustain and give reason to our fasting. Also, if we are going to discern ho
w to give alms properly, we need to pray. Too often Christian agencies seeking
to serve the poor lose any power they once had because they foolishly allowed pr
ayer to become an accessory, rather than the foundation. When that happens, bur
nout is not far behind, along with ineffectiveness, and loss of Christian witnes
s. CS Lewis once said that the Christians who did the most for this world were
those who never lost sight of the next. When Christians lose sight of the Kingd
om their irrelevance is almost guaranteed.
Fasting, prayer, almsgiving. These three things have the power, not only to tra
nsform us, but to change the society we live in. Hopefully, I ve given us a glimp
se of how that can happen. I learned a lot in India and a lot on the back of a sc
ooter, listening to my co-worker, an Indian pastor named Robin, speak about Chri
stian witness in
India. He said, Brother, as Christians, we have two eyes looking out at the worl
d, but we have millions of eyes looking back at us. The world sees what Christia
ns are doing. And what is it that they see? Will they see us loving the world u
nto transformation, or will they see us as no different at all from everyone els
e? Self-centered, self-absorbed, scurrying from one activity to the next while
failing to do the one thing needful. Will they hear us hiding behind high fallu
tin platitudes about loving the poor or will they see us actually serving the poo
r and looking for long-term solutions to limit poverty as it now exists? These
are serious times, and these are the hard questions we must face. But the only
thing that really proves the Christian faith, proves that Christ is risen from th
e dead, trampling down death by death and upon those the tombs bestowing life, ar
e churches that actually practice what they preach. Thank God we have a place l
ike this where we can work to demonstrate the reality of Christ s Resurrection and
His on-going Resurrection in our own lives.
The Date of Pascha

Editor s Note:
This article was first written in 1994 and then appeared in the Word Magazine in
2000.
It should be noted that the article objectively examines the origin, history and
methods for dating Pascha. In stating facts about methodology, it is not the au
thor s intent to propose a revision to the current dating methods. In fact, the au
thor closes his article with a reaffirmation of the current Orthodox Unity in ce
lebrating our most important Holy Day. The last paragraph clearly echoes the sen
timent of the First Ecumenical Council that the dating of Pashca should be done,
"With one accord and in the same manner".

Question
I ve heard that the reason the Orthodox usually celebrate the Resurrection later t
han Protestants and Roman Catholics is because we wait until after the Jewish Pa
ssover. This year the Jews observed Passover on March 27. Western Christians cel
ebrated Pascha after that, on April 3, so why did we wait until May 1?
In brief
Our observance of the Resurrection is related to the Passover of the Jews in a hist
orical and theological way, but our calculation does not depend on when the mode
rn-day Jews celebrate. The reason why Orthodox and Western Christians celebrate
at different times is because we still go by the old Julian calendar in calculat
ing the date of Pascha, even though we go by the new calendar for all the fixed
feasts (like Christmas and so on). Protestants and Roman Catholics use the Grego
rian Calendar for everything.
Pascha in the Old and New Testaments
The Old Testament specifies that the Passover/Pascha is to be observed on the 14
th day of the first month (alternately known as Abib or Nisan; see Deuteronomy
16.1-7). Being a fixed day on the old Hebrew calendar, it could fall on any day
of the week.
According to the Gospel of John, Pascha just happened to fall on a Saturday the y
ear that Jesus was crucified. It is important to note that Christ died on the Cr
oss at the very hour the paschal lambs were being slaughtered for the Feast; thu
s Christ is our Pascha, our Passover Lamb, sacrificed for us. Strictly speaking,
then, we must distinguish between the Feast of Pascha (on Holy Friday) and the
Feast of the Resurrection (on Sunday); the two are inseparable though distinct.
The date of Pascha in the Early Church
The early Church in the East continued to observe Pascha on the eve of the 14 th
of Nisan, according the Jewish Calendar, with the Resurrection on the third day
, that is on the 15 th. That meant that the Resurrection could fall on any day o
f the week. In Rome and Alexandria, however, the early Christians always kept th
e Resurrection on a Sunday.
A Problem Situation
In the second century, St. Polycarp, Bishop of Smyrna in Asia Minor, journeyed t
o Rome to confer with Pope Anicetus regarding the disagreement over the proper d
ate for the celebration of Pascha. Neither was able to convince the other, and t
hey decided that the two practices could coxist.
The situation was actually messier yet. There existed in practice, because of th
e way the Hebrew calendar worked, not two but a multitude of dates for the celeb
ration Pascha. Jews and others in the ancient Near East followed a lunar calenda
r in which each month averaged 29 days in length. They had twelve months in most
years, each month beginning with a new moon. This made the year too short, so an
extra, thirteenth month was inserted every two or three years to keep the month
s in step with the seasons (which depend on the sun rather than the moon).
There were no printed calendars at that time, and no one ever knew exactly how m
any days there would be in a given month or year. The beginning of a new month w
as declared when the first sliver of a new moon was sighted in the sky. Of cours
e, observation of the new moon depended on location and weather conditions, thus
people in different places often did not start a new month at the same time. Si
nce Pascha was observed on the 14 th of the month and that depended on local sighti
ng of the new moon there was no way for Christians (or Jews, for that matter) to p
lan a united observance of Pascha.
In the fourth century the Emperor Constantine espoused Christianity and made it
not only legal but the favored religion of the Empire. The Church suddenly start
ed growing by leaps and bounds, and he gave public buildings for the Church s use,
but he was perturbed to find out about the different practices regarding the da
te of Pascha.
The council of Nica
Constantine convened the First Ecumenical Council in the city of Nica in 325 to u
nify the date of the observance throughout the newly Christian Empire. Unanimousl
y, the bishops gathered at the Council decided to keep the feast on a Sunday. Th
ey wanted to retain the symbolism of the Resurrection falling on the day which i
s both the first day of the week and the eighth day, the Day of the Lord. They a
greed that the most important thing was for the Church to demonstrate her unity
by celebrating together, whenever she chose to celebrate, without regard to the
Jews plans. The bishops saw the Christian observance of the Pascha of the Lord on
Holy Friday as connected to and in continuity with the Passover of the Old Test
ament, and they understood that the Resurrection, by definition, follows the Pas
sover. After all, the Church saw herself as the true heir of the Old Testament.
She was comprised of both Jews and gentiles, all those who responded to the God
of the Old Testament when He came in the flesh.
Following the Council, Constantine sent a letter to all the bishops who were abs
ent to report to them the decisions of the council. The following excerpt of tha
t letter explains some crucial points:
When the question relative to the sacred festival of Pascha arose, it was univer
sally thought that all should keep the feast on one day; for what could be more
beautiful and more desirable than to see this festival, through which we receive
the hope of immortality, celebrated by all with one accord and in the same mann
er? It was declared to be particularly unworthy for this, the holiest of festiva
ls, to follow the calculation of the Jews .
The Nicene Formula
The fathers gathered at the First Ecumenical Council decided that the Hebrew cal
endar had to go. They had to be able to plan ahead and not have to depend on whe
n the local Jewish Rabbi would spot the new moon. They adopted, therefore, a sol
ar calendar based upon the best scientific and astronomical data of the time. In
fact they adopted the civil calendar of the Roman Empire which had been promulg
ated under Julius Csar (hence the name Julian Calendar), as refined under Augustu
s Csar.
The Council decreed that the Resurrection would be observed on the first Sunday
after the first full moon on or after the vernal equinox (March 21). Furthermore,
since the best scientific observatories were located in Alexandria at that time
, the Council assigned the bishop of Alexandria the responsibility of sending ou
t a letter to all the Church, year by year, announcing in advance when the Resur
rection would be celebrated that year. This way, the whole of Christendom was su
re to celebrate together a glorious Pascha/Resurrection.
The Current Situation
After a while, it got tedious to send out letters year by year. Instead of makin
g fresh astronomical observations, people just started calculating when the full
moon would occur for many years into the future. This actually worked out rathe
r well for a while; small errors in the calculation only showed up when extrapol
ating for hundreds or thousands of years out. In fact the ancients were aware of
the imprecision, but they devised a nineteen-year cycle based on the Julian Cal
endar which they considered sufficiently accurate for their purposes, over the t
ime period of 50-100 years with which they were concerned.
Unfortunately, we have been using the 19-year cycle in calculating the date of t
he Resurrection ever since the fourth century without actually checking to see w
hat the sun and moon are doing. In fact, besides the imprecision of the 19-year
cycle, the Julian calendar itself is off by one day in every 133 years. In 1582,
therefore, under Pope Gregory of Rome, the Julian Calendar was revised to minim
ize this error. His Gregorian calendar is now the standard civil calendar throughou
t the world, and this is the reason why those who follow the Julian Calendar are
thirteen days behind. Thus the first day of spring, a key element in calculating
the date of Pascha, falls on April 3 instead of March 21.
So let s do our own calculation for the date of the Resurrection for this year (19
94) according to the rule of the First Ecumenical Council: the first Sunday afte
r the first full moon on or after the first day of spring.

Calendar
Vernal Equinox (spring)

Next Full Moon

Next Sunday

Julian Calendar (Gregorian dates)

April 3
April 25
May 1

New Calendar
March 21
March 27
April 3

The Orthodox Church held an important council in 1923. The Churches that were re
presented at the council, including Constantinople, Alexandria and Antioch, deci
ded to adopt the Gregorian Calendar for all fixed feasts and to continue to use
the Julian Calendar for the date of the Resurrection. Let us pray that, one day s
oon, we can rediscover the goal of the First Ecumenical Council, that the whole
Orthodox Church might adopt the most precise calendar available, and much more imp
ortant that we might demonstrate our unity by celebrating all our feasts together,
with one accord and in the same manner.

Carrying a Cross around the church at Holy Friday matins we sing:

Let us not keep festival as the Jews: for Christ our God and Passover is sacrifi
ced for us. But let us cleanse ourselves from all defilement and with sincerity
entreat Him: Arise, O Lord, and save us in thy love for mankind!

The term Pascha comes from the Hebrew pesah, a yearling lamb that was sacrificed
at the Jews spring festival. The feast itself came to be called Pascha (or Passo
ver; see Exodus 12.5f.). We should try to use the term Pascha instead of Easter. E
aster was a spring festival in honor of Eostre, an Anglo-Saxon goddess of fertil
ity and sunrise. Orthodox Christians should use the terms Pascha and Resurrectio
n instead.

John 11.55.

Recall that a day starts at sunset in both Jewish and Orthodox reckoning, thus S
aturday begins at Sunset Friday.

By definition, the full moon was on the 14 th day of the month.

 As well as to deal with the heresy of Arius, a new controversy raging in the Chu
rch at the time. He did not like this confusion in the religion which he had jus
t joined.

Note that it is redundant to add after the Passover, because saying after the full
moon already takes care of that requirement since the 14 th of Nisan, according to
the old reckoning, had meant at the full moon of the first month in the spring.

The errors can be minimized but not eliminated because a year (the length of tim
e it takes the earth to make one revolution about the sun) is not an even multip
le of days (the length of time it takes the earth to make one revolution about i
ts own axis). There remains a fraction for which leap years can only partially m
ake up. The Gregorian reform did not invent a new calendar but just introduced t
he principle of leap centuries: meaning that there would be no February 29 in an
y year evenly divisible by 100 unless it is also evenly divisible by 400. Thus t
here will be February 29, 2000, but there will be no February 29 in 2100, 2200 o
r 2300.

That is, when it s December 25 on the Julian Calendar, it is already January 7 acc
ording to the Gregorian revision. The Julian calendar will continue to lose days
as time goes on.

The Orthodox Church of Finland, however, uses the Gregorian calendar for all its
calculations; thus the Orthodox of Finland are celebrating on April 3 this year
. The Churches of Jerusalem, Sinai and Eastern Europe, including Russia, Serbia,
Romania, on the other hand, continue to use the Julian Calendar for everything.
The Historical Development of Holy Week Services In the Orthodox/Byzantine Rite

By The Very Rev. Nabil L. Hanna

Pastor, St. George Orthodox Christian Church, Fishers, IN
The Paschal fast of Holy Week1 is the most ancient part of the Great Fast.2 It i
s already well attested by the second century, in conjunction with the rites of
Christian initiation through baptism. At first spanning one or two days, the fas
t lengthened to four and then to a full six already by the third century. With t
he conversion of Constantine, the ensuing flood of people desiring to enter the
Faith and imperial interest in holy places, the fourth century witnessed tremend
ous development in ritual for Holy Week. This evolutionary process continued in
the middle ages and shows itself even in our own time.
Within the New Testament, we see little indication of a preferred time for celeb
rating baptism. Baptism was understood primarily as a putting off of the old in
order to become part of "a society of persons that was in marked contrast to all
others."3 The original emphasis was on baptism for the remission of sins and a
filling with the Spirit. The stress soon evolved into baptism as a death and res
urrection of the individual, as a personal participation in Christ s suffering and
exaltation.4 As such, Pascha became the normative occasion for baptism. As the
numbers of catechumens waned, however, Lent and Holy Week were transformed to a
commemoration of past events and to a time of repentance. The attendant rites ha
ve, over this course, taken on dramatic elements and a growing sense of sentimen
tality.

The Beginnings: Second and Third Centuries

By the second century, the very structure of initiation in the early Church includ
ed instruction in preparation for baptism. The length of this preparation varied
and often spanned several years. Then, "As many as are persuaded and believe th
at these things which we teach are true, and undertake to live accordingly, are
taught to pray and ask God, while fasting, for the forgiveness of their sins; an
d we pray and fast with them"5 for one or two days Saturday only, or Friday and Sa
turday a fast without any food or drink.
By the mid-third century, in many but not all places, the fast had lengthened to
six days. Few could have kept a week of total fast. In some places, bread and s
alt were eaten Monday through Thursday after the ninth hour, then, those who cou
ld, kept a total fast Friday and Saturday.6 On Holy Saturday, those who had been
elected as being ready for illumination would

meet together as catechumens for the last time. Here they are "catechized" by un
dergoing a final exorcism; they renounce Satan, are anointed with the "oil of ex
orcism" which has been blessed along with the chrism the preceding Holy Thursday
, and recite the Creed which they have memorized since hearing it in the fourth
scrutiny [on the preceding Sunday]. They kneel for prayer, and are then dismisse
d, being told to go home "and await the hour when the grace of God in baptism sh
all be able to enfold you."7

Dionysius of Alexandria, in writing his Letter to Basiliades around 260, provide

s us the earliest source for an incipient ritual of Holy Week. Dionysius takes g
reat pains to link each day and hour of Holy Week to events in Christ s passion, s
ojourn in the tomb and resurrection. The Syriac Didascalia do the same.8 Hippoly
tus Apostolic Tradition (ca. 215) and Cyprian (d. 258) both link the hours of pra
yer for Holy Week and throughout the year with specific events during Christ s final w
eek.

The Formative Age: Fourth Century

Cyril of Jerusalem, in the Catechetical Homilies he delivered ca. 350, makes no

mention of daily commemorations and ritual. The Cross and the Resurrection, for
example, were part of a single, united celebration on Saturday night, for which
the six days of fasting were simply preparation. Friday did not yet specifically
commemorate the crucifixion.9 But the "current of the times"10 in the fourth ce
ntury was a historicizing one: eschatological notions were giving way to histori
cal commemoration.
From Jerusalem comes innovation. By the time a pilgrim from Spain named Egeria v
isited, between 381-385, when this same Cyril was in his final years as bishop o
f the Holy City, there had evolved unmistakable correlation between passion even
ts and the services for each day. Egeria was able to describe the rites in great
detail in her diary. The close proximity of the actual sites where the events o
f our Lord s passion took place, and the influx of pilgrims, no doubt suggested vi
siting and venerating at those locations. Dix condenses well Egeria s diary, showi
ng "a fully developed and designedly historical series of such celebrations in w
hich the whole Jerusalem church takes part:"11

It begins on Passion Sunday with a procession to Bethany where the gospel of the
raising of Lazarus is read. On the afternoon of Palm Sunday the whole church go
es out to the Mount of Olives and returns in solemn procession to the city beari
ng branches of palm. There are evening visits to the Mount of Olives on each of
the first three days of Holy Week, in commemoration of our Lord s nightly withdraw
al for the city during that week. On Maundy Thursday morning the eucharist is ce
lebrated (for the only time in the year) in the chapel of the Cross, and not in
the Martyrium; and all make their communion. In the evening after another euchar
ist the whole church keeps vigil at Constantine s church of Eleona on the Mount of
Olives, visiting Gethsemane after midnight and returning to the city in the mor
ning for the reading of the gospel of the trial of Jesus. In the course of the m
orning of Good Friday all venerate the relics of the Cross, and then from noon t
o three p.m. all keep watch on the actual site of Golgotha (still left by Consta
ntine s architects open to the sky in the midst of a great colonnaded courtyard be
hind the Martyrium) with lections and prayers amid deep emotion. In the evening
there is a final visit by the whole church to the Holy Sepulchre, where the gosp
el of the entombment is read. On Holy Saturday evening the paschal vigil still t
akes place much as in other churches, with its lections and prayers and baptisms .
Visitors like Egeria carried back to their native lands the memory of what they
had experienced in Jerusalem and tried to emulate it in their own liturgical pra
ctices. Thus historical commemorations and stational liturgies spread quickly th
roughout the Christian world, for both Holy Week and the rest of the year. For e
xample, because of the unique situation in Jerusalem, where multitudes of pilgri
ms descended, they would occupy the church all night in order to have a place fo
r matins, and similarly for the other hours of prayer. Thus, in order to keep th
e people occupied, services and hymns were celebrated continuously. Clearly it w
as impossible for the bishop to preside around the clock, so services would begi
n without the bishop, who would then make an entrance some time later. This prac
tice was imitated in many places, such that ever since the latter part of the fo
urth century the entrance of the bishop/clergy for vespers, Liturgy, etc., has m
oved from the opening of the service to some point later, for Hly Week and throu
ghout the year!
Also noteworthy is that in the fourth century there developed a consensus that t
he full celebration of the Eucharist, always a joyful event, was inconsistent wi
th the austerity of the fast. Instead, vespers with Communion was instituted on
Wednesdays, Fridays and saints days,12 though Egeria declines to attest to the pr
actice of presanctified Communion during Holy Week during the time of her visit.

The Studite Revisions: Ninth through Fifteenth Centuries

In the ninth century, two learned brothers at the Monastery of Studios in Consta
ntinople Theodore the Studite and Joseph the Studite, Archbishop of Thessalonica cre
ated a work called the Triodion.13 Covering the period from three Sundays before
 the start of Lent through Pentecost, including, of course Holy Week, they compi
led and composed original hymnography, seeking to bring a return to biblical roo
ts, particularly the Psalms and the Old Testament.14 In doing so, the Studites f
urthered the earlier historicizing trends and nearly obliterated baptismal theme
s from Lent and Holy Week texts. Their emphasis was on commemorating salvation h
istory and drawing out ethical and ascetical teachings.
Much of their material originated in Palestine in the sixth through eighth centu
ries, especially from the great Lavra of St. Sabas Monastery. They intended the
Triodion for monastic communities. They had no catechumens. Even in the "world"
by that time only infants remained to be baptized. Partly for this reason and pa
rtly because of the general influence monastics were gaining in the Church, espe
cially in the area of spiritual direction, the monastic rites of the Triodion be
gan replacing the cathedral rite in the twelfth century. By the fourteenth centu
ry, the process was complete.15
Within the basic structure of the Triodion, additional hymnography was inserted
up until the fifteenth century obviously an abrupt terminus at the fall of Constan
tinople. It is only at the end of the 14th and beginning of the 15th centuries,
for example that the popular enkomia16 of Matins for Holy Saturday first appear.
17
It must be noted that all printed editions of the Triodion are incomplete. They
represent only a selection of the material in the manuscripts, "and many of the
unpublished texts are of a high standard artistically and spiritually."18

Holy Week Services As Celebrated Today

Egeria testified to historicizing and emotional tendencies beginning in the four

th century. Not only has this trend continued within the Church from then up to
the present, the Orthodox Church has also been influenced by humanistic movement
s in the Protestant and Roman Catholic Churches, particularly leanings toward th
e dramatic, intended to elicit sentimental responses of "feeling" in the faithfu
l.
Nevertheless, the Church has always been conservative and doubly so when it come
s to her lenten and Holy Week services. Thus, as we examine, ever so briefly, th
e various Holy Week rites, it should be noted that many of the differences we en
counter between structures of the services for Lent/Holy Week and their usual or
der arise from this tendency toward archaism. It is not so much that a service h
as a special structure in Holy Week; rather, in Holy Week "we do it the old way.
"19

Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday

On the first three days of Holy Week, the full cycle of offices is prescribed, w
ith distribution of Presanctified Gifts after vespers. One indication of the anc
ient order of these services is the instruction to offer incense with a katzion,
a hand censer, instead of the modern censers on chains.
After his entry into Jerusalem, Christ spoke to the disciples about signs that w
ould precede the Last Day (Mt. 24-25). Eschatological themes show up in the trop
arion of the Bridegroom and the exaposteilarion "I see thy bridal chamber " at mat
ins. The parables of the Ten Virgins and of the Talents pervade these three days
.20 On Monday we also remember the innocent suffering of the Patriarch Joseph as
a type of Christ s. The barren fig tree which Jesus cursed serves as a reminder o
f coming judgment. Wednesday contrasts the agreement made by Judas with the Jewi
sh authorities to repentance with tears of the sinful woman. The Triodion texts
making it clear that Judas fall was not so much because of his betrayal as his de
spair of forgiveness.
Since we understand healing and forgiveness in a holistic manner, without a soul
versus body dualism, the sacrament of Holy Unction is served in many parishes o
n Holy Wednesday evening. This practice provides an example of a continuing evol
ution, a practice which is not prescribed in the Triodion or typicon. In many pa
rishes, this sacrament replaces celebration of Holy Thursday matins.
In parish churches today, in order to schedule the services to be more accessibl
e to attendance by the faithful, they are often served "by anticipation." For ex
ample, the typicon prescribes matins to be served at 1 a.m. This is, therefore,
anticipated and the service started the evening before. This then pushes the oth
er hours forward, such that vespers and the Presanctified Liturgy are served in
the morning.

Thursday

On this day we commemorate four historical events: 1) Jesus washing his disciple
s feet; 2) institution of the Eucharist; 3) the agony in Gethsemane; 4) betrayal
by Judas. A full eucharistic Liturgy of St. Basil the Great is served in combina
tion with vespers. Repeated use of the hymn "Of thy mystical supper " combines the
themes of Holy Communion and Judas treachery. It is used even as the cheroubikon
, the hymn that accompanies the transfer of the gifts.21 At this Liturgy the Hol
y Chrism is also consecrated in patriarchal cathedrals or their equivalents.
A foot-washing rite often follows the Divine Liturgy. Here the bishop or other p
roestamenos renders a dramatic re-enactment of Christ s washing the feet of his di
sciples, usually twelve presbyters or deacons.

Friday

Three importants variants from the usual order of matins are found on Holy Frida
y, Holy Saturday and on the Feast itself. These exhibit a "particularly pronounc
ed dramatic character in which the symbolic aspect of the liturgical action is g
reatly emphasized."22 This matins is a solemn service, with many extra hymns, in
a variety of tones and twelve Gospel lessons, with lighted candles held by the
faithful; yet it is interesting that the Great doxology is to be read rather tha
n sung.23 The matins of Holy Friday clearly harks back to the Jerusalem practice
of passion services celebrated at the locations where the events took place, as
described in the twelve Gospel lessons which we read at this service.
After the fifth Gospel lesson and during the last of the fifteen antiphons of th
e service, we find a recent development in the rite: a procession with the Cross
is made in Greek/Mediterranean churches. Having originated in Antioch, it was a
dopted in Constantinople in 1824. After the Cross is placed in the middle of the
 church, a figure of Christ is transfixed thereto with nails, then all venerate
it.
The sufferings of Christ form the theme of the Holy Friday services: mockery, cr
own of thorns, scourging, nails, thirst, vinegar and gall, crying out , plus the
confession of the good thief. It is vital to note, however, that passion is nev
er separated from Resurrection, even in the darkest moments: "We venerate thy Pa
ssion, O Christ: Show us also thy glorious Resurrection."24
The Hours take on a special, fuller form on this day, called Royal Hours. First,
Third, Sixth and Ninth hours of prayer each include a Prophecy, an Epistle and
a Gospel Lesson.
We find more late, "dramatic" developments not mentioned in the Triodion in the vesp
ers service. In the Greek/Mediterranean usage, at the conclusion of the Gospel l
esson, the corpus of Christ on the Cross is taken down. In those churches which
practice this custom, the vespers service itself has come to be known as "Un-nai
ling Vespers."
Another, slightly older yet still recent development of the fifteenth or sixteenth c
entury25 is a procession with the epitaphios26 during the aposticha, where it is
carried around the church and deposited on a decorated bier in the center of th
e church.
The vespers on this day may be combined with the Divine Liturgy if the Feast of
the Annunciation fall on this day.27 A Presanctified Liturgy was celebrated on H
oly Friday up until at least the middle of the eleventh century. By 1200, howeve
r, it disappeared abruptly.28 It is interesting to note that while in the Byzant
ine practice the Presanctified on Holy Friday has dropped out, this is the only
day of the year in which the Latin rite has retained the Presanctified Liturgy.

Saturday

It is on the Sabbath, the "Day of Rest," that truly no Liturgy is properly presc
ribed (the vesperal Liturgy now commonly celebrated on Saturday morning or after
noon being the original vigil and Liturgy of the Feast). This is the one Saturda
y of the year where the Eastern Church prescribes and permits fasting.
The matins of Holy Saturday begins like any other daily matins, up through "God
is the Lord " and a set of troparia. Then the Triodion prescribes kathisma 17 (Ps.
118 LXX) in three stases, with each verse followed by a special megalynarion in
praise of the buried Christ. Little litanies separate the stases. Next there fo
llow the resurrectional troparia known as the evlogetaria. Daily matins then con
tinues except that there is no magnificat on the ninth ode of the canon. At the
Trisagion at the end of the Great Doxology, since the 15th/16th century introduc
tion of a procession with the epitaphios at "Un-nailing Vespers," we process aro
und the outside of the church with the epitaphios, passing under it as we re-ent
er the church. Then we have the troparion of Holy Saturday, a prokeimenon, and a
reading from the Prophecy of Ezekiel. Then we sing another prokeimenon, followe
d by an Epistle lesson, Alleluia as at the Liturgy, and a Gospel lesson. Finally
, we have litanies and a conclusion like that of Sunday matins.29
At this unique matins service, we find a
constantly rising intensity of the musical tension curve: the service begins wit
h the somber fifth tone, becoming somewhat more joyful in the second stasis, and
still brighter during the third stasis, sung in the festive third tone. The fir
st high point is reached with the resurrectional troparia, while the second high
point occurs during the Great Doxology, especially in the solemn trisagion duri
ng the procession. The heightened mood continues through the Scripture readings
and to the conclusion of the service.30

The order of the service given above is that found in the Triodion. Evolution of
this service continues, however, such that modern Greek/Mediterranean practice
is to delay the kathisma with its megalynaria until later in the service, to aft
er the canon. Instead of being up front in the service, this relocation follows
a general trend in the Greek church of moving "high points" to later in the serv
ices, so that a greater number of the people who arrive habitually late to servi
ces will be able to be in attendance.31
While Christ has descended to Hades,32 the theme of the enkomia33 "is watchful e
xpectation rather than mourning. God observes a Sabbath rest in the tomb, while
we await his Resurrection, "bringing new life and recreating the world."34

Conclusion

Historicizing and dramatic elements have shaped our Holy Week observance into th
e majestic Byzantine rites which we know today. The process began in the first c
entury and continues down to our own age. Regretfully, however, many of our peop
le turn out for these beautiful services and are not seen the rest of the year.
The services have become such that people want to observe them as they would a b
eautiful opera, in small doses, but they fail to connect the paschal events with
their own lives. The celebration has become so much a commemoration of somethin
g so long ago, that it is time we begin sending the pendulum back on this trend
and find ways to recover the eschatological dimensions of Pascha. People need to
recover the sense of something happening to them, for which they need to prepar
e, something that sets them apart from the rest of mankind, something that affec
ts the way they live and relate to one another.
Theodore and the Studites devised the Triodion precisely because the form of the
celebration at the time, with its emphasis on baptism, failed to connect to a s
ociety where there were no adult catechumens. They, therefore, transformed Lent
and Holy Week to a time of repentance and renewal of one s baptismal commitment. N
ow, however, people are ignorant of the Triodion, and the fast is viewed as no m
ore than a set of external dietary rules. Following the example of these ninth c
entury saints, we, in our own time must strive to find ways to bring back a pers
onal connection to the historical events.

A Selected Bibliography

Deiss, Lucien. Springtime of the Liturgy: Liturgical Texts of the First Four Cen
turies. Tr. Matthew J. O Connell. Collegeville, Minnesota: The Liturgical Press, 1
979.
The Didache. Tr. and annotated by James A. Kleist. In Vol. 6 of Ancient Christia
n Writers. Johannes Quasten and Joseph C. Plumpe, eds. New York: Newman Press, 1
948.
Dix, Dom Gregory. The Shape of the Liturgy. 2nd ed. London: Adam and Charles Bla
ck, 1945.
Egeria. Diary of a Pilgrimage. Tr. and annotated by George E. Gingras. Vol. 38 o
f Ancient Christian Writers. Johannes Quasten, Walter J. Burghardt and Thomas Co
merford Lawler, eds. New York: Newman Press, 1970.
Kavanagh, Aidan. The Shape of Baptism: The Rite of Christian Initiation. New Yor
k: Pueblo Publishing Company, 1978.
Mary, Mother and Kallistos Ware, trs. The Lenten Triodion. London: Faber and Fab
er, 1984.
Nassar, Seraphim. Divine Prayers and Services of the Catholic Orthodox Church of
Christ. 3rd ed. Englewood, New Jersey: Antiochian Orthodox Christian Archdioces
e of North America, 1979.
Papadeas, George L. Greek Orthodox Holy Week and Easter Services. Greek and Engl
ish. Published by the author, 1977 ed.
Schmemann, Alexander. Great Lent. Revised ed. Crestwood, New York: St. Vladimir s
Seminary Press, 1974.
________. Of Water and the Spirit: A Liturgical Study of Baptism. Crestwood, New
York: St. Vladimir s Seminary Press, 1974.
Schulz, Hans-Joachim. The Byzantine Liturgy. Tr. Matthew J. O Connell. New York: P
ueblo Publishing Company, 1986.
Taft, Robert. Beyond East and West: Problems in Liturgical Understanding. Washin
gton D.C.: The Pastoral Press, 1984.
Triodion. Greek. New, expanded ed. Athens: Phos (no date).
Vaporis, Nomikos Michael. The Services for Holy Week and Easter. Brookline, Mass
achusetts: Holy Cross Orthodox Press, 1993.
Uspensky, Nicholas. Evening Worship in the Orthodox Church. Tr. and ed. Paul Laz
or. Crestwood, New York: St. Vladimir s Seminary Press, 1985.
von Gardner, Johann. Orthodox Worship and Hymnography. Vol. 1 of Russian Church
Singing. Tr. Vladimir Morosan. Crestwood, New York: St. Vladimir s Seminary Press,
1980.
______________________________
1 The term "Holy Week," attested in Rome and the West by the fourth century, is
equivalent to the "Great Week" used in the East from the same time. Egeria makes
note of the difference in terms, Diary of a Pilgrimage, 30.
2 Known as "Lent" in the English-speaking world, from the Old English lencten, m
eaning spring.
3 Aidan Kavanagh, The Shape of Baptism: The Rite of Christian Initiation (New Yo
rk: Pueblo Publishing Company, 1978), pp. 23ff.
4 Cf. Rom. 6.1-14, where St. Paul interweaves both of these dimensions.
5 Justin, Aplology, quoted in Kavanagh, p. 43. See also: Eusebius, Ecclesiastica
l History, who cites Irenaeus; Tertullian, On the Fasts, Hippolytus; Apostolic T
radition.
6 Kallistos Ware, "The Meaning of the Great Fast," The Lenten Triodion, tr. Moth
er Mary and Kallistos Ware (London: Faber and Faber, 1984), p. 29.
7 Kavanagh, p. 61, quoting from the Gelasian Sacramentary.
8 Robert Taft, Beyond East and West: Problems in Liturgical Understanding (Washi
ngton, D.C.: The Pastoral Press, 1984), pp. 23-24.
9 Ware, p. 30.
10 Dom Gregory Dix, The Shape of the Liturgy, 2nd ed. (London: Adam and Charles
Black, 1945), p. 348.
11 P. 348.
12 Council of Laodicea, canon 49. Trullo, canon 52, made an exception for the An
nunciation, however, when it came to be celebrated on March 25. Ware, p. 49, n.
58.
13 So called because they reduced the number of biblical odes used in canons for
weekday matins to just three from the usual nine. Later manuscript copies and p
rinted editions of the Triodion split the work into two volumes: the Lenten Trio
dion and the Pentecost Triodion, or even simply Triodion and Pentecostarion.
14 Ware, pp. 40f. In practice, though the new hymnography was scripturally based
, it superseded and displaced actual scriptural texts from the services.
15 Ware, p. 43.
16 What are sometimes called "Lamentations" in English, in a flagrant mistransla
tion.
17 Ware, p. 42.
18 Ware, pp. 42f. Note further that the English edition of the Triodion publishe
d by Faber and Faber does not include any of the Pentecost volume. It gives full
texts only for the first week of Lent and for Lazarus Saturday through Holy Wee
k. Otherwise it gives little more than Sunday texts, and even there it includes
neither the syanaxaria for the Sundays and for Holy Week nor the synodikon for t
he Sunday of Orthodoxy. Some of these additional texts are available in mimeogra
ph form and paper bound from the Monastery of the Veil of the Mother of God, Bus
sy-en-Othe, France.
19 As we discuss the services for the six days of Holy Week, we face the questio
n, "To which day does vespers belong? Given that the day begins at sunset, does
the service which bridges two days belong to the day that is closing or to the o
ne that is beginning?" Orthodox service books have not always been very consiste
nt here. We will include vespers with the old day, to avoid difficulty with Divi
ne Liturgies, which may be delayed and combined with vespers on fast days, so as
not to break the fast early with the joy of the Bridegroom s presence in the Euch
arist. Besides the Presanctified Liturgies, the Liturgy on Holy Thursday and pos
sibly for the Annunciation are cases in point.
20 Ware, pp. 59f.
21 The cherubic hymn was introduced into the order of the Liturgy by the Emperor
Justinian in 573 or 574. For the Liturgy of St. Basil, the proper, original che
roubikon is "Let all mortal flesh keep silence ", borrowed from the Liturgy of St.
James and now retained only on Holy Saturday. See Hans-Joachim Schulz, The Byza
ntine Liturgy, tr. Matthew J. O Connell (New York: Pueblo Publishing Company, 1986
), pp. 35-37.
22 Johann von Gardner, Orthodox Worship and Hymnography, vol 1 of Russian Church
Singing, tr. Vladimir Morosan (Crestwood, New York: St. Vladimir s Seminary Press
, 1980), p. 84.
23 von Gardner, p. 87.
24 Ware, p. 61.
25 Ware, p. 62.
26 A specially painted or embroidered shroud. At one point this was the antimens
ion from the holy table.
27 For those churches which observe fixed feasts according to the Gregorian cale
ndar and Pascha according to the Julian calendar, the Annunciation will always f
all before Lazarus Saturday. Despite directions in the typicon and Triodion that
the Annunciation is always to be celebrated on the 25th of March, Greek practic
e in this century has delayed observance of the Annunciation to Bright Monday if
it should fall anywhere between Holy Thursday and Pascha.
28 Ware, p. 62, n. 81.
29 This is basically a resurrectional-type matins, and the Greek/Mediterranean c
ustom calls for the clergy to be fully vested in bright, gold vestments.
30 von Gardner, p. 88.
31 As in moving the matins Gospel for Sundays and feast days to between the 8th
and 9th odes of the canon.
32 Not hell!
33 Praises, not lamentations!
34 Ware, pp. 61f.
Fasting and Great Lent

FASTING AND GREAT LENT

THE TRIODION
Great Lent is the 40-day season of spiritual preparation that comes before the m
ost important Feast of the Christian year, Holy Pascha (which means Passover and i
s commonly called Easter ,). It is the central part of a larger time of preparation
called the Triodion season.
The Triodion begins ten weeks before Easter and is divided into three main parts
: three Pre-Lenten weeks of preparing our hearts, the six weeks of Lent, and Hol
y Week. The main theme of the Triodion is repentance mankind's return to God, our
loving Father.
This annual season of repentance is a spiritual journey with our Savior. Our goa
l is to meet the risen Lord Jesus, Who reunites us with God the Father. The Fath
er is always waiting to greet us with outstretched hands. We must ask ourselves
the question, Are we willing to turn to Him?
During Great Lent, the Church teaches us how to receive Him by using the two grea
t means of repentance prayer and fasting.
THE LENTEN FAST
The word fast means not eating all or certain foods. As Orthodox Faithful, we can
fast completely at certain times of great importance, and especially each time b
efore receiving Holy Communion. Usually, fasting means limiting the number of mea
ls and/or the type of food eaten.
The purpose of fasting is to remind us of the Scriptural teaching, Man does not l
ive by bread alone. The needs of the body are nothing compared to the needs of th
e soul. Above all else, we need God, Who provides everything for both the body a
nd the soul. Fasting teaches us to depend on God more fully.
The first sin of our parents, Adam and Eve, was eating from the forbidden tree (
Genesis 3:1-19). We fast from food, or a food item, as a reminder that we are to
fast from sinning and doing evil.
There are several benefits of fasting. Fasting helps us pray more easily. Our sp
irit is lighter when we are not weighed down by too much food or food that is to
o rich. Through fasting, we also learn to feel compassion for the poor and hungr
y and to save our own resources so that we can help those in need.
Fasting is more than not eating food. Saint John Chrysostom teaches that it is m
ore important to fast from sin. For example, besides controlling what goes into
our mouths, we must control what comes out of our mouths as well. Are our words
pleasing to God, or do we curse God or our brother?
The other members of the body also need to fast: our eyes from seeing evil, our
ears from hearing evil, our limbs from participating in anything that is not of
God. Most important of all, we need to control our thoughts, for thoughts are th
e source of our actions, whether good or evil.
Fasting is not an end in itself. Our goal is an inner change of heart. The Lente
n Fast is called ascetic. This refers to a ctions of self-denial and spiritual tra
ining which are central to fasting.
Fasting is a spiritual exercise. It is not imposed or forced upon us. In the sam
e way that true repentance cannot be forced upon anyone, each of us makes the ch
oice to turn away from our sinful ways and go toward our loving, for giving Fath
er in Heaven.
THE PRELENTEN WEEKS
Before Great Lent begins, four Sunday lessons prepare us for the Fast. Humility
is the theme of the first Sunday, called the Sunday of the Publican and the Phar
isee. The Lord's parable in Luke 18:10-14 teaches that fasting with pride is rej
ected by God. For this reason, there is no fasting the week following this Sunda
y. This includes no fasting on Wednesday
and Friday that week. (Wednesdays and Fridays are usually fast days throughout t
he year Wednesday's Fast recalls the betrayal of Christ by Judas; Friday's Fast co
mmemorates the Lord's Crucifixion.)
Repentance is the theme of the second Pre-Lenten Sunday, called the Sunday of th
e Prodigal Son. Before we can return to God, we need to recognize that we are fa
r from God because of sin. Like the Prodigal Son (Luke 15:11-32), we are in a se
lf-imposed exile. Will we come to our senses as did the Prodigal Son and return
to our Father?
The next Sunday is called both Meatfare Sunday and the Sunday of the Last Judgme
nt. The second name refers to the Gospel lesson (Matthew 25:31-4 6) read on this
day. The Lord tells us we will be judged at the end according to the love we ha
ve shown for our brother. I was hungry..thirsty..naked...a stranger...in prison..
.sick... Whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of Mine you did
for Me. Almsgiving goes hand in hand with fasting. This Sunday is called Meatfare
because it is the last day meat, fish or poultry is eaten before Easter, for tho
se keeping the Lenten Fast.
The last Pre-Lenten Sunday is called both Cheesefare Sunday and the Sunday of Fo
rgiveness. This is the last day dairy products are eaten before the Fast. The Go
spel lesson (Matthew 6:14-21 ) read on this day tells us that our fast must not
be hypocritical or for show. Our work and our appearance are to continue as usual
and our extra efforts are to be known only by God. The Gospel reading also remin
ds us that God the Father will forgive us in the same manner as we forgive our b
rother. With this promise of forgiveness, Great Lent begins on the next day, whi
ch is called Clean Monday. Clean Monday is a total fast day, except for a little
water. No other beverages or food are taken.
GENERAL RULES OF THE LENTEN FAST
The Lenten Fast rules that we observe today were established within the monaster
ies of the Orthodox Church during the sixth through eleventh centuries. These ru
les are intended for all Orthodox Christians, not just monks and nuns.
The first week of Lent is especially strict. On Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday, a
total fast is kept. In practice, very few people are able to do this. Some find
it necessary to eat a little each day after sunset. Many Faithful do fast comple
tely on Monday and then eat only uncooked food (bread, fruit, nuts) on Tuesday e
vening. On Wednesday, the fast is kept until after the Presanctified Liturgy.
From the second through the sixth weeks of Lent, the general rules for fasting a
re practiced. Meat, animal products (cheese, milk, butter, eggs, lard), fish (mea
ning fish with backbones), olive oil and wine (all alcoholic drinks) are not con
sumed during the weekdays of Great Lent. Octopus and shell-fish are allowed, as
is vegetable oil. On weekends, olive oil and wine are permitted.
According to what was done in the monasteries, one meal a day is eaten on weekda
ys and two meals on weekends of
Great Lent. No restriction is placed on the amount of food during the meal, thou
gh moderation is always encouraged in all areas of one's life at all times.
Fish, oil and wine are allowed on the Feast of the Annunciation (March 25) and on
Palm Sunday (one week before Easter). On other feast days, such as the First an
d Second Finding of the Head of Saint John the Baptist (February 24) , the Holy
Forty Martyrs of Sebaste (March 9), the Forefeast of the Annunciation (March 24)
and the Synaxis of the Archangel Gabriel (March 26), wine and oil are permitted
.
HOLY WEEK
The week before Easter, Holy Week, is a special time of fasting separate from Gr
eat Lent. Like the first week, a strict fast is kept. Some Orthodox Christians t
ry to keep a total fast on Holy Monday, Holy Tuesday and Holy Wednesday. Most ea
t a simple Lenten meal at the end of each day before going to the evening Church
services.
On Holy Thursday, wine is allowed in remembrance of the Last Supper. Holy Friday
is kept as a strict fast day, as is Holy Saturday . Holy Saturday is the only S
aturday in the entire year when oil is not permitted.
In short, these are the Lenten rules for fasting. Traditionally, the Church Fath
ers recommend that someone new to fasting begin by resolving to faithfully do as
much as he or she is able during the Lenten period. Each year as one matures as
a Christian, a fuller participation can be undertaken. However, it is not recomm
ended that a person try to create their own rules for fasting, since this would
not be obedient or wise. The Faithful are encouraged to consult with their pries
t or bishop regarding the Fast when possible.
Personal factors such as one's health and living situation need to be considered
as well. For example, an isolated Orthodox Christian required to eat meals at th
eir place of employment, school or in prison may not be able to avoid certain fo
ods. The Church understands this and extends leniency.
It is important to keep in mind that fasting is not a law for us rather, a volunta
ry way of remembering to not sin and do evil, and to help keep our focus on pray
er, repentance and doing acts of kindness, for we are not under the law but under
grace (Romans 6:14).
EASTER, BRIGHT WEEK AND THE PASCHAL SEASON
The Lenten Fast is broken following the midnight Easter service. With the procla
mation, Christ is risen! the time of feasting begins. The week after Easter is cal
led Bright Week and there is no fasting. For the next 40 days, the Church celebr
ates the Paschal (Easter) season. Joy and thanksgiving are the fulfillment of ou
r Lenten journey.
A PRAYER FOR LENT
The Prayer of Saint Ephraim the Syrian is traditionally said many times througho
ut each day during Great Lent, in addition to our daily prayers.
O Lord and Master of my life, take from me the spirit of sloth, faintheartedness
, lust of power, and idle talk. (+)
But give rather the spirit of chastity, humility, patience and love to your serv
ant. (+)
Yes, O Lord and King, grant me to see my own sin and not to judge my brother, fo
r You are blessed from all ages to all ages. Amen. (+)
(The ( +) indicates that those praying make a deep bow or prostration at this point.
)

The Ethos of Lent

by Fr. George Morelli
The ethos of Lent for the committed Orthodox Christian is told to us by St. Doro
theus of Gaza. He likened it to a wake up call, a coming to one s self (like the Pro
digal Son) to find meaning for the entire year. The great and saving forty days ar
e to wake us up to all times and seasons of all year.
St. Dorotheus means more than this year only because each and every year are God s
times. God created and redeemed the world. We tithe as St. Dorotheus instructs us,
in thanksgiving to God not merely for these forty days but for all times. Lent i
s to help us bring to mind the entire year and all our lives.
Lent is not meant for God, but Lent is made for mankind. Once again God gives Hi
mself to us.
In his Discourses and Sayings, St. Dorotheus tells us:

You see, God gave us these holy days so that by diligence in abstinence, in the s
pirit of humility and repentance, a man may be cleansed of the sins of the whole
year and the soul relieved of its burden. Purified he goes forward to the holy
day of the resurrection, and being made a new man through the change of heart in
duced by the fast..
What does it take to have a change of heart? Like in one of the Gospels read in
preparation for the Lenten period, the story of Zacchaeus, we have to first see
ourselves as small and needing to see Christ. What are the requirements? We have
to see ourselves as potentially nothing. Without God, we are not small in stature
but infinitesimally minute, actually non-existent.
Do we reflect on this? Our worth, as creatures are completely dependent on God.
Do we see it sense this? We are made in Gods image, Do we reflect on this? Our i
ntelligence and free will come from Him? Do we acknowledge this?
St. Dorotheus has meditated on our smallness. He tells us:

When God created man, He breathed into him something divine, as it were a hot and
bright spark added to reason, which lit up the mind and showed him the differen
ce between right and wrong. This is called the conscience, which is the law of h
is nature. This is compared to the well which Jacob dug, as the Fathers say, and
which the Philistines filled up. That is, to this law of conscience adhered the
patriarchs and all the holy men of old before the written law, and they were pl
easing to God.
"Of course our human ancestors, induced by pride fell to the temptation of the E
vil One, and disobeyed God s command. Our fallenness, passions and susceptibility
to sin and death is the consequence of their disobedience.. Do we see this not o
nly in it s is cosmic proportions but existentially and individually in each of ou
r lives? "
St. Dorotheus continues:

"But when this law was buried and trodden underfoot by men through the onset of
sin, we needed a written law, we needed the holy prophets, we needed the instruc
tion of our Master, Jesus Christ, to reveal it and raise it up and bring [us] to
 life..
Zacchaeus climbed a tree, to overcome an obstacle to see Jesus. Psychiatrist Vik
tor Frankl, (1984) has indicated that meaning can be found in life by overcoming
such life obstacles. Interestingly psychologists and psychiatrists have indicat
ed meaning in life can be found by simply dealing with the barriers life imposes
. They even extend this to humanly dealing with suffering and death.
Without God, and His Infinite Eternal Existence, however this leads to an existe
ntial vacuum. Non-existence added to all the human meaning anyone could possible
imagine is nothing. By His Grace He has promised to share eternal life with us
if we are worthy, what a blessing.
Frankl does say:: to life [people] can only respond by being responsible." Frankl
would add the this responsibility should be zealous. This is an astute observat
ion. This is what Zacchaeus is doing. He is taking responsibility for overcoming
the barriers in his life. He climbed the sycamore tree to see Christ.
Reflect on this more than on the human level Frankl suggests. If overcoming obst
acles gives human meaning , how much more meaning occurs when obstacles are overcom
e to attain Divine illumination?
What are we eager for? What are we zealous about? Are we zealous for Divine illu
mination? Like Zacchaeus we have to see that we can have so much more of Christ.
. For us the tree would stand for barriers and obstacles in our lives to see Chr
ist. Lent is the time to come to oneself and discover our own barriers.
The Church gives us another gospel to prepare for Lent. The Canaanite Woman came
to Jesus crying, "Have pity upon me Son of David!" It is the only occasion whic
h Jesus was ever outside of Jewish territory: the land of Tyre and Sidon north o
f Galilee where the hated Phoenicians, the enemies of the Jews, lived. What is i
mplied here? Did it foreshadow the spread of the gospel to the whole world? Was
it the beginning of the end of the geographical barrier to His message? Could it
be that even enemies should have the gospel of Christ proclaimed to them? Is it
a call for all to hear His message?
What is the personal lesson for us? She was tenacious and resilient. After she p
led for help in curing her daughter's possession by a demon, Jesus replied, "It
is not right to take the children's bread, and to throw it to the pet dogs," --
hardly a comforting response given that calling a person a "dog" was an insult w
ith the most contemptuous intent. Historians write that in those days dogs were
the unclean scavengers of the street -- lean, savage, and diseased.
The Canaanite woman had to have been aware that Jesus was telling her that Jews
considered her to be contemptible. But this did not stop her. She acknowledged H
im as "Son of David." She was persistent and did not let obstacles: the insults
of others stop her.
She was cheerful. To the question asked by Jesus: "It is not fair to take the ch
ildren's bread and throw it to the dogs?" she answered "Yes, Lord, yet even the
dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their master's table." Linguistic historians
comment that her reply was a clever play on words, of someone with a cheerful qu
ick wit.
St. John Chryosotom asked, "Was she silent and did she desist? By no means, she
was even more insistent." Chrysostom pointed out Jesus knew she would say this.
Jesus wanted to "exhibit her high self-command." She went even a step further, d
emonstrating her profound humility by not calling the Jews children, as Jesus ha
d done, but "master" (Homily LII, on St. Matthew XV).
To follow the Canaanite woman's lead we too must be committed to Christ with all
our heart. We have to be persistent, tenacious, stubborn, un-discourageable and
joyful. This is similar to the psychological toughness that Zacchaeus (Luke 19:
1-10) had.
Both Zacchaeus and the Canaanite woman share something in common: they are tough
and resilient, and take responsibility to overcome barriers. Resilience is a ps
ychological process of adaptation in the face of obstacles, trauma, tragedy and
stress is related to good emotional and physical health (Reivich & Shatte, 2003;
Seligman, 1990, 1995). One characteristic of resilience and hardiness is to tak
e decisive action, surely a fitting description of the Canaanite woman. Interest
ingly, religious people are more involved, hopeful and optimistic than non-relig
ious individuals (Sethi and Seligman, 1993).
Both Zacchaeus and the Canaanite woman however looked to Christ and not to thems
elves. (Morelli, 2006) This is exactly how St. Dorotheus of Gaza said we should
approach Lent.

Let us strive with all our power never to put our trust in our own conjectures. F
or nothing separates us so completely from God or prevents us from noticing our
own wrong doing or makes us busy about what does not concern us, as this. (St. Do
rotheos of Gaza, Discourses and Sayings).
In the Parable of the Prodigal Son (Another Gospel the Church reads in preparati
on for Lent), Jesus tells us something very important, so easy to overlook. Some
thing happens to the son, an awakening an enlightenment. But when he came to hims
elf he said, 'How many of my father's hired servants have bread enough and to sp
are, but I perish here with hunger! (Lk 15:17). . The prodigal son was finely able
to see himself among the swine. He tested the reality of his situation, and came
to himself.
This is our Lenten task: to have the vision to want to see Christ, like Zacchaeu
s, the resilience to attain it like the Canaanite Woman, the awakening to see th
e plight of ourselves without Christ as the Prodigal Son and become as St. Dorot
heus implores us: to become new men and all share in the illumination of His life
in us by our resurrection in Christ.
REFERENCES
Frankl, V. (1984). Man s search for meaning. NY: Washington Square Press.
Morelli, G. (2006, February 4). Resiliance and the Canaanite Woman. http://www.o
rthodoxytoday...
Reivich, K. & Shatte, A. (2003) Seven keys to discovering your inner strength. N
Y: Random House. NY.
Seligman, M.E.P. (1990). Learned optimism. NY: Pocket Books.
Seligman, M.E.P. (1995). The optimistic child. NY: Houghton Mifflin.
Sethi, S. & Seligman, M.E.P. (1993). Optimism and fundamentalism. Psychological
Science. 4, 256-259.
Forgiveness: The Heart and Repentance
MAKING LENT MEANINGFUL
by V.Rev.Fr. George Morelli, Ph.D.
..If you do not forgive men their trespasses, neither will you father forgive you
r trespasses. (Mt. 6:14)
Generally psychologists are not known for supporting values such as forgiveness
and honesty.[i] If anything psychologists support what today could be called pos
t-Modernism or moral relativism. Engelhardt (1996) This so called ethical system h
olds the belief that behaviors are not objectively right or wrong. The rightness
or wrongness of human actions depends on the view of a specific, culture, subcu
lture, or historical era. The only value seems to be: to value the values of oth
ers as long as others actions to not infringe on the rights of others. (Morelli,
2005a)
The theme that starts the Lenten Season in the Eastern Church is totally opposit
e of this trend. It supposes a real truth. It entertains a question: not what is t
ruth, but who is truth? The answer is: Our Lord, God and Savior Jesus Christ. Je
sus told His followers:
"I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father, but by m
e. (Jn. 14:6).
God is spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth." (Jn.
4:24). Truth means purity of heart. At the Sermon on the Mount Our Lord said: "B
lessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God. (Mt. 5:8). they are those wh
o, hearing the word, hold it fast in an honest and good heart, and bring forth f
ruit with patience. ( Lk. 8:15).
The Church Fathers have emphasized Our Lord s words many times. Hausherr (1990) de
votes a whole chapter for the need for the openness of heart. St. Philotheos of Si
nai states: Let us preserve our heart s purity and always be filled with the deep c
ompunction toward God thorough this best of undertakings.
St. Makarios of tells us: For Christians what true rest is their other than deliv
erance from the sinful passions and the fullest active indwelling of he Holy Spi
rit in the purified heart? And the apostle again impels his readers toward this
by referring to faith: Let us then draw near with a true heart and in the full as
surance of faith, our hearts cleansed of an evil conscience (Heb. 10::22). (Philo
kalia, III).
We imitate Christ: Who is truth when we live who is truth in our hearts. The great a
postle tells us: Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children (Eph. 5:1) Put o
ff your old nature which belongs to your former manner of life and is corrupt th
rough deceitful lusts, and be renewed in the spirit of your minds, and put on th
e new nature, created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holine
ss. Therefore, putting away falsehood, let every one speak the truth with his ne
ighbor, for we are members one of another. and be kind to one another, tenderhea
rted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you. (Eph. 4: 22-25, 31).
One of the greatest gifts given by Our Lord, God and Savior Jesus Christ, Himsel
f to us is the Holy Mystery of Confession and Repentance. He told His Holy Apost
les and from them their successors the bishops and priests: Jesus said to them a
gain, "Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, even so I send you." And wh
en he had said this, he breathed on them, and said to them, "Receive the Holy Sp
irit. If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven; if you retain the sins
of any, they are retained." (Jn. 20: 21-23).
The task of going before Our Lord and confessing one s sins and receiving forgiven
ess sealed by the Holy Spirit through His instruments the bishops and priests co
me from Our Lord to His apostles and to us in modern times. So then, brethren, s
tand firm and hold to the traditions which you were taught by us, either by word
of mouth or by letter. [2 Th. 2: 13-15] These teachings of Jesus passed in tradi
tion to His Church: I commend you because you remember me in everything and maint
ain the traditions even as I have delivered them to you. [1 Corinthians 11:2] St
Paul told the Ephesians you are fellow citizens with the saints and members of th
e household of God, built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Chri
st Jesus himself being the cornerstone (2: 19, 30) St Luke told his readers: Take h
eed to yourselves and to all the flock, in which the Holy Spirit has made you ov
erseers, to care for the church of God which he obtained with the blood of his o
wn Son."(Acts 20:28).
Following St. Paul, these traditions, oral first and then written, were passed f
rom the apostles to their successors, the bishops and priests. Christianity is k
nown therefore through the oral tradition and practice of the church and through
the written scriptures.
The written scriptures compiled by St. Athanasious [Old Testament] the Great in
c. 328 A.D., and New Testament Synod of Laodicaea (381 A.D.) and both ratified b
y the Sixth Ecumenical Council (3rd Constantinople) in 680 A.D. by the same over
seers (episkopi) whom the Holy Spirit inspired to care for the church by maintai
ning the traditions. The non-written traditions have been passed to us by the teac
hings of the Holy Fathers, in the Liturgy, Prayer and practices and customs of t
he Church, the people of God. (Morelli, 2005b)
The asking of forgiveness and one of the holiest and sanctifying of these tradit
ions, the Mystery of Confession and Absolution is especially to be employed duri
ng the start of the Lenten season. The true follower of Christ, committed to imi
tate Him, the Son of God, seeks forgiveness from those whom they have offended a
nd forgiving those whom they have offended and confessing these and all our sins
to Christ through His instrument the unworthy priest and receives the seal of a
bsolution.
There is a problem in the modern day that has been not been focused on: Legalism
and Casuistry. Confession and forgiveness is not a legal or juridical process: i
t is not like doing time and you are now off the hook. There have been unfortunat
e modern western Church influences on the Eastern Church. The West tends to be l
egalistic. This can easily be seen in the casuistry attributed to the Jesuits. I
n a sense casuistry may be viewed as justifications for the unjustifiable. Its f
ullest sense, it has described as an understanding that focuses on concrete inst
ances than to abstract generalities. For example, if someone asks: Where did you
go to college? (In the questioners heart, Where did you get your college degree? ,
and the answer given by the respondent is I ve been to Harvard.
According to casuistry this in not wrong. If the person stepped on the Harvard C
ampus and then stepped off, then they answered truthfully, but literally : they have b
een to Harvard. Of course God and the individual knows the real meaning of the qu
estion in the heart. A profound mistruth has been told the person did not gradua
te with a degree from Harvard University.
In the Eastern Church this is the ultimate hypocrisy. The outside looks clean, t
he inside is corrupt and full of deception, dishonesty and falsity.
The Eastern Church follows the words of Jesus that it is all about the heart. (Mt.
5:8, 2; 9:9), and it s cleansing (Eph 5:5).
A simple example: You offend someone. Your mom tells you to say: I am sorry to th
em you say it. In the Western mind you may say the words I am sorry and be off the
hook but your heart may say: I still hate the mean son of a scallywag etc. In the
Eastern Church, the gospel passage above introducing this reflection is about yo
u and I.
Legalism is not for Jesus or the Eastern Church which has kept His teachings. No
matter what words we utter, God is looking into our hearts. this is what counts.
Before the final judgment which we read in another Sunday leading to Lent only
two persons know our hearts: God and ourselves. After the Last Judgment our hear
ts will be revealed to all. Now is the time to cleanse the heart. A pure heart,
forgiven by God, cleanses the book of life. What is written there is wiped out.
If not wiped out, it is written in the stone of book of eternal life for all to
see.
I recently came across a sad example. One who calls themselves Christian was off
ended by another who called themselves Christian. The first told me I do not want
to sit at the same table with that other person. Without specifics I mentioned
this example to another priest, saying Boy! Do we have a long way to go. Of course
, no servant is greater than their Master. Jesus preached this and obviously His
message of forgiveness fell on many deaf ears. "Let those who have ears let the
m hear". (Mt. 11:15). Now is the time to open our ears and hearts after the book
of life is closed we and all will hear and see loud and clear.
Who did Christ sit with? He shared His table with sinners. (Mt. 9:10) What an op
portunity to reach out to those who have offended us or to those we have offende
d, to be at table with them. It may begin with You know, we may disagree, but I d
o not want this to come between us. I am a sinner, may God forgive me.
The ultimate criteria for a good confession is a true, contrite and humble heart.
It is a sacrilege to say I was angry in confession, and then not forgive from th
e depths of our hearts. This is true for forgiveness, this is true in what we wo
rship, it is true in terms of what we treasure. It has to be true in all our rel
ationship with God and man. This is true repentance.
The depths of our hearts can only be cleansed if we recognize what is really in
it. David the prophet said: The sacrifice acceptable to God is a broken spirit; a
broken and contrite heart, O God, thou wilt not despise. (Ps. 50:17). St, John o
f the Ladder teaches us: Repentance is the renewal of baptism. Repentance is a co
ntract with God for a fresh start in life. Repentance goes shopping for humility .
.Repentance is critical awareness and a sure watch over oneself Repentance is rec
onciliation wit the Lord. Repentance is the purification of the conscience. Once
again King David tell us: Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean; wash me, a
nd I shall be whiter than snow. (Ps 50:7)
The priest before the Great Entrance and before receiving Our Lord s Body and Bloo
d turns to all and say s Forgive me for the Lord Jesus Christ s sake. This should from
all of us to all of us from the depths of our hearts, without reservation today
and all the days of our lives . Forgive me for the Lord Jesus Christ s sake!
This should be the Lenten Prayer for all Christians. This Lenten Prayer should c
arry over to the rest of our lives.
REFERENCES
Englehardt, H.T. (1996). The foundation of bioethics. NY: Oxford.
Morelli, G. (2005a, November 13). The demon of correctness.
http://www.orthodoxytoday...
Morelli, G. (2005b, July III, 2) Christian spirituality and psychotherapy.
http://www.ocampr.org/rea...
Palmer, G.E.H., Sherrard, P., & Ware, K. (Eds.). (1986). The Philokalia: The com
plete text compiled by St. Nikodimos of the Holy Mountain and St. Makarios of Co
rinth: Vol.3. Winchester, MA: Faber and Faber.
St. John of the Ladder. (1982). The ladder of Divine ascent. NY: Paulist Press.
ENDNOTES
[1] There are some exceptions, but these are generally out of the mainstream of
clinical psychology:
Blanton, B. (2005) Radical Honesty. NY: Dell
Peterson, C., & Seligman, M. E. P. (2004). Character strengths and virtues: A ha
ndbook and classification. Washington, DC: American Psychological Association.
Great Lent and Holy Pascha

Lent is a preparation for the Resurrection of Christ resting on a tripod of fast

ing, prayer, and almsgiving. Below are articles and resources pertaining to Grea
t Lent.

Visit the website to see the "Holy Fire" of Jerusalem

The miraculous uncreated light/fire that each year originates from the Holy Sepu
lchure (Tomb) of Jesus and lights the candles held in the hand of the Orthodox P
atriarch of Jersusalem.

Other Articles
Why do we eat so much Peanut Butter?
Lenten Discipline
Life Out There Part I
Life Out There Part II
Pascha by Nicole Zabak (April 2001)
Making Lent Great for Your Family!
Our Lenten Sheperd
##Forgiveness: The Heart and Repentance
##The Ethos of Lent
##Fasting and Great Lent
##Lenten Transformation
##The Date of Pascha
##The Historical Development of Holy Week Services In the Orthodox/Byzantine Rit
e
Lent Is a Journey That Is About Enlightenment if We're Willing to Think About It
That Way
Lent is about to begin. That word in English comes from an Old English word that
means "to lengthen," and it's a reminder of the days getting longer as we move
toward summer out of the dark of winter.
But in a number of other languages, particularly Spanish and French, the word fo
r "Lent" reflects "forty days," "cuaresma." Forty days of wandering in the deser
t, forty days of Jesus out in the desert.
It's also about a journey. And it's a journey that is about enlightenment if we'
re willing to think about it that way.
Lent is an ancient tradition of solidarity and preparation for those who look fo
rward to Baptism at the Easter Vigil. It has always been a time for prayer and s
tudy, fasting, self-denial, and alms-giving, sharing what we have with those who
do not have. Prayer is an opportunity to reflect on who walks with us in the de
sert, who brings light into the world. Study is an opportunity to do the same ki
nds of things looking at the history of our tradition, where have human beings f
ound light and direction in their journey through this world. Fasting and self-d
enial are an inward-reflection on what it is that keeps us in the dark, or what
it is that keeps us directionless, or that keeps us overly self-focused. And it
becomes an invitation to turn outward and share what we have with those who have
not. To build solidarity among God's people and the rest of the earth.
One of the most memorable Ash Wednesdays I ever spent was in San Jose, Costa Ric
a, in a school for children. I was asked to place ashes on the foreheads of todd
lers. It was a provocative experience in the deepest sense, reminding very small
children that they are mortal.
That cross that comes on our foreheads on Ash Wednesday is a reminder of the cro
ss that's put there at Baptism. You are sealed by the Holy Spirit in Baptism and
marked as Christ's own forever. The cross that comes at Ash Wednesday is a remi
nder that you are dust and to dust we shall return, that we share that dust with
every other human being who has ever walked this planet, that we share that dus
t with the stars and the planets, that we share that dust with all that has been
created. We are made for relationship with creator and creation.
Lent and cuaresma is a journey to walk toward that light. May it be a blessed on
e this year.
Lent vs. Greed
For Catholics and many other Christians, the season of Lent began with Ash Wedne
sday, with ashes that symbolize human mortality. Lent is a time of repentance fo
r sin and of preparation for an intense remembering, at Easter, of the passion,
death and resurrection of Jesus. The Jesus who is remembered and celebrated is a
generous Jesus, the one who laid down his life for others. Lenten penance and p
reparation have often taken the specific form of three things: almsgiving, fasti
ng and prayer. I would like to suggest that all three may serve especially well
as antidotes to a lack of generosity, that is, to greed or avarice, one of the S
even Deadly Sins.
That greed abounds seems all too evident. In the United States, Lent 2012 is a t
ime also of political campaigning, and of a politics in which a candidate has no
t hesitated to boast about his wealth, his minimal payment of taxes, his firing
of workers, and his disinterest in the very poor. Other candidates call relentle
ssly for ever more tax cuts for the people who need them least. They exalt so-ca
lled good greed as though it were not an oxymoron, but rather the miracle soluti
on to all problems. Thus I suggest that antidotes to greed and its exaltation ar
e urgently needed, and that zeal for Lent, with its almsgiving, prayer, and fast
ing, may offer an excellent remedy.
Is 'alms' perhaps the most obvious of the three as an antidote to greed? Is alms
giving a kind of fasting from greed? To give alms has usually meant to give to t
he poor and the needy, to individuals, or to agencies, foundations and instituti
ons devoted to serving such persons. Almsgiving carries the connotation of volun
tary charity on the part of individuals with the means to do so. The term may co
njure up images of a wealthy elite acting out of a sense of noblesse oblige, rat
her than with any motivation of genuine care or concern for those in need. But t
his need not be so. Alms may be given discretely, anonymously; and generosity in
almsgiving may involve giving not only out of one's abundance, but also out of
one's own need. In the New Testament, Jesus praises the generosity of the widow
who gave from what little she had (Mark 12:41-44). And Jesus cautions that one m
ay not serve God and money (Matthew 6:24). Thus a choice must be made: greed or
God.
In its more literal sense fasting is an abstinence from the quantity of food one
normally eats, from eating at certain times, or from certain foods. Fasting mea
ns rigorous self-control in the face of an all-you-can-eat buffet, no easy feat
for many Americans. And fasting may mean doing without alcohol or other favorite
beverages. For Christians, it also suggests imitation of the Jesus who fasted f
or 40 days in the desert. It may mean solidarity with the hungry, even if one li
ves in a part of the world where hunger is less visible than it is in other plac
es. It may express an affirmative response to Jesus who says one does not live o
n bread alone, but on the word of God (Matthew 4:4). Fasting may mean not only a
bstention from food or drink, but a more general fasting from material things. T
o fast is to say that ever more acquisition of consumer goods may not be the pat
h to happiness and human wholeness, however shocking that may be for some.
To pray is to acknowledge that one is not God. The ravenously greedy person is l
ikely to be inclined to idolatry, to adoration of one's self as a god or even as
the one God. The greedy think that they deserve endless luxuries while others g
rovel in misery. Prayer is a kind of iconoclasm that destroys the idol of the se
lf imagined as above all others. Prayer is an ascetical renunciation of the plac
ing of one's self at the center of the universe, and it is renunciation of the s
eeking of adulation. Prayer is not only words addressed to Another believed to b
e one's creator, the ground of one's being; it is also a quiet, a silence, and a
receptivity to God's word, to God's ways, and to the needs of other people. It
may be helpful to consider how genuine prayer is the polar opposite of a car ala
rm. A car alarm is an example of a greed and of a contempt for others; its insta
llation presumes that protection of the property of a car owner matters, and tha
t this consideration trumps that of the exceedingly obnoxious noise pollution in
flicted on others. These alarms are a rude, possessive and noisy protection of p
rivate property; but prayer is a peaceful openness to reception of God's gifts a
nd to sharing them with others.
Listening is the heart of prayer. To pray is to fast, in hopeful silence, from t
he constant babbling about little or nothing that pervades our era of ever short
er attention spans. Prayer is an exercise in waiting, in patience and humility,
for prayer is acknowledgment of one's dependence on God, and on God's ways. Pray
er liberates us as it downgrades the importance of Wall Street, wealth, and want
on spending. Prayer says no to a culture of faades and illusions, and yes to a de
eper sense of what matters most about human life.
Lent calls us to do penance for our greedy ways and to promote the common good,
not selfish individualism. The saints Catholics honor and strive to imitate offe
r countless examples of giving away everything in order to follow Jesus and to s
erve others. Lent is a time for remembrance and imitation of the self-emptying g
enerosity and sacrifice of Jesus and of his saints. It is a time for coming to u
nderstand that greed and Christian discipleship have nothing whatsoever in commo
n.
More:
Greed, Wealth, Financial Crisis, Alms, Fasting, Prayer and Meditation,
Seven Deadly Sins, Lent
The Cambridge Companion to the Jesuits (Cambridge Companions to Religion)
The Cambridge Companion to the Jesuits (Cambridge Companions to Religion)
by Thomas Worcester
The Papacy since 1500: From Italian Prince to Universal Pastor
Lenten Resources
40 days of renewal
Lent is a special time of prayer, penance, sacrifice and good works in preparati
on of the celebration of Easter. Since the earliest times of the Church, there i
s evidence of some kind of Lenten preparation for Easter. Although the practices
may have evolved over the centuries, the focus remains the same: to repent of s
in, to renew our faith and to prepare to celebrate joyfully the mysteries of our
salvation. Moreover, an emphasis must be placed on performing spiritual works,
like attending the Stations of the Cross, attending Mass, making a weekly holy h
our before the Blessed Sacrament, taking time for personal prayer and spiritual
reading and most especially making a good confession and receiving sacramental a
bsolution.
Lenten Fast and Abstinence
Abstinence from meat is observed on Ash Wednesday, Good Friday, and all the Frid
ays of Lent by all Catholics 14 years and older. Fasting is observed on Ash Wedn
esday and Good Friday by all Catholics who are 18 years of age but not yet 59. T
hose bound by this rule may take only one full meal. Two smaller meals are permi
tted as necessary to maintain strength according to one s needs, but eating solid
foods between meals is not permitted. From its earliest days, the Church has urg
ed the baptized and catechumens to observe the threefold discipline of fasting,
almsgiving and prayer as a preparation for the celebration of Easter. Failure to
observe individual days of penance is not considered serious, but failure to ob
serve any penitential days at all or a substantial number of such days must be c
onsidered serious.

Abstinence from meat is observed on Ash Wednesday, Good Friday, and all the Frid
ays of Lent by all Catholics 14 years and older.
Someone famous Source Title
Living Lent Daily
Living Lent Daily features prayers, thoughts and more each day to inspire you th
roughout your Lenten journey. A new article will become available daily througho
ut Lent. View past days by selecting their image in the scrolling bar above.
History of Lent
What are the origins of Lent? Did the Church always have this time before Easter
? In his article, "History of Lent", Fr. William Saunders iis pastor of Our Lady
of Hope Parish in Potomac Falls and former dean of the Notre Dame Graduate Scho
ol of Christendom College. Father has been writing his weekly "Straight Answers"
column for the Arlington Catholic Herald since 1993. The above article is one o
f those "Straight Answers" columns. Father Saunders is the author of Straight An
swers, Answers to 100 Questions about the Catholic Faith, a book based on 100 of
his columns and published by Cathedral Press in Baltimore.
Lent: Call To Conversion
The American Catholic feature includes a Lenten calendar, activities, readings a
nd reflections updated daily throughout Lent, from Ash Wednesday through Holy We
ek and Good Friday.
Lent and Easter in the Domestic Church
The seasons of Lent and Easter are about promises. We, as God's children, promis
e to be repent and reform, while God, the loving, patient, merciful Father promi
ses to love us and save us, despite our many broken promises. Lent is a time to
promise ourselves, our families and our communities that we will love a ittle (o
r more) harder, live a little better, try a little more. At the same time, it is
a time to remember Christ's sacrifice that brought us the fulfilled promise of
salvation and take hope and determination from it. This season is a great time t
o build a Catholic culture of the home, and tell the world that your home is a d
omestic church, a space set apart from the world.
This website, Lent and Easter in the Domestic Church, follows the ideas that Pop
e John Paul II introduced the in his "Letter to Christian Families"(also known a
s "Familiaris Consortio"). In that document he makes it very clear that families
who have experience in Christian family life should share that experiences with
younger families -- and so we are. We hope that you come across something here
that will make the faith more real, for both you and your children.
Stations of the Cross
Stations of the Cross will be prayed every Friday evening during Lent at 7:00 p.
m. in the church. All are welcome to share in this traditional devotion. We now
have an entire page of resources and links devoted to The Way of the Cross.
United States Conference of Catholic Bishops Lenten Resources
Lent offers us a time to prepare and reflect on the great Easter mystery, that "
God so loved the world that he gave his only Son." Join Catholics around the wor
ld in this holy season, using some of the resources available through this site.
Lenten Activities For Children
A link to the Catholic Mom website for a variety of resources for kids.
Reconciliation: Preparing For Jesus
The Catholic Sacrament of Reconciliation (also known as the Sacrament of Penance
, or Penance and Reconciliation) has three elements: conversion, confession and
celebration. In it we find God's unconditional forgiveness, and as a result we a
re called to forgive others.
Pretzels & Lent
Pretzels had their beginning around 610 A.D. somewhere in Southern France or Nor
thern Italy. A young monk was preparing unleavened bread for Lent, the Christian
period of fasting and penitence before Easter. Christians of the day prayed wit
h their arms folded across their chests, each hand on the opposite shoulder. It
occurred to him that he could twist the leftover dough from the bread into this
shape and use it as a treat for the children to recite their prayers. He named h
is creation 'pretiola,' Latin for 'little reward.' In the centuries following, t
he pretzel made its way into history books and European culture. The pretzel's f
orm became a symbol of good luck, long life and prosperity.
Click here to find out Do pretzels really have anything to do with Lent?
Hot Cross Buns on Good Friday
Every season, in particular liturgical seasons, have their own special tradition
s and customs. Though Christmas and Easter traditions are most familiar, it is i
mportant to highlight and celebrate the other religious seasons of which Lent is
one of them. The more common Lenten traditions are ashes on Ash Wednesday, the
palms of Palm Sunday, the Rice Bowl for almsgiving, and the devotion of the Stat
ions of the Cross, usually each Friday of Lent. Another way of teaching about Le
nt is Hot Cross Buns. They are only available during the Lenten season, most oft
en on Ash Wednesday and certainly Good Friday. Hot cross buns are usually made o
f a sweet spicy dough, with raisins and currents in it, topped with icing shaped
in the form of a cross. Thus, hot cross buns!
Like everything else in our faith, the tradition goes back to the earliest and m
edieval times of the Catholic Church. According to tradition, these buns origina
ted at St Alban's Abbey in 1361, where the monks gave them to the poor people wh
o came there. These Good Friday buns were very popular, and were sold by vendors
who cried,
Hot cross buns, Hot cross buns! One a-penny two a-penny, Hot cross buns! If you
have no daughters, give 'em to your sons! One a-penny two a-penny, Hot cross bun
s!
Click here to get a recipe to make hot cross buns and links to other kinds of Ea
ster Breads.
Operation Rice Bowl
A small influx of resources can make a big difference. Hamsatou Tangare in Mali,
a country in West Africa, couldn t earn enough as a tailor to support her family.
With a small loan form Catholic Relief Services, she expanded her business and
could ultimaitely purchase school supplies for her children. CRS microfinance pr
oject work with a group dynamic Hamsatou meets regularly with thirty other women
in her village to ensure accountability and help one another during emergencies
. St. Paul tells us to bear your hardship for the gospel with the strength that c
omes from God. Hamsatou and her neighbors are bearing it together. By praying and
giving with Operation Rice Bowl, you too are shouldering their burden and expre
ssing a profound message of solidarity. Initiatives like microfinancing will som
eday lighten the burden of African poverty.
Please participate in Operation Rice Bowl by picking up a Home Calendar Guide, o
ne per family, and one Rice Bowl per person or family. Place the money that you
save during Lent in the Rice Bowl and you can bring this back to church during t
he designated time during the Holy Thursday Mass.
Jesse Tree Treasures has a brand new product for Lent this year! Similar to the
felt Jesus Tree I've been using with our children for years, the Jesus Tree - W
alk with Jesus Through Lent is an excellent teaching tool to use with children t
o incorporate a Lenten Bible Study on the life of Jesus.
Shower of Roses
Showing posts with label Jesus Tree. Show all posts
Sunday, February 16, 2014
Jesus Tree - Walk with Jesus Through Lent {Sponsored Review & Giveaway}
Jesse Tree Treasures has a brand new product for Lent this year! Similar to the
felt Jesus Tree I've been using with our children for years, the Jesus Tree - W
alk with Jesus Through Lent is an excellent teaching tool to use with children t
o incorporate a Lenten Bible Study on the life of Jesus.
The Jesus Tree is a daily family devotional tool to observe the days of Lent. La
y all the discs face down in a circular pattern on a prayer table. Then each day
, turn one over and read a story from one of the Gospels.
Follow this devotion through Jesus life, whether during Lent or any time of the
year. Included are 47 disks for the 40 days of Lent and 7 Sundays, and 10 days t
o walk from Ascension to Pentecost. We have also included 7 bonus disks, includi
ng various holy days. Sort the ornaments by color to coordinate the weeks accord
ing to the enclosed card.
Included is a chart listing the stories from each of the gospels to assist in de
votion. It may used as a bookmark in your bible. We have placed an asterisk for
recommended readings, or read all the verses to deepen the understanding of the
events. Another option is to read from a children s bible and choose a coordinatin
g disk. The listing below shows the events in mostly chronological order.
Some other creative ways to display the discs...
- Glue a magnet or a thumb tack to the back. Use with a Lent Calendar or create
a design using scrapbook paper in the shape of tree or road.
- Hang from a tree, branch, wreath or garland glue a ribbon or a jewelry bail find
ing to the back for hanging.
- Use a simple table runner, or place sand from the craft store onto a tray and
use the disk to make a path to the cross, or a spiral shape.
We know this will be a meaningful and colorful way to bring alive the observance
of Lent and Easter.
Each set contains:
64 discs
A gold pouch to hold the ornaments
A gift box to store them in
3 prayer cards listing scripture references