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Lenten Season The Pre-Lenten season is a time of invitation. The Church repeatedly calls us to make good use of the coming season of penance. She does this tactfully, humanly, gently. She offers the great examples of God’s mercy, encouraging us to be repentant and begging us to take advantage of the opportunity God gives us. Then she bluntly warns us of the fire of hell and eternal damnation. Finally, taking us by the hand in her motherly love, she shows us how to be reconciled with God and how to participate in His divine favours. And now Lent is here: the season of fasting and penance, the time of prayer and self-denial, the solemn season of expiation, the gateway to the great anniversary of our redemption. This is the time when every good Christian seeks God in a special way, diligently searching his heart that he may know God, that he may come closer to Him, and that he many love Him better. He ponders “the mysteries of God” and applies the Gospel message that he may “advance in wisdom – and grace before God and men.” (lk.2:52) He meditates upon the bitter sufferings and death of his Saviour so that he may understand the seriousness of sin and appreciate the price of his redemption. Year by year he makes this sacred pilgrimage from Gethsemane to Calvary, not with worldly sentimentalism but with mystic realism. He goes “up to Jerusalem” and “into the valley of shadow and death” with his Master so that he may better appreciate the Easter message, “I am the resurrection and the life” (Jn. 11:25). To help us achieve this end, the Church during Lent, makes her services more meaningful and more eloquent. These services are distinguished by moving hymns and prayers which were composed in the monastic cells of holy men like St. John Damascene and his friend, Cosmas of Maium, the Studite Fathers Joseph and Theodore, St. Andrew of Crete and others. The liturgy portrays the entire history of mankind from its creation and fall to its redemption. It also portrays the unending spiritual combat against the flesh and the devil. In this battle we need strong armor, and this why the Church summons us to enter into the house of God that she may fortify us for the holy contest. We are entering upon a long campaign-forty days of battle, forty days of penance. The Lenten liturgy prepares for our approaching redemption by expression of sincere penance through the words of the psalms and warnings of the prophets. These prayers and hymns, full of meaning for us, find dramatic expression in appropriate rites and ceremonies, humble prostrations and sombre melodies, so that the whole man, so strongly influenced externally, will perform inner penance and makes heartfelt acts of contrition. Throughout the first week of Lent, which begins on Monday, the readings are taken from Genesis and describe the fall of Adam, making plain the sorrowful situation in which man found himself after committing the first sin. This too should help us to do penance and to be grateful to our Redeemer for saving us from Adam’s state. The first Sunday of lent is the Sunday of Orthodoxy, instituted after the final victory over the iconoclasts. Iconoclasm was a heresy of the eighth century which taught that the veneration or relative worship of holy images is unlawful. Around 726 A.D. Emperor Leo the Isaurian published an edict which let to the destruction of holy images and the persecution of their defenders. In 787 A.D., the seventh ecumenical council declared that “both the figure of the sacred and life giving Cross and also the venerable images-are to be place suitable in the holy churches of God…” The council stated further that the honour paid to them is only relative, that is, given for the sake of what they represent, not for the sake of images themselves, which are to receive veneration, not adoration. But in 814 A.D. iconoclasm broke out again through the instigation of the Emperor Leo the Armenian and his successors. This persecution lasted until the Empress Theodora became regent in 842 A.D. The final defeat of iconoclasm and the restoration of holy images to the churches took place on February 19 which in 842 A.D. happened to be the first Sunday of Lent. This is why we still celebrate the victory of the true faith on this Sunday. The principal defenders of the teaching of the Church in this great struggle were St. John Damascene and St. Theodore the Studite. On the second Sunday of Lent the Church leads us in the pious works of prayer and fasting because the weakness of our soul and body can be healed only by the grace of God. The liturgy gives us the examples of the martyrs “who through penance and mortification overcame the disorder of their burning passion and received the grace to heal the sick and, after their death, the power to perform miracles.” (stichera of vespers). It exhorts us through the words of the kontakion: “Today the time of earthly deeds is revealed for judgement is at hand: let us be found tasting, and let us bring tears of supplication begging mercy and crying out: I have sinned more times that the sands of the sea, but forgive me, O Creator of all, that I may receive the incorruptible crown.” Christ can save us as He saved and healed the palsied man in Capharnaum, described in the Gospel of this Sunday. The Third Sunday is the Sunday of the Veneration of the Holy Cross. Every great effort brings pain and fatigue. Discouragement and disinterest usually appear before the work is done. The Church knows well that, through man begins with the best intentions, he soon weakens. For this reason, in the middle of Lent, she displays the Holy Cross as a sign of victory to weakening man to strengthen him in his work for salvation. During matins, the priest carries the cross in procession from the altar into the nave of the church and places it on the tetrapod for the veneration of the faithful throughout the week. The cross is planted in the midst of Lent like the tree of life in paradise, like the rod of Mosses in the camp, in order that anyone who looks upon it may find health and strength and the courage to fulfil the duties of this life. During the Divine liturgy, instead of the trisagion we sing: “O Lord, we venerate your cross and glorify your holy resurrection.” Throughout the entire liturgy, the cross is called “life-giving,” “door of paradise, the confirmation of believers, the wall of the Church, the tree of incorruption,” “the unconquerable weapon,” “the triumph of kings and the pride of priests.” On the fourth Sunday the Church reminds the fasting faithful of the weaknesses of the flesh, urging them to “watch and pray.” Amidst our temptations and difficulties we have to exert great spiritual force so as to rise out of transitoriness and decay. As long as we behave unfeelingly and passively, we do not conquer. But our soul wishes to work, to stretch out, to rise above the mire, to overcome the animal nature in man and transfigure man. We have to pray in such a way that our prayer will be a moral exertion, that we will seriously and determinedly want to achieve a more beautiful, purer, stronger frame of mind. This Sunday is also dedicated to St. John Climacus (525-606 A.D.) the saintly abbot of the monastery on Mt. Sanai and author of The Ladder of Divine Ascent. Although his feast falls on March 30 the custom of celebrating it on the fourth Sunday of Lent was introduced because his book was read in monasteries at this time. His book, The Ladder of Divine Ascent, consists of 30 steps towards the spiritual perfection of man, each step representing one year in the life of Christ. It is a fundamental book for religious, describing the perfect unity of man with God and giving directions to those who would follow the words of our Lord: “Be perfect as your heavenly Father is perfect,” On the Wednesday following this Sunday the daily matins with a special Canon is conducted and called the Great Cannon of St. Andrew of Crete, popularly known as the “Prostrations.” The name “Prostrations” is used because after each invocation of the Canon both priest and the faithful make a low, profound bow while they sing “Have mercy on me O God, have mercy on me” or “Glory to you , O God, glory to You.” The Cannon of St. Andrew if Crete encourages us to do penance. The various odes of the cannon present all those who, both in the Old Testament and of the New Testament, have sinned but repented for their sins and eventually became favourites of God. Their example is given us to be followed. We sinners are aware of our sins and are at last willing to ask for forgiveness. We know we have offended God repeatedly by all sorts of sin, but during the Lenten season we also realize that “the time of life passes like a dream and like flowers.” In all humility we confess, “There has never been a sin in the world, O Saviour, no deed of iniquity that I have not committed, sinning in thought, word and intention, in plan, determination and action, as no one else has done.” But we are hopeful, we know that God will forgive and forget our offences. If He forgave David who “sinned doubly, having been pierced with the arrow of adultery and stabbed with the spear of a murderous crime,” He most certainly will forgive our iniquities also. Among others, the Venerable Mother Mary of Egypt is presented as an example of true penance. Hence the cannon is sometimes called “the Standing Service of Mary of Egypt.” On the Saturday that follows the fourth Sunday of Lent, the Akathist is sung in honour of the Mother of God. This “Akathist Saturday” was established in commemoration for an event that took place in 926 A.D., when the pagan barbarians stormed the city of Constantinople. The people besought the aid of the Mother of God, who heard their prayers and helped them to free themselves from the invading pagans. It so happened that on the day when the people filled the church, so none sat down during the time the Mother of God was being honoured in prayer, and for that reason the service came to be called in Greek “Akathistos,” which means “not sitting” The Akathist is a service consisting of hymns in honour of the Incarnation which include the annunciation to Mary, the visit to St. Elizabeth, the birth of Christ in Bethlehem, the adoration of the shepherds and the Magi, the flight into Egypt and meeting with age Simeon. In the second part, there are rich theological passages and special praises addressed to our Lord and His Mother. On the fifth Sunday, the Church encourages and strengthens the faithful with the reminder that hey have already passed the great part of Lent. The end is at hand. Let us persevere until the end. Let us work now, “while it is day.” Procrastination is the thief of time. Let us use our time well for the benefit of our soul. Let us occupy ourselves with love and with a humble attention to our own self and our tasks, conscious of God and our difficulties. Let us do this not feverishly but diligently. Fever and excitement harass, but diligence comforts us. On this Sunday, the Church recalls the example of a great penitent, Mary of Egypt (c. 450 A.D.). And Egyptian by birth, Mary was a frivolous actress and lived in Alexandria, leading a sinful life. After her conversion she went into the desert neat the river Jordan where she spent the remainder of her life doing penance for her sins. She reached a high degree of perfection and became a model for all penitent sinners. The Church singles her out as an example, showing that we too can become saints in spite of our past sins and human weaknesses. The troparion expresses this very thought: “In you, O Mother, was accurately preserved the divine image. Accepting the cross and following Christ, you have thought us by your life to despise the flesh because it is mortal and to take care of the soul, which is immortal. With Lent of the sixth week, Lent proper ends. Saturday and Palm Sunday form transition to the Passion Week. From Monday until Easter Sunday, the church commemorates the passion and death of our Lord. The days from this Saturday to Easter are “days of tears,” and days of more rigorous prayer and fast. At the grave of his friend Lazarus, Christ wept; and after He raised Lazarus from the dead, the Jews, “from that day devised to put Him to death” (Jn. 11:53). Even when He was about to enter Jerusalem in triumph, we read that “when He saw the city, He wept over it but the chief priests and scribes and the leading men of the people sought to destroy Him” (Lk. 19:41-47). Christ referred to these days as the “days when the Bridegroom shall be taken away from them, then shall they fast in those days” (Lk. 5:35). On the Saturday following the fifth Sunday of Lent, called the Saturday of Lazarus, the memory of the great miracles is renewed. The church rejoices in the fact that Christ’s promise of our resurrection is sure, for even here on earth He displayed His power to raise Lazarus from the dead. It was necessary for Christ to perform such a public miracle that the people would have no doubt about Him. Jesus knew that the dead man would someday be raised from death, but He wanted to give a public expression of His knowledge. He knew that His word would create and give life because God wills it so. When He cried out with a loud voice, “Lazarus, come forth,” His words were addressed to all people. By these words Christ asks us for our faith, strength and conviction. The sixth Sunday of Lent is called Palm Sunday because it commemorates the triumphal entry of Christ into Jerusalem, when assembled people went out to meet Him with palm branches. Christ planned this public manifestation to show us that He begins this road of suffering amid the spring newness of palm and olive branches. For this way, Christ repeats the deep meaning of his suffering. The world cannot understand these thoughts. Man degrades himself by his impatience and mistrust in suffering. Man tries to hide his sufferings, whereas Jesus exhibits His to all the world. The prophet Zachary had foretold the triumphal welcome which the Son of Man was to receive a few days before His passion and which had been prepared for Him from all eternity: “Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Sion! Shout for joy, O daughter of Jerusalem! Behold your king will come to you, the Just One and the Saviour. He is poor and riding upon an ass, and upon a colt, the foal of the ass” (Za. 9:9-10). The church Fathers have explained the mystery of these two animals to us. The ass represents the Jewish people, which had been long under the yoke of the Law. The colt, upon which the Evangelist tells us no man had yet sat (Mt. 11:2), is a figure of the Gentile world, which no one had yet brought into subjection. The future of these two peoples is to be decided a few days hence. The Jews will be rejected and the Gentiles will take their place. The Liturgy is so arranged that expresses both joy and sorrow-joy, by uniting itself with the loyal “hosannas” of the people of Jerusalem: sorrow, by anticipating the passion of our Lord. The prayers the liturgy uses for the blessing of palms and willows are eloquent and full of instruction. The sprinkling with holy water and the incensation make these branches a means for the sanctification of our souls. They are distributed to the people during matins or after the Divine Liturgy. The blessed branches are kept in our homes as an outward expression of our faith and as a pledge of God’s watchful love. The celebration of Palm Sunday started very early in the East. In all probability it began in Jerusalem immediately after the age of persecutions. St. Cyril, who was bishop of Jerusalem in the fourth century, tells us that the very palm tree from which the people cut branches when they went out to meet our Saviour was still to be seen in the valley of Cedron. In the following century we find this ceremony already established in Egypt and in Syria. In regions lacking palm trees, Palm Sunday is also called “Flowers Sunday” or “willowy Sunday” especially among the Slavs. According to ancient Eastern custom there was no Divine Liturgy celebrated throughout Lent, except on Saturdays and Sundays. This was so because the essentially joyful celebration of Liturgies was considered incompatible with the strict fast. Holy Communion, however, was distributed every day for which purpose the Liturgy of the Presanctified was performed throughout Lent. Today, however, most Eastern Catholics celebrate Divine Liturgy on Lenten weekdays. Basil Sereghy |