We are in the Midst of Great Lent

An Orthodox Christian Hymn of Great Lent

O Master of all creation,

You open for us the season of repentance,

Calling the wandering heart to return.

Let the light of Your mercy dawn upon our souls,

For we have walked in shadows and forgotten Your commandments.

Strengthen us, O Christ,

To take up the fast with joy,

To cleanse the senses,

And to purify the thoughts of our hearts.

Make our tears a second baptism,

And our prayers a sweet offering before Your throne.

Guide us through the desert of this holy struggle,

As once You guided Israel by the pillar of fire,

Leading us to the Pascha of Your glory.

For You alone are the Giver of life,

The One who lifts up the fallen

And restores the broken to wholeness.

Dearest Spiritual ‘Ohana!

We find ourselves right in the Holy Season of Great Lent, a time of “joyful-sadness,” to help us to discover and rediscover our purpose as human beings, which is ultimately to be in communion with God. We are dynamic beings, not stagnant ones. Figuratively, and literally, we find ourselves all over the place when it comes to our spiritual state. We are hot, strong, cold, lukewarm, indifferent, weak, etc., when it comes to our relationship with God. This is why we need this season every year!

The hymn, above, helps us to comprehend the deep meaning of this Holy Season we call Great Lent. The Church offers us opportunities through the beneficial tools of fasting, repentance, struggle in spiritual warfare, almsgiving, extra services, and increased prayer. All these help us to move in the right direction to have our lives focused in the right direction, and acquiring and experiencing a fulfilling relationship with our Living God.

The Saints who are our fervent, dependable and most reliable intercessors and friends, pray ceaselessly for us, before our Lord. I would like to share with you some of their “pearls of wisdom” to us. See and read the following:

“Do you fast? Then feed the hungry, give drink to the thirsty, visit the sick, do not forget the imprisoned, have pity on the tortured, comfort those who grieve and who weep, be merciful, humble, kind, calm, patient, sympathetic, forgiving, reverent, truthful and pious, so that God might accept you fasting and might plentifully grant you the fruits of repentance.” ~Saint John Chrysostom

“A true fast consists not only in exhausting the flesh, but also in giving away to the hungry that piece of bread you would have liked to eat.” ~Saint Seraphim of Sarov

“O Lord and Master of my life, give me not a spirit of sloth, vain curiosity, lust for power and idle talk. But give to me, Your servant, a spirit of soberness, humility, patience and love.  O Lord and King, grant me to see my own faults and not to condemn my brother; for blessed are You to the ages of ages. Amen. God cleanse me the sinner.” ~Prayer of Saint Ephraim the Syrian

“The bread you do not use is the bread of the hungry. The garment hanging in your wardrobe is the garment of the person who is naked. The shoes you do not wear are the shoes of the one who is barefoot. The money you keep locked away is the money of the poor. The acts of charity you do not perform are the injustices you commit.” ~Saint Basil the Great

“If our thoughts are kind, peaceful, and quiet, turned only to the good, then we also influence ourselves and radiate peace all around us - in our family, the whole country, everywhere. This is true not only here on earth, but in the cosmos as well. When we labor in the fields of the Lord, we create harmony. Divine harmony, peace, and quiet spread everywhere.” ~Elder Thaddeus of Vitnovica

“Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.” ~St. Paul the Apostle (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18)

I pray that all of you experience a Blessed, Fulfilling and Purposeful Great Lent!

With Love in Christ,

+Fr. Alexander