What's Up With Lent?

Several people read this blog that are not Orthodox, but are my friends on Facebook.  So I will explain a little bit about what we do during this time.

Fasting plays a great part, but is not the sole reason for Lent.  It is part of learning obedience, and to lead you into a more prayerful life.  Less time spent on food, more time for God.   Two weeks before, we have Meatfare week, which is a time to clean out the cupboards and refrigerator of meat products.  The next week is Cheesefare week, which is a time to clean out and eat up all the dairy.  Then during Lent, we are expected to eat a mostly vegan diet.  This week ended last Sunday night with Forgiveness Sunday service, the official start to Lent.  The Forgiveness Service is a time for everyone in the parish to recognize the need to forgive because God forgives.  I have a hard time with this one, because forgiveness is  a practice I've had to teach myself,  I am not a very forgiving person.  Shamefully, I must admit that I didn't go this year. 

During this first week of Lent we have several services.  The Great Canon of St. Andrew of Crete, which involves lots of prostrations, speaks of our need for mercy and forgiveness from God.   We are also reminded that Jesus Christ was born of the flesh of a woman and from the Spirit, so that He is fully God and fully man.  Many people are mistaken about the use of Mary in our worship.   Mary is called forth as a reminder of this miracle of God's presence among us.  

Anyway,  on Wednesdays and Fridays during Lent we have Presanctified Liturgy.  We are not allowed to have a full communion service during the weeks of Lent, only on Sundays, so the priest prepares enough bread and wine on Sundays to last for two more services during the week.  We are to fast prior to these services, so usually there is a vegetarian soup supper afterwards at our church on Wednesdays. 

 Someone asked what "Liturgy" is, it  means work, which is what we do when we worship and sacrifice our praise to God.   It involves sets of prayers, or litanies,  and reading of Psalms, OT or NT reading,  the Gospel,  and hymns to God,  a remembrance of a particular saint or event in Bible,  and a homily, or sermon, usually on the daily Bible reading.  The service culminates in serving of the Eucharist.  

Lent is a time for asking forgiveness, searching yourself,  weeding out the bad, filling the empty space with good.  Coming closer to God through prayer.  Sure, you can do this all year long, but who has that sense of commitment?   I know that around the world, millions of people , Orthodox, Roman Catholic, Anglican, Lutheran, and others who chose to,  are struggling right along with me.  I can make another pot of beans because I know there are millions of other moms doing the same thing.   I can get on my knees without too much self-consciousness because I know others are also.   I can "stop the noise"  and read my Bible.  I can take food to the food pantry.  I can ask forgiveness of those around me for sins I have committed against them.  I can start to forgive others. Yes, yes, I can.  I should. I have, I will continue, because I need the practice, and I'm lousy with sin myself.

If you are in Lent,   let's do it together, pressing on toward the goal of Jesus Christ, our Glorious Pascha!
Pascha means Passover in Greek.  Jesus came to fulfill all that was prepared before Him in the OT.  He is the Passover.   The One who gets us to God. 

Hebrews 12: 1  Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. 

Dianne , who needs to do it all better