Tomorrow we begin Great and Holy Lent. We put our earthly cares and distractions aside for a season to journey with Christ into the desert, to be with Christ. We fast and to pray as He did before facing and defeating the Devil. We make the most of this spiritual ‘hospital’ so that we can take several steps forward in faith, growing in the knowledge and love of God. We do so to focus on Him and the immortality of our souls, to enter more fully into the Kingdom of His Son, Jesus Christ. Our tools are prayer, fasting, the divine services—particularly the Presanctified Liturgies on Wednesdays, in addition to Great Vespers and the Divine Liturgy on the weekends. We prayer the Prayer of St. Ephraim twice daily, we struggle vigorously with our sin-sickness, confessing it, giving it over to Christ, learning to trust Him more.
And, so that we may purify ourselves inwardly as we begin the fast, Christ has as our starting place forgiveness, in which we acknowledge before God and before one another the spiritual pollution that our sins cause, how they harm us and those around us. We ask forgiveness, so that we, in turn, may find forgiveness from our Lord for the many ways that we abandon through our sins the calling to sonship to which He has called each one of us. It does us no good to fast and pray and go through Lent if we are not prostrating our hearts before God AND our fellow man. Metropolitan Kallistos Ware says, “The fast without mutual love, is the fast of demons!”
Likewise, we learn through Christ and in His Church, that forgiveness is the path toward freedom—both for ourselves, our Church family, and the world. Fr. Alexander Schmemann says: “The triumph of sin, the main sign of its rule over the world, is division, opposition, separation, hatred. Therefore, the first break through this fortress of sin is forgiveness: the return to unity, solidarity, love…” (Great Lent). And so, we hope, we pray, we struggle, we worship, we fast, that we may arrive at Holy Pascha changed more and more into the likeness of Christ. May it be so! Amen!
This week at Holy Archangels:
• Monday, March 18, Great and Holy Lent Begins!
• Wednesday, March 20, 6:30, First Presanctified Liturgy Lenten Potluck Dinner following and Fr. Robert’s teaching on the LORD’s PRAYER, St. John’s Boathouse.
• Thursday, March 21, 4:00 p.m., Canon of St. Andrew of Crete, St. John’s Boathouse
• Saturday, March 23, 6 p.m., Great Vespers with Matins Gospel. Confession following.
• Sunday, March 24, 9:30 a.m. Hours 10 am Divine Liturgy followed by Trapeza
Looking Ahead: Save the Dates!
• Monday, March 25, 10 a.m., Divine Liturgy for the Annunciation, St. Martin’s
Prayer Requests:
➢ Pray for God’s ongoing financial provision for our Mission.
➢ Please pray for our Mission that we may find a Choir Director and that we may continue to grow in spirit and in numbers as a living witness of God’s love, healing, power, and glory.
➢ Healing for Fr. George Johnson, Benedict, Marina, Colette, Mary, Carol, Katherine, Carey, Hannah, Luke, Caroline, Elizabeth, and baby Carrie.
➢ For the newly illumined servant of God, Emiliane.
➢ Thanksgiving for a successful surgery for Mary Ann.
➢ Repose for the soul of Carrie Elizabeth.
Troparion (Resurrection) Tone 8
You descended from on high, O Merciful One!
You accepted the three day burial to free us from our sufferings!//
O Lord, our Life and Resurrection, glory to You
Troparion (Holy Archangels) Tone 4
Commanders of the heavenly hosts, // we who are unworthy beseech you:
by your prayers encompass us beneath the wings of your immaterial glory,
and faithfully preserve us who fall down and cry to you://
“Deliver us from all harm, for you are the Commanders of the Powers on high!”
Kontakion (Resurrection) Tone 8
By rising from the tomb, You raised the dead and resurrected Adam.
Eve exults in Your Resurrection,//
and the world celebrates Your rising from the dead, O greatly Merciful One!
Kontakion (from the Lenten Triodion) Tone 6
O Master, Teacher of wisdom,
Bestower of virtue,
Who teaches the thoughtless and protects the poor,
strengthen and enlighten my heart!
O Word of the Father,
let me not restrain my mouth from crying to You:
“Have mercy on me, a transgressor,//
O merciful Lord!”
Kontakion (Holy Archangels) Tone 2
Commanders of God’s armies // and ministers of the divine glory,
princes of the bodiless Angels // and guides of mankind;
ask for what is good for us, and for great mercy,//
Supreme Commanders of the Bodiless Hosts.
