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Encyclicals
"Be like Living Stones" – Patriarchal Encyclical of the Great Lent 2017
May we renew our commitment to the Church, "the temple of God" which makes us "spiritual temples" of Him, by the power of His gospel and the grace of the mysteries of salvation and the dwelling of the Holy Spirit in us. ...
'I was a stranger and you took me in' – Patriarchal Encyclical for the Great Lent 2016
During this great lent, we call upon our spiritual children to open their hearts and homes to receive strangers and immigrants, and to help the brethren who have been forced to leave their houses due to harsh living conditions and miseries in their homeland. ...
Where Do You Want to Spend Your Eternity? Holy Great Lent Apostolic Encyclical 2014 by HH Zakka I Iwas, Patriarch of Antioch and All The East
The Holy Gospel unveils what will happen in the heavens on the terrible Day of Judgment, when time comes and the general resurrection becomes real. Divine revelation draws a clear image where we see the righteous judge surrounded by all the peoples of the world separated into two categories, the category of the righteous who have stood to the right of the judge, and the category of the evil ones who have stood to his left. ...
Apostolic Holy Lent Encyclical 2013: Charity
by HH Zakka I Iwas, Patriarch of Antioch and All The East
The central component of our words here is charity. Charity with our neighbor is commended by natural law and recommended by divine law as well; people are all children of Adam and Eve, brothers sharing the goods of this earth. They have to love each others. After receiving the sufficient needs from their wealth, the rich shall fill the needs of the poor with their abundant goods; this is what natural law dictates. ...
Message of Pope Francis For Lent 2015
Lent is a time of renewal for the whole Church, for each communities and every believer. Above all it is a "time of grace" (2 Cor 6:2). God does not ask of us anything that he himself has not first given us. "We love because he first has loved us" (1 Jn 4:19). He is not aloof from us. Each one of us has a place in his heart. ...
Walking with God - Apostolic Bull on the Great Lent from Holy Father (2012)
The fact that Enoch was taken alive to the heavens in soul and body is a solid proof that confirms the doctrines of the immortality of the human being and that of eternal life. It is also a calling for man to walk with God in order to win eternal happiness.
Life in Christ - Message of Great Lent from Holy Father (2011)
Apostolic Bull for Great Lent -2011
The holy gospel is a reliable record of the teachings of our Lord Jesus Christ in words and deeds during His divine economy in the flesh. It does not impose on us orders. It does not give us commandments to blindly hold to. It does not list prohibitions. Rather, it presents to us Jesus Christ as a living paradigm to longue for and a model to pursue carrying His cross. We shall follow Him so that we obtain eternal life through Him.
The Patriarchal Encyclical of the Holy Great Lent 2010
The time for the Forty Days Holy Great Lent has arrived. It is a golden opportunity offered by our mother holy church to examine ourselves, to refrain from vices, uphold virtues, and return to God with repentance. Like the eagle training his young ones to soar high in the air, so does the holy church is training the faithful to soar in spiritual heights, giving them the graceful means to be liberated from earthly gravity that attracts them.
A message for the Great Lent by His Eminence Issac Mor Osthatheos Metropolitan
Reconciliation and Self Examination
Reconciliation and Healing
Lent is a wonderful time to celebrate the reconciling love and the healing graces our Lord offers us. Like all religious experience, it takes preparation. ...
Preparing for The Sacrament of Reconciliation
Celebrating and receiving the Sacrament of Reconciliation can be among the most blessed of human experiences. Yet, there are a number of reasons why we don't take advantage of this Sacrament or we don't celebrate it well. Fear, shame, bad experiences of the past, a long time since the last reception of the Sacrament or bad habits in celebrating it now are all possible reasons for struggles with this Sacrament. ..
Examination of Conscience
Here is a helpful examination of conscience, based on the Ten Commandments. Perform a brief examination every night, but go through a more thorough examination before confessing your sins to the priest.
Preparing for Confession - Orthodox Church
In Orthodox Church, the confession guides are typically centered around the 10 Commandments and The Beatitudes. Here is an excerpt from the Greek Orthodox Church Guide to Preparing for Confession. Similar confessionals are used in other Orthodox Churches.
Preparing for Confession - Guide for Adults
Here is a document prepared by a Catholic Lay member about preparing for the Confession. It is an excellent article to prepare for a Lifetime Confession and as a guide for the Examination of Conscience.
God's Invitation To Us
Lent is a season of being invited by God in a deeply personal way. "Come back to me, with all of your heart," our Lord beckons. "We will," we respond, but we aren’t quite ready yet, our hearts are not prepared. We want to squirm, evade, avoid. Our souls not yet perfect. We are not ready for God to love us..
Thoughts for Great Lent - Deepam Bible Study
A great meditation in Malayalam.
Lent - General Articles
God Alone Satisfies
The voice of God came through the figure of the Crucified Christ, saying to St. Thomas Aquinas: "You have written well of me, Thomas. What would you have?" St. Thomas Aquinas could choose whatever he wanted, whatever he desired. Would he ask for wealth or fame or power? Would he ask for love or athletic skill or simple pleasures? He could ask for anything; what would he ask of the Lord? He answered the Savior with these words: "Nil nisi te, Domine, nil nisi te." Only you, Lord, only you. ....
Get Into Character This Lent
Character is a very important aspect of an individual and helps in the spiritual life of an individual. A person with integrity and character shows good leadership skills and can always be an inspiration to others. But one cannot say that one is born with good character...
Lent Is A Time to Return to Our Lord With All Our Heart
Ashes are sprinkled on our heads, but Lent is lived in the heart. God wants pierced hearts. God looks for the broken heart. "Even now," says the Lord, "return to me with all your heart, with fasting, with weeping, and with mourning; and rend your hearts and not your garments" (Joel 2:12-13). Paradoxically, in order to give God one's whole heart, it must first be pierced and broken. This is what we mean when we speak of compunction and contrition....
Lent as a Way of Healing Ourselves of Prejudices and Wrong Notions by Fr. Jerry Kurian
Lent is a time to understand the presence of God inside us. God's love for us is unconditional and not based on the fulfilling of certain parameters. Let this lent be a time of realization and not self actualization and self praise. Let it rather be a celebration of life where those around us will be blessed and happy by our presence and intervention. ...
The Great Lent in the View of Bar Ebroyo by Fr. Dr. Biji Chirathilattu
The famous thirteenth century Syrian Orthodox Maphrian Yuhanon Gregorios Aboul Faraj Bar Ebroyo, who dominates the Syrian Orthodox Church History and who is rightly called the Thomas of Aquinas of the Syrian Orthodox Christianity, was the last Syrian Father to do an extensive codification of the different patristic directions towards the spiritual exercises in his Church. ...
Lent - A Time for Repentance and Forgiveness by Rev. J. Curtis Goforth
Sin is one of those things that we do not like to exhibit. Sin is something that modern people think is a private matter - something just between me and God. However, in the Church, sin is something that is very public and private. ...
You are Going to Die - An After Ash Wednesday Reflection
REMEMBER … you are dust; you are going to die. Get ready. Now is the time; be earnest about it. Be thoughtful; reflect, considering carefully what your decisions amount to, where you are headed, and what your life means. Too many people live unreflected lives, never thinking much on these things. ...
Pierce Thou My Heart, Love Crucified by Fr. Mark
This excellent article by Fr. Mark dwells on the meaning of lent. He explains the various facets of the lent - fasting, meditation, scripture reading and reflection, charity, etc.
Lent - Freedom from Self
When the tendency to hyper-focus on imperfections and sins takes over, we need to remember that Lent is the journey towards Easter. It is meant to help us grow in our relationship with God, not lead us into clinical depression...
Lent - Introduction
Lent - An Explanation for Children
Fasting, prayer, confession, reconciliation, Holy Communion, charity and capping with love are the steps to reach and experience the resurrected Jesus in person.
Outline of Great Lent (According to Malankara Syriac Orthodox Tradition) by George Aramath
Great Lent in the Syriac Orthodox Church starts with evening prayer on the 1st Sunday (Wedding of Cana) and concludes with the Holy Kurbana/Mass on 8th Sunday (Resurrection/Easter).
Why Great Lent? What's the purpose? How do I take part? by George Aramath
Is it possible to observe the Great Fast/Lent in our current culture? What's the point of it anyway? It seems like an ancient practice irrelevant today.
Lent for Dummies by Christopher S. Wendell
Our scripture lesson gives us clues about what might be good things to be doing during lent. Jesus suggests generosity (giving alms), prayer, and self-denial (fasting). Jesus doesn't tell us what to do or even why but simply how – how to give alms, how to pray, and how to fast. In this way we avoid the motivation of the hypocrite and discover the deeper meaning of these spiritual practices.
Some thoughts about Lent for Busy People by E.F. Pemberton
Do not let us forget the real object of our fast. We deny ourselves to subdue our bodies, so that our spiritual life may increase. We fast that we may be stronger to fight against our besetting sin, our bad habits, and faults. If you do not know, find out at once what is your besetting sin, i.e., the sin you most frequently commit; fight hard against it, and pray for the opposite virtue every day.
Great Fast (50-day Fast) by Rev. Fr. Johnson Punchakonam
During the Weeks of Great Fast (Valiya Nompu), Mar Thoma Nazranis (St. Thomas Christians of India) meditate on the Passion and Death of 'Iso-Msiha'. The fasting starts immediately after the Petratha Sunday.
Behavior During Lent
A Pastoral Letter from the Bishop of Bath and Wells to his Clergy concerning their Behavior during Lent. By Thomas Ken, D.D. London, 1688
Great Lent - A Time for Spiritual Renewal in Jesus Christ
The Church gives us Great Lent to be renewed, to escape the dreariness and weariness of life, and enter into the bright joy of life in Jesus Christ.
Great Lent: A Season of Renewal for All
Prophet Isaiah was emphatic in arguing that lent and fasting are not just pious "obligatory Observances" for the people of God, but a tremendous transforming force. Being mortal and feeble, humans need periodic renewal of body, mind and soul. How is this possible?
The Mystery of Lent by Abbot Gueranger O.S.B.
A season so sacred as this of Lent is rich in mysteries. The Church has made it a time of recollection and penance, in preparation for the greatest of all her feasts; she would, therefore, bring into it everything that could excite the faith of her children, and encourage them to go through the arduous work of atonement for their sins. ...
Practice During Lent by Abbot Gueranger O.S.B.
Penance consists in contrition of the soul, and mortification of the body; these two parts are essential to it. The soul has willed the sin; the body has frequently co-operated in its commission. Moreover, man is composed of both soul and body; both, then, should pay homage to their Creator.
Some Hints for Lent by the Rt. Rev. A.C.A. Hall
The chief duties of Lent are Retirement, Prayer, Fasting, Repentance, and Almsgiving.
Conversion Through Prayer, Fasting and Almsgiving
Lenten conversion is not a superficial renewal. What the Lord wants is not just the change of bad habits and worldly vices; He wants a clean soul and no half-measures will do.
Prostration/ Kneeling (Kumbideel)
'Namaskaram' means PRAYING ON KNEES. While praying, we kneel or bend down before Almighty God. The whole participation of human mind, soul and body in prayer /worship is the peculiarity of orthodox worship.
A Daily Time Alone with God
For many people this time of year brings more activities and personal obligations. When this occurs, a person's devotional times get squeezed out of their daily schedule, and soon their relationship with the Lord becomes distant. Having a daily Time Alone with God is vital to keeping a strong, vibrant, relationship with the Lord.
Fasting
Fasting Out of Love
God doesn't want a fulfilled obligation; he wants our hearts. While Moses (Exodus 34:28) fasted to prepare for God's revelation, Jesus took it a step further by doing the practice out of love. ...
The Key to True Fasting
If you want to have the capacity to fast spiritually and truly you have to experience the wedding feast of the Lamb of God. In this great wedding feast, which we are to experience through prayer, scripture and especially the Liturgy, we are to be filled with Christ. We are to encounter him and feast abundantly on his Word, his Body and Blood and to rejoice with him exceedingly. And when this happens we are authentically equipped to fast. ...
Fasting
by HH LL Ignatius Zakka I Iwas, Patriarch of Universal Syrian Orthodox Church and All The East
Fasting is a voluntary act of abandoning worldly life. It is a sign of man’s obedience to, and respect of God’s laws and his observance of God’s offices by his voluntary abstinence from food or drink for a specific period of time.
Fasting Guidelines during Great Lent for Orthodox Christians
We Orthodox Christians, in obedience to the words of our Divine Savior, and in imitation of the saints, set aside a period of intense fasting and prayer in order to purify our spiritual senses so we may see the Holy Resurrection.
Real Fasting
When we have gone through the labor of fasting, we forfeit not the crown of fasting, we should understand how, and after what manner, it is necessary to conduct this business; since that Pharisee also fasted, but afterwards went down empty, and destitute of the fruit of fasting.
Lenten Reflections: LENT as FEAST and FAST
Lent is more than just a giving up. It is giving… developing a greater love towards God,
self and others. LENT can be a FEAST AND A FAST.
The Significance of Fasting in the Struggle against Fallen Spirits
Fasting is acceptable to God when it is preceded by the great virtue of mercy; fasting prepares a reward in heaven when it is foreign to hypocrisy and vainglory; fasting works when it is joined with another great virtue – prayer.
Fasting Enlightens the Soul
Fasting helps to have serenity of the soul because the one, who hungers in his stomach, enlightens his intellect. Therefore, the hunger is a key, which opens the door of wisdom.
The General Canons of Fasting
Bar Ebroyo depends upon the decision of the Synod of Laodicea and Patriarch Timotheos and Patriarch John III of Antioch to describe the dos and don'ts in the great lent.
The Number and Days of Fasts - Part 1
There are a number of fasts in the Syrian Orthodox Church and often many questions are asked from the part of the believers as to the dos and don'ts in the fasts, the beginning, duration, and ending of the fasts etc.
The Number and Days of Fasts - Part 2
Other than the fasts on Wednesdays and Fridays, there are five more Fasts in a year. The great lent begins on the Monday coming closer, before or after the full moon between second February and eighth March.
The Material Benefits of Fasting
In accordance with the fact that Bar Ebroyo himself was a doctor, he underlines through a quotation from the doctors of his time that fasting improves the health of the body.
The Efficacy of Fasting and the Different Categories of Fasting.
According to Bar Ebroyo, the fasting may be defined in terms of time, of the kind of food or in terms of both time and food, and they are the three different categories of fasting.
Study: Monthly fasting may help heart
A study in Utah, where the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints is based, found that people who skipped meals once a month were about 40 percent less likely to be diagnosed with clogged arteries than those who did not regularly fast.
Fasts and Feasts in Mar Thoma Church: Fire for the Journey of Faith
There are a growing body of data from the causal conversations with members of the church indicate that approximately more than fifty percentage of members are not confident on the place of 'fast and feasts' in the liturgical life of the church.
Fasting and Abstinence: Similarities and Differences in Development between the Byzantine East and West and some Pastoral Considerations by Father Edward Hughes
An excellent analysis of the differences in the Byzantine and western churches as to how the Great Lent is conducted.
Fasting is a Great Weapon for Christians
A Lenten 'Weight Loss' Program by Gary Zimak
Let’s face it, we are all weighed down to some extent by selfishness and assorted vices. Given a choice, very few of us will choose suffering over comfort. The Church gives us the season of Lent to examine our souls and remove the extra "weight" that keeps us apart from the Lord. Here are five simple steps that you can use during Lent to identify and eliminate some of this excess "poundage" from your life.
More For Reflection
The Samaritan Woman at Jacob’s Well - A Lenten Reflection
A Lenten reflection based on St. John 4: 6
Are You Condemned?
My religion is Christianity. There are a set of practices that are associated with the Christian religion, but I think my Christian belief encompasses much more than a set of practices or rules of behavior.
Lenten Rumination
The Lent is meant to cleanse the whole being, both the inner and chemical by being with God. How to clean the physical man? The abstinence from food for hours and days allow the body to consume all the toxins accumulated by our day to day inherent infirmities.
The Beauty of Humility
In a human being, there is nothing more beautiful, more attractive than humility.
Am I ready to see the glory of God?
Following is an analysis of my Lenten experience based on the Gospel readings of the last six Sundays as the guidelines to figure out whether I am ready to see the glory of God.
God Shut Noah and Family in before the Flooding began
Since Noah walked with God during his life before the Great Flood, he certainly knew about this key point which made him leave God's job for God. There, we see an equilibrium between God's will and Noah's obedience or submission.
Some Thoughts On The Holy Lent In Relation To The Nature
Each rubric of the liturgy is meticulously designed in such a manner as to go in tune with the episodes of the incarnation of Christ and in tandem with the tempo of the Nature where we live. It is surprising that liturgical seasons of the church happen more or less in the same timing as that of the natural seasons.
The essence of Lent: Learning and struggling to bend our knees, mend our hearts, and lend our hands
The prayers during lent remind us that there is no use of observing lent if we do not change inside. No amount of abstinence from food and other things will help us in any way if we do not bring about a renewal inside us.
Great Lent in Syriac Orthodox Church of Antioch
During the period of the Great Lent and other periods of fasting throughout the year, an individual makes a special attempt or connection to reach our God, and evaluate his calling as a Christian, to listen to the voice of the Gospels and heed its commandments.
Lessons from Zacchaeus - Importance of Lent
During this Great Lent, Jesus is asking us to learn from Zacchaeus to realize our weaknesses and find remedies to them as he did. We must realize our shortness in spiritual life, the falls we had in the past and the sins we committed which together made us unable to see Christ directly.
Humility - Annunciation to St. Mary Devotional
Humility is what we need to become faithful Christians. If we carefully examine ourselves we may observe that almost always we are trying to justify, defend, exalt or praise ourselves in our interactions with others and sometimes even before God, knowingly or unknowingly. This focus on self - our ego - can often keep us from hearing God's voice and prevent us from being faithful in our walk with God.
The Spirituality of Lent
There are two different ways of looking at this fast because there are two different versions of these forty days, or forty segments of time, in the Scriptures. One is the blessing of the revelation of what it is that we need to do in service to God and to humanity. And the other is of the purification that needs to happen for God to set things straight in us and around us.
Great Lent
We Syriac Christians observe 50 days lent in preparation for the celebration of the resurrection of our Lord on Easter Sunday.
Keeping a Holy Lent (Episcopal Church) by Rev. Frank Logue
A Brief Introduction to Lent for Folks Who Are New to Liturgical Churches
Don't Deprive Yourself of Love! Lenten Thoughts by Fr. Jerry Kurian
To love means to sacrifice and let go of many things which we consider valuable to us. But love also means doing something good for the sake of others. There are a lot of people who ask whether it is imperative that we have diet restrictions during lent and whether we need to fast during lent? ...
Thoughts For The Lenten Season Deepam Bible Study by EVP
Women in the Bible - in Malayalam (pdf)
Great Lent Bible Planner based on the Gospel of John (2014)
by George Aramath, Dallas, TX
If you are interested in making this Great Lent more meaningful, please take part in the Great Lent Planner. Each day you will read a portion from John’s Gospel, taking only 10-15 minutes...
Great Lent Bible Planner by George Aramath (2013)
Mid Lent
Lenten Reflection for Mid Lent
Lent is a time of self discipline. A faithful person may look to the end of his travails, as an athlete, and visualize the prize before him. How wonderful the rewards of God! Though we may face tribulation, like a good Father God knows how to reward His children. ...
Mid Lent and Erection of Golgotha
The Golgotha and erection of cross in the of the church also signifies that God came down from heaven and dwelt among us in this world. This is why the Golgotha is in the middle of the church with us, the common folks, and not in the Madbaha as we normally expect to find it.
Mid-Lent and the Holy Cross
On the 25th day of the great Lent of 50 days we place the Holy Cross, which we revere as Golgotha in the exact center of the Church. By this act we commemorate the placement of the brazen serpent in the exact center of the tents of Israelites...
Pathi Nombu (Mid Lent)
The 25th day of the lent which is always a Wednesday is known as mid lent. This is one of the very few days during the great lent when the Holy Qurbana is celebrated on a weekday other than Sunday or Saturday.
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