Friday, February 16, 2007

"GREAT LENT - Journey To Pascha " Book Muse


This book penned by Alexander Schmemann, seeks to bring to our attention, the deep and beautiful meaning of Great Lent, confirming the ancient boundary stones set by our early first milleniuum church fathers as well revealing where the modern church has wandered outside of those ancient bounderies. 

"Repent, for the kingdom of God is at hand", were the first words, Jesus began to preach. Great Lent is a time of preparation, for the kingdom of God, comes to earth, ushered in; first, by Christ decscending and secondly, by Christ, gloriously ascending into the heavenlies and in doing so, taking with Him those whom He has received as His own. 

Great Lent is a time for the bride to prepare to receive her groom, the Risen Christ. We prepare for Pascha by seeking to adorn ourselves in holiness which only comes by repentance, which is assisted through fasting. Just as Christ prepared to bring the message of salvation to us by fasting for 40 days and 40 nights, so now, we prepare to receive the risen Christ by fasting both ascetically and totally in a perfect balance that "opens us up", in joyful expectation of our Christ.

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

Copied from Orthodox Christian Information Center website.
"A life of fasting, properly understood as general self-limitation and abstinence, to the annual practice of which the Church always calls us with the Great Lent, is really that bearing of the cross and self-crucifixion which is required of us by our calling as Christians. And anyone who stubbornly resists this, wanting to live a carefree, happy, and free life, is concerned for sensual pleasures and avoids sorrow and suffering that person is not a Christian. Bearing one's cross is the natural way of every true Christian, without which there is no Christianity." —Archbishop Averky of Syracuse.