ORTHODOX LENT:
A FEAST FOR THE SOUL
"Moses was before the Lord forty days and forty nights; he did not eat bread, and he did not drink water." (Exodus 24:28)
"Jesus was led up of the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted of the devil, and fasted forty days and forty nights." (Matt. 4:1-2)
Lent, a "feast" for the soul? Ha!
This is the response of many people, as they see Lent approaching. They begin to groan and complain inwardly already feeling terribly "deprived of their hamburgers and T-Bone steaks. This is because — in our materialistic society where we have learned to identify ourselves through self-indulgence— we tend to see Lent only as a time of deprivation and penance, of not eating meat and having to attend more divine services.
But this is not at all the Orthodox view of Lent. The Lord explicitly told us not to define ourselves in terms of the body and comfort. Nor do we fast from certain foods in order to punish ourselves or in some way "atone" for our sins. On the Cross, Jesus Christ took all our sins upon Himself; therefore nothing we do can "merit" salvation and forgiveness. These have already been freely given to us by God. READ MORE
