Great Lent
"The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand!
Repent and believe in the gospel" (Mk. 1:15)
Monday,
February 27 marks the beginning of the blessed season of Great Lent. During
this season, we are called on to fast, to pray, and to give to those who are
less fortunate than we are.
Our Lord
said, "If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and
take up his cross, and follow Me." (Mt. 16:24). The actions that we
take during Great Lent are the steps that we take toward "denying our very
self," removing the baggage of sin that we carry with us, and truly being
open and ready to follow in His footsteps – to do His will. This will mean, no
doubt, that we must radically change our lives.
We do not
simply deny ourselves the pleasure of some foods, but as we fast, we are
reminded of repentance that will lead us to the great mercy of God. When we
pray, we unite ourselves to God, and the Holy Spirit will lead us to a
knowledge that makes His will clear to us. When we give alms to those in need,
or in any kind of affliction, we are exercising our love and compassion for our
neighbors. As St. Leo the Great expressed, those who do this are "blessed,
not only with the virtue of good will but also with the gift of peace."
Fasting is
not simply the abstention from certain foods and drinks; more than that, it
means the abstaining from all the passions that undermine the well-being and
salvation of the soul. The true Christian fast is "deliverance from all
evil, the renunciation of anger, gossip, falsehood and bearing of false
witness". Fasting above all must bear the stamp of our repentance and
grief for having strayed from God, and to denote our desire to return to Him.
Let us then
reaffirm the true meaning and value of our fasting, and place the fast among
those worthy things that we have the obligation to respect. Let us also at the
same time repent, but not superficially or affectedly, or only with words. This
kind of fasting and confession is a mockery and a self-deception.
How superior
to psychoanalysis is true confession! Christian confession is indeed the
therapy of the soul. It is the full unburdening of our sins; the shattering of
our un-repenting selves; the sincere shame for our transgressions; the petition
to God for forgiveness; the turning away from evil; the final decision that we
will not allow ourselves the violations of moral and divine laws that we have
committed in the past.
Let us
therefore take advantage of these forty-eight days of fasting that our Church
offers us as a means of gaining eternity.
May the
Grace of our Lord Jesus Christ strengthen you to wage the good fight of Great
Lent with soul-searching, and prayerful repentance after sincere confession.
Bestowing my
blessing upon you and assuring you of a special remembrance in my prayers
during the Great Fast, I remain
+
Bishop Demetri
