Christ is Risen!

As we move away from the intensity of Great Lent into Pascha we often lose that focus that we had during the Fast. This becomes a relaxing time, a “breathe deeply and veg out” time.

Long before the Church established the 40 days Fast as a preparation for Pascha (which began in the 3rd and 4th centuries), the Church observed a Holy Week of preparation. Unlike the 40 days Fast which came to be focused on spiritual development, the Holy Week was, and is, focused on the observances of the last few days of Our Lord’s life before His Crucifixion.

My Joy in the Lord, As we enter the Great Fast I ask that as we work to clean our souls, we also pay attention to cleaning our house...

My Joy in the Lord, If at no other time, Great Lent is, usually, the time Orthodox Christians participate in the Sacrament of Confession. It is a very sad statement about our Sacramental participation...