rejoice in the Lord always
“Let your gentleness be known to all men. The Lord is at hand. Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.”
Philippians 4:5-7
our life is our Confession
“what does the Lord seek from you but to do justly, and to love mercy, and to be ready to walk with the Lord your God?”
Micah 6:8
pure repentance
“Like as the potter gives life to his clay, Thou hast bestowed upon me Flesh and bones, breath and life; Today, O my Creator, my Redeemer and My Judge, Receive me a penitent…”
Great Canon of Saint Andrew of Crete
Great Lent
The Canon of Saint Andrew of Crete is chanted the first week of Great Lent and
“is a real introduction to Lent, it sets its tone and spirit, it gives us—
from the very beginning—the true dimension of repentance.”
Fr Alexander Schmemman : Great Lent: A School of Repentance
Its Meaning for Orthodox Christians
the Lord is my strength and my song
For one day in your courts is better than a thousand; I chose to be an outcast in the house of my God rather than to dwell in the house of sinners. For the Lord God loves mercy and truth; He will give Grace and glory… “
Psalm 84:11
Christ is in our midst
“The Lord your God is with you. The Mighty One shall save you. He shall bring gladness upon you and will renew you with His love. He will delight over you with joy as in a day of feasting.”
Zephaniah 3:17
forgiveness Sunday
“The Church is unity and love in Christ. We all depend on each other, belong to each other, are united by the love of Christ… Repentance is primarily the recovery of the spirit of love: “By this shall all men know that you are my disciples if you have love for one another”
The condition for such real fasting is that we forgive each other as God forgives us—
“If you forgive men their trespasses, your Heavenly Father will also forgive you….”
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Great Lent: A School of Repentance Its Meaning for Orthodox Christians
Father Alexander Schmemann
all of creation rejoices
All the creatures, not the higher creatures alone, but also the lower, according to that which each of them has received in itself from God, each one raises it’s voice in testimony to that which God is…. each one after its manner exalts God, since it has God in itself.
Saint John of the Cross
the shelter of His wings
journey to Pascha
France – near the beaches of Normandy
“Repentance is the door through which we enter Lent, the starting point of our journey to Pascha. And to repent signifies far more than self pity or futile regret over things done in the past. The Greek term “metanoia” means “change of mind” : to repent is to be renewed, to be transformed our inward viewpoint, to attain a fresh way of looking at our relationship to God and others.”
Bishop Kallistos
The Inner Unity of the Lenten Triodion : The Triodion
gladsomelife.com 