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diff --git a/.gitattributes b/.gitattributes new file mode 100644 index 0000000..6833f05 --- /dev/null +++ b/.gitattributes @@ -0,0 +1,3 @@ +* text=auto +*.txt text +*.md text diff --git a/36415-h.zip b/36415-h.zip Binary files differnew file mode 100644 index 0000000..28fd407 --- /dev/null +++ b/36415-h.zip diff --git a/36415-h/36415-h.htm b/36415-h/36415-h.htm new file mode 100644 index 0000000..b89dd5e --- /dev/null +++ b/36415-h/36415-h.htm @@ -0,0 +1,1409 @@ +<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Strict//EN" + "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-strict.dtd"> +<html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml"> +<head> +<meta http-equiv="Content-Type" + content="text/html; charset=us-ascii" /> +<meta content="pg2html (binary v0.18)" name="generator" /> +<title>The Project Gutenberg eBook of + Great Lent: A School of Repentance, + by The Rt. Rev. Alexander Schmemann. +</title> +<style type="text/css"> + body { margin-left: 10%; margin-right: 10%; } + p { text-indent: 1em; + margin-top: .75em; + font-size: 100%; + text-align: justify; + margin-bottom: .75em; } + h1,h2,h3,h4,h5,h6 { text-align: center; } + hr { width: 50%; } + hr.full { width: 100%; } + .foot { margin-left: 10%; margin-right: 10%; text-align: justify; text-indent: -3em; font-size: 85%; } + .poem { margin-left: 10%; margin-right: 10%; margin-bottom: 1em; text-align: left; } + .poem .stanza { margin: 1em 0em 1em 0em; } + .poem p { margin: 0; padding-left: 3em; text-indent: -3em; } + .poem p.i2 { margin-left: 1.5em; } + .poem p.i4 { margin-left: 2.5em; } + .quote { margin-left: 6%; margin-right: 6%; text-indent: 0em; } + .figure { margin-left: 10%; margin-right: 10%; text-indent: 0em; text-align: center; font-size: 90%; font-variant: small-caps; } + span.pagenum { position: absolute; left: 1%; right: 91%; font-size: 8pt; color: gray; background-color: inherit; display:none!important; } + .center { text-indent: 0em; text-align: center; } + .right { text-align: right; } + .sc { font-variant: small-caps; } + table {margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;} +</style> +</head> +<body> + + +<pre> + +The Project Gutenberg EBook of Great Lent: A School of Repentance, by +Alexander Schmemann + +This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with +almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or +re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included +with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org + + +Title: Great Lent: A School of Repentance + Its Meaning for Orthodox Christians + +Author: Alexander Schmemann + +Release Date: June 13, 2011 [EBook #36415] + +Language: English + +Character set encoding: ASCII + +*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK GREAT LENT: A SCHOOL OF REPENTANCE *** + + + + +Produced by Gerard Arthus, David Garcia and the Online +Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net + + + + + + +</pre> + + +<div style="height: 6em;"><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /></div> + +<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="pagex1" name="pagex1"></a>[pg]</span></p> + +<div class="figure"> +<a name="image-0001" id="image-0001"><!--IMG--></a> +<a href="images/cover-f.jpg"><img src="images/cover-s.jpg" width="300" height="153" style="border: solid gray 1px;" +alt="GREAT LENT A SCHOOL OF REPENTANCE (front cover)" /></a> +</div> + +<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="pagex2" name="pagex2"></a>[pg]</span></p> + +<p><!--[Blank Page]--><br /></p> + +<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="page1" name="page1"></a>[1]</span></p> + +<div style="height: 4em;"> +<a name="h2H_4_0001" id="h2H_4_0001"><!-- H2 anchor --></a> +<br /><br /><br /><br /></div> + +<h1> +GREAT LENT +<br /> +<small>A SCHOOL OF REPENTANCE</small> +</h1> + +<p class="center"> +<big><i>Its Meaning for Orthodox Christians</i></big> +</p> + +<div style="height: 2em;"><br /><br /></div> + +<p class="center"> +<small><i>by</i></small> +<br /> +<big><span class="sc">The Rt. Rev. Alexander Schmemann</span></big> +</p> + +<div style="height: 4em;"><br /><br /></div> + +<p class="center"> +DEPARTMENT OF RELIGIOUS EDUCATION<br /> +ORTHODOX CHURCH IN AMERICA +</p> + + +<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="page2" name="page2"></a>[2]</span></p> + +<div style="height: 4em;"><br /><br /><br /><br /></div> + + +<p> <small>New York 1970</small></p> +<p> <small>Second Printing 1977</small></p> + + +<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="page3" name="page3"></a>[3]</span></p> + +<div style="height: 4em;"> +<a name="h2H_TOC" id="h2H_TOC"><!-- H2 anchor --></a> +<br /><br /><br /><br /></div> + +<h2> + CONTENTS +</h2> + +<table border="0" width="50%" summary="Table of Contents"> +<tr><td> GREAT LENT </td><td align="right"><a href="#h2H_4_0002">5</a> </td></tr> +<tr><td colspan="2"> The Time of Repentance</td></tr> +<tr><td> SUNDAYS OF PREPARATION </td><td align="right"><a href="#h2H_4_0003"> 7</a></td></tr> +<tr><td> LENTEN WORSHIP </td><td align="right"><a href="#h2H_4_0004">13</a></td></tr> +<tr><td> HOW CAN WE KEEP GREAT LENT? </td><td align="right"><a href="#h2H_4_0005">23</a></td></tr> +</table> + +<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="page4" name="page4"></a>[4]</span></p> + +<p><!--[Blank Page]--><br /></p> + +<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="page5" name="page5"></a>[5]</span></p> + +<div style="height: 4em;"> +<a name="h2H_4_0002" id="h2H_4_0002"><!-- H2 anchor --></a> +<br /><br /><br /><br /></div> + +<h2> + GREAT LENT +</h2> +<p class="center"> + THE TIME OF REPENTANCE +</p> + +<p class="quote"> + "Brethren, while fasting bodily, let us also fast spiritually; + let us loosen every bond of injustice; let us destroy the strong + fetters of violence; let us tear up every unjust writing; let us + give bread to the hungry and let us welcome the homeless poor to + our houses, that from Christ our God we may receive the great mercy." +</p> +<p class="right"> +(<b>Stichira, Wednesday of the First Week</b>) +</p> + +<p> +We are approaching again the Great Lent—the time of repentance, the +time of our reconciliation with God. Repentance is the beginning and +also the condition of a truly Christian life. "Repent!" was the first +word of Christ when He began to preach (Matt. 4:17). But <b>what is +repentance</b>? In the daily rush of our life we have no time to think +about it, we simply take it for granted that we must go to confession, +receive + +<span class="pagenum"><a id="page6" name="page6"></a>[6]</span> + + absolution, and then forget all about it until next year. Yet +there must be a reason why our Church has set apart seven weeks as a +special time of repentance and calls each Orthodox Christian to a +special spiritual effort. And this reason must obviously concern +<b>me</b>, <b>my</b> life, <b>my</b> faith, <b>my</b> membership in the Church. I must try to +understand it, to follow as much as I can the teachings of my Church, be +Orthodox not only by name, but in life itself. What then is repentance? +Great Lent gives the answer to this question. It is indeed a <b>school +of repentance</b>, to which each Christian must go every year in order +to refresh the understanding of his faith. It is a wonderful pilgrimage +to the very sources of Orthodoxy, a rediscovery of a truly Orthodox way +of life. Let us try to make these forty days as meaningful, as deep, and +as rich, as possible. +</p> +<p> +In this brief explanation of Lent we shall deal with: +</p> +<p class="quote"> + —the preparation for Great Lent, +</p> +<p class="quote"> + —the Lenten worship of the Orthodox Church, +</p> +<p class="quote"> + —the Orthodox teaching on fasting, prayer and other spiritual + efforts prescribed during Lent. +</p> + +<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="page7" name="page7"></a>[7]</span></p> + +<div style="height: 4em;"> +<a name="h2H_4_0003" id="h2H_4_0003"><!-- H2 anchor --></a> +<br /><br /><br /><br /></div> + +<h2> + SUNDAYS OF PREPARATION +</h2> + +<p> +Three weeks before Lent proper begins we enter into a period of +<b>pre-Lenten</b> preparation. It is a constant feature of the Orthodox +tradition of worship that every major liturgical event—(Christmas, +Easter, Lent)—is announced and prepared in advance. Knowing our lack +of concentration, the "worldliness" of our life, the Church calls our +attention to the seriousness of the approaching event, invites us to +meditate on its significance. Thus, before we can <b>practice</b> Lent, we +are given its meaning. +</p> +<p> +This preparation includes four consecutive Sundays preceding Lent, each +one of them dedicated to some fundamental aspect of repentance. +</p> + +<h3> +1. Humility +</h3> +<p class="center"> +<b>(Sunday of the Publican and Pharisee)</b> +</p> + +<p> +On the eve of this day (i.e. on Saturday at Vespers) the liturgical book +of the Lenten season—the <b>Triodion</b> makes its first appearance and texts +from it are added to the usual liturgical material of the weekly +Resurrection service. They develop the first major theme of repentance: +<b>humility</b>. +</p> +<p> +The Gospel lesson (Luke 18:10-14) teaches us that humility is the +condition of repentance. + +<span class="pagenum"><a id="page8" name="page8"></a>[8]</span> + + The parable of the Publican and Pharisee +pictures a man who is always pleased with himself and who thinks that he +complies with all the requirements of religion. He is proud of himself +and self-assured. In reality, however, he has falsified the meaning of +religion. He has reduced it to external observations and he measures his +piety by the amount of money he gives to the temple. Religion is for him +a source of self-admiration. The Publican humbles himself and humility +justifies him before God. +</p> +<p> +"Let us avoid the high-flown speech of the Pharisee"—says the Kontakion +of the day—"and learn the majesty of the Publican's humble words." +</p> + +<h3> +2. Return to the Father +</h3> +<p class="center"> +<b>(Sunday of the Prodigal Son)</b> +</p> + +<p> +The Gospel reading of this day (Luke 15:11-32) gives us the second theme +of Lent and repentance: that of the <b>return to God</b>. It is not enough +to acknowledge sins and to confess them. Repentance remains fruitless +without the desire and decision to change life, to go back to God, to +begin the movement of ascension and purification. We must realize that +we have lost our spiritual beauty and purity and we + +<span class="pagenum"><a id="page9" name="page9"></a>[9]</span> + + must want to recover +them: "... I shall return to the compassionate Father crying with tears: +Receive me as one of Thy servants." At Matins we sing Psalm 137: "By +the rivers of Babylon, there we sat down and wept, when we remembered +Zion.... If I forget thee, O Jerusalem, let my right hand forget her +cunning." The Christian remembers and knows that he has lost communion +with God, the peace and the joy of His Kingdom, the purity of the new +life. For he was baptized, introduced into the Body of Christ, but his +sins have driven him away from God. Repentance, therefore, is this +desire to return to God, a movement of love and trust: "I have wickedly +strayed away from Thy Fatherly glory, and wasted the riches Thou gavest +me among sinners. Then do I raise the prodigal's cry unto Thee, O +Bountiful Father, I have sinned against Thee: take me back as a +penitent, and make me as one of thy hired servants...." +</p> +<p class="right"> +(<b>Kontakion of the day</b>) +</p> + +<h3> +3. The Last Judgment +</h3> +<p class="center"> +<b>(Meat Fare Sunday)</b> +</p> + +<p> +On Meat Fare Saturday (preceding this Sunday) the Church prescribes the +universal commemoration of all her departed members. The Church is unity +and love in Christ. We all + +<span class="pagenum"><a id="page10" name="page10"></a>[10]</span> + + depend on each other, belong to each other, +are united by the love of Christ. Our repentance, therefore, would not +be complete without an act of love towards all those who have departed +this life before us. 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" (John 13:35). Liturgically this commemoration +includes Vespers on Friday, Matins and Divine Liturgy on Saturday. +</p> +<p> +The Sunday Gospel (Matthew 25:31-46) reminds us of the third theme of +repentance: preparation for Divine Judgment. A Christian lives under +Christ's judgment. This means that we must refer our actions, attitudes, +judgments to Christ, to His presence in the world, that we must see +Christ in our fellow men. For "inasmuch as you have done it unto one of +the least of these My brethren, you have done it to Me...." The parable +of the Last Judgment gives us the "terms of reference" for our +self-evaluation as Christians. +</p> +<p> +On the week following Meat Fare Sunday a limited <b>fasting</b> is prescribed. +We must train and prepare ourselves for the great effort of Lent. On +Wednesday and Friday the Divine Liturgy is not served and the type of +worship + +<span class="pagenum"><a id="page11" name="page11"></a>[11]</span> + + is already Lenten. On Cheese-Fare Saturday the Church commemorates +all men and women who were "illumined through fasting"—the Holy +Ascetics and Fosters. They are the patterns we must follow, our guides +in the difficult art of fasting and repentance. +</p> + +<h3> +4. Forgiveness +</h3> +<p class="center"> +<b>(Cheese Fare Sunday)</b> +</p> + +<p> +This is the last day before Lent. Its liturgy develops three themes: +(a) "<b>the expulsion of Adam from the paradise of bliss.</b>" Man was created +for paradise—for knowledge of God and communion with Him. His sins have +deprived him of this blessed life and his existence on earth is an +exile. Christ, the God-man, opens the doors of Paradise to every one who +follows Him and the Church is our guide to the heavenly fatherland. +</p> +<p> +(b) Our fast must not be hypocritical, a show off. We must "appear not +unto men to fast, but unto our Father who is in secret" (cf. Sunday +lesson from Matthew: 6:14-21). +</p> +<p> +(c) The condition for such real fasting is that we <b>forgive each other</b> +as God forgives us—"If you forgive men their trespasses, your Heavenly +Father will also forgive you...." +</p> + +<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="page12" name="page12"></a>[12]</span></p> + +<p> +On the evening of this day, at Vespers, Lent is inaugurated with the +Great Prokimenon: "Turn not away Thy face from Thy servant, for I am +in trouble; hear me speedily. Attend to my soul and deliver it." At the +end of the service the faithful ask forgiveness from one another and +the Church begins her pilgrimage towards the joyful and glorious day +of Easter. +</p> + +<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="page13" name="page13"></a>[13]</span></p> + +<div style="height: 4em;"> +<a name="h2H_4_0004" id="h2H_4_0004"><!-- H2 anchor --></a> +<br /><br /><br /><br /></div> + +<h2> + LENTEN WORSHIP +</h2> + +<p> +The Great Lent consists of six weeks or forty days. It begins on Monday +after Cheese Fare Sunday and ends on Friday evening before Palm Sunday. +The Saturday of Lazarus' Resurrection, Palm Sunday and the Holy Week +form a special liturgical cycle with which we shall deal in a special +pamphlet.<a href="#note-1" name="noteref-1"><small>1</small></a> +</p> +<p> +The meaning and the spirit of the Great Lent find their first and most +important expression in worship. Not only individuals but the whole +Church acquires a penitential spirit, and the beautiful Lenten services +more than anything else help us to deepen our spiritual vision, to +reconsider our life in the light of the Orthodox teaching about man. +We shall briefly analyze the most important of the liturgical +particularities of Lent. +</p> + +<h3> +1. The Great Canon of St. Andrew of Crete +</h3> + +<p> +The Lent begins with the Great Penitential Canon of St. Andrew of Crete. +Written in the seventh century by one of the greatest hymn-writers of +the Orthodox Church, this canon is the purest expression of repentance. +The author contemplates the great history of salvation, recorded + +<span class="pagenum"><a id="page14" name="page14"></a>[14]</span> + + in the +Old and the New Testaments and applies its various images to the state +of his sinful soul. It is a long, pathetic lamentation of a Christian +who discovers again and again how much God has loved him, how much He +has done for him and how little response came from the man: +</p> + +<div class="poem"> +<div class="stanza"> +<p class="i2"> "How shall I begin to deplore the deeds of my miserable life? </p> +<p class="i2"> What beginning shall I make, O Christ, to this lament? </p> +<p class="i2"> But since Thou art compassionate, grant me remission of my trespasses." </p> +</div> +<div class="stanza"> +<p class="i2"> "Like as the potter gives life to his clay, </p> +<p class="i4"> Thou hast bestowed upon me </p> +<p class="i2"> Flesh and bones, breath and life; </p> +<p class="i2"> Today, O my Creator, my Redeemer and </p> +<p class="i4"> My Judge, </p> +<p class="i2"> Receive me a penitent..." </p> +</div> +<div class="stanza"> +<p class="i2"> "I have lost my first made beauty and dignity, </p> +<p class="i2"> And now I lie naked and covered with shame..." </p> +</div> +</div> + +<p> +And to each one of these troparia the congregation answers: "Have mercy +on me, O God, have mercy on me." +</p> + +<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="page15" name="page15"></a>[15]</span></p> + +<p> +The Great Canon is sung and read twice during Lent: in four parts at +Great Compline on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday of the first +week; and again completely at Matins on Thursday of the fifth week. It +is a real introduction to Lent, it sets its tone and spirit, it gives +us—from the very beginning—the true dimension of repentance. +</p> + +<h3> +2. The Prayer of St. Ephrem the Syrian +</h3> + +<p> +On weekdays of Lent this prayer is read twice at the end of each +service: first, with a prostration after each of its petitions, then +with one final prostration. Here is the text: +</p> +<p class="quote"> + "O Lord and Master of my life, take from me the spirit of + sloth, despair, lust of power, and idle talk." +</p> +<p class="quote"> + <b>Prostration.</b> +</p> +<p class="quote"> + "But give rather the spirit of chastity, humility, patience + and love to Thy servant." +</p> +<p class="quote"> + <b>Prostration.</b> +</p> +<p class="quote"> + "Yea, O Lord and King, grant me to see my own sins and not + to judge my brother; for Thou art blessed unto ages of ages. + Amen." +</p> +<p class="quote"> + <b>Prostration.</b> +</p> + +<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="page16" name="page16"></a>[16]</span></p> + +<p> +Then all bow twelve times saying: "O God cleanse me, a sinner." +</p> +<p> +And the whole prayer is read again, with one prostration at the end. +</p> +<p> +This prayer, constantly repeated throughout the services, is the +simplest and purest expression of repentance in all its dimensions: +desire for purification, desire for improvement, desire for a real +change in relations with other people. The Lenten rules of the Orthodox +Church pay great attention to <b>prostrations</b>: through them the body +participates in the effort of "breaking down" our pride and +self-satisfaction. +</p> + +<h3> +3. Biblical Readings<a href="#note-2" name="noteref-2"><small>2</small></a> +</h3> + +<p> +A characteristic feature of Lenten services is the use of the Old +Testament, normally absent from the daily cycle of worship. Lessons from +three books of the Bible are read daily throughout Lent: <b>Genesis</b> and +<b>Proverbs</b> at Vespers, <b>Isaiah</b> at the Sixth Hour. These readings +indicate that Lent is a <b>time of preparation</b>, a spiritual return to +the Old Testament, which announced and prepared the coming of Christ + +<span class="pagenum"><a id="page17" name="page17"></a>[17]</span> + + and the inauguration in Him of a new life. The book of <b>Genesis</b> tells us +the story of Creation, Fall and the beginnings of the history of +salvation. <b>Proverbs</b> teach us the Wisdom of God as revealed to man and +leading him to repentance and renewal. Finally, <b>Isaiah</b> is the great +prophet of Redemption and Salvation, the announcer of the Kingdom +of God. +</p> + +<h3> +4. The Lenten Hymns +</h3> + +<p> +The liturgical book of Lent is the <b>Triodion</b>. Besides the biblical +readings, it contains special Lenten hymns to be sung every day at +Matins and Vespers. Of a special beauty are the "idiomela" of St. +Theodore of Stoudion, short penitential hymns, one sung at Matins and +one at Vespers, which more than anything else express the Lenten +spirituality of the Orthodox Church. Here are a few examples: +</p> +<p class="quote"> + "Let us begin, O people the spotless fast, for it is the + salvation of our souls. +</p> +<p class="quote"> + Let us make our devotion to the Lord in fear, anointing + our heads with the oil of good works and washing our faces + with pure water, +</p> +<p class="quote"> + Not many worded in prayer, but saying as we have been taught + to say. +</p> + +<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="page18" name="page18"></a>[18]</span></p> + +<p class="quote"> + Our Father Who art in heaven! Forgive us our trespasses, +</p> +<p class="quote"> + For Thou art the lover of mankind." +</p> +<p class="right"> +(<b>Tuesday Matins, First Week</b>) +</p> + +<p class="quote"> + "O come ye faithful, let us work the works of God in light, +</p> +<p class="quote"> + Let us walk honestly as in the day, let us cast away from + ourselves every unjust writing against our neighbor, and not + put a stumbling block as an occasion for his falling on the way; +</p> +<p class="quote"> + Let us put away the pleasures of the flesh; +</p> +<p class="quote"> + Let us increase the graces of our souls; +</p> +<p class="quote"> + Let us give bread to those in need; +</p> +<p class="quote"> + Let us draw near to Christ in penitence, crying out: +</p> +<p class="quote"> + "Have mercy on us, O our God!" +</p> +<p class="right"> +(<b>Friday Vespers, First Week</b>) +</p> + +<p class="quote"> + "Why art thou idle, O my soul? And why dost thou dedicate thyself + to sin? +</p> +<p class="quote"> + Why art thou weak yet not come to the physician? +</p> +<p class="quote"> + Now is the fruitful time, and now is the real day of salvation. +</p> +<p class="quote"> + Arise! Wash thyself in the tears of repentance and enlighten thy + lamp with the oil of good works, +</p> + +<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="page19" name="page19"></a>[19]</span></p> + +<p class="quote"> + That thou mayest obtain from God forgiveness and great mercy." +</p> +<p class="right"> +(<b>Tuesday Matins, Second Week</b>) +</p> + +<p class="quote"> + "Arriving midway on that road of fasting which leads to Thy + venerable cross, +</p> +<p class="quote"> + And hoping for a glimpse of that day when Abraham caught up + Isaac from the grave +</p> +<p class="quote"> + We entreat Thee to make us partakers of Thy mystical supper +</p> +<p class="quote"> + Who are saved by faith and cry out to Thee: +</p> +<p class="quote"> + O our Light and our Saviour, glory to Thee." +</p> +<p class="right"> +(<b>Wednesday Matins, Fourth Week</b>) +</p> + +<p> +The <b>Triodion</b> unfortunately has not yet been translated into English. +Its wonderful riches are still hidden: short three-ode canons (hence the +name "Triodion"), kathismata (stanzas sung after the psalms), hymns to +the Holy Trinity, etc. Of all the liturgical books it is one of the most +inspiring, most directly connected with the spiritual needs of man. +</p> + +<h3> +5. The Psalter +</h3> + +<p> +The Psalms occupy a very central position in Orthodox worship. But in +Lent the use of the psalter is doubled. Normally it is read once + +<span class="pagenum"><a id="page20" name="page20"></a>[20]</span> + + every +week; during Lent it is read twice. Of course this is done mainly in +monasteries, yet it is important to know that the Church considers the +psalms to be an essential spiritual food for the Lenten season. +</p> + +<h3> +6. The Liturgy of the Presanctified Gifts +</h3> + +<p> +On weekdays of Lent (Monday through Friday) the celebration of the Divine +Liturgy is strictly forbidden. They are <b>non-liturgical days</b> (with one +possible exception, the Feast of Annunciation). The reason for this rule +is that the Eucharist is by its very nature a festal celebration, the +joyful commemoration of Christ's Resurrection and glorification and His +presence among His disciples. But twice a week, on Wednesday and Fridays, +the Church prescribes the celebration after Vespers, i.e., in the +evening, of the <b>Liturgy of the Presanctified Gifts</b>. It consists of +solemn Great Vespers and communion with the Holy Gifts consecrated on the +previous Sunday. These days being days of <b>strict fasting</b> (theoretically: +complete abstinence), are "crowned" with the partaking of the Bread of +life, the ultimate fulfillment of our efforts.... +</p> +<p class="quote"> + "... When Thou has freed us and Thy faithful people from all + impurities, sanctify the souls and bodies of all of us with + +<span class="pagenum"><a id="page21" name="page21"></a>[21]</span> + + a sanctification not to be taken away; that with a clear + conscience, peaceful presence and enlightened hearts we may + participate in those divine Sacraments, and be quickened + through them and become one with Thy Christ Himself, our + true God, Who said: Who so eats My Flesh and drinks My Blood, + abides in Me and I in Him. So that by Thy Word dwelling in us + and walking with us we may become, O Lord, a temple of Thine + all-holy and adored spirit ..." +</p> +<p class="right"> +(<b>Prayer at the Presanctified Liturgy</b>) +</p> + +<h3> +7. Liturgical Music and Vestments +</h3> + +<p> +The spirit of Lent is also expressed in the liturgical music. Special +lenten tones and melodies are used for responses at litanies, for the +"Alleluias" and the hymns of the Presanctified Liturgy. Slow, deep and +solemn, these melodies provoke in us a longing for purity, and also the +sadness for not living up to the "pristine beauty" for which we were +created.... +</p> +<p> +And finally, as an external symbol of this state of repentance, +preparation and humility, dark <b>purple vestments</b> are used in the Church. +</p> + +<h3> +8. Saturdays and Sundays of Lent +</h3> + +<p> +Lenten Saturdays, with the exception of the first, dedicated to the +memory of the Holy + +<span class="pagenum"><a id="page22" name="page22"></a>[22]</span> + + Martyr Theodore Tyron, and the fifth, the Saturday +of the Akathistos, are days of <b>commemoration of the departed</b>. And it +would be good to restore this practice of one weekly universal +commemoration of all Orthodox Christians departed this life, of their +integration in the Eucharist which is always offered "on behalf of all +and for all." +</p> +<p> +Each Sunday in Lent, although it preserves its basic meaning: that of +the weekly feast of Resurrection, has its own special theme: +</p> +<p> +The First Sunday—<b>Triumph of Orthodoxy</b>—commemorates the victory of +the Church over the last major heresy: Iconoclasm (842). +</p> +<p> +The second Sunday is dedicated to the memory of <b>St. Gregory Palamas</b>, +a great Byzantine mystic and theologian of the 14th century, who +centered his teaching on the high calling of man, on his "deification" +in Christ. +</p> +<p> +The third Sunday is the Sunday "<b>of the Veneration of the Holy Cross</b>." +At Matins the Cross is brought in a solemn procession from the sanctuary +and placed in the center of the Church, where it remains for the whole +week. This rite announces the approaching of the Holy Week, with its +commemoration of Christ's Passion. A special veneration of the Cross +takes place at the end of each service. +</p> +<p> +Fourth Sunday—<b>St. John of the Ladder</b>, one + +<span class="pagenum"><a id="page23" name="page23"></a>[23]</span> + + of the greatest Ascetics, +who in his "Spiritual Ladder" described the various stages of spiritual +life. +</p> +<p> +Fifth Sunday—<b>St. Mary of Egypt</b>, whose life is a most wonderful example +of repentance. +</p> +<p> +On Saturdays and Sundays, days of Eucharistic celebration, the dark +vestments are replaced by light ones, the Lenten melodies are not sung +and the prayer of St. Ephrem with prostrations is omitted. The order of +services is not of the Lenten type, yet <b>fasting</b> remains a rule and +cannot be broken. Each Sunday night at Great Vespers a special <b>Great +Prokimenon</b> (verses from a psalm) inaugurates a new week in the +penitential effort. +</p> + +<div style="height: 4em;"> +<a name="h2H_4_0005" id="h2H_4_0005"><!-- H2 anchor --></a> +<br /><br /><br /><br /></div> + +<h2> + HOW CAN WE KEEP GREAT LENT? +</h2> + +<p> +It is obviously impossible for us to go to Church every day. And since +we cannot keep the Lent liturgically, the question arises: what is our +participation in Lent, how can we spiritually profit by it? The Church +calls us to deepen our religious conscience, to increase and strengthen +the spiritual contents of our life, to follow her in her pilgrimage +towards renewal and rededication to God. +</p> + +<h3> +1. Fasting +</h3> + +<p> +The first universal precept is that of fasting. The Orthodox teaching +concerning fasting is + +<span class="pagenum"><a id="page24" name="page24"></a>[24]</span> + + different from the Roman Catholic doctrine and it +is essential to understand it. Roman Catholics identify <b>fasting</b> with +a "good deed," see in it a sacrifice which earns us a "merit." "What +shall I give up for Lent?"—this question is very typical of such an +attitude toward fasting. Fasting thus is a formal obligation, an act of +obedience to the Church, and its value comes precisely from obedience. +The Orthodox idea of fasting is first of all that of an <b>ascetical +effort</b>. It is the effort to subdue the physical, the fleshly man to +the spiritual one, the "natural" to the "supernatural." Limitations in +food are <b>instrumental</b>; they are not ends in themselves. Fasting thus +is but a means of reaching a spiritual goal and, therefore, an integral +part of a wide spiritual effort. Fasting, in the Orthodox understanding, +includes more than abstinence from certain types of food. It implies +prayer, silence, an internal disposition of mind, an attempt to be +charitable, kind, and—in one word—<b>spiritual</b>. "Brethren, while +fasting bodily, let us also fast spiritually...." +</p> +<p> +And because of this the Orthodox doctrine of fasting excludes the +evaluation of fasting in terms of a "maximum" or "minimum." Every one +must find <b>his</b> maximum, weigh his conscience and find in it his +"pattern of fasting." But this pattern must necessarily include the + +<span class="pagenum"><a id="page25" name="page25"></a>[25]</span> + + spiritual as well as the "bodily" elements. The Typicon and the canons +of the Church give the description of an ideal fast: no dairy products, +total abstinence on certain days. "He that is able to receive it, let +him receive it" (Matt. 19:12). But, whatever is our measure—our fasting +must be a total effort of our total being. +</p> +<p> +According to the rules of the Church the fast cannot be broken for +the entire Lenten period of forty days: Saturdays and Sundays are no +exception. +</p> + +<h3> +2. Prayer +</h3> + +<p> +We must always pray. But Lent is the time of an increase of prayer and +also of its deepening. The simplest way is, first, to add the Lenten +prayer of St. Ephrem the Syrian to our private morning and evening +prayers. Then, it is good and profitable to set certain hours of the day +for a short prayer: this can be done "internally"—at the office, in the +car, everywhere. The important thing here is to remember constantly that +we are in Lent, to be spiritually "referred" to its final goal: renewal, +penitence, closer contact with God. +</p> + +<h3> +3. Spiritual Reading +</h3> + +<p> +We cannot be in church daily, but it is still possible for us to follow +the Church's progress + +<span class="pagenum"><a id="page26" name="page26"></a>[26]</span> + + in Lent by reading those lessons and books which +the Church reads in her worship. A chapter of the Book of Genesis, some +passages from Proverbs and Isaiah do not take much time, and yet they +help us in understanding the spirit of Lent and its various dimensions. +It is also good to read a few Psalms—in connection with prayer or +separately. Nowhere else can we find such concentration of true +repentance, of thirst for communion with God, of desire to permeate the +whole of life with religion. Finally, a religious book: Lives of the +Saints, History of the Church, Orthodox Spirituality, etc. is a "must" +while we are in Lent. It takes us from our daily life to a higher level +of interests, it feeds us with ideas and facts which are usually absent +from our "practical" and "efficient" world. +</p> + +<h3> +4. Change of Life +</h3> + +<p> +And, last but not least: there must be an effort and a decision to +<b>slow down</b> our life, to put in as much quiet, silence, contemplation, +meditation. Radio, TV, newspapers, social gatherings—all these things, +however excellent and profitable in themselves, must be cut down to a +real minimum. Not because they are bad, but because we have something +<b>more important</b> to do, and it is impossible to do without a + +<span class="pagenum"><a id="page27" name="page27"></a>[27]</span> + + change +of life, without some degree of <b>concentration</b> and discipline. Lent +is the time when we <b>re-evaluate</b> our life in the light of our faith, +and this requires a very real effort and discipline. Christ says that a +<b>narrow path</b> leads to the kingdom of God and we must make our life as +narrow as possible. At first the natural and selfish man in us revolts +against these limitations. He wants his usual "easy life" with all its +pleasures and relaxations. But once we have tasted of such spiritual +effort, once we have made by it one step towards God, the reward is +great! We discover a joy that cannot be compared to any other joy. We +discover the reality of the spiritual world in us. We begin to understand +what St. Paul meant by "the joy and peace in the Holy Spirit." <b>God +Himself enters our soul</b>: and it is this wonderful coming that +constitutes the ultimate end of Lent: +</p> +<p class="quote"> + "If a man love me, he will keep my words: and my Father will + love him and we will come unto him and make our abode with + him." (John 14:23) +</p> + +<p class="center"> +Let us make <b>this</b> Lent a real Lent! +</p> + +<hr /> + +<p> +For a fuller treatment of the meaning of Lent, cf. the book <b>GREAT +LENT</b>, also written by Rev. Alexander Schmemann. +</p> + +<hr /> + +<div style="height: 4em;"> +<a name="h2H_FOOT" id="h2H_FOOT"><!-- H2 anchor --></a> +<br /><br /><br /><br /></div> + +<h2> + FOOTNOTES +</h2> + +<p class="foot"> +<a name="note-1"><!--Note--></a> +<span style="text-decoration: underline;">1</span> (<a href="#noteref-1">return</a>)<br /> +Cf. <b>Holy Week</b>, by Alexander Schmemann. +</p> + +<p class="foot"> +<a name="note-2"><!--Note--></a> +<span style="text-decoration: underline;">2</span> (<a href="#noteref-2">return</a>)<br /> +For a guide to the reading of the Bible, cf. <b>Reading +the Bible</b>, by Rev. Thomas Hopko. +</p> + +<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="page28" name="page28"></a>[28]</span></p> + +<div style="height: 4em;"> +<a name="h2H_4_0007" id="h2H_4_0007"><!-- H2 anchor --></a> +<br /><br /><br /><br /></div> + +<h2> + LENTEN PAMPHLETS +</h2> +<p class="quote"> +<b>Forgiveness Sunday Vespers.</b> Complete text of the service of Vespers + on the eve of Great Lent, with music for the Great Prokimenon of the day. + Introduction by Father Alexander Schmemann. 27 pp. +</p> +<p class="right">$.50</p> + +<p class="quote"> +<b>The Liturgy of the Presanctified Gifts.</b> The full text of the lenten + service of Holy Communion with appendices for the movable verses + and readings. Contains complete text with musical notation for the + antiphonal chanting of the Psalms. Introduction by Father Thomas + Hopko. 62 pp. +</p> +<p class="right">$.75</p> + +<p class="quote"> +<b>Passion Gospels.</b> The twelve readings from the Gospel for the Matins + service of Great and Holy Friday. Contains a valuable introduction by + Father Paul Lazor on the meaning of the texts. 60 pp. +</p> +<p class="right">$.50</p> + +<p class="quote"> +<b>Great and Holy Friday.</b> Complete text of the service of Vespers of Holy + Friday, with music for the major hymns of the day. Introduction by + Father Paul Lazor. 54 pp. +</p> +<p class="right">$.75</p> + +<p class="quote"> +<b>The Praises.</b> The complete text of Psalm 119 and the verses of the Praises + for the Matins service of Great and Holy Saturday. Includes a brief + introduction to the meaning of the hymns. 47 pp. +</p> +<p class="right">$.50</p> + +<p class="quote"> +<b>Great and Holy Saturday: Vespers and Liturgy.</b> The text of Vespers with + the Liturgy of St. Basil the Great, complete with all the readings, + verses, and music for the Prokimena. +</p> +<p class="right">$1.00</p> + +<div style="height: 6em;"><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /></div> + + + + + + + + +<pre> + + + + + +End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of Great Lent: A School of Repentance, by +Alexander Schmemann + +*** END OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK GREAT LENT: A SCHOOL OF REPENTANCE *** + +***** This file should be named 36415-h.htm or 36415-h.zip ***** +This and all associated files of various formats will be found in: + http://www.gutenberg.org/3/6/4/1/36415/ + +Produced by Gerard Arthus, David Garcia and the Online +Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net + + +Updated editions will replace the previous one--the old editions +will be renamed. + +Creating the works from public domain print editions means that no +one owns a United States copyright in these works, so the Foundation +(and you!) can copy and distribute it in the United States without +permission and without paying copyright royalties. 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You may copy it, give it away or +re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included +with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org + + +Title: Great Lent: A School of Repentance + Its Meaning for Orthodox Christians + +Author: Alexander Schmemann + +Release Date: June 13, 2011 [EBook #36415] + +Language: English + +Character set encoding: ASCII + +*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK GREAT LENT: A SCHOOL OF REPENTANCE *** + + + + +Produced by Gerard Arthus, David Garcia and the Online +Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net + + + + + + +[Illustration: GREAT LENT A SCHOOL OF REPENTANCE (front cover)] + + + + + + +GREAT LENT + +A SCHOOL OF REPENTANCE + +_Its Meaning for Orthodox Christians_ + +_by_ + +The Rt. Rev. Alexander Schmemann + + DEPARTMENT OF RELIGIOUS EDUCATION + ORTHODOX CHURCH IN AMERICA + + + New York 1970 + Second Printing 1977 + + + + +CONTENTS + + + GREAT LENT 5 + The Time of Repentance + + SUNDAYS OF PREPARATION 7 + + LENTEN WORSHIP 13 + + HOW CAN WE KEEP GREAT LENT? 23 + + + + +GREAT LENT + +THE TIME OF REPENTANCE + + "Brethren, while fasting bodily, let us also fast spiritually; + let us loosen every bond of injustice; let us destroy the strong + fetters of violence; let us tear up every unjust writing; let us + give bread to the hungry and let us welcome the homeless poor to + our houses, that from Christ our God we may receive the great mercy." + + (=Stichira, Wednesday of the First Week=) + + +We are approaching again the Great Lent--the time of repentance, the +time of our reconciliation with God. Repentance is the beginning and +also the condition of a truly Christian life. "Repent!" was the first +word of Christ when He began to preach (Matt. 4:17). But =what is +repentance=? In the daily rush of our life we have no time to think +about it, we simply take it for granted that we must go to confession, +receive absolution, and then forget all about it until next year. Yet +there must be a reason why our Church has set apart seven weeks as a +special time of repentance and calls each Orthodox Christian to a +special spiritual effort. And this reason must obviously concern +=me=, =my= life, =my= faith, =my= membership in the Church. I must try to +understand it, to follow as much as I can the teachings of my Church, be +Orthodox not only by name, but in life itself. What then is repentance? +Great Lent gives the answer to this question. It is indeed a =school +of repentance=, to which each Christian must go every year in order +to refresh the understanding of his faith. It is a wonderful pilgrimage +to the very sources of Orthodoxy, a rediscovery of a truly Orthodox way +of life. Let us try to make these forty days as meaningful, as deep, and +as rich, as possible. + +In this brief explanation of Lent we shall deal with: + + --the preparation for Great Lent, + + --the Lenten worship of the Orthodox Church, + + --the Orthodox teaching on fasting, prayer and other spiritual + efforts prescribed during Lent. + + + + +SUNDAYS OF PREPARATION + + +Three weeks before Lent proper begins we enter into a period of +=pre-Lenten= preparation. It is a constant feature of the Orthodox +tradition of worship that every major liturgical event--(Christmas, +Easter, Lent)--is announced and prepared in advance. Knowing our lack +of concentration, the "worldliness" of our life, the Church calls our +attention to the seriousness of the approaching event, invites us to +meditate on its significance. Thus, before we can =practice= Lent, we +are given its meaning. + +This preparation includes four consecutive Sundays preceding Lent, each +one of them dedicated to some fundamental aspect of repentance. + + +1. Humility + +(Sunday of the Publican and Pharisee) + +On the eve of this day (i.e. on Saturday at Vespers) the liturgical book +of the Lenten season--the =Triodion= makes its first appearance and texts +from it are added to the usual liturgical material of the weekly +Resurrection service. They develop the first major theme of repentance: +=humility=. + +The Gospel lesson (Luke 18:10-14) teaches us that humility is the +condition of repentance. The parable of the Publican and Pharisee +pictures a man who is always pleased with himself and who thinks that he +complies with all the requirements of religion. He is proud of himself +and self-assured. In reality, however, he has falsified the meaning of +religion. He has reduced it to external observations and he measures his +piety by the amount of money he gives to the temple. Religion is for him +a source of self-admiration. The Publican humbles himself and humility +justifies him before God. + +"Let us avoid the high-flown speech of the Pharisee"--says the Kontakion +of the day--"and learn the majesty of the Publican's humble words." + + +2. Return to the Father + +(Sunday of the Prodigal Son) + +The Gospel reading of this day (Luke 15:11-32) gives us the second theme +of Lent and repentance: that of the =return to God=. It is not enough +to acknowledge sins and to confess them. Repentance remains fruitless +without the desire and decision to change life, to go back to God, to +begin the movement of ascension and purification. We must realize that +we have lost our spiritual beauty and purity and we must want to recover +them: "... I shall return to the compassionate Father crying with tears: +Receive me as one of Thy servants." At Matins we sing Psalm 137: "By +the rivers of Babylon, there we sat down and wept, when we remembered +Zion.... If I forget thee, O Jerusalem, let my right hand forget her +cunning." The Christian remembers and knows that he has lost communion +with God, the peace and the joy of His Kingdom, the purity of the new +life. For he was baptized, introduced into the Body of Christ, but his +sins have driven him away from God. Repentance, therefore, is this +desire to return to God, a movement of love and trust: "I have wickedly +strayed away from Thy Fatherly glory, and wasted the riches Thou gavest +me among sinners. Then do I raise the prodigal's cry unto Thee, O +Bountiful Father, I have sinned against Thee: take me back as a +penitent, and make me as one of thy hired servants...." + + (=Kontakion of the day=) + + +3. The Last Judgment + +(Meat Fare Sunday) + +On Meat Fare Saturday (preceding this Sunday) the Church prescribes the +universal commemoration of all her departed members. 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. Our repentance, therefore, would not +be complete without an act of love towards all those who have departed +this life before us. 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" (John 13:35). Liturgically this commemoration +includes Vespers on Friday, Matins and Divine Liturgy on Saturday. + +The Sunday Gospel (Matthew 25:31-46) reminds us of the third theme of +repentance: preparation for Divine Judgment. A Christian lives under +Christ's judgment. This means that we must refer our actions, attitudes, +judgments to Christ, to His presence in the world, that we must see +Christ in our fellow men. For "inasmuch as you have done it unto one of +the least of these My brethren, you have done it to Me...." The parable +of the Last Judgment gives us the "terms of reference" for our +self-evaluation as Christians. + +On the week following Meat Fare Sunday a limited =fasting= is prescribed. +We must train and prepare ourselves for the great effort of Lent. On +Wednesday and Friday the Divine Liturgy is not served and the type of +worship is already Lenten. On Cheese-Fare Saturday the Church commemorates +all men and women who were "illumined through fasting"--the Holy +Ascetics and Fosters. They are the patterns we must follow, our guides +in the difficult art of fasting and repentance. + + +4. Forgiveness + +(Cheese Fare Sunday) + +This is the last day before Lent. Its liturgy develops three themes: +(a) "=the expulsion of Adam from the paradise of bliss.=" Man was created +for paradise--for knowledge of God and communion with Him. His sins have +deprived him of this blessed life and his existence on earth is an +exile. Christ, the God-man, opens the doors of Paradise to every one who +follows Him and the Church is our guide to the heavenly fatherland. + +(b) Our fast must not be hypocritical, a show off. We must "appear not +unto men to fast, but unto our Father who is in secret" (cf. Sunday +lesson from Matthew: 6:14-21). + +(c) 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...." + +On the evening of this day, at Vespers, Lent is inaugurated with the +Great Prokimenon: "Turn not away Thy face from Thy servant, for I am +in trouble; hear me speedily. Attend to my soul and deliver it." At the +end of the service the faithful ask forgiveness from one another and +the Church begins her pilgrimage towards the joyful and glorious day +of Easter. + + + + +LENTEN WORSHIP + + +The Great Lent consists of six weeks or forty days. It begins on Monday +after Cheese Fare Sunday and ends on Friday evening before Palm Sunday. +The Saturday of Lazarus' Resurrection, Palm Sunday and the Holy Week +form a special liturgical cycle with which we shall deal in a special +pamphlet.[1] + +The meaning and the spirit of the Great Lent find their first and most +important expression in worship. Not only individuals but the whole +Church acquires a penitential spirit, and the beautiful Lenten services +more than anything else help us to deepen our spiritual vision, to +reconsider our life in the light of the Orthodox teaching about man. +We shall briefly analyze the most important of the liturgical +particularities of Lent. + + +1. The Great Canon of St. Andrew of Crete + +The Lent begins with the Great Penitential Canon of St. Andrew of Crete. +Written in the seventh century by one of the greatest hymn-writers of +the Orthodox Church, this canon is the purest expression of repentance. +The author contemplates the great history of salvation, recorded in the +Old and the New Testaments and applies its various images to the state +of his sinful soul. It is a long, pathetic lamentation of a Christian +who discovers again and again how much God has loved him, how much He +has done for him and how little response came from the man: + + + "How shall I begin to deplore the deeds of my miserable life? + What beginning shall I make, O Christ, to this lament? + But since Thou art compassionate, grant me remission of my trespasses." + + "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..." + + "I have lost my first made beauty and dignity, + And now I lie naked and covered with shame..." + + +And to each one of these troparia the congregation answers: "Have mercy +on me, O God, have mercy on me." + +The Great Canon is sung and read twice during Lent: in four parts at +Great Compline on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday of the first +week; and again completely at Matins on Thursday of the fifth week. It +is a real introduction to Lent, it sets its tone and spirit, it gives +us--from the very beginning--the true dimension of repentance. + + +2. The Prayer of St. Ephrem the Syrian + +On weekdays of Lent this prayer is read twice at the end of each +service: first, with a prostration after each of its petitions, then +with one final prostration. Here is the text: + + + "O Lord and Master of my life, take from me the spirit of + sloth, despair, lust of power, and idle talk." + + =Prostration.= + + "But give rather the spirit of chastity, humility, patience + and love to Thy servant." + + =Prostration.= + + "Yea, O Lord and King, grant me to see my own sins and not + to judge my brother; for Thou art blessed unto ages of ages. + Amen." + + =Prostration.= + +Then all bow twelve times saying: "O God cleanse me, a sinner." + +And the whole prayer is read again, with one prostration at the end. + +This prayer, constantly repeated throughout the services, is the +simplest and purest expression of repentance in all its dimensions: +desire for purification, desire for improvement, desire for a real +change in relations with other people. The Lenten rules of the Orthodox +Church pay great attention to =prostrations=: through them the body +participates in the effort of "breaking down" our pride and +self-satisfaction. + + +3. Biblical Readings[2] + +A characteristic feature of Lenten services is the use of the Old +Testament, normally absent from the daily cycle of worship. Lessons from +three books of the Bible are read daily throughout Lent: =Genesis= and +=Proverbs= at Vespers, =Isaiah= at the Sixth Hour. These readings +indicate that Lent is a =time of preparation=, a spiritual return to +the Old Testament, which announced and prepared the coming of Christ +and the inauguration in Him of a new life. The book of =Genesis= tells +us the story of Creation, Fall and the beginnings of the history of +salvation. =Proverbs= teach us the Wisdom of God as revealed to man and +leading him to repentance and renewal. Finally, =Isaiah= is the great +prophet of Redemption and Salvation, the announcer of the Kingdom +of God. + + +4. The Lenten Hymns + +The liturgical book of Lent is the =Triodion=. Besides the biblical +readings, it contains special Lenten hymns to be sung every day at +Matins and Vespers. Of a special beauty are the "idiomela" of St. +Theodore of Stoudion, short penitential hymns, one sung at Matins and +one at Vespers, which more than anything else express the Lenten +spirituality of the Orthodox Church. Here are a few examples: + + + "Let us begin, O people the spotless fast, for it is the + salvation of our souls. + + Let us make our devotion to the Lord in fear, anointing + our heads with the oil of good works and washing our faces + with pure water, + + Not many worded in prayer, but saying as we have been taught + to say. + + Our Father Who art in heaven! Forgive us our trespasses, + + For Thou art the lover of mankind." + + (=Tuesday Matins, First Week=) + + + "O come ye faithful, let us work the works of God in light, + + Let us walk honestly as in the day, let us cast away from + ourselves every unjust writing against our neighbor, and not + put a stumbling block as an occasion for his falling on the way; + + Let us put away the pleasures of the flesh; + + Let us increase the graces of our souls; + + Let us give bread to those in need; + + Let us draw near to Christ in penitence, crying out: + + "Have mercy on us, O our God!" + + (=Friday Vespers, First Week=) + + + "Why art thou idle, O my soul? And why dost thou dedicate thyself + to sin? + + Why art thou weak yet not come to the physician? + + Now is the fruitful time, and now is the real day of salvation. + + Arise! Wash thyself in the tears of repentance and enlighten thy + lamp with the oil of good works, + + That thou mayest obtain from God forgiveness and great mercy." + + (=Tuesday Matins, Second Week=) + + + "Arriving midway on that road of fasting which leads to Thy + venerable cross, + + And hoping for a glimpse of that day when Abraham caught up + Isaac from the grave + + We entreat Thee to make us partakers of Thy mystical supper + + Who are saved by faith and cry out to Thee: + + O our Light and our Saviour, glory to Thee." + + (=Wednesday Matins, Fourth Week=) + + +The =Triodion= unfortunately has not yet been translated into English. +Its wonderful riches are still hidden: short three-ode canons (hence the +name "Triodion"), kathismata (stanzas sung after the psalms), hymns to +the Holy Trinity, etc. Of all the liturgical books it is one of the most +inspiring, most directly connected with the spiritual needs of man. + + +5. The Psalter + +The Psalms occupy a very central position in Orthodox worship. But in +Lent the use of the psalter is doubled. Normally it is read once every +week; during Lent it is read twice. Of course this is done mainly in +monasteries, yet it is important to know that the Church considers the +psalms to be an essential spiritual food for the Lenten season. + + +6. The Liturgy of the Presanctified Gifts + +On weekdays of Lent (Monday through Friday) the celebration of the Divine +Liturgy is strictly forbidden. They are =non-liturgical days= (with one +possible exception, the Feast of Annunciation). The reason for this rule +is that the Eucharist is by its very nature a festal celebration, the +joyful commemoration of Christ's Resurrection and glorification and His +presence among His disciples. But twice a week, on Wednesday and Fridays, +the Church prescribes the celebration after Vespers, i.e., in the +evening, of the =Liturgy of the Presanctified Gifts=. It consists of +solemn Great Vespers and communion with the Holy Gifts consecrated on the +previous Sunday. These days being days of =strict fasting= (theoretically: +complete abstinence), are "crowned" with the partaking of the Bread of +life, the ultimate fulfillment of our efforts.... + + + "... When Thou has freed us and Thy faithful people from all + impurities, sanctify the souls and bodies of all of us with + a sanctification not to be taken away; that with a clear + conscience, peaceful presence and enlightened hearts we may + participate in those divine Sacraments, and be quickened + through them and become one with Thy Christ Himself, our + true God, Who said: Who so eats My Flesh and drinks My Blood, + abides in Me and I in Him. So that by Thy Word dwelling in us + and walking with us we may become, O Lord, a temple of Thine + all-holy and adored spirit ..." + + (=Prayer at the Presanctified Liturgy=) + + +7. Liturgical Music and Vestments + +The spirit of Lent is also expressed in the liturgical music. Special +lenten tones and melodies are used for responses at litanies, for the +"Alleluias" and the hymns of the Presanctified Liturgy. Slow, deep and +solemn, these melodies provoke in us a longing for purity, and also the +sadness for not living up to the "pristine beauty" for which we were +created.... + +And finally, as an external symbol of this state of repentance, +preparation and humility, dark =purple vestments= are used in the Church. + + +8. Saturdays and Sundays of Lent + +Lenten Saturdays, with the exception of the first, dedicated to the +memory of the Holy Martyr Theodore Tyron, and the fifth, the Saturday +of the Akathistos, are days of =commemoration of the departed=. And +it would be good to restore this practice of one weekly universal +commemoration of all Orthodox Christians departed this life, of their +integration in the Eucharist which is always offered "on behalf of all +and for all." + +Each Sunday in Lent, although it preserves its basic meaning: that of +the weekly feast of Resurrection, has its own special theme: + +The First Sunday--=Triumph of Orthodoxy=--commemorates the victory of +the Church over the last major heresy: Iconoclasm (842). + +The second Sunday is dedicated to the memory of =St. Gregory Palamas=, +a great Byzantine mystic and theologian of the 14th century, who +centered his teaching on the high calling of man, on his "deification" +in Christ. + +The third Sunday is the Sunday "=of the Veneration of the Holy Cross=." +At Matins the Cross is brought in a solemn procession from the sanctuary +and placed in the center of the Church, where it remains for the whole +week. This rite announces the approaching of the Holy Week, with its +commemoration of Christ's Passion. A special veneration of the Cross +takes place at the end of each service. + +Fourth Sunday--=St. John of the Ladder=, one of the greatest Ascetics, +who in his "Spiritual Ladder" described the various stages of spiritual +life. + +Fifth Sunday--=St. Mary of Egypt=, whose life is a most wonderful example +of repentance. + +On Saturdays and Sundays, days of Eucharistic celebration, the dark +vestments are replaced by light ones, the Lenten melodies are not sung +and the prayer of St. Ephrem with prostrations is omitted. The order of +services is not of the Lenten type, yet =fasting= remains a rule and +cannot be broken. Each Sunday night at Great Vespers a special =Great +Prokimenon= (verses from a psalm) inaugurates a new week in the +penitential effort. + + + + +HOW CAN WE KEEP GREAT LENT? + + +It is obviously impossible for us to go to Church every day. And since +we cannot keep the Lent liturgically, the question arises: what is our +participation in Lent, how can we spiritually profit by it? The Church +calls us to deepen our religious conscience, to increase and strengthen +the spiritual contents of our life, to follow her in her pilgrimage +towards renewal and rededication to God. + + +1. Fasting + +The first universal precept is that of fasting. The Orthodox teaching +concerning fasting is different from the Roman Catholic doctrine and it +is essential to understand it. Roman Catholics identify =fasting= with +a "good deed," see in it a sacrifice which earns us a "merit." "What +shall I give up for Lent?"--this question is very typical of such an +attitude toward fasting. Fasting thus is a formal obligation, an act of +obedience to the Church, and its value comes precisely from obedience. +The Orthodox idea of fasting is first of all that of an =ascetical +effort=. It is the effort to subdue the physical, the fleshly man to +the spiritual one, the "natural" to the "supernatural." Limitations in +food are =instrumental=; they are not ends in themselves. Fasting thus +is but a means of reaching a spiritual goal and, therefore, an integral +part of a wide spiritual effort. Fasting, in the Orthodox understanding, +includes more than abstinence from certain types of food. It implies +prayer, silence, an internal disposition of mind, an attempt to be +charitable, kind, and--in one word--=spiritual=. "Brethren, while +fasting bodily, let us also fast spiritually...." + +And because of this the Orthodox doctrine of fasting excludes the +evaluation of fasting in terms of a "maximum" or "minimum." Every one +must find =his= maximum, weigh his conscience and find in it his +"pattern of fasting." But this pattern must necessarily include the +spiritual as well as the "bodily" elements. The Typicon and the canons +of the Church give the description of an ideal fast: no dairy products, +total abstinence on certain days. "He that is able to receive it, let +him receive it" (Matt. 19:12). But, whatever is our measure--our fasting +must be a total effort of our total being. + +According to the rules of the Church the fast cannot be broken for +the entire Lenten period of forty days: Saturdays and Sundays are no +exception. + + +2. Prayer + +We must always pray. But Lent is the time of an increase of prayer and +also of its deepening. The simplest way is, first, to add the Lenten +prayer of St. Ephrem the Syrian to our private morning and evening +prayers. Then, it is good and profitable to set certain hours of the day +for a short prayer: this can be done "internally"--at the office, in the +car, everywhere. The important thing here is to remember constantly that +we are in Lent, to be spiritually "referred" to its final goal: renewal, +penitence, closer contact with God. + + +3. Spiritual Reading + +We cannot be in church daily, but it is still possible for us to follow +the Church's progress in Lent by reading those lessons and books which +the Church reads in her worship. A chapter of the Book of Genesis, some +passages from Proverbs and Isaiah do not take much time, and yet they +help us in understanding the spirit of Lent and its various dimensions. +It is also good to read a few Psalms--in connection with prayer or +separately. Nowhere else can we find such concentration of true +repentance, of thirst for communion with God, of desire to permeate the +whole of life with religion. Finally, a religious book: Lives of the +Saints, History of the Church, Orthodox Spirituality, etc. is a "must" +while we are in Lent. It takes us from our daily life to a higher level +of interests, it feeds us with ideas and facts which are usually absent +from our "practical" and "efficient" world. + + +4. Change of Life + +And, last but not least: there must be an effort and a decision to +=slow down= our life, to put in as much quiet, silence, contemplation, +meditation. Radio, TV, newspapers, social gatherings--all these things, +however excellent and profitable in themselves, must be cut down to a +real minimum. Not because they are bad, but because we have something +=more important= to do, and it is impossible to do without a change +of life, without some degree of =concentration= and discipline. Lent +is the time when we =re-evaluate= our life in the light of our faith, +and this requires a very real effort and discipline. Christ says that a +=narrow path= leads to the kingdom of God and we must make our life as +narrow as possible. At first the natural and selfish man in us revolts +against these limitations. He wants his usual "easy life" with all its +pleasures and relaxations. But once we have tasted of such spiritual +effort, once we have made by it one step towards God, the reward is +great! We discover a joy that cannot be compared to any other joy. +We discover the reality of the spiritual world in us. We begin to +understand what St. Paul meant by "the joy and peace in the Holy Spirit." +=God Himself enters our soul=: and it is this wonderful coming that +constitutes the ultimate end of Lent: + + + "If a man love me, he will keep my words: and my Father will + love him and we will come unto him and make our abode with + him." (John 14:23) + + +Let us make =this= Lent a real Lent! + + * * * * * + +For a fuller treatment of the meaning of Lent, cf. the book =GREAT +LENT=, also written by Rev. Alexander Schmemann. + + * * * * * + + + + +FOOTNOTES + + +[Footnote 1: Cf. =Holy Week=, by Alexander Schmemann] + +[Footnote 2: For a guide to the reading of the Bible, cf. =Reading +the Bible=, by Rev. Thomas Hopko.] + + + + +LENTEN PAMPHLETS + + +=Forgiveness Sunday Vespers.= Complete text of the service of + Vespers on the eve of Great Lent, with music for the Great + Prokimenon of the day. Introduction by Father Alexander + Schmemann. 27 pp. $.50 + +=The Liturgy of the Presanctified Gifts.= The full text of the + lenten service of Holy Communion with appendices for the + movable verses and readings. Contains complete text with + musical notation for the antiphonal chanting of the Psalms. + Introduction by Father Thomas Hopko. 62 pp. $.75 + +=Passion Gospels.= The twelve readings from the Gospel for the + Matins service of Great and Holy Friday. Contains a valuable + introduction by Father Paul Lazor on the meaning of the + texts. 60 pp. $.50 + +=Great and Holy Friday.= Complete text of the service of Vespers + of Holy Friday, with music for the major hymns of the day. + Introduction by Father Paul Lazor. 54 pp. $.75 + +=The Praises.= The complete text of Psalm 119 and the verses + of the Praises for the Matins service of Great and Holy + Saturday. Includes a brief introduction to the meaning of + the hymns. 47 pp. $.50 + +=Great and Holy Saturday: Vespers and Liturgy.= The text of + Vespers with the Liturgy of St. Basil the Great, complete + with all the readings, verses, and music for the Prokimena. $1.00 + + + + + + +End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of Great Lent: A School of Repentance, by +Alexander Schmemann + +*** END OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK GREAT LENT: A SCHOOL OF REPENTANCE *** + +***** This file should be named 36415.txt or 36415.zip ***** +This and all associated files of various formats will be found in: + http://www.gutenberg.org/3/6/4/1/36415/ + +Produced by Gerard Arthus, David Garcia and the Online +Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net + + +Updated editions will replace the previous one--the old editions +will be renamed. + +Creating the works from public domain print editions means that no +one owns a United States copyright in these works, so the Foundation +(and you!) can copy and distribute it in the United States without +permission and without paying copyright royalties. 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