Pastoral Message from the March Beacon
03/01/2024
My Beloved Brothers and Sisters in Christ,
Greetings in our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ!
The period of the Great and Holy Lent is approaching quickly, and soon we will pass from the time of preparation and penitence into a time of joy and feasting (but we’ll leave our feasting until May). Holy Lent brings us many beautiful liturgical services filled with some of the most beautiful and moving hymns and prayers. During March and April, 3 such services will be celebrated: the Great Compline on Mondays, the Divine Liturgy of the Presanctified Gifts on Wednesdays, and the Salutations to the Theotokos on Fridays. Each of these services is so unique and differs so greatly from the “normal” Sunday Divine Liturgy, that they present us with opportunities to experience our faith in ways that may stimulate spiritual growth. If we feel stalled or that our faith has fallen into a Lenten routine that has not produced spiritual growth, let us make a conscious decision to participate in the beauty of the Lenten cycle.
During this time, many of our faithful will increase their fasting and praying in their own homes, but it is also important that we come to the Lord’s House and pray together as a community. Great Lent is filled with opportunity for spiritual growth. It takes all the necessary elements and blends them into the perfect combination to allow for a complete transformation of the soul in a short 48 day period.
Begin with fasting and prayer, add the liturgy of the Church and finish with Holy Confession and the celebration of the Resurrection of the Lord - this is the map for spiritual health. Follow it year after year to eternity.
A Blessed Great and Holy to all of you as we prepare for His Passion, Crucifixion and Resurrection!
In Christ,
Fr. Jon