Saturday, May 5:   Great Vespers, 6:30 pm.

SUNDAY, MAY 6:   Sunday of the Paralytic.  Hours, 9:35 am.  Liturgy 10 am.  CHURCH SCHOOL and Coffee Hour afterward.

Wednesday, May 9:  Vespers, 7 pm, followed by Class.

Saturday, May 12:  CHURCH SCHOOL, 4:00 pm.  5:00 pm, BAPTISM of child  Gabriel. Great Vespers, 6:30 pm.

SUNDAY, MAY 13:  Sunday of Samaritan Woman.  Hours, 9:35 am.  Liturgy, 10  am.  Mother’s Day.

Wednesday, May 16:  GENERAL CONFESSION, 6 pm.  Vespers, 7 pm, followed by Catechumen Class.

Saturday, May 19:  Great Vespers, 6: 30 pm.

SUNDAY, MAY 20:  Sunday of the Blind Man.  Hours, 9:35 am.  Liturgy, 10 am.  followed by Coffee Hour and COUNCIL MEETING.

Wednesday, May 23:  ASCENSION Vespers, 7 pm followed by OCMC  PRESENTATION (Orthodox Christian Mission Center), Mr. Kenneth Kidd.

Thursday, May 24:  Liturgy for ASCENSION,  10 am.

Saturday, May 26:  Great Vespers, 6:30 pm.

SUNDAY, MAY 27:  Fathers of 1st Ecumenical Council.  Hours, 9:35 am.   Liturgy 10 am.  Permiakova/Shkarayev WEDDING at 3 pm.

Wednesday, May 30:  Vespers, 7 pm, followed by Catechumen Class.

Saturday, June 2:  Vespers for PENTECOST, 6:30 pm.

SUNDAY, JUNE 3:  Hours, 9:35 am.  Liturgy for PENTECOST, 10 am. followed by Kneeling Prayers and Coffee Hour.  FAST FREE WEEK.

Wednesday, June 6:  Vespers, 7 pm, followed by Catechumen Class.

Saturday, June 9:  Great Vespers, 6: 30 pm.

SUNDAY, JUNE 10:  Sunday of All Saints.  Hours, 9:35 am.  Liturgy 10 am, followed by Coffee Hour.

+ Metropolitan Anthony Bloom

     (The five Sundays following Pascha (Easter) emphasize, through the appointed Scripture readings and hymns, (1.) the post-resurrection appearances of Christ;  (2.) the Church’s early life and missionary endeavors (epistle readings are taken from the Book of Acts); and  (3.) aspects of baptism, through which we ourselves have died and risen with the Lord to a new life in God (Gospel readings are taken from the most “sacramental” of the Gospel accounts, that of John the Theologian. Several focus on acts or conversations that take place near or around “water,” reminding us of our own baptism into Christ). May 20th will be the last of the Sundays of the Paschal Season, that of the Blind Man.  The Gospel reading for that day is, John 9: 1-38.  The following is a sermon given by Metropolitan Anthony on that lesson).

     We heard today the story of the man born blind.  We do not know from experience what physical blindness is, but we can imagine how this man was walled in himself, how all the world around him existed only as a distant sound, something he could not picture, imagine.  He was a prisoner within his own body.  He could live by imaginations, he could invent a world around himself, he could by touch and by hearing approximate what really was around him;  but the total, full reality could only escape him.

     We are not physically blind, but how many of us are locked in themselves!  Who of us can say that he is so open that he can perceived all the world in its depth?  We meet people, and we see them with our eyes;  but seldom it happens that beyond the outer shape, features, clothes — how often does it happen that we see something of the depth of the person?  How seldom it is that we look into a person’s eyes and go deep in understanding!  We are surrounded by people and every person is unique to God, but are people unique to us?  Are not people that surround us just “people,” who have names, surnames, nicknames, whom we can recognize by their outer looks but whom we do not know at any depth?

     This is our condition:  we are blind, we are deaf, we are insensitive to the outer world, and yet, we are called to read meanings.  When we meet a person, we should approach this person as a mystery, that is as something which we can discover only by a deep communion, by entering into a relationship, perhaps silent, perhaps in words, but so deep that we can know one another not quite as God knows us, but in the light of God that enlightens all and each of us.

     And more that this, we can do, each within his own power, within his own gifts, what Christ did:  He opened the eyes of this man. What did this man see?  The first thing he saw was the face of the Incarnate Son of God, in other words, he saw love incarnate.  When his eyes met the eyes of Christ, he met God’s compassion, God’s tenderness, God’s earnest concern and understanding.  In the same way could so many people begin to see, if by meeting us they meet people in whose eyes, on whose face they could see the shining of earnest, sober love, of a love that is not sentimental but is seeing, a love that can see and understand.  And then, how much could we be to people around us a revelation of all the meanings that this world holds and contains through art, through beauty, through science, through all the means by which beauty is perceived and proclaimed among human beings.

     But are we doing this?  Is our concern to convey the width, and the depth, the beauty and the meaning of things to every person whom we meet?  Are we not rather concerned with receiving than with giving?  And yet, St. Paul who knew what it meant to receive and to give, said, “It is a more blessed thing to give than to receive.”  And yet how much had he received!  He had received the knowledge of God in his own experience;  he had received teaching, and knowledge, and experience within the Old Testament, and then Christ revealed Himself to him:  what did he not receive!  And yet, he exulted more in giving than in receiving, because he did not want to be the owner of all the richness that had come his way;  he wanted to share it, to give it, to set aglow and afire other lives than his own.

     Let us reflect on how rich, how richly endowed we are, how much it was given us to see, and to hear.  And let us realize at the same time how tragically walled we are within ourselves, unless we break this wall in order to give, as generously, as richly, as abundantly as we were given.  And then indeed, our joy will be fulfilled according to Christ’s promise.  And no one, nothing will ever be able to take it away from us.  Amen!    Christ is Risen!

The Paschal (Resurrection) Season

     The week following Pascha is called Bright Week, by the Church.  As Holy Week was a final time of anticipation and intense preparation for “the Feast of Feasts,” so Bright Week is a period of unique Resurrection joy, manifested outwardly by the faithful in diverse ways.  For instance, during Bright Week there is no fasting at all from various types of food;  all liturgical hymns, ideally, are to be sung rather than read; and the Church remains highly decorated, with the royal doors and the deacon’s doors of the iconostasis left open as they were during the Midnight Service.  This latter practice visually emphasizes that the gates of God’s Kingdom have been open to man through the Cross, Tomb and Resurrection of Christ.  Services celebrated during Bright Week are done so in a particularly glorious manner, identical to that which was experienced during the Midnight Service and Resurrection Vespers on Pascha Sunday.  The traditional announcement, “Christ is Risen,” is sung repeatedly by the Church choir, and people greet one another with this same message of hope.While Bright Week is a time of profound and perhaps uncommon celebration, the Resurrection season is definitely not limited to one week.  For forty days after Pascha, until Ascension (this year May 24), the faithful recall in songs and greetings the joyous news that ‘Christ has trampled down death by death, bestowing life upon those in the tombs.’  Clergy and altar servers continue to wear their brightest vestments, and everyone stands (rather than kneels) in prayer, both at home and in Church.  The practice of standing in prayer during the Paschal Season serves to stress our belief that in Christ we are already resurrected beings, residents on earth yet citizens of Heaven. The faithful actually continue this practice until Pentecost (this year June 3), when after Liturgy for the first time since Holy Week we kneel in prayer during three special prayers that are read from the ambo by the clergy.The five Sundays following Pascha (Easter) emphasize, through the appointed Scripture readings and hymns, (1.) post-resurrection appearances of Christ; (2.) the Church’s early life and missionary endeavors (epistle readings are taken from the Book of Acts); and (3.) aspects of baptism, through which we ourselves have died and risen with the Lord to a new life in God (Gospel readings are taken from the most “sacramental” of the Gospel accounts, that of John the Theologian or Evangelist).  Fr. Thomas Hopko in his Orthodox Faith Handbook Series, Volume II, provides a summary of the meaning of the five Sundays of Pascha.  The following contains quotes and paraphrases from that summary.

     On the Sunday following Pascha, called in our liturgical books “the Second Sunday,” the stress is on the Apostle Thomas’ vision of Christ.  The significance of the day comes to us in the words of the Gospel:  “Then He said to Thomas, “Put your finger here, and see My hands;  and put out your hand, and place it in My side;  do not be faithless, but believing.”  Thomas answer Him, “My Lord and My God!”  Jesus said to him, “Have you believed because you have seen Me?  Blessed are those who have not seen and yet believe.”  (John 20:27-29)In this last statement Christ refers to all those who will come after the Apostles and become disciples through their words. This includes Christians of every century, including our own.  We have not seen Christ with our physical eyes, nor touched His risen body with our physical hands, yet in the Holy Spirit we have seen and touched and tasted the Word of Life (1 John 1:1-4), and so we believe.  In the early Church it was only on this day that those baptized at Pascha removed their (baptismal) robes and entered once again into the life of this world.

     The Third Sunday after Pascha is dedicated to the Myrrhbearing Women who cared for the body of the Savior at His death and who were the first witnesses of His Resurrection.  The three troparia of Holy Friday, (having to do with the Noble Joseph of Arimethea anointing and burying the Body of Jesus;  Christ’s descent into hell and its defeat;  and the angel’s proclamation to the myrrhbearing women of Christ’s resurrection) are sung once again and form the theme of the day:

     The Fourth Sunday is dedicated to Christ’s healing of the Paralytic (John 5).  The man is healed by Christ while waiting to be put down into the pool of water.  Through baptism in the church we too are healed and saved by Christ for eternal life.  Thus, in the church, we are told, together with the paralytic, to “sin no more that nothing worse befall you” (John 5:14).  Our Lord’s question to the man, “Do you want to be healed?” is directed to us as well, reminding us that the gift of life and illumination through the Resurrection brings with it responsibilities.  It must be nurtured and shared with others.

     In the middle of the Fourth Week, there is a day which is called by the Church, the Feast of Mid-Pentecost (this year May 9).  On this day we recall that Christ, “in the middle of the feast” teaches men of His saving mission and offers to all “the waters of immortality” (John 7:14).  Again we are reminded of the Master’s presence and His saving promise:  “If anyone is thirsty let him come to Me and drink” (John 7:37).

     The Fifth Sunday after Pascha deals with the Woman of Samaria with whom Christ spoke at Jacob’s Well (John 4).  Again the theme is the “living water” and the recognition of Jesus as God’s Messiah (John 4: 10-11; 25-26).  We are reminded of our new life in Him, of our own drinking of the “living water,” of our own true worship of God in the Christian Messianic Age “in Spirit and in Truth” (John 4: 23-24).  We see as well that salvation is offered to all:  Jews and Gentiles, men and women, saints and sinners.

     Finally, the Sixth Sunday commemorates the healing of the man blind from birth (John 9).  We are identified with that man who came to see and to believe in Jesus as the Son of God.  The Lord has anointed our eyes with His own divine hands and washed them with the waters of baptism (John 9: 6-11).  In Christ we are given the power to see and confess Him as God’s only-begotten Son, and we are given the ability to comprehend clearly and with love, our own lives, the lives of others and the world around us.

      The Paschal Season ends with the great feast of Ascension (again, this year May 24) on which believers celebrate the Lord’s ascent in order to be glorified with God the Father and to glorify us with Himself.  He goes in order to “prepare a place” for us, and to take us into the blessedness of God’s presence.  He goes to open the way for all flesh into the “heavenly sanctuary…the Holy Place not made by hands” (See Hebrews 8-10).  Furthermore, Christ ascends in order to send the Holy Spirit (an event celebrated on Pentecost) who proceeds from the Father, to bear witness to Him (Christ) and His Gospel in the world, by making Him (Christ) powerfully present in the lives of His disciples.On Pentecost the Church celebrates the final act of God’s self-revelation and self-donation to the world.  God’s plan of salvation – starting with and including the formation of His chosen people, Israel;  the sending of the prophets;  the birth of Christ; His teachings, miracles, sufferings, death, burial and resurrection – all of this culminates with the giving of the Holy Spirit on Pentecost and the birth of the New Israel, the Church of God, the life of which is the continued presence of the Spirit in our midst.The Sunday after Pentecost, that of All Saints  (June 10), reveals the power of the Holy Spirit in this world, the reason that He was given.  The Saints are those who, without a doubt, have been saved and transformed by the Spirit’s presence, a fate open to all who believe.

And then finally, on June 17, we commemorate All Saints of America, as a logical follow up to the previous Sunday.  This celebration affirms God’s presence and activity amongst His disciples in North America, placing before us local and contemporary examples of sanctity.

Thus a journey which began for us way back on January 29 with the Sunday of Zacchaeus will, in a sense, end on June 17.  But the journey was taken for a reason.  The seasons of fasting and celebration that we have experienced are to lead us to a deeper faith in Christ as Savior.  They are to instill within us a stronger commitment to our own mission, to be Christ’s witnesses “to the ends of the earth.” (Acts 1:8)

(Some of the above information taken from Fr. Thomas Hopko’s, The Orthodox Faith, Volume 2, Worship, published by the O.C.A.’s Department of Christian Education.)

SUNDAY, APRIL 1:  St. Mary of Egypt.  Hours, 9:35 am.  Liturgy, 10 am followed by CHURCH SCHOOL and Coffee Hour.  Pan Orthodox Vespers, 6 pm at St. Seraphim Cathedral in Dallas.

Wednesday, April 4:  Liturgy of the Presanctified Gifts, 7 pm, followed by class.

Saturday, April 7:  LAZARUS  SATURDAY.  Liturgy, 10 am followed by CHURCH SCHOOL, 11:30 am.  Vespers, 6:30 pm with Blessing of Palms.

SUNDAY, APRIL 8:  PALM SUNDAY, Hours 9:35 am.  Liturgy, 10 am, followed by Altar Server meeting.

HOLY MONDAY, APRIL 9:  Bridegroom Matins, 7 pm.

HOLY TUESDAY,  APRIL 10:  Bridegroom Matins, 7 pm.

HOLY WEDNESDAY, APRIL 11:  Liturgy of the Presanctified Gifts with Gospel, 7 pm.   (No class this night).

HOLY THURSDAY, APRIL 12:  Matins with 12 Passion Gospels, 7 pm.

HOLY FRIDAY, APRIL 13:   Burial Vespers, 2 pm.   Matins with Lamentations in front of the Tomb and Procession, 7 pm.

HOLY SATURDAY, APRIL 14:  Vesperal Liturgy of St. Basil with 15 Old Testament Readings, 9 am.   MAIN RESURRECTION SERVICE, 11:30 pm, followed by Agape Meal & Blessing of Pascha Baskets. (Please arrive early).

PASCHA SUNDAY, APRIL 15:  Resurrection Vespers, 12 noon.

BRIGHT WEDNESDAY:  April 18:  Resurrection Vespers, 7 pm.  Class Afterward.

BRIGHT THURSDAY,  April 19:  FIRST  PYSANKY  CLASS, 7 pm.

BRIGHT SATURDAY, April 21:  Vespers for St. Thomas, 6:30 pm.

THOMAS SUNDAY, April 22:  Hours, 9:35 am.  Liturgy, 10 am.

Wednesday, April 25:  Vespers, 7 pm.  Class afterward.

Thursday, April 26:  SECOND PYSANKY CLASS, 7 pm.

Saturday, April 28:  Vespers, 6:30 pm.

SUNDAY OF MYRRHBEARERS, April 29:  Hours, 9:35 am.  Liturgy 10 am.

Wednesday, May 2:  Vespers, 7 pm.  Class afterward.

Fr. Basil Zebrun

      On Saturday, April 7, Orthodox Christians will begin observing the most solemn of Days leading up to the celebration of Pascha on April 15:  Lazarus Saturday, Palm Sunday and Holy Week.  These nine days are specifically set aside –  consecrated – by the Church to commemorate the final and decisive events in the Lord’s earthly life.  Traditionally, during this time, Christians make an effort to “lay aside all earthly cares,” in order to devote themselves to contemplating the central Mysteries of our Faith:  the Cross, the Tomb and the Resurrection of Christ.  So significant is this period that some have stressed that during Holy Week “time seems to stand still or earthly life ceases for the faithful, as they go up with the Lord to Jerusalem” (Fr. Thomas Hopko).  May we all look upon the days ahead as sacred, dedicated to our Lord.

Lazarus  Saturday  &  Palm  Sunday  (April  7 & 8): 
These two days form a double feast, anticipating the joy of Pascha.  At the grave of His friend Lazarus, Christ encounters “the last enemy,” death (1 Cor. 15:26).  By raising Lazarus, Christ foreshadows His own decisive victory over death, and the universal resurrection granted to all mankind.

Palm Sunday commemorates Jesus’ triumphal entry into Jerusalem, “riding on the colt of an ass,” in fulfillment of a prophecy from Zechariah (9:9).   On this occasion our Lord allows the people to greet Him as a Ruler, the only time during His earthly ministry when this occurs.  Christ is indeed the King of Israel, but He comes to reveal and open to mankind His Heavenly Kingdom.  We hold branches of palms and pussy willows of our own on Palm Sunday, greeting Christ as the Lord and Master of our lives.

Liturgical services for these two days will be celebrated on Saturday morning at 10:00 am, Saturday evening at 6:30 pm, and Sunday morning at 10:00 am.  Palms will be blessed on Saturday night, the eve of Palm Sunday.

Great  &  Holy  Monday,  Tuesday  &  Wednesday  (April  9-11):

     Having just experienced a foretaste of Pascha we now enter the darkness of Holy Week.  The first three days stress the End Times, the Judgment, and the continual need for vigilance.  They point to the fact that when the world condemned its Maker, it condemned itself, “Now is the judgment of this world” (John 12:31).  They remind us that the world’s rejection of Christ reflects our own rejection of Him, inasmuch as we sin and accept the worldview of those who shouted, “Away with Him, crucify Him!”  Central to the services for these days are the Gospel readings, and the hymns which comment on these lessons.  Among the chief hymns are the Exapostilarion, “Thy Bridal Chamber, I see adorned….,” and the following troparion sung during Matins as the Church is being censed:

“Behold!  The Bridegroom comes at midnight, and blessed is the servant whom He shall find watching:  and again, unworthy is the servant whom He shall find heedless. Beware, therefore, O my soul, do not be weighed down with sleep, lest you be given up to death, and lest you be shut out of the Kingdom.  But rouse yourself, crying: “Holy! Holy! Holy! art Thou, O our God.  Through the Theotokos, have mercy on us!”  (Troparion)

     Liturgical services for these three days will be celebrated at 7:00 pm.

Great  &  Holy  Thursday  (April  12):  
During the Matins Service or the Service of the 12 Passion Gospels on Holy Thursday night we “accompany Christ, step by step, from the time of His last discourse with His disciples to His being laid in a new tomb by Joseph of Arimethea and Nicodemus.  Each of the 12 Gospel sections read during the evening service involves us in a new scene: the arrest of Jesus; His trial; the threefold denial of St. Peter; the scourging and the mockings by the soldiers; the carrying of the Cross; the Crucifixion; the opposing fates of the two thieves; the loving tenderness of the moment when Jesus commits His Mother to the care of His faithful disciple, John;  and the Lord’s final yielding up of the spirit and burial” (Fr. Paul Lazor). The liturgical hymnography for that night comments on the Gospel readings and gives the response of the Church to these events in the life of Christ.  During this service the faithful hold lit candles during the Gospel lessons while kneeling, and in large parishes Church bells are rung before each reading: once for the first reading, twice for the second, and so on.

     The Matins Service at St. Barbara’s on Holy Thursday will be at 7:00 pm.

Great  &  Holy  Friday  (April  13): 
On the one hand, this is the most solemn of days, the day of Christ’s Passion, His Death and Burial.  On this day the Church invites us, as we kneel before the tomb of Christ, to realize the awful reality and power of sin and evil in “this world,” and in our own lives as well.   It is this power that led ultimately to “the sin of all sins, the crime of all crimes” the total rejection and murder of God Himself (Fr. Alexander Schmemann).

On the other hand, the Church affirms that this day of evil is also the day of redemption.  “The death of Christ is revealed to us as a saving death, an offering of love” (Fr. Alexander Schmemann).  Holy Friday is the beginning of the Lord’s Pascha, for the One Who is raised, is the One Who is crucified for us and for our salvation.  “By death Christ tramples down death…”  Thus the tomb of Christ, placed in the center of the Church, is lavishly adorned with flowers, for from the tomb comes life.

Liturgical services for Holy Friday will take place at 2:00 pm and at 7:00 pm .  The afternoon service is often referred to as “Burial Vespers.”  During its celebration the final events in the life of Christ are brought to mind through the scripture readings and the hymnography.  At the conclusion of Vespers the faithful kneel and the choir sings, in a very slow manner, the troparia for the day which speak of Joseph of Arimethea and Nicodemus burying the Body of Jesus;  and the angel’s announcement to the Myrrhbearing Women that, “Myrrh is fitting for the dead, but Christ has shown Himself a stranger to corruption.”   As these words are heard the clergy and servers make a procession around the tomb with the “winding sheet” on which is an icon of the crucified Lord. This winding sheet is placed on top of the tomb and venerated by the faithful.

On Friday night a Matins service is celebrated during which the people sing hymns and lamentations in front of Christ’s tomb.  We hear about how, “hell trembles while Life lies in the tomb, giving life to those who lie dead in the tombs.”  We also begin to hear announcements and foreshadowings of the Resurrection in both the scripture readings and hymns.  In fact, the Alleluia verses chanted after the Epistle reading are the same Resurrectional verses from Psalm 68 chanted by the clergy on Pascha night:  “Let God arise, let His enemies be scattered, let those who hate Him flee from before His face..” (etc.)

Great  &  Holy  Saturday  (April  14):  
On the morning of this day, at 9:00 am, we will celebrate the Vesperal Liturgy of St. Basil.  This service “inaugurates the Paschal celebration… On ‘Lord I Call Upon Thee’ certain Sunday Resurrection hymns are sung, followed by special verses for Holy Saturday which stress the Death of Christ as the descent into Hades, the region of death, for its destruction.

     A pivotal point of the service occurs after the Entrance, when fifteen Old Testament lessons are read, all centered on the promise of the Resurrection, all glorifying the ultimate Victory of God…The epistle lesson is that which is read at Baptisms (Romans 6:3-11), referring to Christ’s Death and Resurrection as the source of the death in us of the “old man,” and the resurrection of the new man, whose life is in the Risen Lord  (Here we must remember that Pascha has always been the most traditional time for Baptisms of catechumens).  During the verses immediately after the epistle reading the dark Lenten vestments and altar coverings are put aside and the clergy vest in their brightest robes.  An announcement of the Resurrection is then read from the last chapter of St. Matthew”s Gospel.   The Liturgy of St. Basil continues in this white and joyful light, revealing the Tomb of Christ as the Life-giving Tomb, introducing us into the ultimate reality of Christ’s Resurrection, communicating His life to us…”  (Fr. Schmemann).

Pascha  (April  15): 
The Main Resurrection service will begin at 11:30 pm on Saturday night (We ask that everyone try to arrive at least 15 minutes early, those with food even earlier, so that we can begin the service promptly with all lights out in the Church).  This particular service is actually comprised of three services, celebrated together, one after another:  Nocturnes, Matins and the Divine Liturgy.  The entire service ends around 2:30 am on Sunday morning and is followed by the Agape Meal, at which we enjoy fellowship and partake of many non-lenten foods.

Special features of the Midnight Service include:  Nocturnes (11:30 pm to 12:00 midnight) celebrated in total darkness with only one light for the choir, followed by a triple procession around the outside of the Church, a Resurrection Gospel reading and the first announcement of, “Christ is Risen!”  The Paschal Matins then begins during which the Church is brightly lit and the faithful sing of Christ’s Resurrection in a very joyous manner. Near the end of Matins the Paschal Catechetical Sermon of St. John Chrysostom is read.  During the Liturgy of St. John Chrysostom the Gospel from the Prologue of St. John’s Gospel is chanted in several languages, symbolic of the universal character of the Christian Faith.  Immediately after the service food for the Agape Meal is blessed, as well as Easter baskets full of non-fasting foods.

On Sunday afternoon, April 15, at 12:00 noon, we return to the Church to celebrate Resurrection Vespers during which we hear a Gospel reading and more hymns of Christ’s Resurrection.  A continuation of the Agape Meal will be enjoyed after Vespers.

Bright  Week  (April 16-21):
The week immediately after Pascha is an extended celebration of the Lord’s Resurrection.  Although we enjoy a 40 day Paschal season, the services of Bright Week are uniquely joyous, reflecting the specific tone and spirit of Pascha night.  Divine Liturgies and Vespers celebrated during this time are very similar to those of April 15.  There is, as well, no fasting during Bright Week.  We look forward to celebrating Pascha with all of our Church members and friends.  Once again, we encourage everyone to set aside the days ahead as sacred, dedicated to our Lord.

Saturday, March 3:  Great Vespers, 6:30 pm.

SUNDAY, MARCH 4:  Sunday of Orthodoxy.   Hours, 9:35 am.  Liturgy, 10 am. PROCESSION WITH ICONS afterward.  CHURCH SCHOOL.  Pan Orthodox Vespers,  6 pm, Holy Trinity Church in Dallas.

Wednesday, March 7:  Liturgy of Presanctified Gifts, 7 pm.  Class afterward.

Saturday, March 8:  CHURCH SCHOOL, 4:30 pm.  Great Vespers, 6:30 pm.

SUNDAY, MARCH 11:  Sunday of St. Gregory Palamas.  Hours, 9:35 am.  Liturgy, 10 am.  Pan Orthodox Vespers, 6 pm, St. Mary Church, Colleyville.

Tuesday, GENERAL CONFESSION, 6 pm.

Wednesday, March 14:  Liturgy of Presanctified Gifts, 7 pm.  Class afterward.

Saturday, March 17:  Great Vespers, 6:30 pm.

SUNDAY, MARCH 18:  Sunday of the Cross.  Hours, 9:35 am.  Liturgy, 10 am.  Pan Orthodox Vespers, 6 pm, Sts. Constantine & Helen Church in Dallas.

Wednesday, March 21:  Liturgy of Presanctified Gifts, 7 pm. Class afterward.

Saturday, March 24:  Great Vespers, 6:30 pm.

SUNDAY, MARCH 25:  Annunciation & St. John of the Ladder.  Hours, 9:35 am.  Liturgy, 10 am. COUNCIL MEETING.  Pan Orthodox Vespers, 6 pm, St. John Church in Euless.

Tuesday, March 27:  Canon of St. Andrew, 7 pm.

Wednesday, March 28:  Liturgy of Presanctified Gifts, 7 pm.  Class afterward.

Friday, March 30:  PYSANKY FESTIVAL, 9 am to 6 pm.  (Workers please arrive early)

Saturday, March 31:  PYSANKY FESTIVAL, 9 am to 5 pm.  No Service.  (Workers please arrive early)

SUNDAY, APRIL 1:  St. Mary of Egypt.  Hours, 9:35 am.  Liturgy, 10 am.  CHURCH SCHOOL.  Vespers, 6 pm, St. Seraphim Cathedral in Dallas.

     The Great Fast begins Sunday, February 26 with Forgiveness Vespers.  It is traditionally an anticipated season for Orthodox Christians, a period of renewal, for rediscovering the basics of our faith. Lent — as the Fast is often called — has been described as a tithe of the year, forty days set aside to redirect personal energies toward God, praying that “lessons learned” will carry over and sanctify the remainder of the year.

     Furthermore, the Fast is a time of repentance, a time for profound change of heart, mind or will, in light of sins acknowledge and Truth revealed.  Fr. Alexander Schmemann, of blessed memory, wrote that Lent, “is indeed a school of repentance to which every Christian must go…in order to deepen his faith, to re-evaluate, and if possible, to change his life.  It is a wonderful pilgrimage to the very sources of the Orthodox faith, a rediscovery of the Orthodox way of life.”

     There is a quiet joy also associated with the upcoming season. It arises from recovering – as did the Prodigal – a sense of our identity as children of the Heavenly Father.  Joy stems, as well, from anticipating Pascha, “the Feast of Feasts.”  During Forgiveness Vespers we sing, “Let us begin the fast with joy! Let us prepare ourselves for spiritual efforts!…Let us rejoice in virtues of the Spirit and fulfill them in love, that we all may see the Passion of Christ our God, and rejoice in spirit at the holy Pascha!”

     And yet, with these thoughts in mind, it is probably true to say that for many people the Fast is experienced as more of an intrusion, rather than as something to which we look forward.  Are we not tempted to think early in the spring that, “My life has just returned to normal after Advent and the holidays.  I just got settled into my routine and now the Church is asking me once again to make changes for forty days.  Why?”  The question itself indicates the answer.  Implicit in this “why” is a comfortable acceptance of life as usual, a quiet, unconscious denial that there is anything about the old routine, our normal existence, that absolutely has to change, or more to the point, be redeemed.  This passivity – spiritually speaking – this consent, indeed surrender to the way things are, is a strong reason for why we have Lent, for why the Church consecrates a specific season for rediscovery and repentance.

     Life is occasionally referred to as a rat race, a fast track that drives us during the day:  school, work, family and social responsibilities, etc.  We enter the track but cannot seem to find the exit. Eventually we become accustomed to being pushed along by life’s momentum.  Its force affects our ideas about many issues, the capacity for clear thinking, and thus our ability to give ourselves completely to Christ.  It redirects and narrows our thoughts so that this world becomes the primary focus as we try to survive life’s pace.  The Church, God’s Kingdom on earth, is even asked on occasion to accommodate itself to our constricted vision. The net result:  life controls us, rather than we having any sort of grasp on life.  We become enslaved to the very thing that we cherish most, and life is cheapened because, going with its flow, we more often than not perceive the surface of things, rather than their true depth of meaning.  And what is worse, when the Church is asked to accommodate itself to human weakness, we deprive ourselves of that which is given to free us from the bonds of passions and a superficial life.

     This is where the Fast comes into the picture.  During the Fast we are invited, for forty plus days, to step off the track that everyone is on.  We are encouraged to make changes to our usual routine that will yield profound revelations if done in the correct spirit.  Over the course of Great Lent we gradually begin to see that life – real life – consists of more than mere existence and the grind of daily responsibilities.  In Christ an entirely new and abundant life shines from the grave; a life which does not negate, but fulfills and refashions the old.  It provides a fresh set of lenses through which we see — actually see, maybe for the first time — the people and world around us, even God Himself.  “Behold, I make all things new” (Revelation 21:5)

     Lent opens our eyes to a new dimension of the old routine, to a depth of existence that makes life worthwhile and not merely a rat race.  We begin to appreciate family, friends, work, school – everything – in a new light, the light of Christ.  We better understand the words of the Psalmist who declared that the Creator Himself can be perceived in all that exists: “The heavens are telling the glory of God and the firmament proclaims His handiwork” (19:1).  As faith and insights grow, so also does our ability to discern priorities. Many things that seemed important prior to Lent, may appear quite superfluous after preparing for and experiencing Holy Week. We start to possess different priorities after feeling the power of the Paschal greeting, Christ is Risen!

     But to achieve this, the Fast and its requirements are essential.  Sacrifices must be made and for the right reasons, with proper goals in mind.  We have to make conscious efforts to change our patterns of behavior for the better so that at least momentarily we can break free from life’s momentum and refocus on Christ.  The Church, through her liturgical services provides us with an essential experience and framework for this to happen.  The rites, prayers and readings direct us towards repentance and offer a taste of God’s Kingdom already in our midst, to be revealed fully at the end of time.  I encourage everyone to enter the Fast with faith, love and determination.  Make the necessary efforts.  Let us learn from the One Who “ever awaits our conversion,” and “desires that all men be saved and come to the knowledge of the Truth” (1 Timothy 2:4).

     Great Lent begins on a Monday.  The eve of this day is known as Forgiveness Sunday.  The way to resurrection and life, the path to Christ’s eternal victory over death, begins with forgiveness. God will not forgive us our sins, and raise us from the dead to eternal life, unless we forgive the sins of others and work for their salvation as well as for our own.

     In the Sermon on the Mount, Christ clearly teaches us the importance of forgiveness:  ”If you forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father also will forgive you; but if you do not forgive men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses (Matthew 6: 14-15).

     On the First Sunday of Great Lent, we celebrate the feast of the Triumph of Orthodoxy.  This is an historical feast commemorating the restoration of icons — which had been banned for years from the Churches — to their rightful liturgical use in the year 843 A.D.

      The major emphasis of this feast is the victory of the true faith, the victory which always ultimately triumphs.  Having completed the first week of our Lenten efforts, we are reminded that Christ, the perfect image (icon) of God the Father, calls us to personal victory by restoring within ourselves “the image and likeness of God” in which we were first created (Genesis 1:26).

     The icons of our Lord, the Theotokos (the Mother of God), and all the saints are images of true humanity, signs of our eternal calling and vocation.  They tell us that we are all called to be living icons and imitators of Christ, bearing the likeness of God as gracious vessels of the Holy Spirit.

     The Second Sunday of Great Lent is dedicated to St. Gregory Palamas (14th century).  He was a monk on Mt. Athos — a spiritual bastion of Orthodox Christianity — and later became the Archbishop of Thessalonica. Once again we are reassured, as we contemplate this man and reflect on his teachings, that we can indeed attain salvation and behold the “Light of Wisdom,” by becoming “partakers of the divine nature” (2 Peter 1:4).

     St. Gregory clearly teaches that by cooperating with the God who makes all things possible, we can attain eternal life.  Thus, our Lenten efforts are confirmed, our resolve is strengthened, and we are filled once more with the light of hope.  Historically, theologically, the support of Palamas’ teachings is seen as a Second Triumph of Orthodoxy.

     On the Third Sunday of Great Lent we venerate the Life-creating Cross of our Lord.  The Kingdom of God comes only through the Cross.  Life follows death;  Resurrection follows Golgotha.

     St. Paul mentions that, in the worldly sense, the Cross is a sign of foolishness, signifying for many only death and sorrow.  The faithful, however, look in faith and hope beyond the suffering brought about by the Cross, discerning the loving victory which it truly proclaims.  At the Sunday Matins service we sing, “Behold! Through the Cross joy has come into all the world.”  The Cross is a sign of victory and the landmark of paradise.  It is inseparable from the Resurrection.  For this reason we sing on this Sunday:  ”Before Thy Cross we bow down and worship, O Master, and Thy Holy Resurrection we glorify.”

      The Cross is not only a victory for Christ, “the captain of salvation made perfect through suffering” (Hebrews 2:10).  The Cross is a victory for us as well.  As we approach Pascha, it stands as a reminder for us to take up our crosses and worthily follow Christ in His suffering and, ultimately, in His eternal victory (Matthew 10:38).  On the Third Sunday of Lent the Cross is placed before us in the center of the Church, adorned with flowers, for inspiration and encouragement.

     On the Fourth Sunday of Great Lent we commemorate St. John of the Ladder (7th century), author of The Ladder of Divine Ascent and abbot of St. Catherine’s Monastery on Mt. Sinai.  In his spiritual classic St. John outlines the steps essential for attaining communion with God, steps which remind us that the way to the Kingdom constantly challenges us to engage in spiritual warfare.

     ”Be strong in the Lord and in the strength of His might.  Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.  For we are not contending against flesh and blood, but against the principalities, against the powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places.  Therefore take the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand” (Ephesians 6: 10-13).

     St. John is also commemorated during Lent as a model of ascetic effort.

     The Fifth Sunday  of Great Lent is dedicated to St. Mary of Egypt (4th & 5th centuries). St. Mary was a harlot who, having recognized her sinfulness, sought to bring about an essential change in her life.  She ran from her sinfulness and devoted the remainder of her life to placing God’s will above her own.  In her person we recall Christ’s words:  ”Truly, I say to you, the tax collectors and the harlots go into the Kingdom of God before you” (Matthew 21:31).

     The end is drawing near, yet repentance is still possible, even for the greatest of sinners.  We see how the harlot repents and is forgiven.  There is no sin so great that God will not forgive it;  there is no amount of sinfulness which can condemn you if you are willing to repent and to merge your vision with that of our Lord.

     ”The Lord is merciful and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love…For as the heavens are high above the earth, so great is His steadfast love toward those who fear Him;  As far as the east is from the west, so far does He remove our transgressions from us.  As a father pities his children, so the Lord pities those who fear Him”  (Psalm 103: 8, 11-13).

     Great Lent ends on the Friday following the Sunday of St. Mary of Egypt.  The next day is Lazarus Saturday which is followed by Palm Sunday.  These are days of festal interlude, leading us into Holy Week.  On Palm Sunday we greet Christ as King, anticipating the glory of Pascha (Easter).  We hold branches in our hands as we sing, “Hosanna!  Blessed is He who comes in the Name of the Lord!”  At the same time we look ahead to the road to Golgotha upon which Christ invites us to join Him.  While we sing praises with our lips, our lives must not cry out with the angry mob: ”Crucify Him!  Crucify Him!”

     With this in our minds and in our hearts, we enter the days of the Passover of the Cross — the great and holy Pascha of the Lord — the Resurrection.

     (Much of the above was taken from a publication of the Orthodox Christian Publication Center of the Orthodox Church in America.)