______________________________
Orthodox Christians in Russia and other countries around the world begin observing Great Lent on Monday 23 February, in preparation for Easter, the most sacred and holy day of the Orthodox Church’s ecclesiastical calendar, celebrated this year on 12 April. On Forgiveness Sunday, the last Sunday before the longest and strictest fasting season of the year in the Orthodox Church Patriarch Kirill Gundyaev of Moscow and all the Russias said, “Great Lent is a time for spiritual growth”. Orthodox Lent always begins on a Monday, designated as “Clean Monday”, a day when Orthodox faithful begin a spiritual and moral purification through fasting, prayer, meditations, repentance, attending Lenten religious services, and partaking of Confession and Communion. Patriarch Kirill said in his message, “Observing the 40 days of Great Lent means to change our lifestyle, go to church more often, and receive the Holy Sacraments, but the most important thing is to work on ourselves… seven weeks of work on the most fertile and the most important holy soil… the soil of overcoming our weaknesses. No spiritual growth and no other growth will be possible without it”. During the first week of Lent, His Holiness will hold special services twice a day in churches and monasteries in Moscow and Moscow Oblast.
23 February 2015
ITAR-TASS
You must be logged in to post a comment.