,illustration3 ,,great ,,lent ,a        
,,school ,,of ,,repentance 7front cover7
       ,,great ,,lent  ,a ,,school ,,of 
,,repentance  ,its ,meaning for         
,orthodox ,christians  by  ,the ,rt4    
,rev4 ,alexander ,schmemann             
,,department ,,of ,,religious           
,,education   ,,orthodox ,,church ,,in  
,,america     ,new ,york #aigj   ,second
 ,printing #aigg     ,,contents         
,,great ,,lent                          
#e     ,the ,time of ,repentance        
,,sundays ,,of ,,preparation            
#g    ,,lenten ,,worship                
#ac    ,,how ,,can ,,we ,,keep ,,great  
,,lent8                           #bc   
,,great ,,lent  ,,the ,,time ,,of       
,,repentance      ,brethren1 while      
fasting bodily1 let us also fast        
spiritually2     let us loosen every    
bond of injustice2 let us destroy the   
strong     fetters of violence2 let us  
tear up every unjust writing2 let us    
give bread to the hungry and let us     
welcome the homeless poor to     our    

houses1 that from ,christ our ,god we   
may receive the great mercy4            
7,stichira1 ,wednesday of the ,first    
,week7   ,we are approaching again the  
,great ,lent--the time of repentance1   
the time of our reconciliation with     
,god4 ,repentance is the beginning and  
also the condition of a truly ,christian
 life4 ,repent6 was the first word of   
,christ when ,he began to preach 7,matt4
 #d3ag74 ,but what is repentance8 ,in   
the daily rush of our life we have no   
time to think about it1 we simply take  
it for granted that we must go to       
confession1 receive absolution1 and then
 forget all about it until next year4   
,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 effort4 ,and this reason must 
obviously concern me1 my life1 my faith1
 my membership in the ,church4 ,i must  
try to understand it1 to follow as much 
as ,i can the teachings of my ,church1  

be ,orthodox not only by name1 but in   
life itself4 ,what then is repentance8  
,great ,lent gives the answer to this   
question4 ,it is indeed a school of     
repentance1 to which each ,christian    
must go every year in order to refresh  
the understanding of his faith4 ,it is a
 wonderful pilgrimage to the very       
sources of ,orthodoxy1 a rediscovery of 
a truly ,orthodox way of life4 ,let us  
try to make these forty days as         
meaningful1 as deep1 and as rich1 as    
possible4  ,in this brief explanation of
 ,lent we shall deal with3      --the   
preparation for ,great ,lent1      --the
 ,lenten worship of the ,orthodox       
,church1      --the ,orthodox teaching  
on fasting1 prayer and other spiritual  
efforts prescribed during ,lent4        
,,sundays ,,of ,,preparation   ,three   
weeks before ,lent proper begins we     
enter into a period of pre-,lenten      
preparation4 ,it is a constant feature  
of the ,orthodox tradition of worship   
that every major liturgical             

event--7,christmas1 ,easter1 ,lent7--is 
announced and prepared in advance4      
,knowing our lack of concentration1 the 
worldliness of our life1 the ,church    
calls our attention to the seriousness  
of the approaching event1 invites us to 
meditate on its significance4 ,thus1    
before we can practice ,lent1 we are    
given its meaning4  ,this preparation   
includes four consecutive ,sundays      
preceding ,lent1 each one of them       
dedicated to some fundamental aspect of 
repentance4   #a4 ,humility  7,sunday of
 the ,publican and ,pharisee7  ,on the  
eve of this day 7i4e4 on ,saturday at   
,vespers7 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 service4    
,they develop the first major theme of  
repentance3 humility4  ,the ,gospel     
lesson 7,luke #ah3aj-ad7 teaches us that
 humility is the condition of           
repentance4 ,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 religion4 ,he is proud 
of himself and self-assured4 ,in        
reality1 however1 he has falsified the  
meaning of religion4 ,he has reduced it 
to external observations and he measures
 his piety by the amount of money he    
gives to the temple4 ,religion is for   
him a source of self-admiration4 ,the   
,publican humbles himself and humility  
justifies him before ,god4  ,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 words4   #b4 ,return 
to the ,father  7,sunday of the         
,prodigal ,son7  ,the ,gospel reading of
 this day 7,luke #ae3aa-cb7 gives us the
 second theme of ,lent and repentance3  
that of the return to ,god4 ,it is not  
enough to acknowledge sins and to       
confess them4 ,repentance remains       
fruitless without the desire and        

decision to change life1 to go back to  
,god1 to begin the movement of ascension
 and purification4 ,we must realize that
 we have lost our spiritual beauty and  
purity and we must want to recover them3
 444 ,i shall return to the             
compassionate ,father crying with tears3
 ,receive me as one of ,thy servants4   
,at ,matins we sing ,psalm #acg3 ,by the
 rivers of ,babylon1 there we sat down  
and wept1 when we remembered ,zion4444  
,if ,i forget thee1 ,o ,jerusalem1 let  
my right hand forget her cunning4 ,the  
,christian remembers and knows that he  
has lost communion with ,god1 the peace 
and the joy of ,his ,kingdom1 the purity
 of the new life4 ,for he was baptized1 
introduced into the ,body of ,christ1   
but his sins have driven him away from  
,god4 ,repentance1 therefore1 is this   
desire to return to ,god1 a movement of 
love and trust3 ,i have wickedly strayed
 away from ,thy ,fatherly glory1 and    
wasted the riches ,thou gavest me among 
sinners4 ,then do ,i raise the          

prodigal's cry unto ,thee1 ,o ,bountiful
 ,father1 ,i have sinned against ,thee3 
take me back as a penitent1 and make me 
as one of thy hired servants4444        
7,kontakion of the day7   #c4 ,the ,last
 ,judgment  7,meat ,fare ,sunday7  ,on  
,meat ,fare ,saturday 7preceding this   
,sunday7 the ,church prescribes the     
universal commemoration of all her      
departed members4 ,the ,church is unity 
and love in ,christ4 ,we all depend on  
each other1 belong to each other1 are   
united by the love of ,christ4 ,our     
repentance1 therefore1 would not be     
complete without an act of love towards 
all those who have departed this life   
before us4 ,repentance is primarily the 
recovery of the spirit of love3 ,by this
 shall all men know that you are my     
disciples if you have love for one      
another 7,john #ac3ce74 ,liturgically   
this commemoration includes ,vespers on 
,friday1 ,matins and ,divine ,liturgy on
 ,saturday4  ,the ,sunday ,gospel       
7,matthew #be3ca-df7 reminds us of the  

third theme of repentance3 preparation  
for ,divine ,judgment4 ,a ,christian    
lives under ,christ's judgment4 ,this   
means that we must refer our actions1   
attitudes1 judgments to ,christ1 to ,his
 presence in the world1 that we must see
 ,christ in our fellow men4 ,for        
inasmuch as you have done it unto one of
 the least of these ,my brethren1 you   
have done it to ,me4444 ,the parable of 
the ,last ,judgment gives us the terms  
of reference for our self-evaluation as 
,christians4  ,on the week following    
,meat ,fare ,sunday a limited fasting is
 prescribed4 ,we must train and prepare 
ourselves for the great effort of ,lent4
 ,on ,wednesday and ,friday the ,divine 
,liturgy is not served and the type of  
worship is already ,lenten4 ,on         
,cheese-,fare ,saturday the ,church     
commemorates all men and women who were 
illumined through fasting--the ,holy    
,ascetics and ,fosters4 ,they are the   
patterns we must follow1 our guides in  
the difficult art of fasting and        

repentance4   #d4 ,forgiveness  7,cheese
 ,fare ,sunday7  ,this is the last day  
before ,lent4 ,its liturgy develops     
three themes3 7a7 the expulsion of ,adam
 from the paradise of bliss4 ,man was   
created for paradise--for knowledge of  
,god and communion with ,him4 ,his sins 
have deprived him of this blessed life  
and his existence on earth is an exile4 
,christ1 the ,god-man1 opens the doors  
of ,paradise to every one who follows   
,him and the ,church is our guide to the
 heavenly fatherland4  7b7 ,our fast    
must not be hypocritical1 a show off4   
,we must appear not unto men to fast1   
but unto our ,father who is in secret   
7cf4 ,sunday lesson from ,matthew3      
#f3ad-ba74  7c7 ,the condition for such 
real fasting is that we forgive each    
other as ,god forgives us--,if you      
forgive men their trespasses1 your      
,heavenly ,father will also forgive     
you4444  ,on the evening of this day1 at
 ,vespers1 ,lent is inaugurated with the
 ,great ,prokimenon3 ,turn not away ,thy

 face from ,thy servant1 for ,i am in   
trouble2 hear me speedily4 ,attend to my
 soul and deliver it4 ,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 ,easter4     ,,lenten   
,,worship   ,the ,great ,lent consists  
of six weeks or forty days4 ,it begins  
on ,monday after ,cheese ,fare ,sunday  
and ends on ,friday evening before ,palm
 ,sunday4 ,the ,saturday of ,lazarus'   
,resurrection1 ,palm ,sunday and the    
,holy ,week form a special liturgical   
cycle with which we shall deal in a     
special pamphlet4#a  ,the meaning and   
the spirit of the ,great ,lent find     
their first and most important          
expression in worship4 ,not only        
individuals but the whole ,church       
acquires a penitential spirit1 and the  
beautiful ,lenten services more than    
anything else help us to deepen our     
spiritual vision1 to reconsider our life
 in the light of the ,orthodox teaching 

about man4 ,we shall briefly analyze the
 most important of the liturgical       
particularities of ,lent4   #a4 ,the    
,great ,canon of ,st4 ,andrew of ,crete 
,the ,lent begins with the ,great       
,penitential ,canon of ,st4 ,andrew of  
,crete4 ,written in the seventh century 
by one of the greatest hymn-writers of  
the ,orthodox ,church1 this canon is the
 purest expression of repentance4 ,the  
author contemplates the great history of
 salvation1 recorded in the ,old and the
 ,new ,testaments and applies its       
various images to the state of his      
sinful soul4 ,it is a long1 pathetic    
lamentation of a ,christian who         
discovers again and again how much ,god 
has loved him1 how much ,he has done for
 him and how little response came from  
the man3     ,how shall ,i begin to     
deplore the deeds of my miserable life8 
,what beginning shall ,i make1 ,o       
,christ1 to this lament8   ,but since   
,thou art compassionate1 grant me       
remission of my trespasses4    ,like as 

the potter gives life to his clay1      
,thou hast bestowed upon me   ,flesh and
 bones1 breath and life2   ,today1 ,o my
 ,creator1 my ,redeemer and     ,my     
,judge1   ,receive me a penitent444     
,i have lost my first made beauty and   
dignity1   ,and now ,i lie naked and    
covered with shame444   ,and to each one
 of these troparia the congregation     
answers3 ,have mercy on me1 ,o ,god1    
have mercy on me4  ,the ,great ,canon is
 sung and read twice during ,lent3 in   
four parts at ,great ,compline on       
,monday1 ,tuesday1 ,wednesday and       
,thursday of the first week2 and again  
completely at ,matins on ,thursday of   
the fifth week4 ,it is a real           
introduction to ,lent1 it sets its tone 
and spirit1 it gives us--from the very  
beginning--the true dimension of        
repentance4   #b4 ,the ,prayer of ,st4  
,ephrem the ,syrian  ,on weekdays of    
,lent this prayer is read twice at the  
end of each service3 first1 with a      
prostration after each of its petitions1

 then with one final prostration4 ,here 
is the text3       ,o ,lord and ,master 
of my life1 take from me the spirit of  
sloth1 despair1 lust of power1 and idle 
talk4      ,prostration4      ,but give 
rather the spirit of chastity1 humility1
 patience     and love to ,thy servant4 
,prostration4      ,yea1 ,o ,lord and   
,king1 grant me to see my own sins and  
not     to judge my brother2 for ,thou  
art blessed unto ages of ages4          
,amen4      ,prostration4  ,then all bow
 twelve times saying3 ,o ,god cleanse   
me1 a sinner4  ,and the whole prayer is 
read again1 with one prostration at the 
end4  ,this prayer1 constantly repeated 
throughout the services1 is the simplest
 and purest expression of repentance in 
all its dimensions3 desire for          
purification1 desire for improvement1   
desire for a real change in relations   
with other people4 ,the ,lenten rules of
 the ,orthodox ,church pay great        
attention to prostrations3 through them 
the body participates in the effort of  

breaking down our pride and             
self-satisfaction4   #c4 ,biblical      
,readings#b  ,a characteristic feature  
of ,lenten services is the use of the   
,old ,testament1 normally absent from   
the daily cycle of worship4 ,lessons    
from three books of the ,bible are read 
daily throughout ,lent3 ,genesis and    
,proverbs at ,vespers1 ,isaiah at the   
,sixth ,hour4 ,these readings indicate  
that ,lent is a time of preparation1 a  
spiritual return to the ,old ,testament1
 which announced and prepared the coming
 of ,christ and the inauguration in ,him
 of a new life4 ,the book of ,genesis   
tells us the story of ,creation1 ,fall  
and the beginnings of the history of    
salvation4 ,proverbs teach us the       
,wisdom of ,god as revealed to man and  
leading him to repentance and renewal4  
,finally1 ,isaiah is the great prophet  
of ,redemption and ,salvation1 the      
announcer of the ,kingdom of ,god4   #d4
 ,the ,lenten ,hymns  ,the liturgical   
book of ,lent is the ,triodion4 ,besides

 the biblical readings1 it contains     
special ,lenten hymns to be sung every  
day at ,matins and ,vespers4 ,of a      
special beauty are the idiomela of ,st4 
,theodore of ,stoudion1 short           
penitential hymns1 one sung at ,matins  
and one at ,vespers1 which more than    
anything else express the ,lenten       
spirituality of the ,orthodox ,church4  
,here are a few examples3       ,let us 
begin1 ,o people the spotless fast1 for 
it is the     salvation of our souls4   
,let us make our devotion to the ,lord  
in fear1 anointing     our heads with   
the oil of good works and washing our   
faces     with pure water1      ,not    
many worded in prayer1 but saying as we 
have been taught     to say4      ,our  
,father ,who art in heaven6 ,forgive us 
our trespasses1      ,for ,thou art the 
lover of mankind4                       
7,tuesday ,matins1 ,first ,week7        
,o come ye faithful1 let us work the    
works of ,god in light1      ,let us    
walk honestly as in the day1 let us cast

 away from     ourselves every unjust   
writing against our neighbor1 and not   
put a stumbling block as an occasion for
 his falling on the way2      ,let us   
put away the pleasures of the flesh2    
,let us increase the graces of our      
souls2      ,let us give bread to those 
in need2      ,let us draw near to      
,christ in penitence1 crying out3       
,have mercy on us1 ,o our ,god6         
7,friday ,vespers1 ,first ,week7        
,why art thou idle1 ,o my soul8 ,and why
 dost thou dedicate thyself     to sin8 
,why art thou weak yet not come to the  
physician8      ,now is the fruitful    
time1 and now is the real day of        
salvation4      ,arise6 ,wash thyself in
 the tears of repentance and enlighten  
thy     lamp with the oil of good works1
      ,that thou mayest obtain from ,god
 forgiveness and great mercy4           
7,tuesday ,matins1 ,second ,week7       
,arriving midway on that road of fasting
 which leads to ,thy     venerable      
cross1      ,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 ,thee3      ,o our 
,light and our ,saviour1 glory to ,thee4
                                        
7,wednesday ,matins1 ,fourth ,week7     
,the ,triodion unfortunately has not yet
 been translated into ,english4 ,its    
wonderful riches are still hidden3 short
 three-ode canons 7hence the name       
,triodion71 kathismata 7stanzas sung    
after the psalms71 hymns to the ,holy   
,trinity1 etc4 ,of all the liturgical   
books it is one of the most inspiring1  
most directly connected with the        
spiritual needs of man4   #e4 ,the      
,psalter  ,the ,psalms occupy a very    
central position in ,orthodox worship4  
,but in ,lent the use of the psalter is 
doubled4 ,normally it is read once every
 week2 during ,lent it is read twice4   
,of course this is done mainly in       
monasteries1 yet it is important to know

 that the ,church considers the psalms  
to be an essential spiritual food for   
the ,lenten season4   #f4 ,the ,liturgy 
of the ,presanctified ,gifts  ,on       
weekdays of ,lent 7,monday through      
,friday7 the celebration of the ,divine 
,liturgy is strictly forbidden4 ,they   
are non-liturgical days 7with one       
possible exception1 the ,feast of       
,annunciation74 ,the reason for this    
rule is that the ,eucharist is by its   
very nature a festal celebration1 the   
joyful commemoration of ,christ's       
,resurrection and glorification and ,his
 presence among ,his disciples4 ,but    
twice a week1 on ,wednesday and         
,fridays1 the ,church prescribes the    
celebration after ,vespers1 i4e41 in the
 evening1 of the ,liturgy of the        
,presanctified ,gifts4 ,it consists of  
solemn ,great ,vespers and communion    
with the ,holy ,gifts consecrated on the
 previous ,sunday4 ,these days being    
days of strict fasting 7theoretically3  
complete abstinence71 are crowned with  

the partaking of the ,bread of life1 the
 ultimate fulfillment of our efforts4444
       444 ,when ,thou has freed us and 
,thy faithful people from all           
impurities1 sanctify the souls and      
bodies of all of us with     a          
sanctification not to be taken away2    
that with a clear     conscience1       
peaceful presence and enlightened hearts
 we may     participate in those divine 
,sacraments1 and be quickened           
through them and become one with ,thy   
,christ ,himself1 our     true ,god1    
,who said3 ,who so eats ,my ,flesh and  
drinks ,my ,blood1     abides in ,me and
 ,i in ,him4 ,so that by ,thy ,word     
dwelling in us     and walking with us  
we may become1 ,o ,lord1 a temple of    
,thine     all-holy and adored spirit   
444                                     
7,prayer at the ,presanctified ,liturgy7
   #g4  ,liturgical ,music and          
,vestments  ,the spirit of ,lent is also
 expressed in the liturgical music4     
,special lenten tones and melodies are  

used for responses at litanies1 for the 
,alleluias and the hymns of the         
,presanctified ,liturgy4 ,slow1 deep and
 solemn1 these melodies provoke in us a 
longing for purity1 and also the sadness
 for not living up to the pristine      
beauty for which we were created4444    
,and finally1 as an external symbol of  
this state of repentance1 preparation   
and humility1 dark purple vestments are 
used in the ,church4   #h4  ,saturdays  
and ,sundays of ,lent  ,lenten          
,saturdays1 with the exception of the   
first1 dedicated to the memory of the   
,holy ,martyr ,theodore ,tyron1 and the 
fifth1 the ,saturday of the ,akathistos1
 are days of commemoration of the       
departed4 ,and it would be good to      
restore this practice of one weekly     
universal commemoration of all ,orthodox
 ,christians departed this life1 of     
their integration in the ,eucharist     
which is always offered on behalf of all
 and for all4  ,each ,sunday in ,lent1  
although it preserves its basic meaning3

 that of the weekly feast of            
,resurrection1 has its own special      
theme3  ,the ,first ,sunday--,triumph of
 ,orthodoxy--commemorates the victory of
 the ,church over the last major heresy3
 ,iconoclasm 7#hdb74  ,the second       
,sunday is dedicated to the memory of   
,st4 ,gregory ,palamas1 a great         
,byzantine mystic and theologian of the 
#adth century1 who centered his teaching
 on the high calling of man1 on his     
deification in ,christ4  ,the third     
,sunday is the ,sunday of the           
,veneration of the ,holy ,cross4 ,at    
,matins the ,cross is brought in a      
solemn procession from the sanctuary and
 placed in the center of the ,church1   
where it remains for the whole week4    
,this rite announces the approaching of 
the ,holy ,week1 with its commemoration 
of ,christ's ,passion4 ,a special       
veneration of the ,cross takes place at 
the end of each service4  ,fourth       
,sunday--,st4 ,john of the ,ladder1 one 
of the greatest ,ascetics1 who in his   

,spiritual ,ladder described the various
 stages of spiritual life4  ,fifth      
,sunday--,st4 ,mary of ,egypt1 whose    
life is a most wonderful example of     
repentance4  ,on ,saturdays and         
,sundays1 days of ,eucharistic          
celebration1 the dark vestments are     
replaced by light ones1 the ,lenten     
melodies are not sung and the prayer of 
,st4 ,ephrem with prostrations is       
omitted4 ,the order of services is not  
of the ,lenten type1 yet fasting remains
 a rule and cannot be broken4 ,each     
,sunday night at ,great ,vespers a      
special ,great ,prokimenon 7verses from 
a psalm7 inaugurates a new week in the  
penitential effort4     ,,how ,,can ,,we
 ,,keep ,,great ,,lent8   ,it is        
obviously impossible for us to go to    
,church every day4 ,and since we cannot 
keep the ,lent liturgically1 the        
question arises3 what is our            
participation in ,lent1 how can we      
spiritually profit by it8 ,the ,church  
calls us to deepen our religious        

conscience1 to increase and strengthen  
the spiritual contents of our life1 to  
follow her in her pilgrimage towards    
renewal and rededication to ,god4   #a4 
,fasting  ,the first universal precept  
is that of fasting4 ,the ,orthodox      
teaching concerning fasting is different
 from the ,roman ,catholic doctrine and 
it is essential to understand it4 ,roman
 ,catholics identify fasting with a good
 deed1 see in it a sacrifice which earns
 us a merit4 ,what shall ,i give up for 
,lent8--this question is very typical of
 such an attitude toward fasting4       
,fasting thus is a formal obligation1 an
 act of obedience to the ,church1 and   
its value comes precisely from          
obedience4 ,the ,orthodox idea of       
fasting is first of all that of an      
ascetical effort4 ,it is the effort to  
subdue the physical1 the fleshly man to 
the spiritual one1 the natural to the   
supernatural4 ,limitations in food are  
instrumental2 they are not ends in      
themselves4 ,fasting thus is but a means

 of reaching a spiritual goal and1      
therefore1 an integral part of a wide   
spiritual effort4 ,fasting1 in the      
,orthodox understanding1 includes more  
than abstinence from certain types of   
food4 ,it implies prayer1 silence1 an   
internal disposition of mind1 an attempt
 to be charitable1 kind1 and--in one    
word--spiritual4 ,brethren1 while       
fasting bodily1 let us also fast        
spiritually4444  ,and because of this   
the ,orthodox doctrine of fasting       
excludes the evaluation of fasting in   
terms of a maximum or minimum4 ,every   
one must find his maximum1 weigh his    
conscience and find in it his pattern of
 fasting4 ,but this pattern must        
necessarily include the spiritual as    
well as the bodily elements4 ,the       
,typicon and the canons of the ,church  
give the description of an ideal fast3  
no dairy products1 total abstinence on  
certain days4 ,he that is able to       
receive it1 let him receive it 7,matt4  
#ai3ab74 ,but1 whatever is our          

measure--our fasting must be a total    
effort of our total being4  ,according  
to the rules of the ,church the fast    
cannot be broken for the entire ,lenten 
period of forty days3 ,saturdays and    
,sundays are no exception4   #b4 ,prayer
  ,we must always pray4 ,but ,lent is   
the time of an increase of prayer and   
also of its deepening4 ,the simplest way
 is1 first1 to add the ,lenten prayer of
 ,st4 ,ephrem the ,syrian to our private
 morning and evening prayers4 ,then1 it 
is good and profitable to set certain   
hours of the day for a short prayer3    
this can be done internally--at the     
office1 in the car1 everywhere4 ,the    
important thing here is to remember     
constantly that we are in ,lent1 to be  
spiritually referred to its final goal3 
renewal1 penitence1 closer contact with 
,god4   #c4 ,spiritual ,reading  ,we    
cannot be in church daily1 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 worship4 ,a chapter
 of the ,book of ,genesis1 some passages
 from ,proverbs and ,isaiah do not take 
much time1 and yet they help us in      
understanding the spirit of ,lent and   
its various dimensions4 ,it is also good
 to read a few ,psalms--in connection   
with prayer or separately4 ,nowhere else
 can we find such concentration of true 
repentance1 of thirst for communion with
 ,god1 of desire to permeate the whole  
of life with religion4 ,finally1 a      
religious book3 ,lives of the ,saints1  
,history of the ,church1 ,orthodox      
,spirituality1 etc4 is a must while we  
are in ,lent4 ,it takes us from our     
daily life to a higher level of         
interests1 it feeds us with ideas and   
facts which are usually absent from our 
practical and efficient world4   #d4    
,change of ,life  ,and1 last but not    
least3 there must be an effort and a    
decision to slow down our life1 to put  
in as much quiet1 silence1              
contemplation1 meditation4 ,radio1 ,,tv1

 newspapers1 social gatherings--all     
these things1 however excellent and     
profitable in themselves1 must be cut   
down to a real minimum4 ,not because    
they are bad1 but because we have       
something more important to do1 and it  
is impossible to do without a change of 
life1 without some degree of            
concentration and discipline4 ,lent is  
the time when we re-evaluate our life in
 the light of our faith1 and this       
requires a very real effort and         
discipline4 ,christ says that a narrow  
path leads to the kingdom of ,god and we
 must make our life as narrow as        
possible4 ,at first the natural and     
selfish man in us revolts against these 
limitations4 ,he wants his usual easy   
life with all its pleasures and         
relaxations4 ,but once we have tasted of
 such spiritual effort1 once we have    
made by it one step towards ,god1 the   
reward is great6 ,we discover a joy that
 cannot be compared to any other joy4   
,we discover the reality of the         

spiritual world in us4 ,we begin to     
understand what ,st4 ,paul meant by the 
joy and peace in the ,holy ,spirit4 ,god
 ,himself enters our soul3 and it is    
this wonderful coming that constitutes  
the ultimate end of ,lent3       ,if a  
man love me1 he will keep my words3 and 
my ,father will     love him and we will
 come unto him and make our abode with  
him4 7,john #ad3bc7   ,let us make this 
,lent a real ,lent6         99       99 
99       99       99  ,for a fuller     
treatment of the meaning of ,lent1 cf4  
the book ,,great ,,lent1 also written by
 ,rev4 ,alexander ,schmemann4         99
       99       99       99       99    
,,footnotes   ,footnote #a3 ,cf4 ,holy  
,week1 by ,alexander ,schmemann         
,footnote #b3 ,for a guide to the       
reading of the ,bible1 cf4 ,reading the 
,bible1 by ,rev4 ,thomas ,hopko4        
,,lenten ,,pamphlets   ,forgiveness     
,sunday ,vespers4 ,complete text of the 
service of     ,vespers on the eve of   
,great ,lent1 with music for the ,great 

,prokimenon of the day4 ,introduction by
 ,father ,alexander     ,schmemann4 #bg 
pp4                                     
4#ej  ,the ,liturgy of the              
,presanctified ,gifts4 ,the full text of
 the     lenten service of ,holy        
,communion with appendices for the      
movable verses and readings4 ,contains  
complete text with     musical notation 
for the antiphonal chanting of the      
,psalms4     ,introduction by ,father   
,thomas ,hopko4 #fb pp4                 
4#ge  ,passion ,gospels4 ,the twelve    
readings from the ,gospel for the       
,matins service of ,great and ,holy     
,friday4 ,contains a valuable           
introduction by ,father ,paul ,lazor on 
the meaning of the     texts4 #fj pp4   
4#ej  ,great and ,holy ,friday4         
,complete text of the service of        
,vespers     of ,holy ,friday1 with     
music for the major hymns of the day4   
,introduction by ,father ,paul ,lazor4  
#ed pp4                      4#ge  ,the 
,praises4 ,the complete text of ,psalm  

#aai and the verses     of the ,praises 
for the ,matins service of ,great and   
,holy     ,saturday4 ,includes a brief  
introduction to the meaning of     the  
hymns4 #dg pp4                          
4#ej  ,great and ,holy ,saturday3       
,vespers and ,liturgy4 ,the text of     
,vespers with the ,liturgy of ,st4      
,basil the ,great1 complete     with all
 the readings1 verses1 and music for the
 ,prokimena4   #a4jj