We know that Lent is a time of introspection and reflection, a time to take inventory of ourselves, as it were, and where we stand in relation to God and the world we live in.
Lenten Church services and Liturgical readings guide us in this direction as a community, but at the same time we can also focus on our personal communication with God: our personal prayer.
Today marks the mid-point of Great Lent and we venerate the Holy Cross. The Cross is a reminder of the immensity of God’s love demonstrated in the person of
Jesus Christ who accepted death on the Cross, but through God’s love was raised on the third day.
Ця неділя, хрестопоклонна знаменує собою середину Великої Чотиридесятниці (Посту). І в цю неділю наша увага звернена на превелику Божу любов котра виявилася в особі Ісуса Христа котрий віддав своє життя за Божу правду та водночас любов Отця воскрес Його на третій день!
As in previous years, through the proclamation of the Word of God and catechesis we hope to deepen our experience of repentance and return to God.
During Great Lent, as a result of the efforts of the inter-eparchial network, … , various sectors of the population have the opportunity to hear the truth not only about the place the Creator has given us within creation, but also what a great evil “ecological sin” is—that in transgressing God’s creative plan—multiplies the suffering of Jesus in the world imprisoned and plundered by sin.
“We want our initiative to shatter the barrier of apathy and awaken people’s
consciousness to individuals who are starving” (Bp. Bohdan Dziurakh)
We enter into Great Lent with a mix of eagerness, anticipation, and self-doubt. St. Paul and St. Augustine both wrote about how difficult it was to live a holy life, even though they well knew what it entailed and wanted to live it.
Lent provides a concentrated time when we can more fully center on living that life, even though we doubt ourselves and know how many times we have failed. During this Lenten season our bishops ask that we bring our prayers to action, especially our prayers for the poor and forgotten.
There is no more important celebration on the Christian calendar than today: the feast of the Lord’s resurrection. Among the many, many words that have been spoken and written about this day, none surpass those of the 4th century, St. John Chrysostom (who is credited as the author of our regular Divine Liturgy. His homily is traditionally proclaimed every Easter.
Let all the pious and all lovers of God rejoice in the splendor of this feast; let the wise servants blissfully enter into the joy of their Lord; let those who have borne the burden of Lent now receive their pay, and those who have toiled since the first hour, let them now receive their due reward …
What if at Liturgy there are 200 or 300 strangers around me? How am I supposed to celebrate?
One might disagree, but I say that at Liturgy it makes no difference if people know each other or have anything in common – because the fact that they are present for the Divine Liturgy forms the link between them. This is what we have in common.
We may not recognize this because we usually emphasize psychological aspects of relationships. In order to relate to someone, to show love and kindness, I need to know that person pretty well. Certainly. But the Liturgy leads us to a higher level of awareness of what it is to be human, and what it means to relate to each other. We are united by the ineluctable fact of our humanness, our baptism, our being loved by God.
During Great Lent we are called to renew and strengthen our relationships with others (both living and dead) and
with God. A special service during Lent is Sorokousty, when we remember all those who have gone before us.
“Sorokousty” literally means “forty mouths”, referring to an ancient monastic practice of 40 monks or priests
singing this commemoration of our departed sisters and brothers.
Zacchaeus was a sinner, a tax collector, and an outcast. He was the person we don’t want to have anything to do with. Yet, he is the person that Christ sees and wants to visit!
We begin our preparation for Great Lent with this wonderful story. Christ visits the home of Zacchaeus not because Zacchaeus or we are deserving, but rather because God desires to be with us, to share our lives.
Continue reading
Ukrainian Catholic Church of the Transfiguration 