Life in Christ - Message of The Holy Lent from Holy Father (2011)
Apostolic Bull for The Holy Lent -2011
The holy gospel is a reliable record of the teachings of our Lord Jesus Christ in words and deeds during His divine economy in the flesh. It does not impose on us orders. It does not give us commandments to blindly hold to. It does not list prohibitions. Rather, it presents to us Jesus Christ as a living paradigm to longue for and a model to pursue carrying His cross. We shall follow Him so that we obtain eternal life through Him.Fasting
by HH Moran Mor Ignatius Zakka I Iwas, Patriarch of Universal Syrian Orthodox Church and All The East
Fasting is a voluntary act of abandoning worldly life. It is a sign of man’s obedience to, and respect of God’s laws and his observance of God’s offices by his voluntary abstinence from food or drink for a specific period of time.The Samaritan Woman at Jacob’s Well - A Lenten Reflection
A Lenten reflection based on St. John 4: 6Are You Condemned?
My religion is Christianity. There are a set of practices that are associated with the Christian religion, but I think my Christian belief encompasses much more than a set of practices or rules of behavior.
Lenten Rumination
The Lent is meant to cleanse the whole being, both the inner and chemical by being with God. How to clean the physical man? The abstinence from food for hours and days allow the body to consume all the toxins accumulated by our day to day inherent infirmities.
The Significance of Fasting in the Struggle against Fallen Spirits
Fasting is acceptable to God when it is preceded by the great virtue of mercy; fasting prepares a reward in heaven when it is foreign to hypocrisy and vainglory; fasting works when it is joined with another great virtue – prayer.
Conversion Through Prayer, Fasting and Almsgiving
Lenten conversion is not a superficial renewal. What the Lord wants is not just the change of bad habits and worldly vices; He wants a clean soul and no half-measures will do.
Fasting Enlightens the Soul
Fasting helps to have serenity of the soul because the one, who hungers in his stomach, enlightens his intellect. Therefore, the hunger is a key, which opens the door of wisdom.
The General Canons of Fasting
Bar Ebroyo depends upon the decision of the Synod of Laodicea and Patriarch Timotheos and Patriarch John III of Antioch to describe the dos and don'ts in the The Holy Lent.
Examination of Conscience
Here is a helpful examination of conscience, based on the Ten Commandments. Perform a brief examination every night, but go through a more thorough examination before confessing your sins to the priest.
Preparing for Confession - Orthodox Church
In Orthodox Church, the confession guides are typically centered around the 10 Commandments and The Beatitudes. Here is an excerpt from the Greek Orthodox Church Guide to Preparing for Confession. Similar confessionals are used in other Orthodox Churches.
Preparing for Confession - Guide for Adults
Here is a document prepared by a Catholic Lay member about preparing for the Confession. It is an excellent article to prepare for a Lifetime Confession and as a guide for the Examination of Conscience.
Mid Lent and Erection of Golgotha
The Golgotha and erection of cross in the of the church also signifies that God came down from heaven and dwelt among us in this world. This is why the Golgotha is in the middle of the church with us, the common folks, and not in the Madbaha as we normally expect to find it.
Pathi Nombu (Mid Lent)
The 25th day of the lent which is always a Wednesday is known as mid lent. This is one of the very few days during the The Holy Lent when the Holy Qurbana is celebrated on a weekday other than Sunday or Saturday.
The Holy Lent - A Time for Spiritual Renewal in Jesus Christ
The Church gives us The Holy Lent to be renewed, to escape the dreariness and weariness of life, and enter into the bright joy of life in Jesus Christ.
The Holy Lent: A Season of Renewal for All
Prophet Isaiah was emphatic in arguing that lent and fasting are not just pious "obligatory Observances" for the people of God, but a tremendous transforming force. Being mortal and feeble, humans need periodic renewal of body, mind and soul. How is this possible?
The Number and Days of Fasts - Part 1
There are a number of fasts in the Syrian Orthodox Church and often many questions are asked from the part of the believers as to the dos and don'ts in the fasts, the beginning, duration, and ending of the fasts etc.
The Number and Days of Fasts - Part 2
Other than the fasts on Wednesdays and Fridays, there are five more Fasts in a year. The The Holy Lent begins on the Monday coming closer, before or after the full moon between second February and eighth March.
The Material Benefits of Fasting
In accordance with the fact that Bar Ebroyo himself was a doctor, he underlines through a quotation from the doctors of his time that fasting improves the health of the body.
The Efficacy of Fasting and the Different Categories of Fasting.
According to Bar Ebroyo, the fasting may be defined in terms of time, of the kind of food or in terms of both time and food, and they are the three different categories of fasting.
God Shut Noah and Family in before the Flooding began
Since Noah walked with God during his life before the Great Flood, he certainly knew about this key point which made him leave God's job for God. There, we see an equilibrium between God's will and Noah's obedience or submission.
Some Thoughts On The Holy Lent In Relation To The Nature
Each rubric of the liturgy is meticulously designed in such a manner as to go in tune with the episodes of the incarnation of Christ and in tandem with the tempo of the Nature where we live. It is surprising that liturgical seasons of the church happen more or less in the same timing as that of the natural seasons.
The essence of Lent: Learning and struggling to bend our knees, mend our hearts, and lend our hands
The prayers during lent remind us that there is no use of observing lent if we do not change inside. No amount of abstinence from food and other things will help us in any way if we do not bring about a renewal inside us.
The Holy Lent in Syriac Orthodox Church of Antioch
During the period of the The Holy Lent and other periods of fasting throughout the year, an individual makes a special attempt or connection to reach our God, and evaluate his calling as a Christian, to listen to the voice of the Gospels and heed its commandments.
Lent - An Explanation for Children
Fasting, prayer, confession, reconciliation, Holy Communion, charity and capping with love are the steps to reach and experience the resurrected Jesus in person.
Lessons from Zacchaeus - Importance of Lent
During this The Holy Lent, Jesus is asking us to learn from Zacchaeus to realize our weaknesses and find remedies to them as he did. We must realize our shortness in spiritual life, the falls we had in the past and the sins we committed which together made us unable to see Christ directly.
Third Friday of The Holy Lent and Annunciation to St. Mary Devotional
Humility is what we need to become faithful Christians. If we carefully examine ourselves we may observe that almost always we are trying to justify, defend, exalt or praise ourselves in our interactions with others and sometimes even before God, knowingly or unknowingly. This focus on self - our ego - can often keep us from hearing God's voice and prevent us from being faithful in our walk with God.
Fasting Guidelines during The Holy Lent for Orthodox Christians
We Orthodox Christians, in obedience to the words of our Divine Savior, and in imitation of the saints, set aside a period of intense fasting and prayer in order to purify our spiritual senses so we may see the Holy Resurrection.
Real Fasting
When we have gone through the labor of fasting, we forfeit not the crown of fasting, we should understand how, and after what manner, it is necessary to conduct this business; since that Pharisee also fasted, but afterwards went down empty, and destitute of the fruit of fasting.
The Spirituality of Lent
There are two different ways of looking at this fast because there are two different versions of these forty days, or forty segments of time, in the Scriptures. One is the blessing of the revelation of what it is that we need to do in service to God and to humanity. And the other is of the purification that needs to happen for God to set things straight in us and around us.
The Holy Lent
We Syriac Christians observe 50 days lent in preparation for the celebration of the resurrection of our Lord on Easter Sunday.
The Patriarchal Encyclical of the Holy The Holy Lent 2010
The time for the Forty Days Holy The Holy Lent has arrived. It is a golden opportunity offered by our mother holy church to examine ourselves, to refrain from vices, uphold virtues, and return to God with repentance. Like the eagle training his young ones to soar high in the air, so does the holy church is training the faithful to soar in spiritual heights, giving them the graceful means to be liberated from earthly gravity that attracts them.
Study: Monthly fasting may help heart
A study in Utah, where the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints is based, found that people who skipped meals once a month were about 40 percent less likely to be diagnosed with clogged arteries than those who did not regularly fast.
Fasts and Feasts in Mar Thoma Church: Fire for the Journey of Faith
There are a growing body of data from the causal conversations with members of the church indicate that approximately more than fifty percentage of members are not confident on the place of 'fast and feasts' in the liturgical life of the church.
Fasting is a Great Weapon for Christians
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