Four Evangelists Orthodox Church, Bel Air, Maryland

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Great Lent

5th Week of Lent and the Sunday of St. Mary of Egypt

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Glory to Jesus Christ!

This coming Sunday, 06 April 2025, is the 5th Sunday of Great Lent and the Sunday of St. Mary of Egypt.

St. Mary of Egypt is commemorated on 01 April and on the 5th Sunday of Holy Lent. She is commemorated on this Sunday due to her recognition by the Church as a model of repentance.1

Enlightened by the grace of the Cross, * thou wast seen to be a bright light of repentance, * dispelling the darkness of passions, O all holy one. * thou didst appear as an angel in the flesh * to holy Zosimas in the wilderness. * Intercede with Christ for us, O Mary our righteous Mother.
— Troparion for the Feast of St. Mary of Egypt

The readings for this Sunday are:

  • Galatians 3.23–29 (Epistle, Saint)
  • Luke 7.36–50 (Gospel, Saint)
  • Hebrews 9.11–14 (Epistle)
  • Mark 10.32–45 (Gospel)

Upcoming services during Great Lent:

Access our full Lent, Passion Week, and Pascha calendar here.

4th Sunday of Lent: Sunday of St. John of the Ladder

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Glory to Jesus Christ!

This coming Sunday, 30 March 2025, is the 4th Sunday of Great Lent and the Sunday of St. John of the Ladder.

St. John Climacus is commemorated on 30 March and on the Fourth Sunday of Holy Lent (which happens to coincide this year). He is called Climacus due to his authorship of the great spiritual work The Ladder of Divine Ascent. His commemoration is designated by the Church on one of the Sundays of Lent as his life and writings affirm him as a supreme bearer and proponent of Christian asceticism. The ascetic example of this great Saint of the Church inspires us in our Lenten journey.1

Ladder of Divine Ascent (icon)
Ladder of Divine Ascent (icon), Saint Catherine’s Monastery, late 12th century

The readings for this Sunday are:

  • Ephesians 5.9–19 (Epistle, Saint)
  • Matthew 4.25–5.12 (Gospel, Saint)
  • Hebrews 6.13–20 (Epistle)
  • Mark 9.17–31 (Gospel)

Upcoming services during Great Lent:

Access our full Lent, Passion Week, and Pascha calendar here.

3rd Sunday of Lent: Sunday of the Veneration of the Holy Cross

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Glory to Jesus Christ!

This coming Sunday, 23 March 2025, is the 3rd Sunday of Great Lent and the Sunday of the Veneration of the Holy Cross.

The commemoration and ceremonies of the Third Sunday of Lent are closely parallel to the feasts of the Veneration of the Cross (September 14) and the Procession of the Cross (August 1). Not only does the Sunday of the Holy Cross prepare us for commemoration of the Crucifixion, but it also reminds us that the whole of Lent is a period when we are crucified with Christ.1

The readings for this Sunday are:

  • Hebrews 4.14–5.6 (Epistle)
  • Mark 8.34–9.1 (Gospel)

This evening, Tuesday, 18 March 2025, there will be choir practice at the church at 6:30 PM, followed by a parish council meeting at 7 PM.

Upcoming services during Great Lent:

Access our full Lent, Passion Week, and Pascha calendar here.

2nd Sunday of Lent: Sunday of St. Gregory Palamas

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Glory to Jesus Christ!

This coming Sunday, 16 March 2025, is the 2nd Sunday of Great Lent and the Sunday of St. Gregory Palamas.

Often called the “second triumph of Orthodoxy”, the Church remembers St. Gregory on this day because of his clear explanation and defense of the Orthodox Faith. St. Gregory taught that we cannot experience God through education, philosophy, intellectual discussion and debates. God is a person with whom we are to be in a relationship, not a topic to be discussed or facts to memorize. He taught that God desires us to know Him, to experience Him, to share His life, to become one with Him.1

Sunday of St. Gregory Palamas

The readings for this Sunday are:

  • Hebrews 7.26–8.2 (Epistle – St. Gregory Palamas)
  • John 10.9–16 (Gospel – St. Gregory Palamas)
  • Hebrews 1.10–2.3 (Epistle)
  • Mark 2.1–12 (Gospel)

Upcoming services during Great Lent:

Access our full Lent, Passion Week, and Pascha calendar here.

Come out on Sunday, 16 March 2025, at 3pm, to hear a concert to support peace in Ukraine, featuring our own Dr. Andrew Nowakowski.

St. Matthew Lutheran Church, 1200 E. Churchville Rd., Bel Air, Maryland 21014

Admission is FREE. Details below.

1st Sunday of Lent: Sunday of Orthodoxy

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Glory to Jesus Christ!

This coming Sunday, 09 March 2025, is the 1st Sunday of Great Lent and the Sunday of Orthodoxy. All are invited to bring an icon from home or to use one available in the church for the Rite of Orthodoxy following the Divine Liturgy.

What is the Sunday of Orthodoxy and the Rite of Orthodoxy?

You might have heard this day also referred to as the “Triumph of Orthodoxy”. Any Sunday of… or Triumph of… language should never be understood in a prideful, triumphant manner. The day also does not understand the word Orthodoxy in a modern sense of denomination or jurisdiction or group over and against another group. That would anachronistically limit the term. Orthodoxy here is understood in a much fuller sense, the “faith that has established the universe”.

The day commemorates the restoration of icons in 843 under the Empress Theodora and reflects the great significance which icons possess for the Orthodox Church. They are not optional devotional extras, but an integral part of Orthodox faith and devotion. The “triumph of Orthodoxy” over the iconoclasts involved important issues (and still important issues!) such as the character of Christ’s human nature, the Christian attitude towards matter, and the true meaning of Christian redemption. Icons are a necessary consequence of the Incarnation of the Word (John 1.14), Jesus Christ.1

At the conclusion of the Divine Liturgy, a brief service is conducted in commemoration of the affirmations of the Seventh Ecumenical Council in 787 and the restoration of the use of icons in 843. Orthodox faithful carry icons in procession, while the clergy offer petitions for the people, civil authorities, and those who have reposed in the faith. Following is a recitation of excerpts from the Affirmation of Faith of the Seventh Ecumenical Council and the singing of the Great Prokeimenon.2

Sunday of Orthodoxy procession with icons — 27 March 2019
Sunday of Orthodoxy procession with icons — 27 March 2019

The readings for this Sunday are:

  • Hebrews 12.1-10 (Epistle – 40 Martyrs of Sebaste)
  • Matthew 20.1-16 (Gospel – 40 Martyrs of Sebaste)
  • Hebrews 11.24-26, 32-12.2 (Epistle)
  • John 1.43-51 (Gospel)

Upcoming services during Great Lent:

  • Vespers for the First Sunday in Lent on Saturday, 08 March, at 6 PM
  • Divine Liturgy of St. Basil the Great on Sunday, 09 March, at 9 AM 
  • Liturgy of the Presanctified Gifts on Wednesday, 12 March, at 6 PM

Access our full Lent, Passion Week, and Pascha calendar here.

Forgiveness Sunday (Cheesefare Sunday) and the Beginning of Lent

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Glory to Jesus Christ!

This coming Sunday, 02 March 2025, is Forgiveness Sunday, the last day before we enter the season of Lent. This day is also known as Cheesefare Sunday, as it is the last day we consume dairy items before we break the Fast together after the Paschal liturgy. (Please see Fr. Gregory with any questions regarding the Great Fast).

After the Liturgy on Sunday, we will serve a portion of Forgiveness Vespers, culminating with the Rite of Forgiveness.

The Rite of Forgiveness is a beautiful opportunity for each of us, recognizing our own sinfulness and need for repentance, to ask and receive forgiveness from each other. It is truly our gateway to Lent. As we ask and receive forgiveness from each other, the choir will begin to sing Paschal hymns in anticipation of the Resurrection of our Lord, which we will celebrate on the Feast of all Feasts, Pascha (Easter).

Please join us next week for the first of our Lenten services, beginning with the Great Canon of St. Andrew of Crete:

  • Monday, 03 March at 6 PM – Great Canon of St. Andrew of Crete
  • Tuesday, 04 March at 6 PM – Great Canon of St. Andrew of Crete
  • Wednesday, 05 March at 6 PM – Liturgy of the Presanctified Gifts

A full calendar of services for Lent, Holy Week, and Pascha will be posted soon.

The readings for Forgiveness Sunday (also the Sunday remembering the Expulsion of Adam and Eve from the Garden) are:

  • Romans 13.11-14.4 (Epistle)
  • Matthew 6.14-21 (Gospel)
Expulsion of Adam and Eve from Paradise
Expulsion of Adam and Eve from Paradise