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Great Lent

Sunday of the Last Judgement

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Glory to Jesus Christ! Glory forever! 

This coming Sunday, 19 February 2023, is the Sunday of the Last Judgement, as well as the commemoration of the Apostles of the Seventy Archippus and Philemon, and the Martyr Apphia, among others.

This Sunday is also Meatfare, so called as it is the last day we consume meat before entering into the Great Fast. | See also the helpful article And When You Fast by Fr. Stavros N. Akrotirianakis.

The Epistle and Gospel readings for Sunday are:

⁜ 1 Corinthians 8:8-9:2 (Epistle)
⁜ Matthew 25:31-46 (Gospel)

About the Sunday of the Last Judgement we read: “On the past two Sundays of this pre-Lenten period, the focus was placed on God’s patience and limitless compassion, of His readiness to accept every sinner who returns to Him. On this third Sunday, we are powerfully reminded of a complementary truth: no one is so patient and so merciful as God, but even He does not forgive those who do not repent. The God of love is also a God of righteousness, and when Christ comes again in glory, He will come as our Judge. Such is the message of Lent to each of us: turn back while there is still time, repent before the End comes. … | Continue reading at the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese website.

The Last Judgement
Last Judgment detail, Vatican Museums, Rome. Image from Jim Forest | Flickr

Zacchaeus Sunday

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Glory to Jesus Christ! Glory forever!

Tomorrow, 29 January 2023, is Zacchaeus Sunday. This means that Great Lent is on the horizon. It’s not here yet, but we’re passing the first signpost! See here for more on Zacchaeus Sunday.

The readings for this Sunday are 1 Timothy 4:9-15 (Epistle) and Luke 19:1-10 (Gospel).

Also commemorated on this day is St. Ignatius, Bishop of Antioch. While not his primary feast day (20 December), today commemorates the translation of his relics from Rome -the place of his martyrdom and where his relics later came to reside- to Antioch, where he was bishop of the growing church.

Elena Cherkasova, Christ and Zacchaeus , c. 2000, ink and paper

Sunday of Orthodoxy Procession (1st Sunday of Great Lent)

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Glory to Jesus Christ!

On Sunday, 13 March, we will celebrate the 1st Sunday of Great Lent, also called the Sunday of Orthodoxy. It is here, and through the rest of Great Lent on Sundays, that we begin to serve the Divine Liturgy of St. Basil the Great. In addition, after the Divine Liturgy on the 1st Sunday of Great Lent, we will have a procession with icons and serve the Rite of Orthodoxy (i.e., a brief service in commemoration of the affirmations of the Seventh Ecumenical Council in 787 and the restoration of the use of icons in 843).

If you would like to participate, please bring a favorite icon from home or feel free to use one from the church.

Sunday of Orthodoxy resources:

Procession with icons on the Sunday of Orthodoxy
Procession with icons on the Sunday of Orthodoxy (2019)

2nd Sunday of Great Lent: Sunday of Saint Gregory Palamas

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This coming Sunday, March 28, is the second Sunday of Great Lent and the Sunday of St. Gregory Palamas.

The readings from Holy Scripture are: Hebrews 1:10-2:3  (Epistle), and Mark 2:1-12 (Gospel).

As each Sunday of Lent has its own spiritual theme and historical context, we know that the Sunday of St. Gregory Palamas is of a later origin. Of this day we are told:

This Sunday was originally dedicated to Saint Polycarp of Smyrna (February 23). After his glorification in 1368, a second commemoration of Saint Gregory Palamas (November 14) was appointed for the Second Sunday of Great Lent as a second “Triumph of Orthodoxy.”
2nd Sunday of Great Lent: St Gregory Palamas

To learn more about this day, including what it means for our spiritual lives, see the podcast episode on the Second Sunday of Lent by Fr. Thomas Hopko and the article A Man Fully Alive by Fr. Andrew Stephen Damick.

Sunday of St. Gregory Palamas

Sunday of Orthodoxy | 20th Ordination Anniversary of Fr. Gregory Czumak

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Today, March 21st, the faithful of Four Evangelists Orthodox Church concluded the 1st Sunday of Great Lent with a procession around the church, each carrying an icon. This day, known as the Triumph of Orthodoxy, commemorates the restoration of the holy icons to the churches in the 9th century after several periods of iconoclasm. Far from being a mere historical marker, this day celebrates the fact that Our Lord truly became incarnate, taking on our flesh, four our salvation.

In addition, Fr. Gregory was presented with a icon gift on the occasion of the 20th anniversary of his ordination to the holy priesthood. Many years!