wfn.org | Encyclical of Archbishop Demetrios for Holy and Great Lent 2010

[Worldwide Faith News <wfn@igc.org>]

> GREEK ORTHODOX ARCHDIOCESE OF AMERICA
> 8-10 East 79th St. New York, NY 10075-0106
> Tel: (212) 570-3530 Fax: (212) 774-0237
> Web: http://www.goarch.org  - Email: communications@goarch.org

> Protocol 13/10

> February 15, 2010
> Holy and Great Lent

To the Most Reverend Hierarchs, the Reverend Priests and Deacons, the
Monks and Nuns, the Presidents and Members of the Parish Councils of
the Greek Orthodox Communities, the Distinguished Archons of the
Ecumenical Patriarchate, the Day, Afternoon, and Church Schools, the
Philoptochos Sisterhoods, the Youth, the Hellenic Organizations, and
the entire Greek Orthodox Family in America

> Beloved Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

We begin this holy season of the year in anticipation of the great
spiritual blessings that we will receive through a deeper commitment
to God and through our repentance and humility as we live each day in
His divine presence.  Great and Holy Lent is a very treasured period,
filled with moments in which we can focus our hearts and minds on the
grace of God.  Through daily prayer, fasting, worship, and offering
for the needs of others, and by the grace of God our lives will
continue to be transformed by Him and our souls will be drawn closer
to our Lord Jesus Christ.

This is the primary goal of the Lenten season and of all the
disciplines of our Orthodox faith ? to lead us to Christ.  In Holy
SScripture we read that prayer, fasting, and service to people were a
part of our Lordâ??s sacred ministry.  Through His example we are
presented with a manner of living that focuses on communion with God
and on the Gospel message of truth and life. This is also the focus of
Great Lent.

First, Great and Holy Lent leads us to Christ through prayer.  This
season is an excellent opportunity for prayer.  It is a period when we
are called to renew our commitment to daily prayer and to devote more
time to it. We make more time each day for personal and family prayer.

All of this directs our hearts and minds to the presence and power of
Christ.  Our Lord is in our midst, ready to guide those who seek Him,
assure those who are struggling, and lead us all through the power of
Godâ??s grace to real life.

Second, the Lenten season leads us to Christ through worship.  Over
the coming weeks the parishes of our Holy Archdiocese will have
frequent services, opportunities to gather together in praise of God
and to renew our strength through prayer and participation in the Holy
Eucharist.  The services of Lent are beautiful and solemn, leading us
to examine our hearts within the sacred space of our sanctuaries and
in communion with God and our brothers and sisters in the faith.  In
the holy atmosphere of worship, through the hymns, petitions,
readings, and Holy Sacraments, especially the Sacrament of Repentance
and Confession of sins, we are presented above all with the One who
offers liberation from sin and guilt and brings salvation.  Through
worship we affirm the truth of what Christ has accomplished, we
acknowledge His presence, and we respond in repentance and faith to
His call to come and see all the blessings that God has for us.

Third, Great Lent leads us to Christ through fasting.  This is a very
special discipline of our faith that helps diminish our attachment to
the material things of this world and deepens our dependence on God.
It directs our hearts and minds toward the spiritual needs of our
lives through a reorientation of our will.  Through abstinence from
various types of foods and limitations on the time we spend procuring
and preparing food, we can devote more time to prayer, and we can
discipline our entire being to be more attentive to the presence and
will of God. As children of a heavenly kingdom, the purpose and goal
of our lives is not tied to the treasures of this earth, but to the
condition of our souls and to our faith in God.  Fasting contributes
to an awareness of this.

Finally, Lent leads us to Christ through offering for the needs of
others. Our Lord is our example of offering, even through sacrifice.
Through giving of our time and resources to others, we imitate Christ,
or rather we offer Christ.  We experience the joys and blessings of
securing the well-being of others, and we also realize that the true
meaning of life is found and fulfilled not only in what we receive
from God, but in what we can give back to Him by giving to others.

At the beginning of this blessed time, may we have hearts and minds
that are seeking Christ.  The way to Him through Great Lent is the
true way of life; it is the journey of this season toward Holy Week
and the celebration of the Feast of Feasts, Holy Pascha.  May we, by
the grace of Christ, and through genuine repentance make this Lent a
time of transformation of our existence and a renewal of our souls and  minds.

> With paternal love in Christ,

> ?DEMETRIOS
> Archbishop of America