Melkite Greek Catholic Church Information Center Holy and Glorious Pascha Cycle - Preparation

We prepare ourselves through praying, fasting, and performing charitable works. Praying, fasting, and performing charitable works are means of spiritual growth. These actions help us to grow stronger spiritually by helping us to focus on Holy God's great gifts and blessings in our lives.

In praying, we praise and thank Holy God for His great love and mercy, and we ask His forgiveness and seek His help in changing our sinful ways.
In fasting, we realise that all nourishment comes from Holy God, and that we need spiritual food as well as material food.
In performing charitable works, we share the good things Holy God has given us.

The time of Great Lent should be a time of spiritual focusing and renewal, a time of forgiving and asking for forgiveness, a time of reconciliation and healing. One of the great lessons of Lent is its reminder that we need to put Holy God first in our lives, and that when we do so, Holy God will provide whatever else we need. Let us pray that we will always put HolyGod first--ahead of money and mortgages, parties and personalities, insults and injuries--knowing that when we truly trust in HolyGod, He will provide us with the strength and the will and the creativity to deal with whatever problems or situations we may encounter.

Perspective

One of the Vespers hymns for the beginning of Great Lent puts this holy season into perspective for us:

Let us enter the season of Lent in the spirit of joy,
giving ourselves to spiritual strife,
cleansing our soul and body,
controlling our passions as we limit our food,
living on the virtues of the Spirit;
let us persevere in our longing for Him
so as to be able to behold the most solemn Passion of Christ
and the Most Holy Passover, rejoicing all the time with spiritual joy.

Why is it called "Great" Lent

This season is called "Great" because:

Great Lent is lengthier and more intense than the other fasting periods
To distinguish it from the other three Lenten seasons: the Fast of the Nativity, the Fast of The Theotokos, and the Fast of the Apostles.

Divine Liturgy is celebrated on what days

The Divine Liturgy is celebrated on what days

Day	Divine Liturgy Celebrated	Why
Mon. - Fri.	No exception special feast day Great Feast Annunciation (Al Bisharah) Theotokos	Divine Liturgy is a celebration, always connected with Paschal Mystery, from which it flows. During weekdays Great Lent, there is no liturgical celebration so there is no Divine Liturgy. This lack of Divine Liturgy celebration is a kind of spiritual "fasting."
Saturday	Yes	Saturday is the Sabbath, the day on which Holy God rested after creation, and the day on which Holy God the Son within the Holy Trinity / Our Lord, God and Savior, Jesus Christ descended into Hades spiritually, while His sacred Body rested in the tomb.
Sunday	Yes	Every Sunday is the "Day of the Resurrection".

Reception of the Holy Mysteries

Holy Mysteries	Received	Why	When
Holy Communion	Yes	Substains us	During Divine Liturgy on Sat., Sun. After Vespers in the Presanctified Liturgy During the Typica service etc.
Repentance	Yes	Prepares us	Scheduled times
Holy Mysteries of Christian Illumination	No	The reason is these are celebrations. During Great Lent, there is no liturgical celebration.
Holy Crowning	No

Great Lent is Forty Days.

The 40-day count begins at the beginning of the Vespers of Clean Monday Service of Forgiveness on the evening of the Fourth Sunday of Triodion --Cheese fare / Forgiveness and ends just before the Vespers of Lazarus Saturday on the evening of the Friday after the Fifth Sunday of Lent.
Cean Monday is day 1 and the Friday after the 5th Sunday of Great Lent is day 40.
Sundays do count.

How to determine when Clean Monday occurs

Great Lent is Forty Days.
A count back from the date of Pascha is made.
Clean Monday can be as early as February 2 and as late as March 8.

Patriarch's Great Lent Letter via the Melkite Greek Catholic Church, Eparchy of Newton (Our Lady of the Annunciation (Al Bisharah) in Roslindale, Massachusetts), United States

2009

Eparch Cyrille Bustros' Great Lent Letter, Melkite Greek Catholic Church, Eparchy of Newton (Our Lady of the Annunciation (Al Bisharah) in Roslindale, Massachusetts), United States

2006
2005

Eparch John Elya's Great Lent Letter, Melkite Greek Catholic Church, Eparchy of Newton (Our Lady of the Annunciation (Al Bisharah) in Roslindale, Massachusetts), United States

2004
2003
2001
2000

Traditions

Traditions of Great Lent and Holy Week Melkite Greek Catholic Church Eparchy of Newton

More Information

Saint Ignatios of Antioch Melkite Greek Catholic Church Then click on Resources. The first category is Lenten Information.

Everything You Wanted to Know About Lent But Were Afraid to Ask St. George Melkite-Greek Catholic Church, Sacramento, CA

Melkite Greek Catholic Church Information Center
Martha Liles
Web URL address: Melkite Greek Catholic Church Information Center or https://www.mliles.com/melkite/
E-mail: mliles@mliles.com or mliles@mliles.com

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Melkite Greek Catholic Church Information Center is dedicated to my cousins: Bucky (Richard C. Liles), Shirley (Shirley Jean Liles Buck), and Donna (Donna Bertha Liles Campbell). Bucky fell asleep in the Lord on Dec. 12, 2000, Shirley fell asleep in the Lord on Nov. 8, 2001, and Donna fell asleep in the Lord on March 9, 2020.
O God of all spirits and of all flesh, who have destroyed death, overcome the devil, and given life to the world: grant, O Lord, to the souls of your servants Bucky and Shirley, who has departed from this life, that it may rest in a place of light, in a place of happiness, in a place of peace, where there is no pain, no grief, no sighing. And since You are a gracious God and the Lover of Mankind, forgive him/her every sin he/she has committed by thought, or word, or deed, for there is not a man who lives and does not sin : You alone are without sin, your righteousness is everlasting, and your word is true. You are the Resurrection and the Life, and the repose of your departed servants Bucky and Shirley. O Christ our God, and we send up glory to You, together with your eternal Father and your all-holy, good and life-giving Spirit, now and always and for ages upon ages. Amen.

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