by Fr. Peter Babej Lazarus Saturday The Great Fast (40 days) ends on the Friday before Palm Sunday. Lazarus Saturday and Palm Sunday form a short and joyous prelude to the days of grief which will follow. Bethany is the place where Jesus raises Lazarus from the dead and reveals Himself to be “the Resurrection […]
Glory be to Jesus Christ! Brothers and sisters we have arrived at the Great and Holy Fast, the training ground of our souls, and the desert through which we travel to witness the Lord’s Resurrection! Let us enter the Fast with joy! Lent is many things, but one very important element of the fast is […]
Christ is Born! During our largest season of communal repentance- Great and Holy Lent- one of the ascetical practices we practice are prostrations. Over and over and over again we bow completely to the floor touching our heads on the ground. After the canon of St. Andrew, and over 300 prostrations later, it is fairly […]
by Laura Ieraci The Catholic Telegraph, March 6, 2015 “Joy” is not a word people usually associate with strict fasting and penance — unless they are Eastern-rite Catholics. In the Eastern church, the penitential period that prepares believers to celebrate Easter, is called “Great Lent,” and its prayers invite the faithful to recognize their “need […]
ALL SOULS SATURDAY The Holy Fathers were convinced that the commemoration of the departed by alms and sacrifices [Divine Liturgies] brings great comfort and benefit to them. (Synaxarion for Meat-fare Saturday) One of the most venerable traditions in the Church, equally observed in the West as in the East, is the commemoration of the departed […]
Produced by the Ukrainian Catholic Eparchy of Parma
This year, Great Lent approaches on the heels of the Nativity Season. Kolyada in church continues, but the soft and somber sound of The Rivers of Babylon hint at the approaching season of repentance. The familiar Sundays of the Publican and the Pharisee, The Prodigal Son, and the Last Judgement prepare us adults for the […]
“They shall be my people and I will be their God, for they will return to me with all their heart” (Jer. 24:7). On Monday, February 16th, we begin the holy season of the Great Fast. Once again, our Church invites us to embark upon this annual journey – a period of grace when we […]
The following is excerpted from A Paschal Pilgrimage: A Guide to the Great Fast by Bishop Basil Losten. The Bridegroom Cometh On Palm Sunday evening at Vespers we “pass from the feast of palms and branches… to the saving solemnity of the sufferings of Christ.” On Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday morning of Holy Week, Matins […]
