First Wednesday of Great Lent- fasting, prayer, alms

Let my prayer ascend to You like incense, and the lifting up of my hands like an evening sacrifice.

o Lord, I have cried to You, now hear me; listen to my voice when I call to You.

o Lord, set a guard before my mouth, and set a seal on the door of my lips.

Let not my heart be inclined to evil, nor make excuse for the sins I commit. (Psalm 141:1-4)

Now the Powers of heaven are serving with us invisibly, for behold the King of Glory enters ; the perfect, mystical sacrifice is brought forth. Let us approach with faith and love, so as to become partakers of everlasting life. Alleluia.

o Almighty Lord , You have made all things in wisdom, and by Your ineffable Providence and great goodness You have brought us to these salutary days for the purification of our soul and body, for the control of our passions, and for the hope of our resurrection. During the period of forty days You have given to Your servant Moses the tablets of the Law, having inscribed them by Your own hands. Now also grant us, 0 Gracious One, that we be able to fight a good fight, to finish the course of Lent, to preserve our faith inviolable, to crush the heads of the invisible serpents, to become victorious over sin, and to blamelessly attain and worship at the holy Resurrection. For blessed and praiseworthy is Your most honorable and glorious name, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, now and ever, and forever. Amen. (prayers of the PreSanctified Liturgy)

repent like Saint Ephrem

 

Great Lent begins... 2022

God is ready and willing to forgive sinners, but we sinners must be ready and willing to be forgiven. For the Lenten journey to be of any effect, we must be open to be forgiveness; if we cannot forgive others nor admit our faults and be forgiven by those we have offended, there is no room within us for God’s mercy. 

Father Alexander Schmemann writes in his book Great Lent: Journey to Pascha, “the triumph of sin, the main sign of its rule over the word, is division, opposition, separation, hatred. Therefore, the first break through this fortress of sin is forgiveness: the return to unity, solidarity, love. To forgive is to put between me and my “enemy” the radiant forgiveness of God Himself. . . . Forgiveness is truly a ‘breakthrough’ of the Kingdom into this sinful and fallen word.”  God’s forgiveness is given to us via others, not alone; thus it is through mutual forgiveness that we truly begin the journey to the Resurrection. from New Liturgical Movement