Great Lent 2018
LENTEN THOUGHTS
This year our 50-day lent will begin on Monday, February 12th. The Orthodox Church considers the Lenten season the most spiritually enriching time. The Orthodox Church has not reduced the intensity of lent observance as time passed. Many mainland Churches have reduced the strictness on the lent. This very rich spiritual experience has been sustaining us in the past. It is expected that all our members will observe lent to the best of their ability.
How does the Lent help us?
- Time to Learn from the Lord: The Lent brings home reflections on the public ministry of our Lord, His sacrifice on the cross and finally His Resurrection from the dead. We read the Holy Scripture with these themes in our mind. This trains us to learn more thoroughly on Christian ideals of life and experience. It is the time to be convinced of the salvific work of the Lord which has great implications on the world around us. When we learn about the Lord to the best of our ability, our quality of life will change. It is a great time of learning and conversion.
- Time to Experience the Lord: During lent we have several disciplines that we undergo, like restrictions on all materialistic enjoyment, whether in eating or other kinds of enjoyment. We learn how to control ourselves in any given situation, like our anger, lust, or any such emotional imbalance. Just as the Lord taught us, “Man does not live by bread alone.” When we are able to have a control over our life we will experience the Lord much deeper. The Lord taught us, “Where your treasure is, there your heart will also be.” Often we forget that we are going away from the Lord. But during Lent we become much more aware of the Lord because our worldly thoughts are all warded off and we come closer to God. That is an experience that will enrich us.
- Time to Repair Our Relationships: The most important aspect of human life is mutual relationship. We all survive in peace and harmony as a result of harmonious relationship. The Lent begins with the special prayer called “shubkono”, which means forgiveness. In that special prayer, people embrace each other asking for forgiveness. Jesus says, “When you bring your offering to God, if you remember that your brother has some dislike towards you, go and reconcile with him and then come and give the offering to God.” Forgiveness is the key to happiness. We all go for confession during lent so that we are clean in our hearts and in our relationship with one another.
Lent is a great time of enrichment for us. We should observe it well and strengthen our life.
-Rev. Fr. M.K. Kuriakose, 2018