On Great Lent
Every year the merciful Lord gives us a chance to start afresh in Great Lent. We should eagerly seize on this opportunity and take full spiritual advantage of it. This year, Great Lent begins on Monday 18 March (NS).
As we all know, how one begins something is critical to the success of the venture. Therefore, it is essential that we spend the first week of Great Lent very well, attending as many divine services as possible and being strict with our fasting, both the physical fasting as well as control over our mind and senses. If we ‘hit the ground running’, we are likely to reach our goal.
During this holy season, the Church holds out to us three primary activities: prayer, fasting, and almsgiving (both material giving and deeds of mercy). In each area, we should re-examine how we are doing and promise God to be more faithful.
Prayer is the foundation, of course, for all of our spiritual endeavors, and we must therefore first remember how to prepare for prayer. Often we pray without adequate preparation, and the mind and heart come away with no benefit. Let us get back to the ‘ABC’s’, therefore, and re-learn how to prepare for prayer. Here are the words of Bishop Ignatius Brianchaninov:
On account of the signal importance of prayer, preparation should precede its practice. Before praying, prepare yourself; and be not as one who tempts the Lord. (Ecclus. 18:23). ‘When we are going to stand in the presence of our King and God and converse with Him,’ says St. John of the Ladder, ‘let us not rush into it without preparation, lest seeing from afar that we are without the weapons and clothing required for standing in the presence of the King, He should order His servants and slaves to bind us and banish us far from His presence and tear up our petitions and fling them in our face.’
The first preparation consists in rejecting resentment and condemnation of our neighbors. This preparation is commanded by our Lord Himself: When you stand praying, forgive, if you have anything against anyone, so that your Father Who is in heaven may forgive you your offenses. But if you do not forgive, neither will your Father Who is in heaven forgive you your offenses. Further preparation consists in the rejection of cares by the power of faith in God and by the power of obedience and surrender to the will of God; also a realization of one’s sinfulness and the resultant contrition and humility of spirit. The one sacrifice which God accepts from fallen human nature is contrition of spirit. If thou hadst desired sacrifice, I would have given it, says the Prophet to God on behalf of everyone who has fallen and remains in his fallen state. It is not merely some partial sacrifice of body or soul, but even total holocausts do not please Thee. The sacrifice for God is a contrite spirit; a contrite and humbled heart God will not despise. St. Isaac the Syrian repeats the following saying of another holy father: ‘If anyone does not recognize himself as a sinner, his prayer is not acceptable to God.’
The Arena, by Bishop Ignatius, chapter 18
Fasting is not only from food, but also from bad use of our mind and senses. It is not additional, but essential, to fast from bad aesthetic and mental ‘input’ as well as from food. If we are serious about Lent at all, we will form a concrete plan for eliminating or decreasing ‘media’ input, from TV, radio, movies, and the like. We also must struggle harder to guard our eyes in day to day encounters with people, and to keep greater watch over our thoughts, not only obviously bad ones, but idle and foolish ones as well, which so easily lead to judgment and to despondency.
Almsgiving involves giving of our material goods and of ourselves. If we are not sacrificing enough for the Church or for the needy, now is the time to do more. We must also give our neighbor the primary ‘alms’, which is non-judgment and a merciful regard for his person when his outward actions appear to be sinful.
May the Lord give us true zeal for our salvation, that we may prepare to meet His Sacred Passion and Resurrection with purified hearts!