What are folks' plans for Great Lent 2010?

[Michael Stickles]

I had rather enjoyed the last couple of years reading what people were planning to do during Great Lent, so - with Cheesefare Week just a few days away - who is willing to share their plans for Great Lent 2010?

(Since I started the thread, I'll go first)

For reading, my priest gave me his blessing to go through the Ladder of Divine Ascent according to the Lenten reading plan. That covers weekdays; for weekends, I'll be reading The Way of the Spirit by Archimandrite Aimilianos of Simonopetra.

I'm also planning to spend some time working on learning the tones and getting familiar with the rubrics, so I can be of more help to the choir director.

I'm still firming up my plans for other things (I've come up with a lot of grandiose plans, but have scrapped all of them due to my lack of grandiose capacity).

In Christ,
Michael

[Herman Blaydoe]

try to work out my salvation in fear and trembling (Philippians 2:12)

[Benjamin Amis]

I would like to read The Ladder of Divine Ascent. But, I don't know. I haven't spoken with my priest and this is my first Great Lent. I just want to attend all the services I can and really meditate on it all. Since I've only been Orthodox (attending an Orthodox church, that is: I'm not baptized) for a few months, I'll be praying for God to really work on me this season and show me what I need to be doing. My conversion as turned my future "plans" upside down, so, I'm hoping to just immerse myself in the Church, pray and grow as God wills.

[Paul Cowan]

I had rather enjoyed the last couple of years reading what people were planning to do during Great Lent, so - with Cheesefare Week just a few days away - who is willing to share their plans for Great Lent 2010?

(Since I started the thread, I'll go first)

For reading, my priest gave me his blessing to go through the Ladder of Divine Ascent according to the Lenten reading plan. That covers weekdays; for weekends, I'll be reading The Way of the Spirit by Archimandrite Aimilianos of Simonopetra.

I'm also planning to spend some time working on learning the tones and getting familiar with the rubrics, so I can be of more help to the choir director.


In Christ,
Michael

Yeah, Michael that's great and all but what are you going to do on the second day?

[Davor]

I'm going to try and attend Church service as much as possible; this means taking a two hour ride to the the capital, we have service only once a month. Also, I'm looking forward to reading "On The Incarnation" by St. Athanasius as well as "The Life of Saint Anthony".

I have been Orthodox my whole life, but this is only the second time that I will be observing Lent - last year was the first and it was an amazing experience.

Oh and I'm looking forward to going to Georgia (the country not the state) for about 10 days in March, its going to be exciting, I'm very much looking forward to attending the Church services there.

[Jacksson R.]

I plan to attend as many services as possible. Living 32 miles from a Greek Monastery, I may be able to attend the full schedule. I don't know if they will have Divine Liturgies every day, but if they do, they are at 4 AM for Orfhros and DL at about 5 AM. Being retired, I can do that, but being old it is much more difficult than it used to be. I remember when I was still working, the monastery priest did 40 straight Divine Liturgies during the Nativity Fast and I was able to attend every one of them except one when the Abbess told me not to because I was too tired. Anyway, this Lenten period holds great promise, God willing I will come out on Holy Pascha a better man. Then comes Bright Week and the monastery feast day on Bright Friday (The Theotokos, The Living Spring). God is good.

[Andreas Moran]

Plans? 'Thou fool, this night thy soul shall be required of thee.'

[Marie-Duquette]

Plans? 'Thou fool, this night thy soul shall be required of thee.'

True, Our Lord Jesus Christ in the Gospel parable does speak this "word".

A word taken out of context can certainly defeat its purpose. God in His loving mercy
does allow us to make plans, but He is the one who disposes as the Scripture says.

If one gives the plans to God in simple surrender to His will, God will dispose according
to our present need, teach us along the way, sometimes say "Yes" at other times "no".
the disposition of the "heart" is necessary in making a plan for Lent. that is, as Jesus says
"Learn of me that I am humble and gentle of heart. Your will be done, Father, not mine"

I might be a "fool" in making a plan for Lenten Season; it might just be "foolishness for Christ's sake" who knows?

marie-duquette

[Michael Stickles]

Plans? 'Thou fool, this night thy soul shall be required of thee.'

Hey, if making plans was good enough for the Apostle Paul, it's good enough for me!


Because I was confident of this, I planned to visit you first so that you might benefit twice. I planned to visit you on my way to Macedonia and to come back to you from Macedonia, and then to have you send me on my way to Judea.
2Cor. 1:15-16

As long as one always remembers that, as Solomon said (Prov 19:21):


Many are the plans in a man's heart, but it is the LORD's purpose that prevails.

and holds the plan lightly, one should be (relatively) safe. If I recall correctly, only half of Paul's plan worked out (which is about how my last two lenten plans worked out).

In Christ,
Michael

[Caleb Shoemaker]

The RCs have a reading plan through the Apostolic Fathers + Justin for each of the 40 days. I've actually read through most of them, but I don't think re-reading Ignatius or Polycarp or the Didache would be a bad choice. :-) I also plan on listening to a Gospel a day. I got a audio NT from the Thomas Nelson Book Sneeze program, and I'm going to plan on listening to Matthew-Luke one for each day and for the 40 days of the Fast. My wife is pregnant, so fasting will be weird in our house, but I'll drop off meat and wine b/c we can't afford to buy both milk and soy products. We're really hoping that God will give us revelation this year as to what He would have us do with job/career/living situations.

[Michael Stickles]

The RCs have a reading plan through the Apostolic Fathers + Justin for each of the 40 days.

If anyone else has an interest in that, I found a copy online (http://www.churchyear.net/lentfathers.html) at ChurchYear.net. There is a full plan and a "lite" plan, plus a PDF containing all the full-plan readings for anyone who doesn't have the texts.

Note that the date for each reading on the plan is based on the RC 40 days of Lent (i.e., from Ash Wednesday through Holy Saturday, excluding Sundays). To use the Orthodox 40 days (i.e., every day from Clean Monday through the Friday before Palm Sunday), you'd need to keep track of the dates yourself.


The full plan goes through:

Didache
Mathetes: Epistle to Diognetus
Polycarp: Epistle to the Philippians
St. Ignatius of Antioch: Letters to the Ephesians, Magnesians, Trallians, Romans, Philadelphians, and Smyrneans, plus the Letter to Polycarp
St. Justin Martyr: First Apology
St. Cyprian: On the Unity of the Church (Treatise I)
St. Athanasius: Life of Anthony
St. Cyril of Jerusalem: Catechetical Lectures (Lectures 19-23)
St. Ambrose of Milan: Concerning the Mysteries
St. Leo the Great: Letter XXVIII (called the "Tome"), Sermon XXI (On the Feast of the Nativity I), Sermon XLIX (On Lent XI), and Sermon LXXII (On the Lord's Resurrection)
While the "lite" plan goes through:

Mathetes: Epistle to Diognetus
St. Ignatius of Antioch: Letters to the Ephesians and Magnesians
St. Justin Martyr: First Apology
St. Cyprian: On the Unity of the Church (Treatise I)
St. Athanasius: Life of Anthony
St. Cyril of Jerusalem: Catechetical Lectures (Lectures 20, 22 & 23)
St. Ambrose of Milan: Concerning the Mysteries
St. Leo the Great: Sermon XLIX (On Lent XI) and Sermon LXXII (On the Lord's Resurrection)
In Christ,
Michael

[Mary]

I know it's there somewhere - a link on monachos that has all the Scripture readings for Lent. I printed it out last year, when I found that it was easier to have all the readings in one place instead of just the references. (too lazy to flip through the Bible to the right places!) Anyway - I'm going to stick to those readings as much as I can. And of course, the services! Won't miss them for the world! The 'world' is being good to us. Kids' have the whole first week of Lent off from school! Some unexpected winter break. But that means.... i don't have to think about bed-times and waking them up in the morning, and stuff like that! We don't have to miss any of the Canon of St Andrew services!

[Jacksson R.]

Plans? 'Thou fool, this night thy soul shall be required of thee.'

That is why plans are always couched in the term 'God willing'.

[Theodora E.]

Services are my first priority. They would be anyway, but I'm also a choir member. My parish has Friday evening Vespers, in addition to Wednesday evening Presanctified. Our deanery also has Sunday evening Vespers at different parishes, and I attend, carpooling with friends from my parish.

As for the reading, it will primarily be the NT. Here's why: I'm a student in my deanery's higher ed/late vocations program (I'm going for lay catechist certification, but the remainder are men who are late vocations diaconal candidates). Our class reading is about 10 hours a week (in addition to meeting for four hours every other Saturday). We just finished the OT class (in which we read the entire OT), and our NT class will be starting in late February. So this year, I'm going to concentrate on the NT, due to class work, and my personal reading will be the Psalms, as they are easy to fit into my crazy schedule. I have a Bible on my iPhone, so I can even do Psalms in the grocery store check out line.

My parish's adult study group on Sunday mornings will be reading Way of the Ascetics by Tito Colliander. That was my own personal Lenten reading last year and I'm looking forward to going through it again. I read the entire Ladder in the first class of the deanery program over the summer, and may dip into it occasionally over during the fast, but I won't be able to read the entire thing this year.

[Ilaria]

How wonderful, all that I read in this thread! It seems to me that everyone is looking forward to this very special period and I feel that God is well pleased with our schedules; it is like the preparation of the monks before the Great Lent as described in the Life of St Mary of Egypt; of course, they prepared for the real desert, but we too have our desert place, am I wrong?

I would suggest, with the spiritual fathers consent, where possible, reading the Psalter in the church; for an hour, two or just a half
in our church, we have a schedule list, which we adjust weekly, according to the services hours; the aim is to read the whole Psalter for a day; (this is a plan for the community)
where not possible in the church, because I know the distances there, the 20 canticles are to be divided on a daily basis, in order to be read at home

[Mary Ann H.]

Mary, I see that you have printed out all the scripture readings for Lent so as not to have to flip through the Bible. But what about the rest of the year? I can recommend "The Bible and the Holy Fathers for Orthodox" edited by Johanna Manley - this is a book that has all the epistle and gospel readings in chronological order plus a lot of wonderful patristic passages related to them.

[Nina]

Andreas, I see your point, as I was preparing to make koliva for last Saturday (Sat of Souls) and the snowfall halted the life in general here and liturgical life too (no Sunday Liturgies). Today we have another snowstorm so let's see how things will be with cleaning, and being able to go to church and having services, God willing. But you like us all make plans too like for instance going to the monastery, traveling to Moscow and so on. We as believers rely on God about our plans/wishes since He has the last word. And that is why in Greek we say: "Prota o Theos" (First God; God leads) , or in English "God willing". And in this case poor Michael did not make plans to gather material things out of greed like the man in the parable. lol These Lenten plans are all such blessed plans with all people looking forward to repentance and betterment and theosis. This is very blessed! These are blessed plans! Imagine if the entire world was making plans for Lent like these. Plus we are asking the blessing of our spiritual fathers about undertakings during Lent and that means God is blessing these wishes we have to fulfill for and in His love.

[Mary]

Mary, I see that you have printed out all the scripture readings for Lent so as not to have to flip through the Bible. But what about the rest of the year? I can recommend "The Bible and the Holy Fathers for Orthodox" edited by Johanna Manley - this is a book that has all the epistle and gospel readings in chronological order plus a lot of wonderful patristic passages related to them.

Mary Ann, I know this book. We use it at our parish. Every Tuesday, we have vespers and whoever can stay afterwards, stays and we go through that book together, with our priest. I haven't thought about getting it for myself. I am a random person and I cannot buckle myself down for more than the duration of Great Lent with intensive and regular readings. I used to think it was unforgivable to be reading five or six books at once, and never getting to the end of any book for years. But I noticed once, that it didn't seem to matter to God what I picked up to read. He always had a message for me in every book. Once, it was quite exciting. I was running away from God because He wanted me to deal with my anger. So I put away that book and picked up another. Although it wasn't about anger, it sure pointed to it! So I picked another, and that too, showed me a different side of anger. Then I gave up and asked God to forgive me and asked Him to heal me. You know... later when I went back to those books, I never could understand where I found those passages that seemed to talk about anger! Now, I don't even remember what books they were. God has been exceedingly good to me.

in Christ,
mary

[Mary]

How wonderful, all that I read in this thread! It seems to me that everyone is looking forward to this very special period and I feel that God is well pleased with our schedules; it is like the preparation of the monks before the Great Lent as described in the Life of St Mary of Egypt; of course, they prepared for the real desert, but we too have our desert place, am I wrong?

I've been feeling the same way myself! And so have others. I've always loved going on a journey, especially with family and friends. The excitement of the preparations, the journey itself, and the glorious end of the journey. I like to travel light. So, I'll be leaving monachos behind for the next few weeks. Thank you for all the things I've learned from so many of you. Thank you for your kindness to me, for listening and for answering my questions. Please forgive me for insensitive and thoughtless words I've said. And all the unnecessary ones too.

I hope you all have a blessed Lent. God willing, we will 'see' each other again, on the other side of Great Lent. =)

Please pray for me, a sinner.

in Christ,
mary.

[Anna Stickles]

We've been reading through the Matins hymns in The Lenten Triodion Supplement after our morning prayers. This is a great preparation for Lent and helps the kids and I get a taste for why the fasting is important. We hope to continue this on weekdays through Lent. The Church's hymns are so much more beautiful and appealing then any kind of lecture Mom could give as to why we fast. :) I figure if we read poetry in our homeschooling, why not do this for our poetry.


The gateway to the Fast has been opened; the arena of abstinence lies here before us. let us rouse ourselves with fiery eagerness, and so we shall receive God's grace to quench the burning flames of our offenses.

The Blessed season of the fast has dawned and shines upon us with the light of repentance. Let us draw near with love and reverence, and greatly rejoicing let us shake off the darkness of sloth. ...

Accepting the Fast as a gift, let us glorify the Giver who established it for our salvation. With all our strength let us observe it and so receive from our Creator the forgiveness of our trespasses.

[Nina]

This is such an amazing idea and great aid, dear Anna.

[Richard A. Downing]

I am planing on Matins (6:45am) most days - it is always wonderful in the chapel surrounded by the frescos of the Saints. I contemplated Vespers instead, but apart from Sunday night which is unmissable, it causes too many conflicts with my non-orthodox wife (Supper times, etc.) Matins has the advantage that I can be back before she has finished getting up! I'm grateful for the link to the Lenten reading plan Michael, that will fit in well too.
On the Vespers for Forgiveness Sunday, it was this service last year that converted me to Orthodoxy. Any church where the priest asks for MY forgiveness lying on his face, has to be worth a second look. It continues to be a great wonder to me that I was led to this - Glory to Thee!
InXC, Richard.

[Matthew Alan]

I would like to read through The Ladder myself this Lenten season. Can anyone provide some kind of guide for daily readings? I found one on another website by a Melkite Catholic priest, but the reads are only for Monday through Friday. There are no weekend readings, and I'd like a plan with readings every day. My plan is to read daily from The Ladder, The Prologue of Ohrid, and to do the daily readings from the Orthodox Lectionary.

I'm excited about the work that God might do in us all this year. Please remember me in your prayers, as I will try to remember to pray for everyone else as well.

[Michael Stickles]

Can anyone provide some kind of guide for daily readings? I found one on another website by a Melkite Catholic priest, but the reads are only for Monday through Friday. There are no weekend readings, and I'd like a plan with readings every day.

I don't think there is one - at least, I know that I haven't found one. The four or five copies I've found online (including the one you mentioned) are all identical to each other.

My personal suggestion would be to stick to the plan with weekday readings, and select something else to read for the weekend "reading times". After finishing the first four readings, I have a sense that the two "days off" each weekend will be important for more fully assimilating what was read. Also, I think another reason the readings were set up for the weekdays is because the fast is relaxed slightly on weekends, and the Ladder is meant for reading "with prayers and fasting, with prostrations and sighs" (as it says in the introduction in my copy).

In Christ,
Michael

[Jason H.]

Matthew,

Maybe this will help. It is from the Antiochian website:

http://www.antiochian.org/node/18870

[Jason H.]

I was curious how people are doing with the Fasting of the first three days of Lent. I know that they are meant to be intense fasts, no food/drink. I messed up and accidently had ego's for breakfast and wasn't until lunch that I realized I couldn't eat. So I abstained from food for the rest of the day. I try to abstain from liquid but I take medication that requires me to consume liquid.

However, I plan on going thru all of Lent without eating any meat or dairy products; last night I stocked up on a lot of veggie food items (veggie burgers and veggie nuggets).

I'm also planning on praying more throughout Lent.

[Mary]

There are no weekend readings, and I'd like a plan with readings every day.

It could be because Saturdays and Sundays are not really considered a part of Great Lent. Actually, they're not a part of the regular week, even during the rest of the year. If you notice in the lectionary, (throughout the year, and also during Lent) the readings from Monday - Friday follow each other, and on Saturdays and Sundays, they are totally unrelated. Holy Week is also not a part of Great Lent. It's Holy Week. =)

Mary

[Fr Raphael Vereshack]

Saturdays and Sundays during Great Lent are definitely part of Great Lent. The services on these days still have special lenten hymns; at the Liturgy we use St Basil's Liturgy instead of St John Chrysostom; the fast is still observed only to a slightly lesser extent; the clergy still wear dark coloured vestments, etc.

The difference then is that Saturdays & Sundays follow their own pattern during Great Lent partly as a reflection that these two days are traditionally seen as more festive.

In Christ- Fr Raphael

[Mary]

Saturdays and Sundays during Great Lent are definitely part of Great Lent. The services on these days still have special lenten hymns; at the Liturgy we use St Basil's Liturgy instead of St John Chrysostom; the fast is still observed only to a slightly lesser extent; the clergy still wear dark coloured vestments, etc.

The difference then is that Saturdays & Sundays follow their own pattern during Great Lent partly as a reflection that these two days are traditionally seen as more festive.

In Christ- Fr Raphael

Finally, able to access monachos!

Fr Raphael, I do recognized the 'Lenten' things on Saturdays and Sundays. But there are extras that are confusing. For instance, the Presanctified Liturgy. In the first page of the service booklet, it says: "Because of it's paschal character, the normal divine liturgy is not served on week-days of Great Lent in the Orthodox Church. In it's place, so that the faithful would not be left without Holy Communion, the Liturgy of the Presanctified Gifts is served."

I understand that regular liturgies aren't served during the week. But in parishes they aren't served during the week, any time of the year - only on feast days. So, does it mean we're somehow deprived if we do not have communion every day? Doesn't the communion we take on Sundays last the whole week through? If it works for the rest of the year, then why do we need extra during Great Lent? Unless, during Lent, you need communion during the week, and also on the weekends, because for some reason, the weekends and the week-days are separate from each other.

I realize my questions sound really silly, but why, does it say, "so the faithful would not be left without Holy Communion"... if we commune on Sunday, we're not being left without Communion, right?

Also - at our parish, they don't do the prayer of St Ephraim on Saturdays and Sundays. Is that the norm, or is it just our parish? Saturdays and Sundays, certainly do feel more festive, even though we're still fasting. And I really like the purple colors. =)

in Christ,
Mary

[Fr Raphael Vereshack]

Dear Mary,

The situation when the typikon was brought together was that in most places the Liturgy and thus the Eucharist was available on a daily basis. With Great Lent however since normally Presanctified was served only twice weekly this meant that the Church would have been in the midst of a more austere regime as far as the possibility of communing goes.

Of course though due to modern conditions the logic of the typikon has been reversed! Since most parishes cannot have daily Liturgy then Great Lent sees more eucharistic services not less. I think though that the interpretation one often hears really works that the Presanctiifed liturgy is a needed spiritual oasis in the midst of the much more intense spiritual effort of Great Lent. As a priest I find it a God given blessing of Lent that we have one or more extra eucharistic services to provide that added spiritual focus.

In Christ- Fr Raphael

[Mary]

Dear Mary,

The situation when the typikon was brought together was that in most places the Liturgy and thus the Eucharist was available on a daily basis. With Great Lent however since normally Presanctified was served only twice weekly this meant that the Church would have been in the midst of a more austere regime as far as the possibility of communing goes.

Of course though due to modern conditions the logic of the typikon has been reversed! Since most parishes cannot have daily Liturgy then Great Lent sees more eucharistic services not less. I think though that the interpretation one often hears really works that the Presanctiifed liturgy is a needed spiritual oasis in the midst of the much more intense spiritual effort of Great Lent. As a priest I find it a God given blessing of Lent that we have one or more extra eucharistic services to provide that added spiritual focus.

In Christ- Fr Raphael

Oh, I'm not complaining about Presanctified Liturgies!!! They're one of my absolute favorites of all time! In fact, there's so much of Great Lent that I wish would never end, and yet, I can't wait for the next part and the next and the next! Sometimes I wish we could have it all happen at the same time, because it's so sad to have to let go of one part to begin the next. But I guess that would be overwhelming... =)

Thanks, Fr Raphael. Hope you have a most blessed Lent.

In Christ,
mary

[Fr Raphael Vereshack]

Mary wrote:


Sometimes I wish we could have it all happen at the same time, because it's so sad to have to let go of one part to begin the next. But I guess that would be overwhelming... =)

Don't worry. That's exactly what's going to happen when we get to the next stage of things. You just have to be a patient a bit. :)

In Christ- Fr Raphael

[Mary]

Mary wrote:



Don't worry. That's exactly what's going to happen when we get to the next stage of things. You just have to be a patient a bit. :)

In Christ- Fr Raphael

Fr Raphael,

Now I'm curious! What exactly is the next stage and how come I missed it the last four years? Is it Pascha? Bright week? Pentecost? The second coming and beyond?

[Fr Raphael Vereshack]

Fr Raphael,

Now I'm curious! What exactly is the next stage and how come I missed it the last four years? Is it Pascha? Bright week? Pentecost? The second coming and beyond?

Well.... I meant what hopefully comes after the priest shows up with last communion for us. For now we have to be patient. But in the meantime we can use Great Lent as a dry run for when we are appointed to really have to take off.

In Christ- Fr Raphael

[Peter S.]

I am reading the advices of St. Seraphim of Sarov. One little book, full of advice including his story and the conversation with Motovilov. And akathist.

[M.C. Steenberg]

There is also a daily patristic reading plan for Great Lent (http://www.monachos.net/content/home/63/646).

[Jason H.]

Peter,

Is the book your reading from St. Herman's Press? I have one called the Little Russian Philokalia. Where did you find your book?

[Nina]

There is also a daily patristic reading plan for Great Lent (http://www.monachos.net/content/home/63/646).

These are amazing! Thank you for placing them here, dear Father.

[Richard A. Downing]

There is also a daily patristic reading plan for Great Lent (http://www.monachos.net/content/home/63/646).

I too, am grateful for this (although I got it from elsewhere), and I'm following it with my Spiritual Father's blessing, indeed he has asked me to print him a couple of copies. It seems to me this would make for an excellent book (I mean the paper kind) to keep at the ready for enquirers after Patristic wisdom.
Love in Christ, Richard.

[Peter S.]

Peter,

Is the book your reading from St. Herman's Press? I have one called the Little Russian Philokalia. Where did you find your book?

No it is in norwegian. Published by our parish little monastery Hl. Trifon Skita (skete) in 2003. (108 pages). It was partially published in 1980 in norwegian, but I don't know from which source.

In Christ,
Peter

[Nina]

It seems to me this would make for an excellent book (I mean the paper kind) to keep at the ready for enquirers after Patristic wisdom.
Love in Christ, Richard.

Great idea! I second it.

[Jacksson R.]

Plans? 'Thou fool, this night thy soul shall be required of thee.'

That is why we say, "God willing".

[Peter S.]

I am reading the advices of St. Seraphim of Sarov. One little book, full of advice including his story and the conversation with Motovilov. And akathist.

St. Seraphim calls his body his friend. Never thought about it that way. I don't know what this means or imply. He did. He had peace.

In Christ,
Peter

[Jason H.]

No it is in norwegian. Published by our parish little monastery Hl. Trifon Skita (skete) in 2003. (108 pages). It was partially published in 1980 in norwegian, but I don't know from which source.

In Christ,
Peter

Published in Norwegian? Bummer, would love to read the one you have. Although it sounds very similar to what I'm reading as it contains his writings on "Spritiual Instructions" and also his talk on The Acquisition of the Holy Spirit. But mine doesn't include his akathist =(

[Moses Anthony]

try to work out my salvation in fear and trembling (Philippians 2:12)

I like that answer!! Since I believe that all of our life should be a Great Lent; I plan to begin, to enter into the life of the humility of repentance, under the advise of my priest and bishop.