Orthodox Christians enter into lent
MOSCOW, 27 Jun — RIA Novosti. Great lent is the strictest and longest multi — day posts- starts on Monday, Orthodox Christians. The Patriarch of Moscow and all Russia Kirill on this day will make the evening service at the Cathedral of Christ the Savior.
Great post, called “lent”, was established in the first centuries of Christianity the memory of Jesus Christ himself fasted for 40 days, fasting in the desert before going to a sermon.
On the eve of forgiveness Sunday, the Primate of the Russian Orthodox Church, following the tradition of the Church, before the beginning of lent, asked forgiveness of everyone.
“Lent is given so we tried to change his state of mind, state of heart, mind, and without a sober view of yourself is impossible — you need to see his sins. In order to be so, on the eve of lent the Church invites us to take a small feat to beg forgiveness from their neighbors, instead of waiting for when we have someone ask for forgiveness,” said the Patriarch after Vespers with the rite of forgiveness at the Cathedral of Christ the Savior.
The Primate of the Russian Orthodox Church on the first Sunday of lent traditionally will make daily worship. So, on Monday, the Patriarch will make Compline with reading of the Great Canon of St. Andrew of Crete (traditionally read on the first week of Great lent) at the Cathedral of Christ the Savior, and on Tuesday at Epiphany Cathedral. Worship will begin at 18.00.
On Wednesday morning, the Primate of the Russian Orthodox Church will make a special Liturgy — Liturgy of the Presanctified Gifts (also served only in the Lenten time, on Wednesdays and Fridays) in the suburban of the Trinity-Sergius Lavra, and in the evening worship service in the Metropolitan Andreevskiy monastery. In the following days this week the Moscow Patriarch Kirill will lead the divine services in vysokopetrovsky monastery, Zaikonospassky monastery and the Cathedral of Christ the Savior.
According to Church doctrine, the semantic content of the post is primarily connected with repentance. “Repentance” — translation into Russian language of the Greek word “metanoia”, the literal meaning of which is change of mind, update.
Thus, according to the rector of the Church of the Holy Trinity in Khokhlov, Orthodox publicist and missionary Archpriest Alexei Uminsky, “abstinence in food lent is a spiritually meaningful, fundamental”.
“Stringent post is a post in which the person is ready to sacrifice himself, ready to limit myself. Lent is a time of sacrifice, when need to starve, even if it deprives us of the forces,” said Uminsky in the sermon on the beginning of lent.
Throughout “lent” fish, according to the Charter, is permitted only in feasts of the Annunciation and Entry into Jerusalem. Clerics are recommended to post the food was simple, but it “may not be quite monotonous — it is difficult to consciously the whole post to eat the same”. “Let food be to some degree diverse. It is better to change your attitude to food is to learn to limit myself. Everyone knows what makes him difficult to refuse”, — says Archpriest Alexei Uminsky.
Lent culminates with the celebration of Christ’s Resurrection, or Easter, which this year will be celebrated on April 16.