To the Reverend Clergy, Monastics, and Faithful of the Diocese of the West,
Dearly beloved,
Once again, we have arrived at the threshold of the Holy Tithe of the year — Great Lent. We are called by the Lord and the Church to set aside these weeks, gird ourselves and begin the journey to the Resurrection. We have spent five Sundays with the Church giving us lessons of preparation for this holy time. The paradox is that the preparatory Sundays are simply preparation to move into preparation for Pascha. We cannot enter Great Lent without the desire of Zacchaeus, the humility of the Publican, the realization of exile and subsequent return of the Prodigal, the finding of true salvation in the “least of my brethren,” and, perhaps most difficult of all the preparation: bowing down to ask and grant forgiveness to all. To pause and realize that all of this is but getting us ready to enter into Lent is almost breathtaking.
Enter into Lent we will. Each and every person must choose for him/herself whether and how much to fast. But what does this “fast” mean? We face Great Lent every year being tempted to look at things as a contest or checklist. “I ate the right things. I ate the right amount of those things. Umm, there wasn’t milk in that bread I had, was there? I made 90% of the extra services. I went to confession just like Father said I had to. My Lent was successful!” Then after singing “Christ is Risen!” we go back to the life we had before all the preparation, before all the services, before all the confessions, before all the “checklists.”
We only find the true meaning of Great Lent in repentance and the realization that the Fast isn’t a checklist of dos and don’ts, but rather a very serious battlefield in which we are fighting tooth and nail to lose ourselves. Then, and only then, the Lord says we will find ourselves. That is the goal of Lent — to lose myself. The contest isn’t to eat less, eat the right things, go the right services or any other count we wish to keep. We eat less because we normally stuff ourselves while ignoring our neighbor, we eat the “right” things because the normal things we eat are more important to us than the eternal food of heaven, we go to the services because we can lift up our hearts, minds and voices to the Lord instead of parking ourselves in front of Netflix. Any “count” we keep is only valuable if they replace the mundane and yet so valuable items that usually clutter our lives, creating a space for Something and Someone more important.
If Lent is a war with the dark forces of this world, the battleground is my soul. Prayer, fasting, almsgiving and repentance are the weapons the Church gives us to fight this battle. She gathers us together in prayer often, feeds us at the training table of warriors and the Lord Himself stands beside each of us to fight with us and uphold us in our weak moments. Repentance is the foundation of all Lenten effort. To repent means to turn around. To want to be something — someone — different than the person I am in my sin and weakness. The Lord is standing ready to receive us! St. Ephraim the Syrian prays thus about the truly penitent:
You, O Master, are omniscient and see the resolve with which a man turns from sin. And before he comes to the door, You open it for him. Before he falls at Your feet, You stretch out Your hand to him. Before he sheds tears, You bestow upon him Your compassion. Before he confesses his debts, You grant him forgiveness. You do not accuse him or say: how did you squander your belongings? You do not remember how he angered You with his depravity; You do not reproach him for scorning Your good works. (St. Ephraim the Syrian, A Spiritual Psalter)
The Lord Jesus Christ Himself is waiting for us! Let us bow down before each other and seek (and grant) forgiveness as we enter into this tithe of the year. Let us pray personally, and corporately, with a sincere and humble heart. Let us live disciplined lives that do not scandalize anyone. Let us fast in order to create a space for the One who is going to His Passion and Resurrection for us. I wish for all my faithful parishes and each and every one of you a most fruitful and joyous Fast. May we all rejoice in the celebration of the Lord’s Resurrection at the end of these most holy days.
