Great Lent: Where Has It Gone?

It seems almost surreal to turn the church calendar to April and discover that Pascha is almost here, and with it the end of the "pink days," the days of the Lenten fast. Wasn't it just yesterday that we sang about the Prodigal Son and the Day of Judgment? Did Forgiveness Vespers take place only in a dream? Where has all this time gone?

If Great Lent seems to have passed by thus far in relative ease, there are a couple of things we ought to keep in mind. On the one hand, we ought not to be overly concerned in our spiritual life with the question of whether we feel really pious or not. Often in our prayer life we will go through periods where we do not feel the same fervor that we once knew, perhaps when we initially embraced or re-embraced the faith. These can be times of spiritual crisis. What are we to do "when the feeling fades?" The key at such times is, to paraphrase the Desert Fathers, to "stay in our cells and keep praying." If we haven't yet felt the "spirit" of Lent, the answer is not to work ourselves into some contrived state of penitential ecstasy, like medieval flagellants, but simply to keep praying, to keep fasting, to keep coming to services, to keep giving alms, to keep up our spiritual reading, and to let our Lord take care of the rest as He wills.

This all assumes of course that we actually are praying, that we are fasting, that we are coming to services, giving alms and devoting ourselves to regular, spiritual reading. More than likely we are not, at least not to the degree we ought to be. Perhaps the origin of our failure to "feel" the spirit of this season lies in our own sloth and inattentiveness. Now is the time to take stock of our ascetic efforts and to redouble them in light of our present journey and its ultimate destination: the Tomb, from within which may the light of the Resurrection of Christ shine forth into our hearts.

Services This Month

+The Liturgy of the Pre-sanctified Gifts is celebrated each Wednesday of Lent at 5:15 pm, and on Holy Wednesday at 2 pm. Begin fasting at noon to prepare for communion. A Lenten potluck will follow. +Pan Orthodox Vespers are held each Sunday evening at 6 pm:
*St. John of the Ladder (Apr. 2): St. Mary's Holy Dormition Church, 19485 N. Calhan Hwy. in Calhan. Homilist: Fr. Anthony Karbo.
*St. Mary of Egypt (Apr. 9): St. Michael's in Pueblo. Homilist: Fr. Lawrence Gaudreau.
+The Great Canon of St. Andrew of Crete will be read in its entirety on the fifth Thursday of Lent at 6:30 pm. Only sinners are invited to this extremely penitential service.
+The Akathist Hymn to the Most Holy Mother of God will be chanted in its entirety the fifth Friday of Lent at 6:30 pm. This is a particularly Byzantine practice not found in the Russian rubrics.
+Lazarus Saturday Liturgy will be celebrated at approximately 10 am, preceded by a double baptism (Milica Powell and Kyria Orton) at 9 am. The time is approximate because this will be Father's first time ministering a baptism immediately prior to Liturgy. Anticipate temporal delays due to heavy traffic of the Holy Spirit.
+Bridegroom Matins will be celebrated from the eve of Holy Monday through the eve of Holy Wednesday at 7 pm.
+The Service of Holy Unction will take place Holy Wednesday night at St. John the Baptist Greek Orthodox Church. Father Stephen and Fr. Barnabas will concelebrate. Only Orthodox Christians may partake of this sacrament. Unction does not replace the sacrament of confession. Saint Michael's parishioners who wish to be anointed at this service ought to come to confession during Lent, and ought to be genuinely sick in some way.
+The Vesperal Divine Liturgy that commemorates the institution of the Mystical Supper will be served Holy Thursday at 2 pm. It is during this service that the reserve sacrament is prepared, which is then placed in the tabernacle (the little church on the altar table) for taking to the sick during the year.
+The Passion Gospels will be read Holy Thursday night at 7 pm.
+Holy Friday: the Royal Hours will be read at 9 am. Vespers will be served at 2 pm. Holy Saturday Matins and the Lamentations will be sung at 7 pm. Volunteers will be needed to decorate the tomb, particularly between Vespers and Matins. Some work will also need to be done prior to Vespers.
+The Vesperal Divine Liturgy of St. Basil will take place on Holy Saturday at 2 pm. Volunteers are needed to read one of the 15 Old Testament readings. Bread and wine will be blessed at the end of the service. Those who wish may bring dried fruit and nuts to be blessed as well. After partaking of this repast together, we will commence to decorate the church for the Paschal Liturgy. Volunteers are needed to read the Book of Acts in shifts beginning at 9 pm.
+Nocturnes will commence at 11:30 pm and the Paschal Divine Liturgy will begin in the earliest moments of the new day. After the Liturgy (and not before), Father will bless your Paschal baskets, which will form the basis of our Agape feast together.
+The Agape Vespers will be celebrated Sunday at 1:30 pm. All parishioners of St. John's are warmly welcomed to join us for this service and for the potluck feast to follow. Weather permitting, we will have a picnic on our grounds. Bring musical instruments, frisbees and any other means of merrymaking.
+St. George's Day Liturgy will be served Bright Monday at 8:45 am. +Divine Liturgy will also be served Bright Saturday at 8:45 am.

Congratulations to Philip and Katrina on the Birth of Kyria Irene!

Father And Popadija's Krsna Slava

Since Pascha falls this year on the day for commemorating the Holy Greatmartyr George, the feast of St. George (Durdevdan) is translated to Bright Monday. Over a millennium ago, when Popadija Elizabeth's ancestors ceased to worship rocks and pieces of kindling, and instead began to worship the God Who made such things, they were baptized en masse on St. George's Day. This makes Durdevdan Fr. and Popadija's Krsna Slava. Following the Liturgy and the cutting of the Slava Kolach, please come to the rectory any time after 3 pm and share the hospitality of the domacini (hosts). We hope to see you all!

Zachary Lynch's Tribute To St. Patrick

The Orthodox Christian veneration of St. Patrick and other saints of the Pre-Schism Christian West is a growing phenomenon, particularly amongst Orthodox Christians living in Western cultures and seeking to find the redeeming features of our own cultural heritage. The Life of Saint Patrick: Enlightener of the Irish is a most worthy offering to that holy saint, an offering made by none other than St. Michaels' Zachary Lynch. Zachary prays that this book, which he has both illustrated and provided the text for, will be seen not as his book, but as St. Patrick's. Zachary seeks not his own glory, but the glory of God, Who is glorified in His saints. Please speak with Kristine or Zachary Lynch about availability through the bookstore. Through the prayers of our Holy Father Patrick, Enlightener of Ireland, may the Orthodox Christian faith continue to be spread in our own land, in our own age, so that even we Americans may be saved.

Vice President Of Raphael House To Speak At Fellowship Hour

Thomas Ruthford is Fr. and Popadija's kum. He is also Vice President of Raphael House, a homeless shelter for families that is located in downtown San Francisco and affiliated with the Diocese of the West. Mister Ruthford will make a presentation about the work of Raphael House during Fellowship Hour on Palm Sunday. A special collection will be taken in conjunction with the presentation. Feel free to ask questions and remember that we are called to give alms even more than usual during Great Lent.

Featured Bookstore Item

As we head toward Pascha, Great Lent does not by any means "wind down." On the contrary, our spiritual efforts ought to intensify. Reading something spiritually beneficial is an important discipline to keep at any time, but particularly now. Two items in the bookstore are provided toward this end: Great Lent: Journey to Pascha, by Fr. Alexander Schmemann ($12), and The Lenten Spring, by Fr. Thomas Hopko ($14). Father Schmemann is universally loved and respected for his beautiful exegesis of Orthodox liturgical and sacramental theology. And for those who enjoyed The Winter Pascha, The Lenten Spring is an excellent companion. Containing a reflection for each of the forty days of the fast, it is a book to read again year after year.

Work Party

We will have the honor of hosting the Pan-Orthodox Vespers on the fifth Sunday of Lent. Do we want our guests to crunch through desiccated cockroaches as they mill around our hall? (This is a rhetorical question). A work party at 1 pm on Saturday the 8th will undertake to sweep and mop the hall, straighten up the kitchen and bookstore areas, and accomplish some work outside. Bring supplies/tools if you have them and let's beautify St. Michael's for our guests, if not for ourselves.

Michael Shinovich To Teach Art Class

Our own Michael Shinovich will teach an art class for beginners at the Sangre de Cristo Arts Center. "Meet the Masters" will be spread over several, two-hour sessions between April 15 and May 20. If you've thought about trying your hand at painting, sign up for this class and show your support for your brother in Christ. For more information, contact Michael at 561-4584 or talk to him at coffee fellowship.

Candles And Prosphora

After several enquiries by newcomers and visitors, a new price list for candles and prosphora can be found in the narthex.
*Beeswax candles remain $1.
*This is also the suggested donation for prosphora. Prosphora are the small loaves of bread that are taken into the altar, where Fr. removes a particle in memory of your living and/or departed loved ones. These particles rest on the diskos next to the Lamb and the particles the Theotokos, the saints, etc. After communion, the particles are placed into the chalice. Remember to write down the names of those whom you would like to be prayed for on the slips of paper titled, "For The Living." and "For The Departed." Remember also to take your prosphora with you after the Liturgy.
*A $5 donation is suggested for the votive candles in front of the icons of Christ and the Theotokos. These candles burn for six days.
*There are also six-day votive candles in the lampadas hanging from the ceiling. You may sponsor these candles to burn for an entire month. The suggested donation for this is $20. Please inform Father if you would like to sponsor these candles for a month, for example during the month of a birthday, an anniversary, a death, etc., and this information will be printed in the bulletin.

Sacred Space

The space at the front of the church between the ambo and the center analogion is one that should not be traipsed through casually. This is the place where we come to receive Holy Communion. It is a pious practice after venerating the icon of Christ to go all the way back around the center analogion to reach the icon of the Theotokos, rather than walking straight across. If it is before or after the service, it is permitted to walk straight across, from one icon to the other, but one ought to stop in the middle, cross oneself and make a bow toward the altar. During divine services, it is unseemly to walk through this space, especially if the royal doors are open or the priest or deacon is standing on the ambo. If nothing else, to walk across the front of the church during services is a distraction to others. If you have questions about this matter, feel free to speak with Fr.

Reader Schedule
Sat 4/1 & Sun 4/2: Tom
Sat 4/8 & Sun 4/9: Zachariah, Pavel
Sat 4/15 & Sun 4/16: John
Sat 4/22 & Sun 4/23: Zachariah
Sat 4/29 & Sun 4/30: Tom

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