Once again, the Lord has blessed us at Holy Trinity Monastery to be able to “retreat” for a week in prayer and strict fasting to attempt to renew ourselves spiritually. On Forgiveness Sunday, Great Vespers was celebrated at 3PM, celebrated by His Grace Bishop Luke, together with the clergy assigned to the monastery. After the Great Prokeimenon, the service reverted to a simple Great Lenten service as the covers on the analogions were changed to black from gold. In the evening, after trapeza, Small Compline was served, ending with a sermon by our Abbot. Upon finishing his sermon, Vladyka asked forgiveness of us, and thereupon, all those present, monastics, clergy, seminarians and neighbors asked forgiveness one of another as we venerated the icons.
All through Clean Week, all of the community as well as many neighbors and pilgrims attended the Great Lenten services in the morning into the afternoon. The services were interspersed with the readings by Vladyka from the holy fathers. As is traditional, we served a litya for the reposed at the end of Vespers every day.
The one meal of the day was served after Vespers, consisting of “dry” food: bread, tea, potatoes, pickled vegetables, fruit. On Wednesday the first Presanctified Liturgy of the year was served by Vladyka together with monastery clergy. Every evening the Great Canon of St. Andrew of Crete was read by Vladyka during Great Compline.
On Friday, again Presanctified Liturgy was served with the blessing of Kolivo, in commemoration of the miracle of St. Theodore the Tiron. Friday evening, during the service of Great Compline and the Rule for Communion, all availed themselves of the mystery of Confession, as part of the week-long preparation for communing of the Holy Gifts on the first Saturday of Great Lent, this year, combined with the feast of the 40 Martyrs of Sebaste.
Crowning the week, so to speak, was the celebration of the Sunday of the Triumph of Orthodoxy. At the end of the Divine Liturgy, the Rite of Orthodoxy was served by His Grace and the clergy. Archdeacon Paisius intoned the reading from the rite with the anathemas pronounced against the heresies of old and new. As is expressed in the service, this is done to remind us and those who are not of the true faith, of the boundaries of the Church of Christ.
The anathemas were followed by prayers of commemoration of the champions of Orthodoxy through the ages.
Thus we finished the first week of Great Lent, through the Lord’s mercy. It is truly a blessing to be able to spend time in prayer, in order to set the tone for the rest of the Lenten period, so that we can not only prepare for the Feast of Feasts, the Lord’s Pascha, but also so that there can be a true change in our hearts.
|  |
| |||||||||||
