Great Lent

Adoration of the Precious Cross – Great Lent 2020

March 22, 2020 By The Deacon

Sunday of Cross 2020 St. Nicholas Orthodox Church, English Language Orthodox Church Toronto, Orthodox Services English

Dear faithful Christians,

I pray that each of you are keeping well, and I thank God for the blessings we all receive today on the Sunday of the Life-giving Cross. The Cross of Christ is the sign of Christ’s Victory over Death. As the Church hymns tell us, “The Cross is the Guardian of the whole world”. For it was through Our Saviour’s Passion upon the Cross, His death, descent into Hades, and glorious Resurrection from the dead that he opened for us the path to Salvation.

As an encouragement to the Faithful of our Church we have included a photograph and recordings of two Hymns from today’s Services. Please listen to them on your own, or with your family tonight and through the coming week. It would be wonderful for everyone to commit them to memory as well, if you don’t know them already, as they are chanted on each Feast of the Cross throughout the year.

As the hymn begins, make the sign of the Cross yourself, through which you spiritually place the holy Cross upon yourself, and then chant the Hymn (page 149 of our Prayer Book):

Save, O Lord, Thy people, and bless Thine Inheritance; grant Thou unto the faithful, victory over adversaries. And by the power of Thy Cross do Thou preserve Thy Commonwealth.”
Listen to this Hymn as Chanted at St. Nicholas Orthodox Cathedral

and

Thy Cross do we worship, O Master, and Thy holy Resurrection, do we glorify.”
Listen to this Hymn as Chanted at St. Nicholas Orthodox Cathedral

May we all have consolation and receive strength as we venerate the sacred Cross of Our Saviour and chant these hymns today and in the week ahead, as we continue along the path of Great Lent to the great day of Pascha.

With love in Christ,
Father Anthony

Akathist Hymn to the Mother of God

March 20, 2020 By The Deacon

The Lord bless!

Dearest Faithful Christians,

We gathered at Saint Nicholas this Friday night and chanted to our most holy Mother of God the Akathist Hymn. And while we gathered and prayed, I also remembered each of you in our Parish that were unable to attend due to distance, or because you’re staying home after traveling, or aren’t feeling well. I absolutely appreciate those that were able to attend and those that decided to stay home because you aren’t feeling well, or maybe have a simple cold, or need some rest, or are just staying close to your family.

The Akathist Hymn is an ancient service in the Church which celebrates the many great victories and miracles enacted by the Mother of God many centuries ago, and which continue up to this present day.

Tonight we chanted, ‘Let us estrange ourselves from the world by transporting our minds to Heaven.’ And so I would ask you dear brothers and sisters to gather with your loved ones at home some time on Saturday, and pause from the things of this world, and transport your minds to Heaven. Gather together at home around your Icon of the Mother of God, and chant ‘To Thee the Champion Leader“, together. You can find the hymn on page 216 of our Prayer Book, where you will also find the entire Akathist Hymn to read. As encouragement for everyone you will find attached two chanting files of our choir: “To Thee the Champion Leader”, as well as a short segment of the Akathist we chanted tonight.

Father Protodeacon George reminded me after Service how the Apostles Peter and Paul, though they were ‘far apart in body, yet in spirit were bound as one.’ And so it is with us, brothers and sisters, we are all one in Christ, whether we are able to be in Church these days, or at home, we are all in spirit bound as one. And so be comforted that our Services continue and for those at home, please know we are praying for you, and I ask, that you also pray for us, for our dear Metropolitan Andrew, and for all those who are in need.

Most holy Mother of God, save us. Amen.

Father Anthony

Great Lent 2020: Entering the Fast of Great Lent Together

February 22, 2020 By The Deacon

Beloved Faithful,
How joyous was our celebration of the holy Nativity of Our Saviour! How great the grace we received at the sacred Baptism of Our Saviour and through the blessing of the Waters! I think back on the Vigil procession in the snow, our meal together on Nativity morning, and the amazing singing of Carols together. Let us all thank God for His love towards us through the whole Festive Nativity Season and for all the days ahead.

Now, in just over a week, we shall enter together into the Fast of Great Lent. And so I thought it would be good for us to take a moment to gather our thoughts on Lent ahead of its arrival.

Let us start out on the Lenten path together and remember that we do so with innumerable past generations of Orthodox Christians who went before us. We move forward into Lent with the prayerful support of two thousand years of holy Saints, and as a Parish, in supporting each other, we witness with them the Truth of our holy Faith, and the salvific works of our great God and Saviour Jesus Christ.

And so, let us begin the course of the Fast well. As our Metropolitan Andrew said, “Let us learn the humility of the Publican. And think about how the next action you take will advance you before God”. Let us “fight the good fight”, as the holy Apostle Paul instructs us and begin with eagerness! Our Holy Orthodox Church established this Fast as a time of prayer, a time of repentance, a time for almsgiving, as a time of mutual forgiveness and love, and as a time of quiet reflection leading to the great victory of Pascha.

The Triodion is the Church Service book for Great Lent, and as we have already started to chant from it, I went forward to the first days of the Fast and here is what the initial Services tell us:

“With joy let us enter upon the beginning of the Fast”,
“Let us joyfully begin the all-hallowed season of abstinence,
And let us shine with the bright radiance of the holy commandments”,

And we shall also soon hear the incredibly compunctionate prayer of Saint Ephraim:

“O Lord and Master of my life, a spirit of idleness, curiosity, ambition, and idle talk, give me not.
But a spirit of chastity, humility, patience, and love, bestow upon me, Thy servant.
Yea, O Lord King, grant me to see mine own failings and not to condemn my brother; for blessed art Thou unto the ages of ages. Amen. “

May Our Saviour bless our endeavours, grant us a beneficial Season of the Fast, and bring us all together to celebrate with joy the Resurrection of Our Saviour.

Father Anthony