Eparch's Lenten Message, 2001(2/01)

DIOCESE OF NEWTON
Eparch's Lenten Message, 2001

(To be read from the pulpit and/or to be distributed with the weekly bulletin)

To the clergy, laity and friends of the Melkite Eparchy of Newton, "grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ." (I Corinthians 1:3)

As we journey through the beginning of the new millennium and prepare ourselves for Great Lent, my mind and heart are drawn to the call that we have as Christians to be Christ to those around us. Christ Jesus, our Lord, expects us to make a difference in the society in which we live - to make the world a better place. This year, we celebrate our 35th anniversary as an Exarchate, and our 25th anniversary as an Eparchy. As I think about these two anniversaries, I ask myself how our Lord, God and Savior Jesus Christ has been better known and more passionately loved through us in the Melkite Church. God put each and everyone of us on earth for a purpose. He also brought to America every Church or religious community for a purpose.

The best way to share our love for Jesus and to bear witness to that love is to be authentic in our Christianity - to love God above all else, to love others, and to live a disciplined life of prayer, virtue, and charity. Saint Basil tells us that "we have already received from God the ability to fulfill all His commands." He continues, "We have then no reason to resent them, as if something beyond our capacity were being asked of us." Great Lent offers us a wonderful opportunity to take a good look at ourselves. Through the 'praxis' (practice or discipline) of Great Lent we are invited to grow in our spiritual life as we fare on our spiritual journey.

Great Lent is a call to conversion. It is a call to identify the demons that dwell within us, and to answer more faithfully and more rigorously God's call to holiness. As Saint Paul reminds us, 'For this is the will of God, your sanctification.' (I Thessalonians 4:3a) As we strive toward holiness daily, the Church provides for us the 'Lenten praxis' that I referred to earlier. This 'praxis' serves to help us through the 40 days of Great Lent, often referred to as the 'springtime of the soul'. The 'praxis' consists of prayer, fasting, and works of mercy. Prayer deepens our relationship with God.  Fasting improves our relationship with ourselves through the self-knowledge and freedom which self-denial provides. Good works, often referred to as 'almsgiving', develop our compassion and help our relationship with our 
brothers and sisters around us.

Prayer - Prayer offers us a time to slow down and focus on God. It greatly strengthens our intimacy with Almighty God. Faithful and regular participation in Great Compline and the Akathist Services along with our other Lenten services are a great blessing. The Prayer of Saint Ephrem, recited several times a day by those who observe the full Lenten devotions, calls us to those virtues so critical to the spiritual life especially humility and charity (love of others) 

Fasting - Fasting in our Eastern Church holds a special place in our 'Lenten praxis'. We read in Holy Scripture about certain demons that can only be chased out only by 'prayer and fasting'. (Mark 9:29) Some of our Eastern Fathers speak about the demons or evil passions that we struggle with on our Christian walk. [gluttony, lust, avarice, anger, despondency, acedia/sloth, pride, & vain glory] They are also known as the Seven Capital or Deadly Sins. [pride, lust, anger, sloth, envy, gluttony, & covetousness] Fasting helps us both identify and overcome these demons (vices) in our lives. During Great Lent we practice the discipline of fasting with greater intensity and greater zeal.

However, it is important to remember that fasting is not merely the abstaining from certain foods on particular days for a given time frame. The attitude or interior disposition with which we fast is critical if our fasting is to be pleasing to the Lord. We must fast with simplicity, humility, and joy. If we brag about our fasting or complain about it, there is little value in the action. Our blessed Lord taught us, "And when you fast, do not look dismal, like the hypocrites, for they disfigure their faces 
that their fasting may be seen by men. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward. But when you fast, anoint your head and wash your face, that your fasting may not be seen by men but by your Father who is in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you." (Matthew 
6:16-18)

Good Works / Charity - The action that gives balance to the Lenten praxis is charity. "God is love, and he who abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him." (I John 4:16b) Charity is essential if our fasting is to be pleasing to the Lord. It is not sufficient to identify and tame the demons (vices) with which we struggle in our hearts. We must not leave our hearts empty, but work to grow in virtue and fill our hearts with blessings. We remember the story Jesus told about the house with one demon that was swept clean. When it was not filled, seven more demons entered in. (Matthew 12:43-45) God exhorts us through the Prophet Isaiah, "Is not this the fast that I choose: to release those bound unjustly, . . . to let the oppressed go free. Is it not to share your bread with the hungry, and bring the homeless poor into your house; when you see the naked, to cover him, and not to hide yourself from your own flesh? Then shall your light break forth like the dawn, and your healing shall spring up speedily; your righteousness shall go before you, the glory of the LORD shall be your rear guard. Then you shall call, and the LORD will answer; you shall cry, and He will say, Here I am." (Isaiah 58:6-9a)

Let us walk united as a Diocese through Great Lent. Let us embrace joyfully the prayer, fasting, and good works which God expects of us and which the Church offers to us during this period of grace. Prayer, fasting and love form the even and equal tripod on which our faith rest secure. They are the foundations of this blessed time of Great Lent. The more we practice them, the better we will prepare ourselves for the great joy of our Lord's Resurrection. 
     

+ John A. Elya

Eparch of Newton

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