From armenianchurch-ed.net and biblegateway.com:
Daily Readings and Prayers:
Saints/Martyrs/Feasts/Fasts to be observed/commemmorated/celebrated: Great Lent
Daily Prayers:
1st Prayer: March 18,2011
And now I continue to accuse my cursed soul
in different terms confessing all my
undisclosed evil doings so that perhaps
the all-knowing might record in my favor
these anguished words of penitence and contrition.
.
Scriptural Readings:
Deuteronomy 7:11-8:1.
Deuteronomy 7:11-8:1 (King James Version)
11Thou shalt therefore keep the commandments, and the statutes, and the judgments, which I command thee this day, to do them.
12Wherefore it shall come to pass, if ye hearken to these judgments, and keep, and do them, that the LORD thy God shall keep unto thee the covenant and the mercy which he sware unto thy fathers:
13And he will love thee, and bless thee, and multiply thee: he will also bless the fruit of thy womb, and the fruit of thy land, thy corn, and thy wine, and thine oil, the increase of thy kine, and the flocks of thy sheep, in the land which he sware unto thy fathers to give thee.
14Thou shalt be blessed above all people: there shall not be male or female barren among you, or among your cattle.
15And the LORD will take away from thee all sickness, and will put none of the evil diseases of Egypt, which thou knowest, upon thee; but will lay them upon all them that hate thee.
16And thou shalt consume all the people which the LORD thy God shall deliver thee; thine eye shall have no pity upon them: neither shalt thou serve their gods; for that will be a snare unto thee.
17If thou shalt say in thine heart, These nations are more than I; how can I dispossess them?
18Thou shalt not be afraid of them: but shalt well remember what the LORD thy God did unto Pharaoh, and unto all Egypt;
19The great temptations which thine eyes saw, and the signs, and the wonders, and the mighty hand, and the stretched out arm, whereby the LORD thy God brought thee out: so shall the LORD thy God do unto all the people of whom thou art afraid.
20Moreover the LORD thy God will send the hornet among them, until they that are left, and hide themselves from thee, be destroyed.
21Thou shalt not be affrighted at them: for the LORD thy God is among you, a mighty God and terrible.
22And the LORD thy God will put out those nations before thee by little and little: thou mayest not consume them at once, lest the beasts of the field increase upon thee.
23But the LORD thy God shall deliver them unto thee, and shall destroy them with a mighty destruction, until they be destroyed.
24And he shall deliver their kings into thine hand, and thou shalt destroy their name from under heaven: there shall no man be able to stand before thee, until thou have destroyed them.
25The graven images of their gods shall ye burn with fire: thou shalt not desire the silver or gold that is on them, nor take it unto thee, lest thou be snared therin: for it is an abomination to the LORD thy God.
26Neither shalt thou bring an abomination into thine house, lest thou be a cursed thing like it: but thou shalt utterly detest it, and thou shalt utterly abhor it; for it is a cursed thing.
Deuteronomy 8
1All the commandments which I command thee this day shall ye observe to do, that ye may live, and multiply, and go in and possess the land which the LORD sware unto your fathers.
Job 9:1-10:2.
Job 9-10:2 (King James Version)
Job 9
1Then Job answered and said,
2I know it is so of a truth: but how should man be just with God?
3If he will contend with him, he cannot answer him one of a thousand.
4He is wise in heart, and mighty in strength: who hath hardened himself against him, and hath prospered?
5Which removeth the mountains, and they know not: which overturneth them in his anger.
6Which shaketh the earth out of her place, and the pillars thereof tremble.
7Which commandeth the sun, and it riseth not; and sealeth up the stars.
8Which alone spreadeth out the heavens, and treadeth upon the waves of the sea.
9Which maketh Arcturus, Orion, and Pleiades, and the chambers of the south.
10Which doeth great things past finding out; yea, and wonders without number.
11Lo, he goeth by me, and I see him not: he passeth on also, but I perceive him not.
12Behold, he taketh away, who can hinder him? who will say unto him, What doest thou?
13If God will not withdraw his anger, the proud helpers do stoop under him.
14How much less shall I answer him, and choose out my words to reason with him?
15Whom, though I were righteous, yet would I not answer, but I would make supplication to my judge.
16If I had called, and he had answered me; yet would I not believe that he had hearkened unto my voice.
17For he breaketh me with a tempest, and multiplieth my wounds without cause.
18He will not suffer me to take my breath, but filleth me with bitterness.
19If I speak of strength, lo, he is strong: and if of judgment, who shall set me a time to plead?
20If I justify myself, mine own mouth shall condemn me: if I say, I am perfect, it shall also prove me perverse.
21Though I were perfect, yet would I not know my soul: I would despise my life.
22This is one thing, therefore I said it, He destroyeth the perfect and the wicked.
23If the scourge slay suddenly, he will laugh at the trial of the innocent.
24The earth is given into the hand of the wicked: he covereth the faces of the judges thereof; if not, where, and who is he?
25Now my days are swifter than a post: they flee away, they see no good.
26They are passed away as the swift ships: as the eagle that hasteth to the prey.
27If I say, I will forget my complaint, I will leave off my heaviness, and comfort myself:
28I am afraid of all my sorrows, I know that thou wilt not hold me innocent.
29If I be wicked, why then labour I in vain?
30If I wash myself with snow water, and make my hands never so clean;
31Yet shalt thou plunge me in the ditch, and mine own clothes shall abhor me.
32For he is not a man, as I am, that I should answer him, and we should come together in judgment.
33Neither is there any daysman betwixt us, that might lay his hand upon us both.
34Let him take his rod away from me, and let not his fear terrify me:
35Then would I speak, and not fear him; but it is not so with me.
Job 10
1My soul is weary of my life; I will leave my complaint upon myself; I will speak in the bitterness of my soul.
2I will say unto God, Do not condemn me; shew me wherefore thou contendest with me.
Isaiah 40:9-17.
Isaiah 40:9-17 (King James Version)
9O Zion, that bringest good tidings, get thee up into the high mountain; O Jerusalem, that bringest good tidings, lift up thy voice with strength; lift it up, be not afraid; say unto the cities of Judah, Behold your God!
10Behold, the Lord GOD will come with strong hand, and his arm shall rule for him: behold, his reward is with him, and his work before him.
11He shall feed his flock like a shepherd: he shall gather the lambs with his arm, and carry them in his bosom, and shall gently lead those that are with young.
12Who hath measured the waters in the hollow of his hand, and meted out heaven with the span, and comprehended the dust of the earth in a measure, and weighed the mountains in scales, and the hills in a balance?
13Who hath directed the Spirit of the LORD, or being his counsellor hath taught him?
14With whom took he counsel, and who instructed him, and taught him in the path of judgment, and taught him knowledge, and shewed to him the way of understanding?
15Behold, the nations are as a drop of a bucket, and are counted as the small dust of the balance: behold, he taketh up the isles as a very little thing.
16And Lebanon is not sufficient to burn, nor the beasts thereof sufficient for a burnt offering.
17All nations before him are as nothing; and they are counted to him less than nothing, and vanity.
**************************************************************
The Meaning of Lent
"Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. And he fasted forty days and forty nights, and afterward he was hungry." (Matthew 4:12.)
This is the Biblical basis of the period called Lent, given to us to prepare for the Feast of Feasts, the Resurrection. Just as we need time to prepare for any great event in life, we need time to make ourselves ready to participate in the blessed and wondrous event commemorated by Easter.
Lent gives us the opportunity to:
•Renew our commitment to God
•Reflect on our lives and let them be directed by God
•Respond to Jesus' call for love and mercy toward all of God's children
Lent is a special time in the year when we guard against worldly distractions and make room for the Holy Spirit to fill us. During Lent we go into our own inner wilderness—aused by sins, spiritual laziness, and empty vanity. There we confront the devil. Through prayer, fasting, Bible reading, and self-examination we gain the strength to work at being more loving, humble, and gentle.
After a successful Lenten journey, we should each be able to say "Be gone, Satan." We also will find ourselves hungry after this long effort; hungry for the only thing that can truly fill the place we have worked hard to clear: the beautiful fruit of the Resurrection, which is Life Everlasting with Christ our Lord.
The heart of Lent is inner penitence and reconciliation with God. Begin with self-examination and inner healing. Set aside this period to examine and evaluate your life as a Christian. Spiritual renewal is possible only if you're willing to repent for your sins and change your life for God.
Uniting with God involves:
•Sorrow for Sins—Changing your life begins when you admit that Christ suffered and died for your sins.
•Spiritual Growth—Christian maturity begins when you acknowledge dependence on God. Resolve to accept and carry out His will.
•Commitment—Realize that commitment to God is more than just going to church. It involves carrying out God's will daily, whatever the circumstances.
•Perseverance—Keep your hope and faith in Easter's promises alive all year long, every year. Realize that Christians of every age have experienced times of testing and have overcome temptation and despair.
**************************************************************
Tracing the Tradition of Lenten Fasting
(This brief description of the tradition of Lenten fasting is adapted from “The Golden Chain of the Sundays of Great Lent” (1971) by Archbishop Shnork Kalustian.)
Great Lent is a time for Christians to prepare for the glorious resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ through prayer, introspection, and fasting.
The Scriptural basis for Lent resides in the 40-day period Christ spent in the wilderness following his baptism. In the words of St. Matthew’s Gospel (4:12): “Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. And he fasted forty days and forty nights, and afterward he was hungry.”
The first recorded mention of Great Lent was at the First Council of Nicaea in 325 A.D. (the same council also established the Nicene Creed used today in the Armenian Church). The reference to Lent occurs in a decision issued by the council to hold one of its three annual meetings before the 40-day Lenten period.
Five years later, in 330 A.D., St. Athanasius of Alexandria—one of the most influential early Church Fathers—called on his community to fast for 40 days before Holy Week. In these early days of the Church, the faithful were permitted one meal a day during Lent (the daily meals were prepared without meat or other animal products). Fasting was understood not as a complete abstinence from all food, but rather as a limiting of one’s intake to the most essential needs for survival.
The Apostolic Cannons—a series of decrees attributed to the Apostles and compiled in the second half of the 4th century—further stressed the need to observe fasting during Great Lent. According to article eight of the document, “The Apostles directed that 40 days of fasting must be observed to reject all evil, sin, and food before the days of sufferings of our Savior.”
In the centuries that followed, the tradition of fasting continued to evolve. Eventually churches in the West permitted the faithful to take more than one meatless meal per day. This practice gradually spread to the East.
Today the Armenian Church prescribes forbearance from all animal products for 40 days preceding Holy Week (fish is permitted on Sundays). In our day, many find this difficult and choose to keep the fast only on Wednesdays and Fridays.
Christ in the Desert (1872) by Ivan Kramskoy.
This entry was posted on Friday, March 18th, 2011 at 4:01 pm and is filed under Uncategorized. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.
Daily Readings and Prayers:
Saints/Martyrs/Feasts/Fasts to be observed/commemmorated/celebrated: Great Lent
Daily Prayers:
1st Prayer: March 18,2011
And now I continue to accuse my cursed soul
in different terms confessing all my
undisclosed evil doings so that perhaps
the all-knowing might record in my favor
these anguished words of penitence and contrition.
.
Scriptural Readings:
Deuteronomy 7:11-8:1.
Deuteronomy 7:11-8:1 (King James Version)
11Thou shalt therefore keep the commandments, and the statutes, and the judgments, which I command thee this day, to do them.
12Wherefore it shall come to pass, if ye hearken to these judgments, and keep, and do them, that the LORD thy God shall keep unto thee the covenant and the mercy which he sware unto thy fathers:
13And he will love thee, and bless thee, and multiply thee: he will also bless the fruit of thy womb, and the fruit of thy land, thy corn, and thy wine, and thine oil, the increase of thy kine, and the flocks of thy sheep, in the land which he sware unto thy fathers to give thee.
14Thou shalt be blessed above all people: there shall not be male or female barren among you, or among your cattle.
15And the LORD will take away from thee all sickness, and will put none of the evil diseases of Egypt, which thou knowest, upon thee; but will lay them upon all them that hate thee.
16And thou shalt consume all the people which the LORD thy God shall deliver thee; thine eye shall have no pity upon them: neither shalt thou serve their gods; for that will be a snare unto thee.
17If thou shalt say in thine heart, These nations are more than I; how can I dispossess them?
18Thou shalt not be afraid of them: but shalt well remember what the LORD thy God did unto Pharaoh, and unto all Egypt;
19The great temptations which thine eyes saw, and the signs, and the wonders, and the mighty hand, and the stretched out arm, whereby the LORD thy God brought thee out: so shall the LORD thy God do unto all the people of whom thou art afraid.
20Moreover the LORD thy God will send the hornet among them, until they that are left, and hide themselves from thee, be destroyed.
21Thou shalt not be affrighted at them: for the LORD thy God is among you, a mighty God and terrible.
22And the LORD thy God will put out those nations before thee by little and little: thou mayest not consume them at once, lest the beasts of the field increase upon thee.
23But the LORD thy God shall deliver them unto thee, and shall destroy them with a mighty destruction, until they be destroyed.
24And he shall deliver their kings into thine hand, and thou shalt destroy their name from under heaven: there shall no man be able to stand before thee, until thou have destroyed them.
25The graven images of their gods shall ye burn with fire: thou shalt not desire the silver or gold that is on them, nor take it unto thee, lest thou be snared therin: for it is an abomination to the LORD thy God.
26Neither shalt thou bring an abomination into thine house, lest thou be a cursed thing like it: but thou shalt utterly detest it, and thou shalt utterly abhor it; for it is a cursed thing.
Deuteronomy 8
1All the commandments which I command thee this day shall ye observe to do, that ye may live, and multiply, and go in and possess the land which the LORD sware unto your fathers.
Job 9:1-10:2.
Job 9-10:2 (King James Version)
Job 9
1Then Job answered and said,
2I know it is so of a truth: but how should man be just with God?
3If he will contend with him, he cannot answer him one of a thousand.
4He is wise in heart, and mighty in strength: who hath hardened himself against him, and hath prospered?
5Which removeth the mountains, and they know not: which overturneth them in his anger.
6Which shaketh the earth out of her place, and the pillars thereof tremble.
7Which commandeth the sun, and it riseth not; and sealeth up the stars.
8Which alone spreadeth out the heavens, and treadeth upon the waves of the sea.
9Which maketh Arcturus, Orion, and Pleiades, and the chambers of the south.
10Which doeth great things past finding out; yea, and wonders without number.
11Lo, he goeth by me, and I see him not: he passeth on also, but I perceive him not.
12Behold, he taketh away, who can hinder him? who will say unto him, What doest thou?
13If God will not withdraw his anger, the proud helpers do stoop under him.
14How much less shall I answer him, and choose out my words to reason with him?
15Whom, though I were righteous, yet would I not answer, but I would make supplication to my judge.
16If I had called, and he had answered me; yet would I not believe that he had hearkened unto my voice.
17For he breaketh me with a tempest, and multiplieth my wounds without cause.
18He will not suffer me to take my breath, but filleth me with bitterness.
19If I speak of strength, lo, he is strong: and if of judgment, who shall set me a time to plead?
20If I justify myself, mine own mouth shall condemn me: if I say, I am perfect, it shall also prove me perverse.
21Though I were perfect, yet would I not know my soul: I would despise my life.
22This is one thing, therefore I said it, He destroyeth the perfect and the wicked.
23If the scourge slay suddenly, he will laugh at the trial of the innocent.
24The earth is given into the hand of the wicked: he covereth the faces of the judges thereof; if not, where, and who is he?
25Now my days are swifter than a post: they flee away, they see no good.
26They are passed away as the swift ships: as the eagle that hasteth to the prey.
27If I say, I will forget my complaint, I will leave off my heaviness, and comfort myself:
28I am afraid of all my sorrows, I know that thou wilt not hold me innocent.
29If I be wicked, why then labour I in vain?
30If I wash myself with snow water, and make my hands never so clean;
31Yet shalt thou plunge me in the ditch, and mine own clothes shall abhor me.
32For he is not a man, as I am, that I should answer him, and we should come together in judgment.
33Neither is there any daysman betwixt us, that might lay his hand upon us both.
34Let him take his rod away from me, and let not his fear terrify me:
35Then would I speak, and not fear him; but it is not so with me.
Job 10
1My soul is weary of my life; I will leave my complaint upon myself; I will speak in the bitterness of my soul.
2I will say unto God, Do not condemn me; shew me wherefore thou contendest with me.
Isaiah 40:9-17.
Isaiah 40:9-17 (King James Version)
9O Zion, that bringest good tidings, get thee up into the high mountain; O Jerusalem, that bringest good tidings, lift up thy voice with strength; lift it up, be not afraid; say unto the cities of Judah, Behold your God!
10Behold, the Lord GOD will come with strong hand, and his arm shall rule for him: behold, his reward is with him, and his work before him.
11He shall feed his flock like a shepherd: he shall gather the lambs with his arm, and carry them in his bosom, and shall gently lead those that are with young.
12Who hath measured the waters in the hollow of his hand, and meted out heaven with the span, and comprehended the dust of the earth in a measure, and weighed the mountains in scales, and the hills in a balance?
13Who hath directed the Spirit of the LORD, or being his counsellor hath taught him?
14With whom took he counsel, and who instructed him, and taught him in the path of judgment, and taught him knowledge, and shewed to him the way of understanding?
15Behold, the nations are as a drop of a bucket, and are counted as the small dust of the balance: behold, he taketh up the isles as a very little thing.
16And Lebanon is not sufficient to burn, nor the beasts thereof sufficient for a burnt offering.
17All nations before him are as nothing; and they are counted to him less than nothing, and vanity.
**************************************************************
The Meaning of Lent
"Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. And he fasted forty days and forty nights, and afterward he was hungry." (Matthew 4:12.)
This is the Biblical basis of the period called Lent, given to us to prepare for the Feast of Feasts, the Resurrection. Just as we need time to prepare for any great event in life, we need time to make ourselves ready to participate in the blessed and wondrous event commemorated by Easter.
Lent gives us the opportunity to:
•Renew our commitment to God
•Reflect on our lives and let them be directed by God
•Respond to Jesus' call for love and mercy toward all of God's children
Lent is a special time in the year when we guard against worldly distractions and make room for the Holy Spirit to fill us. During Lent we go into our own inner wilderness—aused by sins, spiritual laziness, and empty vanity. There we confront the devil. Through prayer, fasting, Bible reading, and self-examination we gain the strength to work at being more loving, humble, and gentle.
After a successful Lenten journey, we should each be able to say "Be gone, Satan." We also will find ourselves hungry after this long effort; hungry for the only thing that can truly fill the place we have worked hard to clear: the beautiful fruit of the Resurrection, which is Life Everlasting with Christ our Lord.
The heart of Lent is inner penitence and reconciliation with God. Begin with self-examination and inner healing. Set aside this period to examine and evaluate your life as a Christian. Spiritual renewal is possible only if you're willing to repent for your sins and change your life for God.
Uniting with God involves:
•Sorrow for Sins—Changing your life begins when you admit that Christ suffered and died for your sins.
•Spiritual Growth—Christian maturity begins when you acknowledge dependence on God. Resolve to accept and carry out His will.
•Commitment—Realize that commitment to God is more than just going to church. It involves carrying out God's will daily, whatever the circumstances.
•Perseverance—Keep your hope and faith in Easter's promises alive all year long, every year. Realize that Christians of every age have experienced times of testing and have overcome temptation and despair.
**************************************************************
Tracing the Tradition of Lenten Fasting
(This brief description of the tradition of Lenten fasting is adapted from “The Golden Chain of the Sundays of Great Lent” (1971) by Archbishop Shnork Kalustian.)
Great Lent is a time for Christians to prepare for the glorious resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ through prayer, introspection, and fasting.
The Scriptural basis for Lent resides in the 40-day period Christ spent in the wilderness following his baptism. In the words of St. Matthew’s Gospel (4:12): “Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. And he fasted forty days and forty nights, and afterward he was hungry.”
The first recorded mention of Great Lent was at the First Council of Nicaea in 325 A.D. (the same council also established the Nicene Creed used today in the Armenian Church). The reference to Lent occurs in a decision issued by the council to hold one of its three annual meetings before the 40-day Lenten period.
Five years later, in 330 A.D., St. Athanasius of Alexandria—one of the most influential early Church Fathers—called on his community to fast for 40 days before Holy Week. In these early days of the Church, the faithful were permitted one meal a day during Lent (the daily meals were prepared without meat or other animal products). Fasting was understood not as a complete abstinence from all food, but rather as a limiting of one’s intake to the most essential needs for survival.
The Apostolic Cannons—a series of decrees attributed to the Apostles and compiled in the second half of the 4th century—further stressed the need to observe fasting during Great Lent. According to article eight of the document, “The Apostles directed that 40 days of fasting must be observed to reject all evil, sin, and food before the days of sufferings of our Savior.”
In the centuries that followed, the tradition of fasting continued to evolve. Eventually churches in the West permitted the faithful to take more than one meatless meal per day. This practice gradually spread to the East.
Today the Armenian Church prescribes forbearance from all animal products for 40 days preceding Holy Week (fish is permitted on Sundays). In our day, many find this difficult and choose to keep the fast only on Wednesdays and Fridays.
Christ in the Desert (1872) by Ivan Kramskoy.
This entry was posted on Friday, March 18th, 2011 at 4:01 pm and is filed under Uncategorized. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.
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