THE TRIODION: The cycle of the moveable feast is built around Pascha. It is comprised of ten weeks before Pascha and is called the period of the Triodion. This period includes the four weeks preceding the Great Fast, the forty days of Lent and Holy Week. This year the period of Triodion began on February 20 and ends with Holy Saturday, April 29 The ten weeks of the Triodion are as follows:
 
 

First Week	Publican and Pharisee
Second Week	Prodigal Son
Third Week	Meat-Fare Sunday (Last Judgment)
Fourth Week	Cheese-Fare Sunday (Sunday of Forgiveness)
First Sunday of Lent	Orthodox Sunday (Triumph of Orthodoxy)
Second Sunday of Lent	Commemoration of St. Gregory Palamas
Third Sunday of Lent	Adoration of the Cross
Fourth Sunday of Lent	Commemoration of St. John of the Ladder
Fifth Sunday of Lent	Commemoration of St. Mary of Egypt
Palm Sunday	Triumphant Entry of Christ into Jerusalem

SUNDAY OF THE PUBLICAN AND THE PHARISEE: This first Sunday of the Triodion teaches us to avoid the pride of the Pharisee and imitate the humility of the Publican. The feast receives its name from the parable of the same name found in Luke's Gospel, Chapter 18, verses 10-14. On this and the following two Sundays, the theme is repentance. Repentance is the main entry-point to Lent and is also the starting-point of our journey to Pascha. Repentance is not just a feeling of self-pity or simple regret. Rather it is a radical and complete turnabout. In Greek repentance is translated as metanoia which means "change of mind." To repent then is to be renewed, transformed; to be able to attain a fresh approach in our relationship with God and our fellow men.

SUNDAY OF THE PRODIGAL SON: The gospel reading is taken from Luke 15:11-32. This marvelous parable affords us some keen insights into repentance in its various stages. In the prodigal of the parable we can see ourselves. However, when we remember our present exile in sin and make the resolve to return home to God, then we "find" ourselves. The theme is the forgiveness which God grants to all those who repent.

SUNDAY OF MEAT-FARE: This Sunday is so named because it is the last day we can consume meat until Pascha, Eggs, milk, butter, cheese and other dairy products may be eaten this week up to and including the next Sunday. This day is also called Sunday of the Last Judgment, because we read in the Gospel of Matthew (25:31-46) about the Second Coming of Christ. Whereas the two previous Sundays we heard of God's patience, limitless compassion and love, today we are reminded that God's mercy and compassion are tempered with justice. God will be our final judge. He will judge us with the severity of our sin.. .if we do not repent. This is the message of Lent and one of the troparia of the Great Canon reminds us to act now while we still have time. Once death comes there can be no repentance.
 

"The end draws near; my soul, the end draws near; yet you do not care to make ready. The time grows short, rise up: the Judge is at the door. The days of our life pass swiftly, as a dream, as a flower." (Canticle Four, Troparion 2)

The theme here is preparation. For the Lord will return and his Second Coming will come without warning. This same theme will also be repeated during the first three days of Holy Week.

SUNDAY OF CHEESE-FARE: On this last day before the beginning of Lent or Pure Monday (Kathara Deftera), we come to the end of the four preparatory weeks. Today's themes are: the expulsion of Adam and Even from Paradise and mankind's mutual forgiveness. As we start on the threshold of the Great Fast, we find ourselves weeping with Adam and Eve before the closed gates of Paradise. On the other hand, our repentance leads us to prepare for the celebration of the saving events of Christ's awful passion, death and resurrection. When we realize what Christ has done for us wretched sinners, our sorrow for our exile from paradise is tempered by the hope of our re-entry into God's Kingdom.
 

"O precious Paradise, unsurpassed in beauty, Tabernacle built by God, unending gladness and delight, glory of the righteous, joy of the prophets, and dwelling of the saint's with the sound of thy leaves pray to the maker of all: may He open unto me the gates which I closed by my transgression; and may He count me worthy to partake of the Tree of Life and of the joy which was mine when I dwelt in thee before." (Vespers For Sunday Forgiveness)

The other theme, that of forgiveness, is emphasized in the gospel reading for this Sunday (Mt: 6:14-21). We are reminded that before we enter the Lenten fast we must be reconciled with our brothers and sisters. It is a mockery of the fast to attempt it and yet harbor enmity against a brother, "for whom Christ died. " The road to Lent we must travel together as a family of God. We should not allow our fasting to separate us from others.
 

The forty-day period of Lent always begins on Monday and ends on Friday.  It is followed by Saturday of Lazarus, Palm Sunday and Holy Week.

During this forty-day lenten period and Holy Week, we are constantly reminded by the hymnology of our Church that we are on a sacred journey, a trip which ultimately leads us to relive the events that changed humankind; the awful Passion and Resurrection of Christ, which makes possible man's return to paradise and which inaugurates the Telos (End or Final Dispensation). The goal of our spiritual journey is expressed in the closing prayer of the Liturgy of the Presanctified Gifts: "... may we come uncondemned to worship at the Holy Resurrection. " The path which we follow will lead us to the pain and anguish of Golgotha but soon thereafter it culminates in the glory of the Empty Tomb.

Lent is a sacred pilgrimage. Each week as we come closer to our goal, we are reminded of our ultimate goal. Lent is a time to be liberated from our bondage to our sinful passions; a time to contemplate our ultimate destiny; a time to struggle with God against anything and everything which tends to bring us under its tyranny; a time to struggle against ourselves; a time when we receive reassurance from God, a time to draw near the Promised Land and a time to come back "home" which Christ has prepared for us.

FIRST SUNDAY - SUNDAY OF ORTHODOXY: There is a joyful quality to this celebration of the first Sunday of Lent. On this day we commemorate the final victory over the iconoclasts (icon destroyers). It marks the restoration of the Holy Icons to the churches by Empress Theodora, which took place on the first Sunday of Lent, March 11, 843. This feast is moreover a celebration in honor of all those martyrs and confessors who struggled and suffered for the faith. The special service that takes place following the Liturgy includes the procession of the icons and various hymns and prayers offered on behalf of the living and the dead. Finally, the service celebrates not only the restoration of the icons but more generally, the victory of the True Faith (Orthodoxy) over all heresies and errors.

SECOND SUNDAY OF LENT: On this day we honor the memory of another champion of Orthodoxy, St. Gregory Palamas, Archbishop of Thessalonica. This Sunday was dedicated to him in 1368 and with obvious reason. St. Gregory struggled against Barlaam Akindynos and other heretics of his time. His eloquent defense of the faith follows the pattern of other great bishops of the Church, such as Athanasius, Cyril, Basil, Chrysostom and Gregory.
 

"O wise Gregory, you have burnt up the error of the heretics and has revealed in its true beauty the faith of the Orthodox, bringing light to all the world. You are triumphantly victorious, a pillar of the Church and a true bishop. Never cease to intercede with Christ, that we may all be saved." (Matins, Second Sunday of Lent)

THE THIRD SUNDAY OF LENT - SUNDAY OF THE CROSS: On this half-way point of the fast, the Church presents to us the Cross, the symbol of victory, to aid us in our spiritual struggle during the remainder of Lent. At the end of the Liturgy, the Precious and Life-giving Cross set high on a tray adorned with spring flowers is presented in solemn procession to the faithful. This ceremony closely parallels the feast of the Exaltation of the Cross celebrated on September 14. The dominant theme of this Sunday, as on the two preceding Sundays, is one of joy and triumph. We are thus reminded of the victory which Christ brought us, by His death on the cross and His resurrection.
 

"Hail! Life-giving Cross, unconquerable trophy of the true faith, door to Paradise, help of the faithful, rampart set about the Church. Through you the curse is utterly destroyed, the power of death is swallowed up and we are raised from earth to heaven: invincible weapon, adversary of demons, glory of martyrs, true ornament of holy monks, haven of salvation bestowing on the world great mercy." (Vespers, third Sunday of Lent)

THE FOURTH SUNDAY OF LENT: On this day the Church remembers St. John Climacus, abbot of Mt. Sinai (6th to 7th Century). Thanks to his writings and his own exemplary life, the pattern of the true Christian ascetic is form. His major work, The Ladder of Paradise, is one of the spiritual works the Church has appointed to be read in Church during Lent. It is filled with sage advice to the lay person as well as to the monastic who are honestly striving to live the Christian life.

THE FIFTH SUNDAY OF LENT: The Church today honors the memory of a marvelous model of Christian asceticism, St. Mary of Egypt. Although her actual feast day is April 1, she is commemorated on this day as a shining example of true repentance to assist us in our repentance. From her we see vividly the transformation which is possible when one chooses to forego the ways of sin. St. Mary lived a life of sin in her youth. One day she travelled with some pilgrims to Jerusalem and arrived in time for the Feast of the Exaltation of the Precious Cross (September 14). When out she tried to enter the church out of curiosity, an invisible and strange force blocked her entrance. Having tried unsuccessfully to gain entrance several times, she came to the realization that her past life was responsible for her inability to enter the church. Repenting on the spot, she prayed all night with tears to the Mother of God. The next morning she entered the church without difficulty. After joyfully venerating the Precious Cross, she left Jerusalem that same day and crossed the Jordan remaining in a remote region of the desert for the rest of her life - some forty-seven years. With constant prayer and fasting, she conquered all that which separated her from God.

The story of blessed St. Mary is set forth as a shining example for all of us to emulate. We need to purify ourselves in order to be made worthy to celebrate the glorious Resurrection. Without repentance, a true and sincere change of mind, Holy Week and Pascha will not benefit us but rather remain an empty festival.

"Offer to Christ the labours of your youth, and in your old age you will rejoice in the wealth of dispassion. What is gathered in youth nourishes and comforts those who are tired out in old age. In our youth let us labour ardently and let us run vigilantly, for the hour of death is unknown. We have very evil and dangerous, cunning, unscrupulous foes, who hold fire in their hands and try to burn the temple of God with the flame that is in it. These foes are strong: they never sleep; they are incorporeal and invisible. Let no one when he is young listen to his enemies, the demons, when they say to him: 'Do not wear out your flesh lest you make it sick and weak.' For you will scarcely find anyone, especially in the present generation, who is determined to mortify his flesh, although he might deprive himself of many pleasant dishes. The aim of this demon is to make the very outset of our spiritual life lax and negligent, and then make the end correspond to the beginning. (St. John. "The Ladder of Divine Ascent" Step 1, par. 24)

The Church offers us the Presanctified Liturgy every Wednesday at 6:00 P.M. in order to fortify us spiritually for the Lenten journey. You may receive Holy Communion during the evening Liturgies if you have fasted (at least two to three days from meat and dairy products) and on the day of reception, consume a light lunch and nothing else until Holy Communion is received. Pamphlets in Greek and English of the Liturgy are available so that you may better follow the service and participate. Holy Communion is the indispensable sacrament of the Christian. The spiritual nourishment granted us by this holy gift is immense.
 

A SPECIAL NOTE

During Lent and Holy Week, our Holy Church prohibits any and all dances as incompatible with the spirit of the season, on or off church property. Meetings, athletic events (including practices) folk dance practices, etc., should not be scheduled during the time religious services are held. Please check the Lenten calendar found in this bulletin and schedule your programs and meetings accordingly.
 

HOLY CONFESSION

During lent our aim is to grow spiritually and to take stock of our spiritual life. Avail yourselves of this sacrament. Your benefits will be immense. Confessions will be heard by Father James and Father John by appointment.
 
 

FLOWERS NEEDED

SALUTATIONS - There are five Fridays during which we honor the Blessed Panaghia (Mother of God) with a most beautiful service. The icon of the Theotokos is surrounded by fresh flowers.

ANNUNCIATION OF THE VIRGIN MARY - This great holy day, March 25, when the Archangel Gabriel announced to the Blessed Virgin the plan of God for the salvation of mankind is a most singular day. Her icon will again be decorated with flowers.

SUNDAY OF THE VENERATION OF THE CROSS - On the third Sunday of Lent (April 2) the Church offers us the Precious Cross in adoration. It is covered with hundreds of spring flowers.

ANYONE WISHING TO DONATE THESE FLOWERS (TOTALLY OR IN PART) MAY SEND THEIR DONATION TO THE CHURCH OFFICE.