Great Lent Begins on February 11

The Armenian Church calendar designates Monday, February 11, as the first day of Great Lent: the season when Christians consciously turn away from worldly matters and make the effort—through prayer, fasting, study, and introspection—to prepare for the spiritual drama of Holy Week and Easter Sunday.

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."

During Lent we are called to follow the Holy Spirit to confront our own “inner wilderness”—the realm of spiritual emptiness engendered by sin, laziness, and vanity. Through prayer, fasting, Bible-reading, and self-examination, we are given an opportunity to renew our commitment to God, and gain the strength to work at being more loving, humble, and gentle. Click here to learn more about the Armenian Church traditions concerning Great Lent.

Every year the Diocese’s Christian Education staff produces a Lenten family resource for distribution to families in our Diocesan Sunday School programs. This year’s publication is a full-color, 12-page sticker booklet containing information about Great Lent. Families are encouraged to read the booklet together, and to affix stickers marking each day of Lent. The 40 stickers are accompanied by explanations that provide valuable “teaching moments” for young learners. Click here to preview the resource.

A limited number of these booklets is still available, and may be requested by contacting Elise Antreassian, coordinator of Christian Education, at elisea@armeniandiocese.org.

Eastern Diocese of the Armenian Church of America [publicrelations=armeniandiocese.org@mail543.us2.mcsv.net]