Great Lent Begins on March 3

This year, the Armenian Church calendar designates Monday, March 3, 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 Diocesan Sunday School programs. This year’s publication is an interactive activity wheel and guide, titled “Ten Things to Know About Great Lent.” The full-color guide outlines topics, such as the history and Biblical origins of the church season, the commemorative services of Holy Week, and important terms. The activity wheel encourages young parishioners to focus on such spiritual disciplines as prayer, fasting, and giving. A limited number of these guides is still available, and may be requested by contacting Elise Antreassian, coordinator of Christian Education, at elisea@armeniandiocese.org.

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