Day before Great Lent

Preface to the First Edition

Church Tradition instructs us Christians to maintain a daily discipline of prayer. Likewise, it encourages us to read the Scriptures daily and to familiarize ourselves with the lives of the saints and the teachings of the Church Fathers, as well as writings of other recognized spiritual guides. These treasured tools of Tradition not only help us in the spiritual life, but also act as weapons against the devil, and, more importantly, they provide us with spiritual nourishment. They help to shape us as Christians, and there is no more appropriate period to pick up these tools and to allow this formation to begin than during the season of Great Lent.

Therefore, my two coauthors and I are offering you easily digestible daily nourishment from the Tradition of the Orthodox Church as you undertake your Lenten pilgrimage. Each portion in this little book contains a reference for a selected prescribed scriptural passage from either the Old or New Testament, a meditation on that scripture, practical advice from the Church Fathers and other saintly writers, an excerpt from a liturgical hymn, an edifying life of a saint, and a concluding prayer.

We are also offering you a variety of ways to fulfill your daily discipline. You may want to consume a full portion in one sitting, or you may want to read pieces of each portion throughout your day. You may easily digest some portions, while you may want to ponder over others. Do whatever benefits you. Be sure, however, to be faithful each day to your routine, and be sure to set aside some time, for the words in this book are not meant to be simply read and forgotten. They are meant to be reflected upon, digested, prayed about, and lived. Only by approaching

them in this manner will your effort bear any spiritual fruit.

Finally, as we all begin this journey, let us remember one another in prayer, asking for each other God’s mercy, guidance, and grace.

Yours in the Lord, Archpriest Steven John Belonick