Newsletter february & march 2017 web copy by Holy Apostles Orthodox Church

THE MOSAIC

This Issue PAGE 2 Spotlight & News

A Monthly Newsletter of Holy Apostles Orthodox Church

PAGE 3 Calendar PAGE 4 World News & Practicing the Faith

PAGE 5 Liturgics 101 & Sophia PAGE 6 Great Lent & Comic Strip

February & March 2017 Holy Apostles 4th Annual Blessing of the Brook For the fourth year Holy Apostles faithful following Divine Liturgy blessed the Saddle River next the church. Usually occurring on the Sunday folloing the Feast of Theophany, the blessing had to be postponed due to weather this year. Blessing bodies of water is an ancient practice in the Orthodox church and reinforces the Orthodox belief that Jesus Christ came to save us together with all of creation. It also serves to remind Christians of their duty to care for the environment which God has so graciously given us. A video of Father Matthew throwing the cross into water can be seen on the parish facebook page: facebook.com/holyapostlesnj

Thanks to Our Newsletter Sponsor:

US Pharmacy Labs

New Pharmacy open in Bergen County. Free same day delivery and Shipping. Transfer your prescriptions and receive a gift card! 220 Livingston Street Northvale NJ 07647 Tel: 1-844-559-8334 1

PARISH NEWS

SPOTLIGHT:

In December the parish was busy making nut rolls and cookies for the annual Christmas bake sale. A big thanks is due to all the volunteers. Christmas vigil was beautiful and well attended. Father Matthew read the Christmas story to the children after the service, and many stayed for caroling. Water was blessed at the feast of Theophany and for the fourth year in a row the parish blessed the Saddle River. In the past month many of the faithful have been getting their homes blessed by Father Matthew, a custom in the Orthodox church following Theophany. On a sad note, one of Holy Apostle’s longtime members, Metro Hruby, fell asleep in the Lord in January. The funeral and visitation were held at the Church and the internment was in Metro’s hometown in Pennsylvania. A committee of the parish council which has been working over the past 5 months has finished and disseminated a new set of by-laws for the parish to be approved at the upcoming Annual Meeting.

Slovakian Church Building Appeal

UPCOMING EVENTS  Pan Orthodox Bible study starts

  

 

 Annunciation: Vespers on Friday

meeting on Mondays at 7 PM at St. the 24th at 6:30 PM & Liturgy on Athanasios Greek Orthodox Saturday the 25th at 9 AM. Church in Paramus on February  Annual Meeting to be held after 6th. the Liturgy on Sunday March 12th. Altar Server’s Retreat to be held at All Members are encouraged to at St. Basil’s Academy on Feb. 10thtend. 12th  Question and Answer Session for Teen Retreat to be held at St. New By-Laws to be held during Basil’s Academy on March 10thcoffee hour on February 19th. 12th  A Seminarian from St. Vladimir’s Archbishop Michael to visit Holy will be making a presentation on Apostles for the Canon of St. An February 12th during coffee hour drew on Clean Thursday, March on the various liturgical rites in the 2nd at 6:30 PM Christian tradition Great Lent begins Monday Febru ary 27th Orthodoxy Vespers to be held at the Antiochian Cathedral in Brooklyn on Sunday March 5th at

F EBRUARY 2017

M ARCH 2017 Sun

Mon

Tue

Wed 1

5 Sunday of Orthodoxy Church School 9:15 AM Divine Liturgy 10 AM Coffee Hour to Follow

Pan-Orthodox Bible Study 7 PM St. Athanasios Orthodoxy Vespers 5PM in Paramus at St. Nicholas Antiochian Cathedral in Brooklyn

Precious Cross Church School 9:15 AM Pan-Orthodox Divine Liturgy 10 AM Bible Study Coffee Hour to Follow 7 PM St. Athanasios in Paramus

Lenten Vespers TBA

27 Pan-Orthodox Bible Study 7 PM St. Athanasios in Paramus

Vespers 6 PM 30

Wed

Thu 2

Meeting of the Lord

Fri 3

Vespers 6 PM Liturgy 10 AM 5

Publican & Pharisee

Prodigal Son

Church School 9:15 AM Divine Liturgy 10 AM Presentation by SVS Seminarian at Coffee Hour

Pan-Orthodox Bible Study 6PM St. Athanasios in Paramus

Meatfare Sunday (Last Judgement)

Vespers & Confession 5 PM

26 Cheesefare Sunday (Forgiveness)

27 Great Lent Begins

Rite of Forgiveness 10 AM NO BIBLE

Coffee Hour to Follow

STUDY

Vespers 5 PM

10 11 Diocesan Altar Server’s Retreat Fri 10th-Sun 12th at St. Basil’s, NY Vespers 5 PM

Memorial & Vespers 5 PM 21

Pan-Orthodox Bible Study Church School 9:15 AM 7 PM Divine Liturgy 10 AM St. Athanasios in Q&A on New By-Laws Paramus during Coffee Hour

25 Annunciation Liturgy 9 AM

Sat

Pan-Orthodox Church School 9:15 AM Bible Study 6PM Divine Liturgy 10 AM St. Athanasios in Coffee Hour to Follow Paramus

Church School 9:15 AM Divine Liturgy & Presanctified Liturgy 6:30 PM Paramus

Tue

Vespers & Confession 5 PM

Memorial & Vespers PM Confession available 23

Mon

Memorial & Vespers PM Confession available

Presanctified Liturgy 6:30 PM Passaic 22

Sun

Sat

2 3 Canon of St. Andrew 6 PM with Archbishop Michael

Presanctified Liturgy 6:30 PM Clifton

Lenten Vespers TBA 26 St. John of the Ladder Church School 9:15 AM Divine Liturgy 10 AM Coffee Hour to Follow

Fri

Presanctified Liturgy 6:30 PM Holy Apostles

12 13 14 St. Gregory Palamas Church School 9:15 AM Pan-Orthodox Divine Liturgy 10 AM Bible Study ANNUAL MEETING 7 PM St. Athanasios Lenten Vespers TBA in Paramus 19

Thu

Vespers 5 PM 28

Orthodox World News

PRACTICING THE FAITH: SPIRITUAL DISCIPLINES & SACRAMENTS

Edited by Sub-Deacon Peter Eagler

Baptisms When Orthodox Christians want their infant baptized in the Church they should ideally begin speaking with the priest prior to the birth of the child, not only to plan a date for the baptism but also for the priest to visit the family shortly after the birth for special prayers said over the child and mother. The baptism of infants is usually done after the 40th day and before the 6th month. Baptism may be performed at any time of the year, but are most appropriate for adult converts on Theophany, Pentecost, and Holy Saturday. Throughout the rest of the year baptisms are typically performed on Saturdays, Sunday prior to the Divine Liturgy, or as part of the Liturgy. It is customary for one of the godparents to be an Orthodox Christian and also for the newly baptized to be the first to partake of communion at the following Liturgy. It is also customary for the adult, or the child’s parents to choose a baptism name after one of the saints in the Church. The date when that particular saint is commemorated on the church calendar marks the namesday of the newly baptized and is celebrated by the church community and the godparents.

HOLY THEOPHANY Holy Theophany Jan 6 or Jan 19, 2017 Orthodox Christians Blessed water within their Churches and the Waters at the Rivers Banks, and Sea Resorts all over the world. Theophany is one of the Great Feasts of the liturgical year, being third in rank, behind only Pascha (Easter) and Pentecost in importance. When I saw these photos from Serbia I could only think of how our dear friend + Bishop Basil Rodzianko of Blessed Memory would have felt to observe this feast with such beauty and grandeur in his beloved Serbia where he grew up.

Baptism is principally a communal event. This is why the entire community ought to be present when a new member is joining their ranks. The candidate is not receiving their own baptism as much as sharing in everyone else's baptism, which is the one baptism of the Church that everyone shares,. This is itself a participation in the death and resurrection of Christ. The theme of death and resurrection is prevalent in the baptism service, which is why Holy Saturday is the pre-eminent day for baptizing. Other themes which are prominent in the baptism service include the cleansing and washing away of sins, much like you would wash away a stain on your clothes, and the drowning of the devil and evil. In reference to the latter, the flood of Noah is used as a type. As the evil which had spread in the world was drowned in the flood, so too is the devil drowned in the baptismal waters, freeing the newly-illumined to live a holy and righteous life; loving God, loving his neighbor, and no longer being the slave of destructive habits.

After the World War II when at that time Father Basil was incarcerated by the Serbian Communist authorities it was decided by all inmates ( Orthodox , Catholic, Greek Catholic and even the Communist who were also detained in the camp and non-believers) to have Father perform a service to Bless Water in the camp on January 19. This was to be done with the utmost discretion during their daily walk . For if those Communist who ran the detention camp were aware all would be punished. They performed the service to the best there ability during that one hour walk that January 19 day . When Bishop Basil intoned “When In Jordan “the beginning of the Tropar it began to snow. Which is not uncommon for Serbia in January . He informed all to wash their hands and face and taste the snow and except this as a special blessing from God for God had provided the Water. The morale of those detained improved and Father Basil was released in a few months.

There is no charge for sacraments or any other service – “Freely you have received, freely give (Matt. 10:8).” However, it is acceptable for the recipients of such gifts (baptisms, weddings, house visits, etc.) to make a donation to the church or a charity in expression of their gratitude to God and his people.

Please enjoy reading about this event in Serbia 2017 some 70 years later. Blessed be God for All Things Big and Small: His Holiness Irinej, Serbian Patriarch, officiated the Holy Hierarchal Liturgy in the church of Saint Nicholas in Zemun A great number of swimmers were competing for the Holy Cross in the icy waters of the Danube. Following the Liturgy where the Patriarch was concelebrated by the clergy of the Archdioceses of Belgrade-Karlovac, he performed the solemn rite of the Blessing of water.

MEMORY ETERNAL TO METRO HRUBY O Metro was a longtime member of Holy Apostles who fell asleep in the Lord on Saturday the 21st of January after being hospitalized with Pneumonia where he had a stroke with hastened his departure from this world. Father Matthew gave him Unction (Last Rites) just hours before his death. Metro sung bass for the choir at the church and will be missed by many. His funeral was held on Wednesday the 25th. His internment was in PA near his childhood home.

The solemn Theophany procession, led by the Serbian Patriarch, and followed by Police and Gendarmerie units in solemn uniforms as well as the faithful, went through central streets of Zemun until the embankment at the Zemun quay, where the Patriarch blessed a monument "Theophany swimmer", which was raised on the occasion of 20th anniversary of Theophany swimming in the Danube. Following that, the Serbian Patriarch Irinej went to the river bank where he blessed girls and boys who were fearlessly swam in the icy water for the glory and honor of the Father and Son and Holy Spirit who appeared on this day on the river of Jordan. The Theophany celebration, which has been organized in Zemun since 18th century, was enhanced by presence of the mayor of the Zemun Municipality with his colleagues, members of the Serbian Armed Forces and the Police, representatives of the public, cultural, scientific and sport institutions. A multitude of people from Belgrade were present at this event. 4

Liturgics 101

Sophia

By Sub-deacon Ben Kalemba Vespers – Part 11 As mentioned in Part 2 of this series, during the reading/singing of Psalm 104, the priest reads the 7 Prayers of Light (inaudibly, according to the rubrics). The texts of these prayers are below: I O Lord, compassionate and merciful, long-suffering and of great mercy, give heed to our prayers, and attend to the voice of our supplications. Work upon us a sign for good. Guide us in Your way that we may walk in Your truth. Gladden our hearts that we may fear Your holy name, for You are great and You work wonders. You alone are God, and among the gods there is none like You, O Lord, powerful in mercy and good in might, to help and to comfort and to save all those who hope in Your holy name. For to You belong all glory, honor, and worship: to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, now and ever and unto ages of ages. Amen. II O Lord, in Your displeasure, rebuke us not, neither chasten us in Your wrath, but deal with us according to Your tenderness, O physician and healer of our souls. Guide us to the haven of Your will. Enlighten the eyes of our hearts to the knowledge of Your truth, and grant that the remainder of the present day and the whole time of our life may be peaceful and sinless, through the intercessions of the holy Theotokos and of all the saints. For Yours is the majesty, and Yours are the Kingdom, and the power, and the glory: of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, now and ever and unto ages of ages. Amen. III O Lord our God, remember us, Your sinful and unprofitable servants, when we call on Your holy and venerable name, and put us not to shame in our expectation of Your mercy, but grant us, O Lord, all our petitions which are unto salvation, and make us worthy to love and fear You with all our hearts, and to do Your will in all things. For You are a good God and You love mankind, and to You we ascribe glory: to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, now and ever and unto ages of ages. Amen. IV O You to Whom the holy powers sing with unending hymns and unceasing doxologies, fill our mouths with Your praise that we may magnify Your holy name. And grant to us part and inheritance with all those who fear You in truth and keep Your commandments, through the intercessions of the holy Theotokos and of all the saints. For to You belong all glory, honor, and worship, to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, now and ever and unto ages of ages. Amen. V O Lord, Lord, Who uphold all things in the most pure hollow of Your hand, Who are long-suffering toward us all, and Who turn away from our wickedness, remember Your compassion and Your mercy. Look on us with Your goodness. Grant to us also by Your grace, through the remainder of the present day, to avoid the various subtle snares of the Evil One. Keep our lives unassailed, through the grace of Your all holy Spirit. Through the mercy and love toward mankind of Your only-begotten Son, with Whom You are blessed, together with Your all-holy, good, and life-creating Spirit, now and ever and unto ages of ages. Amen. VI O God, great and wonderful, Who with goodness indescribable and rich providence, order all things and grant to us earthly good things; Who have given us a pledge of the promised kingdom through the good things already granted to us, and have made us to shun all harm during that part of the day which is past, grant that we may also fulfill the remainder of this day blamelessly before Your holy glory, and hymn You, our God Who alone are good and love mankind. For You are our God, and to You we ascribe glory: to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, now and ever and unto ages of ages. Amen. VII O great and most high God, You alone have immortality, and You dwell in unapproachable light. You have fashioned all creation in wisdom. You have divided the light from the darkness, and have set the sun to rule the day and the moon and stars to rule the night. You have also permitted us sinners at this present hour to come before Your presence with confession and to offer to You our evening doxology. O Lord, Lover of Mankind, direct our prayer as incense before You, and accept it as a sweet fragrance. Grant that the present evening and coming night be peaceful. Clothe us with the armor of light. Rescue us from the fear of night, and from everything that walks in darkness. Grant that the sleep that You have given us for rest in our weakness may be free from every fantasy of the devil. O Master of all, leader of the good, may we, being moved to compunction on our beds, remember Your name in the night. Enlightened by doing Your commandments, may we rise up with joyful soul to glorify Your goodness of heart for our own sins and those of all Your people. Look on them in mercy, through the intercessions of the holy Theotokos. For You are a good God and You love mankind, and to You we ascribe glory: to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, now and ever and unto ages of ages. Amen

Practical Wisdom for Everyday Life

TAMING THE TONGUE Death and life are in the power of the tongue, and those who love it will eat its fruits. ~ Proverbs 18:21 Nothing causes so much grief as a person who cannot control their mouth. Taming the tongue is one of the harder habits to acquire. The tongue is elusive, slippery, and not easily domesticated. Yet, it is imperative that we as men and women of character learn to control it. If not, a loose tongue will cause much damage to ourselves and the ones we love most. On this point Benjamin Franklin wittily remarks, “A slip of the foot you may soon recover, but a slip of the tongue you may never get over.” Again and again in the scriptures we are warned about the dangers of running our mouth. The Apostle James in his epistle writes, “So the tongue is a little member and boasts of great things. How great a forest is set ablaze by a small fire!” Likewise, the book of psalms is full of these admonitions. “Who whet their tongues like swords, who aim bitter words like arrows” (Psalm 64:3). “Your tongue is like a sharp razor, you worker of treachery” (Psalm 52:2). “You give your mouth free rein for evil, and your tongue frames deceit” (Psalm 50:19). Even the Church Fathers extort us to guard our mouth. John Chrysostom writes, “Let us always guard our tongue; not that it should always be silent, but that it should speak at the proper time.” When we are slighted, ignored, or the slightest bit of anger rises in us our mouths spew forth hurtful words. When we are excited we ramble. When nervous, we say stupid things. When we become desires of praise and attention we gossip. We when we feel jealous we slander. An untamed tongue becomes an all too clear mirror of our soul in all its shortcomings. We all have qualities which we would like to work on, tendencies we hope to diminish, those selfish and shortsighted impulses. Letting our mouth run wild and unrestrained only serves to reinforce these shortcomings. Closing the mouth is like depriving a fire of oxygen. Instead of a blaze, we have just smoldering ash. Taming the tongue is one of the first steps in our quest for virtue and one of the first things our parents try to teach us. How many times as a child would you have saved your self from trouble if only you had kept your mouth shut?

shut. To a lesser extent courage is also needed when we ought to speak out, to defend the weak, but are afraid. We should always judge our words before we speak. One good rule is to ask your self, “Is it true, is it kind, is it necessary?” And if we have the humility to know when we are unsure of what is best to say, or how to best respond, it is best keep silent. We are far less regretful of what we have failed to say than of what we did. If we lack the wisdom to say the right thing at the proper time, let us keep our peace. Bridling the tongue is but one way we exercise self-control in our lives in the hopes of changing our default towards baser impulses. By doing so we prevent our weaknesses from multiplying and growing by constant use. Self-control helps our selfish desires and habits atrophy. St Tikhon of Zadonsk reminds us of all the ways we can and should exercise this virtue: “Let your mind fast from vain thoughts; let your memory fast from remembering evil; let your will fast from evil desire; let your eyes fast from bad sights; let your ears fast from vile songs and slanderous whispers; let your tongue fast from slander, condemnation, blasphemy, falsehood, deception, foul language and every idle and rotten word.” If we do find ourselves wanting to retrieve the words from our mouth or cleaning up the mess caused by them, we should also become acquainted with making amends for our words. We cannot rely on prevention alone. We need to learn how to admit when we are wrong, ask forgiveness, and to whatever extent it is possible repair the damage done to others. Apologizing with humility and without excuse or qualification must become a tool with which we are well accustomed as religious men and women. It should be one of our constant companions. Taming the tongue is only the first step towards cultivating our inner life and the virtues that reside there. And if we want to make the world a happier and more beautiful place it is perhaps the least we can do.

“To hold our tongues when everyone is gossiping, to smile without hostility at people and institutions, to compensate for the shortage of love in the world with more love in small, private matters; to be more faithThis habit requires two virtues chiefly: wisdom and selfcontrol. Wisdom, to know what say and to know the prop- ful in our work, to show greater patience, to forgo the cheap revenge er time to say such things. Self-control, to keep our mouth obtainable from mockery and criticism: all these are things we can do. ” (Herman Hesse)

Coffee with Sister Vasa

How Lent Came to Be From the Orthodox Christian Website Pravmir

One may ask how the Institute of fasting originated. Was it a tradition handed down by the Apostles? Was it determined as such by the early Church? Was the duration of fasting established from the beginning? These and similar questions require an answer. Fasting before Easter was not determined by the early Church as such either in specific days or for certain foods. In the New Testament the word for fasting, nesteia, means abstinence from food entirely, and was originally a Jewish custom reluctantly practiced by the Jews, although it was not an official requirement. Bishop Irenaios of Lyon (192) wrote a letter to the Bishop of Rome that there is a great difference about the duration of fasting before Easter. Some people, he wrote, fast one day, others two, still others more days. Some of them fast 40 hours continuously, day and night, from all foods (Eusebuis, Ecclesiastical History, 524,12). Tertuuian, an ecclesiastical writer of the 3rd century, refers to abstinence from foods as being two days, Friday and Saturday. Some of the early Christians abstained from foods the whole day and ate only in the evenings, while others ate not at all, day or night, as did those who were fasting for 40 hours. Other Christians extended the period of fasting beyond the two days to one week (during the mid-third century),'but everyone was allowed to extend the duration of fasting as long as he wanted. Thus, these Christians added hours and days of fasting at their own will, beyond the customary duration of time (Dionysios, Bishop of Alexandria, P. G. Migne 10, 1278).

THE FURTHER DEVELOPMENT OF FASTING Over the years, the days of fasting increased to seven before Easter. These Christians ate in the evenings, and then only bread, salt and water, as recorded by Epiphanios in 403. The difference in counting the hours of fasting resulted from the different calculations of the time of the Resurrection of Christ in the Gospels (Matthew 28:1, before midnight; John 20:1, after midnight; Mark 16:2, at sunrise). The period of fasting before Easter was extended to 40 days without substantial evidence of any authoritative determination. The fact is that the 40 days of fasting was known to the Fathers of the First Ecumenical Synod (325). St. Augustine during the fifth century attributes the lengthy period of 40 days to the persecutions, 306-323. Others refer to the example of Christ fasting 40 days in the wilderness (Matthew 4:2); or to Moses (Exodus 34:28), or to Prophet Elias (1 Kings 19:8 - III Vasilion LXX) Probably the 40-day fasting period among the people was started during the persecutions, because the people took refuge in monasteries and followed the order of abstinence of the monks, which was very strict. Also hermits and other pious people of sobriety kept a fasting period of 40 days during the mid-third century, and this was handed down to the people. In reality, the 40-day practice for fasting before Easter was not a simultaneous practice in all the Christian lands, but a gradual process. Fasting as such was practiced by the people at the, very beginning for only two or three days per week, Wednesday and Friday and in some places Saturday (in the West). In the course of time, a gradual increase in the number of weeks also took place. However, between East and West the number of weeks of Lent differed, with seven weeks being established in the East and six in the West by the mid-sixth century. The reason for the difference in the number of weeks between East and West was because in the West Saturday was a fast day along with Wednesday and Friday, while in the East Saturday was not a fast day except the Saturday of Holy Week, according to the Canons of the Church (Canon 66, Apostolic Fathers; Canon 55A Sixth Ecumenical Synod in 692 - Canon 18, Gangra Synod in 340-370). The adding of Saturday by the Church in the West as a fast day was related to the thought that the Body of Christ was in the tomb on this day. This innovation of fasting on Saturday was fought by Tertullian, Hippolytos (Ecclesiastical writer) and Bishop Jerome. However, Bishop Inocentios of Rome (401-417) ratified the Saturday fast, and gradually this day became a fixed day in the West. In rebuke of this practice in the West, Bishop Ignatios of Antioch in a letter denounced this Saturday fast (ch. 13). During the seventh century, Bishop Gregory I of Rome added four days before the beginning of the six weeks of Lent, starting with Wednesday, known as Ash Wednesday. The Church in the East, on the other hand, added an additional week before the seven weeks, known as Cheese Week, to complete the 40 days of fasting in Lent before Easter, excluding the seven Saturdays and eight Sundays, which are non-fast days. The reason for the number of 40 days of fasting during the Great Lent is obscure. The famous canonist of the twelfth century, Balsamon, writes, "There is but a forty day abstinence, that of the Pascha, but if one also likes to keep the weekly fast for other feasts ... he is not to be disgraced" (Migne PG 138,1001). Fasting from foods is relevant to the condition of the health of the Christian, however. Fasting is not for the sake of fasting alone: "Fasting was devised in order to humble the body. If, therefore, the body is already in a state of humbleness and illness or weakness, the person ought to partake of as much as he or she may wish and be able to get along with food and drink" (Canon 8 of St. Timothy of Alexandria, 381).

THE MEANING OF THE FEAST DAYS OF LENT

Great Lent is a period of time when the people are more conscious of their spiritual character. The passages of the Gospels and the Epistles, the hymnology and prayers, the spirit of the Church - all endeavor to help the Christian cleanse himself spiritually through repentance. "Repent" is the first word Jesus Christ spoke in His proclamation to the people, as the epitome of His Gospel. Repentance is the main motivation of the Christian which acts to free him from sin. One's recognition of his sin, his contrition over it and lastly his decision to make an about-face change of his attitude are the steps of repentance. For one can learn to recognize iniquities from the Bible and the teachings of the Church. During the period of Lent the Christian is called to self-examination and self-control by the radiance of the Event of the Resurrection of Christ. This is why the Church designated such a period of time be observed before this great feast day. Fasting in its religious setting is abstinence from food, always in relation to a religious event or feast. Fasting in itself has no meaning in the Christian Church, but has a role the attainment of Christian virtues. It is not to be accepted as a mere custom without a spiritual purpose. Fasting is understood as a means of temperance and sobriety, especially in relation to prayer, devotion and purity. It is also understood to be related to giving alms to the poor. The roots of fasting in the Christian Church are to be found in the Old Testament and the Jewish religion, both for certain days and certain foods. As a general rule, fasting precedes a religious feast. Many verses in the Old Testament refer to this: "Thus says the Lord of Hosts: the fast of the fourth month, and the fast of the fifth, and the fast of the seventh and the fast of the tenth, shall be to the house of Judah seasons of joy and gladness, and cheerful feasts; therefore, love, truth and peace", Zechariah 8:18-19. In continuation of the practice of fasting, the Christian Church determined the period of Lent to depend upon the great Feast of Easter, as set forth by the First Ecumenical Synod in 325. The Church determined the day on which the Resurrection of Christ would be celebrated, according to the conditions that existed at the time of this Event. Thus, the Synod set forth that the great Feast of Easter would be celebrated on: the first Sunday, after the full moon, after the Spring Equinox (March 21), and always after the Jewish Passover. Thus, this great Feast is a moveable date in the calendar. Therefore, Great Lent, which depends upon the date of Easter, also is moveable, each year being celebrated on a different date, (Sunday), depending on the above conditions. The four weeks which precede Great Lent are considered preparatory, a forerunner to Lent. These four weeks, along with the eight weeks of Lent, are characterized by the Church as Triodion, meaning "thrice-hymns", a name 6 which has no bearing on the substance of Lent itself. To be continued...