Orthodox Christianity Forum

Congratulations to our newly illumined families! Now your job is to go out and find the next cohort of catechumens to bring into the Church! Current catechumens, we haven’t forgotten y’all! Time is going to fly from now through the Great Lent, so schedule some time with your godparent/ sponsor and Fr. Iggy! We have a brief break in our catechumen cycle, as our primary cohort of catechumens will have been baptized on the Theophany, and others are preparing for Lazarus Saturday or beyond.

The Triodion. We’re just past the Theophany and already our attention turns to the Great Lent and Pascha - the feast of feasts! As part of this preparatory season you’ll hear references made to the “Lenten Triodion,” or just the “Triodion;” so what is it, exactly? It actually refers to two distinct but overlapping things - a book and a period of time, both of which we’ll take a look at now. First it’s a service book that we use leading up to Lent, throughout it, and into Holy Week, with almost all (but not quite all) the books to observe services through the fast. As the name implies, there are three (tri) odes (well… odes) for Orthros/ Matins/ Morning Prayers during this time as appointed by the canons. We keep a copy or two in the kliros and they’re available to look at any time you like - please ask! 😀 Secondly, it’s a time period that begins ten weeks prior to Pascha and is itself broken into three preparatory periods all focused on leading us on a journey of repentance home to God by means of prayer and fasting - three pre-Lenten weeks, six weeks of Great Lent, then Holy Week. The three weeks prior to the Great Lent starting are the Sundays of the Publican and the Pharisee, of the Prodigal Son, of the Last Judgment (Meatfare), and of Forgiveness (Cheesefare). The week after the first Sunday is entirely fast-free, the next is normal fasting, and the last of two Sundays help to ease us into the fast which we’ll observe throughout the Great Lent, by bidding farewell to dairy and meat, respectively.

At this point we’ve traveled through some fifty weeks together, during which you’ve been preparing and have been being prepared to receive Holy Illumination through your baptism and chrismation - now comes the greater struggle of living your Orthodoxy. These aren’t necessarily in any particular order and they certainly aren’t exhaustive, but are things that you may want to keep in mind to assist you in keeping the faith and being a living example of Christ in the world. Keep in close contact with your godparent sponsor, include them in your life, and bring things to them as needed as well as to your spiritual father. You’ve been waiting a long time to participate in the Holy Mysteries, so make every effort to do so. Please don’t try to become an overnight monastic, a life that few of us are called to and probably even fewer cut out for. Your prayer rule and fasting rule should be adjusted gradually with the guidance of your spiritual father, and you don’t want to “monk so hard you hurt yourself.” It’s also a really quick road to burnout if you try to make the ways of 4th century monastics jive with 21st century realities - we want to be one with God, but we also have responsibilities in the world that must be attended to. You’re going to be admitted to Holy Confession and Communion - accept them both as gifts from the grace of God, and strive to overcome your sins knowing that in all likelihood you’ll commit them again in some way, shape, or form. The point is that we keep trying to grow nearer to God despite our falls sand failings, and when we are given absolution and forgiveness we have to accept it as genuine and begin again. Instead of beating yourself up, take the time to reflect on the purpose of your life - to be in union with God, living the example Christ set for us, and knowing that death is no longer to be feared. Yes, you can still have heterodox friends, read non-Orthodox authors, and enjoy secular music and films - once again, you’re not heading to a monastery straight out of the gate. You may want to consider whether those friendships and other things are aiding or hindering your path toward theosis, and especially how you might bring those friends with you into Holy Orthodoxy, but you shouldn’t abandon them entirely. People are going to have questions, and your catechesis has been designed to help you answer them along with other resources in the larger Church community. Another thing to keep in mind is that we are very poor apologists and missionaries for our faith when we exist in an echo-chamber. Part of our call is live Christ’s example and bring more to the Faith.