On Saturday, March 23rd, the Pan Orthodox Community of Genesee County gathered together at St. Mary Magdalene for a Lenten Retreat, led by Abbot Archimandrite Sergius of St. Tikhon’s Monastery in South Canaan, Pennsylvania. The retreat topic was “Acquiring the Mind of Christ”, speaking about the importance of prayer in the spiritual lives of the Christian Faithful.
One of the most wonderful parts of Great Lent (besides the incredible worship services) is the systematic destruction of the “mine mentality”. The Church, guided by the Holy Spirit, calls for us to spend 40+ days rooting out all of those things in our lives that cause us to turn our back on the Fatherly Embrace of God. During Lent, we deny ourselves worldly pleasures (MY entertainment). We limit the types and amounts of food that we eat (MY cravings). We increase the amount of prayers and services that we attend (MY time). We do all of these things so that we as God’s children can remember the reliance that we once had on our Father. The more devotion we have to this Holy Period, the more we stop learning to say “Mine”…and start remembering that we are “His”.
One of the reasons that all Orthodox Christians love Great Lent, is because of the simple beauty of the worship. Often, the services are done in the dark. The choir is singing incredible hymns that are only sung during this period, with some of the most ancient and beautiful melodies that were ever written. You can literally see the incense rising in the candle light, like our prayers that are rising to heaven. All of these things are incredibly moving and peaceful! But while all of these things are helpful and good for our souls…there is still so much more that is needed!
