Dan Everiss
<oregdan@hotmail.com> |  Sun, Feb 18, 2018 at 3:13 PM |
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FIRST ARTICLE: Short introductory pdf message to start the Great Lent with:
From: Archimandrite Alexis <theshepherd@me.com>
Sent: Sunday, February 18, 2018 12:42 PM
To: Archimandrite Alexis
Subject: From Metropolitan Cyprian
From: Metropolitan Cyprian
Subject: From Metropolitan Cyprian
Date: 18 February 2018 at 19:30:19 GMT
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SECOND ARTICLE: And, a message [and a sharing of what St. Ambrose of Milan had to say] from Archimandrite Alexius
of the Orthodox Brotherhood of St. Edward, in the UK:
Dear-in-Christ, Everyone,
Bless! Tomorrow
we begin the Holy and Great Lent and we ask the forgiveness of each one
of you for all the sins and offences we have committed against you, so
that you and we may set out on that course unhindered. We hope
and pray that you will all, according to your
strength, struggle well and so attain to the celebration of the Lord’s
Pascha with true spiritual joy and not simply with a rather empty social
jollity. Our words are themselves rather empty and shallow, and so
here we have copied a short sermon by Saint
Ambrose of Milan, whose words are spiritually strong and sustaining:
Sermon of St. Ambrose of Milan:
Behold, Dearly Beloved,
The sacred days are here, the acceptable time, of
which it is written: Behold, now is the acceptable time; behold, now is
the day of salvation. (II Cor. 6: 2). And so you must be more earnest
in prayer and in almsgiving, in fasting and
in vigils. He that till now has given alms, in these days let him give
more; for as water quenches a flaming fire, so does almsgiving wipe out
sins (Eccles. 3: 33). He that till now fasted and prayed, let him fast
and pray more: for there are certain sins
which are not cast out, except by prayer and fasting. (Mt. 17: 20).
If
anyone holds on to anger towards another, let him forgive him from his
heart. If anyone has taken what belongs to another, let him restore it;
and if not
fourfold, at least what he has taken; that is if he desires God to be
merciful to him (Luke 19: 8). And though a Christian should always
abstain from cursing and insulting, from oaths, from excessive laughter,
and from idle words, he must do this especially
during these holy forty days, which are set apart so that, during them,
he may, by repentance, wipe out the sins of the whole year.
You
must believe, and believe firmly, that if in these days you have made a
thorough confession of your sins, and repented as we have told you, you
shall receive from
our Most Merciful Lord, the pardon of all your offenses; as did the
Ninevites, who gained their deliverance in sackcloth and ashes (John 3).
So you also, following their example, if you cry out to the Lord, if
you invoke His mercy on yourselves, then, serenely
and joyfully, you will celebrate the day of the Lord's Resurrection,
and, thus blessed, you will - after this life - cross over to your
heavenly home,
By the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, Who with the Father and the Holy Spirit, lives and reigns, unto the ages of ages, Amen.
Pray for us at the Brotherhood, that we also may be helped to follow this great Church Father’s counsels and correct ourselves.
With love in Christ Jesus, our Saviour & Benefactor,
Fr Alexis, sinner
Saint Edward Brotherhood
"Mother,
Alleviate My Grief "
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