To this end the Church provides many tools.

Fasting:
The cultural purpose of fasting (if you look at it historically) is, really, to bring the rich folks down to the gastronomical level of the poor. We underscore this when we insist that it’s not a full fast unless you are giving the money you save to the poor. Telling a poverty-stricken family in 8th Century Constantinople that they could only eat veggies was for them no hardship. Telling the Czar of all Russia or Emperor of Rome that he and his family had to eat only veggies creates an interesting image.

The traditional fast for Great Lent in the Orthodox tradition is to abstain from meat, fish, dairy, eggs, olive oil and wine for the entire period. Wine and oil are permitted on Saturdays and Sundays (and on certain other days commemorating the Saints) and Fish is also permitted on the Feast of the Annunciation as well as on Palm Sunday.

But the reality is that for most of us, work schedules, odd lunchtime meetings, health concerns and dietary restrictions might be of more import.

Problems only arise if you insist on reading “The traditional fast for Great Lent…” as meaning “I sin if I fail.”

Once – about 6 months after my Chrismation – I visited my family (who are not Orthodox) and I mentioned later in confession that I had been unable to keep the fast – it was Advent at the time. Fr D said, “That is the last I ever want to hear of food in confession.” Fr V said much the same thing the following Lent when I struggled with my blood sugar as if my life were less important than “the rules”.

This is not about rules, rather it is about desire. The purpose of curbing desire (which is otherwise natural) is because of our unnatural tendency to let desire grow to greed – wanting more than we need to live; and thence to gluttony – hoarding more than we need to live. As Americans we need to be especially aware of our greed and our gluttony: we live in such abundance that even ore poorest are sometimes better off than entire populations elsewhere. Our desire should be for them – rather than for ourselves.

If we get so hung up on our food – or our rejection of food – that we can not see the other, the Icon of God before us, then food has become our idol.

Services
The traditional Orthodox parish would be swamped with services through this time of year. Even the “loosest” Orthodox parish will have a couple of extra services each week. The most traditional will add Daily Matins and 3 or 4 week night services for most of Lent. Certainly it makes good sense to make wider use of the Church’s services. But why stop at Lent? If we can, I would have extra services all year. Our struggle is supposed to intensify in Lent – but not fall to lax the rest of the time. Still: we do what we can and, with my day job, I’m limited as well. So there are three sets of special Lenten prayers posted on the “Common Place Prayerbook” website:

The Daily First and Third hours for Lent are very good for morning use. There is no variable material here.

The Ninth Hour and Typika for Lent make a good evening prayer (before Supper).

While the traditional use calls for a full kathisma or section of the Psalms to be read at each office it makes more sense to read one antiphon or stasis of Psalms at each office. Begin with the First Kathisma on the first Monday of Lent and proceed forward on each weekday with the second on the Tuesday, the third on Wednesday, etc. If you don’t have time to read the Psalms at your regular prayer times, consider adding them as a Luncheon devotion, etc.

On Friday evenings there is Little Compline with the Akathist to the Theotokos, although for all other evenings there is Little Compline.

All of the offices include prostrations during lent, as well as the Prayer of St Ephraim with its prostrations and bows. Prostrations are always good acts, involving your full body in your prayer.

Additional tools are acts of Charity – given the recent situation in Haiti it may be very easy to find something to do! But better to stick close to home. Reach out to the homeless man you see every morning on the way to work. Find a way to get some clothes anonymously to a single mother at your office. Buy a bunch of bagged lunches and give them away. These acts of Charity are to be done in a spirit of joy and thanksgiving for the very act rather than somber piety. But most importantly they are to be done with a sense of connection, of relationship. Someone in another part of the world may need your money just as much as someone here… but the person here may hug you, may point out that he doesn’t need your money, will make it clear that she, too, is a person and an icon of God and not a mere object of your largesse.

Charity in the first person is also an act of humility: an act of saying you’re sorry for hoarding, for greed, for gluttony. I have so many shirts in my closet right now: winter ones, spring ones, summer ones. I need only two or three… and the same in socks and jeans and all. But I have more than I can store in my closet: an embarrassment of clothes and wealth. I need lent to kick me in the backside and make me aware of the other person, the other being, of Jesus standing in front of me.

Take time brace yourself and really struggle this Lent. But not just for lent: the purpose is to be ready to struggle always and forever for the kingdom to be made real.

These two feasts seem to me analogues. And so this seems to me a perfect time for a week of prayer. Yes, I mean – it’s time to cross the streams.

NB: One might just as well remember Our Lady’s cry – and St Seraphim of Sarov – to “pray the Rosary Daily”!

(If you’re saying these prayers as a “stand alone” office – start here)

Glory to you, our God, glory to you.

O heavenly King, Comforter, the Spirit of truth, everywhere present and filling all things; Treasury of good things and Giver of life: Come and abide in us and cleanse us from every impurity, and save our souls, O good one.

Holy God, Holy Mighty, Holy Immortal: have mercy on us. (3x)

Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit: now and ever, and unto ages of ages. Amen.

O, Most Holy Trinity, have mercy on us. Lord, cleanse us from our sins. Master, pardon our transgressions. Holy One, visit and heal our infirmities for your Name’s sake.

Lord, have mercy. (3x)

Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit: now and ever, and unto ages of ages. Amen.

Our Father, in heaven, hallowed be your Name; your kingdom come; your will be done on earth, as in heaven. Give us this day the bread of Life; and forgive us our sins, as we forgive those who sin against us; save us from the time of trial, and deliver us from evil.

For the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, are yours: Father, Son and Holy Spirit, now and ever, and unto ages of ages. Amen.

(If you are saying the novena with other prayers, start here)

O good Mother of the Good King, most pure and blessed Theotokos Mary, pour out the mercy of your Son and our God upon my passionate soul, by your intercessions guide me into all good works, that I may pass the remaining time of my life without blemish, and attain paradise by your help, O Virgin Theotokos, only pure and blessed one.

Troparion (Tone 4)
Today the faithful celebrate the feast with joy
illumined by your coming, O Mother of God.
Beholding your pure image we fervently cry to you:
“Encompass us beneath the precious veil of your protection;
deliver us from every form of evil by entreating Christ,
your Son and our God that He may save our souls.”

Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit: now and ever, and unto ages of ages. Amen.

Kontakion (Tone 3)
Today the Virgin stands in the midst of the Church
and with choirs of saints she invisibly prays to God for us.
Angels and bishops worship,
apostles and prophets rejoice together,
since for our sake she prays to the pre-eternal God.

Litany of Our Lady of Victory

God, the Father of Heaven, Have mercy on us.
God, the Son, Redeemer of the world, Have mercy on us.
God, the Holy Spirit, Have mercy on us.
Holy Trinity, One God, Have mercy on us.

The response for the following greetings is Pray for us.

Our Lady of Victory,
Victorious Daughter of the Father,
Victorious Mother of the Son,
Victorious Spouse of the Holy Spirit,
Victorious Servant of the Holy Trinity
Victorious in crushing the serpent’s head,
Victorious over all the children of Adam,
Victorious over all enemies,
Victorious in your presentation in the Temple,
Victorious in your response to the Angel Gabriel,
Victorious in your wedding to St. Joseph,
Victorious in the birth of Christ,
Victorious in the flight to Egypt,
Victorious in your exile,
Victorious in your home at Nazareth,
Victorious in finding Christ in the temple,
Victorious in the mission of your Son,
Victorious in His passion and death,
Victorious in His Resurrection and Ascension,
Victorious in the Coming of the Holy Spirit,
Victorious in your sorrows and joys,
Victorious in your falling asleep in the Lord,,
Victorious in the angels who remained faithful,
Victorious in the happiness of the saints,
Victorious in the message of the prophets,
Victorious in the testimony of the patriarchs,
Victorious in the zeal of the apostles,
Victorious in the witness of the evangelists,
Victorious in the wisdom of the doctors,
Victorious in the deeds of the confessors,
Victorious in the triumph of all holy women,
Victorious in the faithfulness of the martyrs,
Victorious in your powerful intercession,
Victorious under your many titles,
Victorious at the moment of death,

Lord, have mercy,
Christ, have mercy,
Lord, have mercy,

Christ, hear us,
Christ, graciously hear us.

Lamb of God, who takes away the sins of the world, Spare us, Lord.
Lamb of God, who takes away the sins of the world, Hear us, Lord.
Lamb of God, who takes away the sins of the world, Have mercy, Lord.

Pray for us, blessed Lady of Victory.
That we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ.

Our Lady of Victory, we have unshaken confidence in your intercession before your Son, our Lord, Jesus Christ. Humbly we ask your prayers for all Christians in help or need. We implore you to obtain for us grace needed in our lives to make us worthy of sharing Christ’s victory. May we join with you in praise of the the Father, His Son, Jesus Christ, and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and ever and unto ages of ages.

Salve Regina (Hail Holy Queen)
Hail Holy Queen, Mother of Mercy, our life, our sweetness, and our hope.
To Thee do we cry, poor banished children of Eve. To Thee do we send up our sighs, mourning and weeping in this valley of tears.
Turn, then, most gracious advocate, thine evyes of mercy toward us.
And after this, our exile, show unto us the blessed fruit of Thy womb, Jesus.
O clement, O loving, O sweet Virgin Mary.

Pray for us, O Holy Mother of God:
That we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ.

The Memorare
Remember, O most gracious Virgin Mary, that never was it known that any one who fled to Thy protection, implored Thy help, and sought Thy intercession, was left unaided. Inspired with this confidence, I fly unto Thee, O Virgin of virgins, my Mother. To Thee I come; before Thee I stand, sinful and sorrowful. O Mother of the Word Incarnate! despise not my petitions, but in Thy mercy hear and answer me. Amen.

O Victorious Leader of Triumphant Hosts!
We, your servants, delivered from evil,
sing our grateful thanks to you, O Theotokos!
As you possess invincible might,
set us free from every calamity
So that we may sing: Rejoice, O unwedded Bride!

(If you are saying this novena by itself, continue:)

Glory to you, O Jesus Christ, Our God and Our Hope, Glory to you.

Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit: now and ever, and unto ages of ages. Amen.

Most Holy Theotokos Save us!

More honourable than the Cherumbim and beyond compare more glorious than the seraphim, in virginity you gave birth to God the Word. True Theotokos, we magnify you.

Lord, have mercy. (3x)

Lord, bless!

O Jesus Christ, Our God, through the prayers of our holy fathers and mothers have mercy upon us. Amen.

As the bountiful harvest of Your sowing of salvation,
the lands of North and South America offer to You, O Lord, all the saints
who have shone forth in them.
By their prayers keep the Church and our land in abiding peace
through the Theotokos, O most Merciful One!

Kontakion (Tone 3)

Today the choir of Saints who were pleasing to God in the lands
of North and South America
stands before us in the Church and invisibly prays to God for us.
With them the Angels glorify Him,
and all the Saints of the Church of Christ keep festival with them;
and together they all pray for us to the Pre-eternal God.

Who are these “All Saints of America”?

As Anglicans and part of the Independent Sacramentalist community, we recognise the presence of sanctity beyond our own tradition. The Saints of America show forth a wide spectrum of God’s work in the new world, under the patronage of Our Lady of Guadeloupe, the Queen of the Americas

From the Eastern churches, this list includes

Innocent of Alaska,
Raphael of Brooklyn,
Tikhon of Moscow,
Arseny,
Nicholas,
John of San Francisco,
Juvenaly,
Jacob of Alaska,
Alexis of Wilkes-Barre,
John of Chicago,
Herman of Alaska,
Peter the Aleut,
Alexander Hotovitsky,
Seraphim of Platina.

For the Roman ecclesial communities, this list includes:
Juan Diego
Junipero Serra
Elizabeth Ann Seton
Frances Cabrini
John Neumann
Oscar Romero
René Goupil
Théodore Guérin
Katharine Drexel
Rose Philippine Duchesne
Isaac Jogues
Kateri Tekakwitha

And many many others:

It will come as a surprise to many, if not most, to learn that there are at least some 137 men and women who have lived in North or South America who have been beatified or canonized by the Roman Catholic Church. Sixty of them were canonized and 77 beatified. Most of these, 50 of them, came from Mexico and another 33 were from Brazil. The United States and Canada together can claim eight North American Martyrs. Individually Canada boasts another twelve saints or blesseds and the United States, nine. Seven were from Peru; three each were from Argentina and Chile; and one each from Guatemala, Cuba, the Dominican Republic, Uruguay and Venezuela. All except eight of these were beatified or canonized within the last one hundred years or so. Of these, Pope John Paul II was responsible for the canonization of 28 and the beatification of 32 others.

From the Anglican communities, the list of saints grows to include:

Samuel Seabury,
The Wesley Brothers,
Charles Henry Brent,
The Martyrs of Memphis,
Harriet Bedell,
Elizabeth Cady Stanton,
Amelia Bloomer,
Sojourner Truth,
Harriet Ross Tubman,
Thomas Bray,
James Lloyd Breck,
Phillips Brooks,
Anna Julia Haywood Cooper,
Alexander Crummell,
Jonathan Myrick Daniels,
James de Koven,
William Porcher DuBose,
Julia Emery,
King Kamehameha IV and his wife Emma,
Enmegahbowh,
John Hobart,
James Holly,
James Huntington,
William Huntington,
Absolom Jones,
Frances Joseph-Gaudet,
Jackson Kemper,
William A. Muhlenberg,
David P. Oakerhater,
Vida Dutton Scudder,
Thomas Gallaudet,
Henry Winter Syle,
William White,
Channing Moore Williams…

And others.

From the wider tradition, the action of God, the Sanctity of the Holy Spirit can be seen in the lives of Martin Luther King, Jr, Eleanor Roosevelt, John Muir, Dorothy Day, John Coltrane, and others who through their lives and art, their self-sacrificial love and their actions show the love of GOd to the world.

This list will keep growing.

The feast of All Saints of America is celebrated on the Second Sunday following Pentecost. The Theotokos of Guadalupe is celebrated on 12 December.

Troparion (Tone 4)

When you appeared in the New World, O Theotokos,
you fixed your image on Juan Diego’s rose laden tilma.
All the poor, hungry, and oppressed seek you, Lady of Guadalupe.
We gaze upon your miraculous icon and find hope,
crying out to your Son concealed in your womb:
Hear our plea for justice, O most merciful Lord.

Kontakion (Tone 7)

No longer shall the New World lie wounded in useless blood sacrifice,
for she who is clothed with the sun has revealed the Son to us.
O Mother of the Americas, imprint His Name upon our hearts,
just as you wove your image into the cactus cloth.
Teach your children to cry out:
O Christ God, our hope, glory to you.