The Triodion- Our Spiritual Journey to Pascha

1. The Triodion-Our Spiritual Journey to Pascha

2. The Triodion A Time of Preparation • The Triodion Period is the period of time in our Orthodox Liturgical year that encompasses 3 segments of time, that of the Pre-Lenten cycle, of Great Lent itself and of Holy Week.

3. The word "Triodion" literally means "3 odes" referring to a series of hymns that are sung, but also applying to the 3 segments of time and the associated observances in each of these time segments.

4. The Triodion Period begins on the 4th Sunday before Great Lent. • During the church services, "The Triodion" is used which contains special readings and hymns. The book is used during Pre-Lenten, through Lent, Holy Week, up until Holy Saturday night.

5. There is a special service known as "The Saturday of Souls" that are observed in which we commemorate and remember our departed relatives. • Two of these services are held during the Pre-Lenten Period, and one more is celebrated on the First Saturday of Lent.

6. Saturday of Souls • Through the Apostolic Constitutions (Book VIII, ch. 42), the Church of Christ has received the custom to make commemorations for the departed on the third, ninth, and fortieth days after their repose. Many throughout the ages, because of an untimely death in a faraway place, or other adverse circumstances, have died without being deemed worthy of the appointed memorial services.

7. The divine Fathers, being so moved in their love for man, have decreed that a common memorial be made this day for all pious Orthodox Christians who have reposed from all ages past, so that those who did not have particular memorial services may be included in this common one for all. • Also, the Church of Christ teaches us that alms should be given to the poor by the departed one's kinsmen as a memorial for him.

8. Since we make commemoration of the Second Coming of Christ, and since the reposed have neither been judged, nor have received their complete recompense (Acts 17:31; II Peter 2:9; Heb. 11:39-40), the Church rightly commemorates the souls today, and trusting in the boundless mercy of God, she prays Him to have mercy on sinners.

9. . Furthermore, since the commemoration is for all the reposed together, it reminds each of us of his own death, and arouses us to repentance. Each of the four Sundays of the Pre-Lenten Period have special themes and Bible Readings. Each Sunday initiates the week. Certain observances occur on certain weeks.

10. Triwdion • Sundays of the Triodion:

11. The Publican and the Pharisee The Sunday of the Publican and the Pharisee is the first Sunday of the three-week period before Lent. These three weeks are in preparation for the spiritual journey we are all about to take together as Orthodox Christians. In three weeks, we will begin our journey through Lent. This is the time we can all come closer to God through worshiping together, praying together, fasting together and sharing with each other.

12. Sunday of the Prodigal Son The Theme for this week is the warm gentle love of a father toward his child. The 'son' took his inheritance and squandered it on things unworthy. Yet, when he chose to return, his father forgave all things, thankful that his 'son' who was lost, found his way home, to the loving arms of the father.

13. The Theme of a 'loving and forgiving Father' is also here for all of us. We often misuse the 'gifts' that God has gifted us with and we often sin against 'Heaven and before God and yet...... God wants us all to rejoice when any one of our brothers and sisters in Christ leaves the safety of God’s embrace. but returns, realizing the necessity and rightness of living in our Heavenly Father's loving embrace.

14. Judgment Sunday • The Theme of this week is that we must all see Christ in everyone. We must be prepared to meet our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, during His second coming. At this time, Jesus shall begin to separate us and begin the process of our judgment. We will be judged, and we will learn where we will live Eternity.

15. The most important aspect of this Theme is that the way we will be judge is based on how we helped those less fortunate that us, how we can clothe them, feed them and comfort them. • Much of our judgment will rely on how we showed mercy on others and each other. What we do reflects our true inner self. We are told that we must take care of those who are ‘the least of my brethren’. • We must work on our spiritual and physical needs. Therefore, when we hear ‘thus you saw me hungry and you gave me to eat’, we need to become aware that all who are hungry should be given food to sustain them. This is the hope of our own salvation.

16. Sunday of Forgiveness This weeks Theme reminds us that Jesus expects us to forgive one another before we receive God’s forgiveness. Therefore, those who are unable to forgive are NOT forgiven. To not forgive one another causes us to lose the forgiveness of our God.

17. This Theme also reminds us that if we hold our ‘treasures’ on Earth as more important than our Heavenly treasures, we become slaves to ‘material things’ and forget about attaching ourselves to God, our true treasure.

18. Fasting is not only from food, but our way of trying to escape the control of the passions. Fasting, therefore, is our way of growing in our spirituality and to glorify God, not to show those around us that we are sacrificing and how hard it is.

19. St. John Chrysostom writes: “What good is it if we abstain from eating birds and fish, but bite and devour our brother?”

20. Great and Holy Lent The Sundays leading to Holy Week

21. Sunday of Orthodoxy For more than one hundred years, the Church of Christ was troubled by the persecution of the Iconoclasts of evil belief, ending in the reign of Theophilus (829-842). After Theophilus's death, his widow the Empress Theodora, together with the Patriarch Methodius established Orthodoxy anew.

22. This is the holy deed that all we, the Orthodox, commemorate today, and we call this radiant and venerable day the Sunday of Orthodoxy, that is, the triumph of true doctrine over heresy.

23. St. Gregory Palamas Prayer, as defined by St. John Climacus, is the “friendship with God”, that is setting of the mind on the meditation of God and the love of His Divine Word. St. John wrote “The Ladder of Divine Ascent”. The 80 chapters help us understand the progress of our spiritual struggle to attain salvation. “For no one can climb a ladder in just one stride”, it requires patience and time. (Step 7)

24. Sunday of the Holy Cross This Sunday commemorates the venerable Cross and the Crucifixion of our Lord, Jesus Christ. The passages read this day repeat the calling of the Christian by Christ to dedicate his life for “If any man would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me.” The Adoration of the Cross is expressed by the faithful through prayer, fasting, almsgiving and forgiveness of the trespasses of others.

25. St. John Climacus-The Ladder of Divine Ascent

26. Theme: Building a Foundation of love and humility • The Ladder of Divine Ascent teaches how build a foundation, fight the evils which tempt us, and how to be a good person and live with love and humility. It is considered to be so important that it is universally read in its entirety in monasteries during the Great Fast.

27. St. Mary of Egypt This Sunday commemorates the life of St. Mary of Egypt, who is a shining example of repentance from sin through prayer and fasting. The Church commemorates St. Mary for her recognition of her own sins as an example of how one can free oneself from the slavery and burdens of wrongdoings. This recognition of sin is important during Lent, for the faithful, as a means of self-examination and preparation for a more virtuous life in anticipation of the Crucifixion and the Resurrection of Christ.

28. Saturday of Lazarus The miracle of Jesus raising Lazarus from the dead was the last of the seven signs about Jesus found in the Gospel of John. This miracle is the final sign, which sealed the fate of our Lord, because it caused the Jewish authorities to want to put Jesus to death.

29. When Lazarus became ill, his sister sent a message to Jesus saying, “Lord, behold, him who You love is sick.? (John11:3) Jesus responded: “This sickness is not unto death, but for the glory of God, that the Son of God may be glorified”. This, in other words, was an act that would bring glory to the Father and to the Son. Jesus did not go to Lazarus immediately. • Then, Jesus told His disciples that His friend Lazarus was ill and slept, but that now He would need to go to him and wake him. The disciples were worried that Jesus would come to harm if He went to Bethany and they told Him that if Lazarus was sleeping then he will become well. Finally, Jesus explained: “Lazarus is dead.” (John 11:14)

30. When Jesus came to Bethany, Martha came to Him and said, “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died.” (John 11:21) Jesus told he, “Your brother will rise again.” Jesus asked her if she believed and she said, “Yes, Lord, I believe that You are the Christ, the Son, of God, who is to come into the world.” • They came to a tomb, which had a large stone in front of it. Jesus asked that the stone be removed. Martha explained that Lazarus had been dead for four days and that there would be a terrible smell. But Jesus explained, “Did I not say to you that if you would believe you would see the glory of God?”

31. At this point, Jesus prayed to His Father to thank Him. He then called, “Lazarus, come forth.” Lazarus came out of the tomb and lived again. Those who saw this miracle were astonished. Many came to believe n Jesus as the Son of God and the glorified Him. Others did not, and they would run to tell the Pharisees what they had witnessed to condemn our Lord.

32. Palm Sunday This day is a day of celebration and triumph for Jesus. It is a day that He is welcomed happily by the people. He enters the city after many have witnessed the raising of Lazarus from the dead. The people laid palm branches on the ground as He passed. It was prophesied earlier that Jesus would enter the city riding on a colt that had never been ridden. Jesus sent His disciples to bring the colt to Him so that He may ride it into the city.

33. Jesus would enter into the city triumphantly, but there where there had been joy and glad tidings, only anger and discontent were found. • The symbolic aspic to this day is that Jesus rode into the time when He would be betrayed, denied, questioned, found guilty and crucified, as a common thief. He came into the city knowing His time on earth was drawing near.

34. At this time in our Journey, we begin the Celebration of Megalh Ebdomada • Holy Week