Tarek El Mahaba مجلة طريق المحبة عدد مارس ٢٠١٩ | Page 40

Great Lent and Repentance
“And when He had fasted forty days also our fasting accompanied by
and forty nights, afterward He was repentance will save us from eternal
destruction and death because of
hungry” (Matthew 4: 2)
sin. Fasting without repentance and
Great Lent is the holiest fast in our changing our lives becomes useless.
Coptic Orthodox Church. The reason Unless the fasting leads us to change
is that our Lord God and Savior Jesus our lives during fasting, we will only be
Christ Himself fasted it. Therefore, hungry and exhausted without gaining
when we fast Great Lent we follow the any spiritual benefits. Therefore, our
example set by our Lord Jesus Christ. Church constantly reminds us of the
We fast for fifty-five days, consisting importance of repentance during
of the Week of Preparation, the Holy fasting. Each day, maybe by the end of
Forty Days, Lazarus Saturday, and the day is to set by oneself and give an
the Holy Pascha Week. The Fast is a account on what was done throughout
mean of disciplining both the soul and the day and repent on the bad deeds.
the body. Because of the significance Time for confession is to be scheduled
and holiness of Great Lent, our with Abouna. May our Lord God and
great Church designated a week of Savior Jesus Christ grant us a true
preparation to come before the forty repentance that His Holy Name may
days. The hymns of the Great Lent be glorified through us on earth and
start from the Week of Preparation to afterward we inherit the eternal life.
the end of the Holy Forty Days. During Amen
Holy Week, which comes after the
forty days, we live the Passion of
Christ not only day by day but also
hour by hour. Our Church is teaching
us to prepare for Great Lent in a
spiritual manner. Great lent is about
spiritual
growth, repentance, and
deep fellowship with our Lord Jesus
Christ.
Just as the fasting accompanied by
repentance saved Jonah and the
people of Nineveh from punishment,
40