Orthodox Wisdom Our Duties for Holy and Great Week - Met. Augoustinos of Florina
“We have arrived, my beloved, at the saving Passion of our Lord Jesus Christ, at Great Week. This week is called Great, because in its 168 hours from today until the night of the Resurrection, we give honor to great events, unique and world historic, which shocked the earth, the heavens, and that which is below the earth. This is why this week is called Great, and it is why it should not pass us by like all the others.”
He lists these duties for all Orthodox Chrisitans:
1) To thank our Lord Jesus Christ from the bottom of our hearts
2) To follow the sacred services
3) To fast
4) To go to Confession and receive Divine Communion
5) To serve our brethren who are suffering and are in need
6) To forgive everyone for everything.
Met. Augoustinos reminds us that if we do not forgive “then you are not a Christian”
“Do you know who we are like? We are like a beggar who every day has fifteen cents thrown at him, but one day a certain king passes by him and says, "Open your pockets!" and begins to count 1, 2, 3,... 5,... 10,... 100,... 168 gold coins that dazzle his eyes. And he, instead of taking this treasure to use it, he goes to the river and throws the gold coins in the water. Isn't this insanity? These hours therefore that the Church gives us is a treasure. Every hour, every bell ring, every beat, every second, is an important hour. Let us take advantage of these holy days. Let us not allow them to escape from us like the rest of our lives. Do we know if we will live to celebrate another Great Week? Perhaps this Great Week is the last of our lives? How many people did we have with us last year? Where are they now? We are leaving, the train is whistling, only once do we go through life with this skin. I pray this Great Week is an important milestone in our lives. May the Lord give us this week holy thoughts, holy feelings, heroic decisions, sanctification of the soul. May we seal Holy Week with the words, "Remember me, Lord, when You come into Your kingdom" (Lk. 23:42).”
Text: https://www.johnsanidopoulos.com/2020...
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