Byzantine Catholic Church in America

St. John Chrysostom on Fasting

The value of fasting consists not only in avoiding certain foods, but in giving up of sinful practices. The person who limits his fast only to abstaining from meat is the one who especially lowers the value of it.

Do you fast? Prove it by doing good works. If you see someone in need, take pity on them. If you see a friend being honored, don't get jealous of him. For a true fast, you cannot fast only with your mouth. You must fast with your eyes, your ears, your feet, your hands, and all parts of your body.

You fast with your hands by keeping them pure from doing greedy things. You fast with your feet by not going to see forbidden shows or plays. You fast with your eyes by not letting them look upon impure pictures. Because if this is forbidden or unlawful, it mars your fast and threatens the safety of your soul. But if you look at things which are lawful and safe you increase your fast, for what you see with your eyes influences your conduct. It would be very stupid to eliminate or give up meat and other foods because of the fast but feed with your eyes upon other things which are forbidden.

Read more: St. John Chrysostom on Fasting

Fifth Week of the Great Fast

March 15-21, 2009

The power of repentance – Do you want to know the power of repentance? Do you want to understand this strong weapon of salvation and the might of confession? By confession Hezekiah routed 185,000 of the enemy. That was important but it was nothing compared with what else happened. The same king’s repentance won the repeal of the sentence that God had passed on him. When he was sick, Isaiah had said: “Set your house in order; for you shall die, you shall not recover.” What expectation was left? What hope of recovery was there? The prophet had said, “You shall die.” But Hezekiah remembered what was written: “In returning …you shall be saved.” He turned his face to the wall, and from his bed of pain his mind soared up to heaven (for no wall is so thick as to stifle fervent prayer). He said, “Lord, remember me.” … He whom the prophet’s sentence had forbidden to hope was granted another fifteen years of life. (St. Cyril of Jerusalem)

Scripture

• Monday - Isaiah 37:33-36:6 (Sixth Hour), Genesis 13:12-18, Proverbs 14:27-15:4 (Vespers)
• Tuesday - Isaiah 40:18-31, Genesis 15:1-15, Proverbs 15:7-19
• Wednesday - Isaiah 41:4-14, Genesis 17:1-9, Proverbs 15:20-16:9
• Thursday - Isaiah 42:5-16, Genesis 18:20-33, Proverbs 16:17-17:17
• Friday - Isaiah 45:11-17, Genesis 22:1-18, Proverbs 17:17-18:5
• Saturday - Hebrews 9:24-28, Mark 8:27-31 (5th Sat) Hebrews 9:1-7, Luke 10:38-42, 11:27-28 (Akathistos Saturday)
• Sunday - Hebrews 9:11-14, Mark 10:32-45
  

Patriarch Gregorios III attends the Conference of the Supreme Council of Islamic Affairs Meeting in Cairo

Monday, 22 February 2010 16:21

22 to 25 February 2010

Patriarch Gregorios III has been pleased to accept an invitation to attend the 22nd Conference of the Supreme Council of Islamic Affairs, on the theme of "The objectives of Islamic Sharia and the great questions of our time." More than eighty countries have so far sent representatives to participate in the work of the conference meeting in Cairo which has received a message of encouragement from Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak, who himself expects to attend the conference.

On the fringes of the conference, talks between Muslim and non-Muslim thinkers from East and West will be held on the relationship of Islam with other religions, in an attempt to rebuild trust and to draw together perspectives between different civilizations, with a view to reaching a common basis for that positive co-existence, which is in the interest of all humanity.

It should be noted that from 22 to 26 February 2010, there will be held the annual talks between the Vatican and Al Azhar University, presided over by Cardinal Jean-Louis Tauran and Grand Sheikh Muhammad Sayyid Tantawi.

Letter for Great and Holy Lent 2010 from His Beatitude Patriarch Gregorios III

Monday, 15 February 2010 11:06

13/02/10

To our dear brother bishops, members of our Holy Synod,

Superior generals, mother generals,

Our sons, the priests,

Sons and daughters of our eparchies and parishes of our Melkite Greek Catholic Church

In Arab countries and throughout the world,

Quadragesimal greetings, with affection, blessing and prayer!

"Howbeit this kind goeth not out but by prayer and fasting." (Matthew 17: 21; Mark 9: 29)

Thus Jesus addresses his disciples, who were asking him why they had not been able to eject the evil spirit from the possessed man.

This teaching is directed to us all and in my turn, I pass it on to you, dear friends, at the beginning of Great and Holy Lent. The basic Lenten programme consists of fasting and prayer, which form the introduction to the practice of Christian virtues and Gospel values. They are our guidelines towards loving God, worshipping him, encountering him and loving our fellow humans.

The first point is prayer: at home, with Gospel reading, then participating in the beautiful Lenten services of Great Compline, the Presanctified Liturgy, the Akathist to the Theotokos, the Lenten Sunday processions with icons and with relics, the Veneration of the Holy Cross, and the Liturgy of Saint Basil, with its fine, theological prayers.

Read more: Letter for Great and Holy Lent 2010 from His Beatitude Patriarch Gregorios III