his sorrow, because he knows that he is getting better. Most of the time, we cannot
Á-°feelÁ-? that we are getting better; we will believe this only as we continue to struggle and
God sends us ineffable consolation.
To those who consider the phrase Á-°joyful fastÁ-? and oxymoron, the church hymns
constantly invite: Á-°Come and see!Á-?
Priest Seraphim Holland 2009.
St Nicholas Russian Orthodox Church, McKinney, Texas
http://www.orthodox.net/dailylent/great-lent-week-03-wednesday_2009+sixth-hour+sessional-hymn,-joyful-celebration.html
http://www.orthodox.net/dailylent/great-lent-week-03-wednesday_2009+sixth-hour+sessional-hymn,-joyful-celebration.doc
Original post:
http://stnicholasdallas.blogspot.com/2008/03/great-lent-third-week-wednesday-joyful.html
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1
Great Lent and Holy Week, including Holy Saturday is 36 days, and therefore
encompasses almost exactly a tenth of the days of the year, and many spiritual writers
have commented on this.
Here is the math:
Á--
Great Lent is 6 weeks long, and Saturday and Sunday are not rigorous fasting
days. Counting only weekdays, this gives us 6 weeks of 5 days each = 30 days.
Á--
Holy Week is also a week of fasting, so this adds another 5 days. We are now at
35 days.