In the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.

While we are passing through the beginning of these days of Great Lent, and we are singing the Great Canon of St Andrew of Crete, we pay attention to how we have fallen away from the Grace of God. We pay attention also to how far we have fallen from the Grace of Adam and Eve. It’s important for us to look at ourselves, and take an inventory of ourselves in these days, and remember that we really, truly have fallen far short of what the Lord created us to do, and to be in this life. If it were not for Him, probably everything would be pretty meaningless, and hopeless, except now we know what is to come. We know the love of our Lord, God, and Saviour, Jesus Christ; we know that even if we acknowledge our sins, and we acknowledge our weaknesses, and we acknowledge our betrayals of Jesus Christ, still we have a Lord who loves us, a Lord who cares for us. Therefore, He wants us to be honest with ourselves, and to admit that we have fallen. He wants us also to say to Him: Help me, and save me. Help me to repair the damage that I have caused.

Here we are in this service tonight, asking these very things of the Lord. We are admitting our faults, our weaknesses, our betrayals, and we are asking the Saviour to have mercy on us, to save us, to renew us in His love. The Lord cares for you, and for me. He cares for us. He is always ready, and waiting for us to call out to Him for help. He is always there to meet us, to help us, to heal us, to turn us about. We begin these days in anticipation of what is to come: the great joy of the celebration of our Saviour’s victory over sin, and death which we will be celebrating at the Pascha of our Saviour, Jesus Christ.

Let us be careful every day of our lives to be asking the Lord for His help. Right now we are especially asking for His help. Right now we are paying attention to this all together. However, let us not limit our calling to the Lord for help just to these days, but let us remember, with His help, to do this all the days of our lives, so that we will be able to live in the joy of His Resurrection, also, all the days of our lives.

Our Lord, God, and Saviour, Jesus Christ, is with us. We have sung already tonight: “God is with us”. Yes, He is with us in His love. Our Saviour is with us in His love. Let us take hold of this love, and rejoice in this love, and allow the Lord to renew, and heal our lives in such a way that we may be able to be, before the end of our lives, pure, and holy, like the saints, like Adam and Eve before the fall. In every aspect of our lives may we be able to be ready to do God’s will in everything, and shine with the light of His love. In this way people around us will have joy, will find Jesus Christ in us, will come to know our joy, and be able to participate with us because of our witness of love.

Let us care for each other in this love so that truly the Saviour will minister to others through us in this love, revealing Himself, and enabling them to come together with us to glorify our Saviour, Jesus Christ, always, forever, unto the ages of ages, together with His Father, who is from everlasting, and His all-holy, good, and life-giving Spirit, now, and ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.

† Archdiocese of Canada - Orthodox Church in America