On Wednesday, March 6th, 2019, the first Sunrise Service of Great Lent was conducted in Prelacy Churches, with H.E. Archbishop Moushegh Mardirossian, Prelate, presiding over the service and delivering his message at Holy Martyrs Church in Encino. Among those in attendance were members of the parish Ladies Guild, ARS “Anahid” chapter, and Ferrahian High School students and teachers.
The Prelate spoke of the message and meaning of Great Lent, inviting the faithful to make good use of this meaningful time to cleanse and renew their hearts, minds, and souls and fulfill the Lenten journey with love, forgiveness, good deeds, and abstinence. Citing the words of St. Augustine that “fasting and almsgiving are the two wings of prayer which enable it to gain momentum and more easily reach God,” His Eminence stressed the importance of prayer, self-denial, and good deeds, as well as embodying the fruits of the Holy Spirit described by the Apostle Paul in Galatians 5:22-23, love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control, in order to be spiritually and physically prepared to welcome the good news of Christ’s resurrection.
The traditional Great Lent luncheon hosted by the ARS “Anahid” Chapter followed at “Dikranian” Hall. Following the blessing of tables by the Prelate and Archpriest Fr. Razmig Khatchadourian, Chapter Chairlady Shake Tokatlian delivered welcoming remarks. The program featured a lecture by Vartoug Tashjian on how to prevent falls, songs and recitations by Ferrahian 7th grade students, a solo musical performance by Sona Titizian, and recitation by the lecturer.
Referring to the day’s lecture topic, the Prelate stated in his message that we must focus not only on our physical well-being but on our spiritual health as well to prevent falls in all aspects of our beings, for as the popular adage says, “an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.” Thus, His Eminence noted that Great Lent is a wonderful opportunity for faithful to care for our overall well-being through prayer, introspection, fasting, cleansing, and avoidance of negativity which may cause harm to us physically and spiritually.
