Divine services on Saturday of the first week of Great Lent

 On March 20, the Bishop of Zvenigorod Theodorite, Rector of Moscow Theological Academy, celebrated Saturday services of the Great Lent at the Intercession Academic Church and performed a deacon’s ordination.

Today’s Gospel passage reveals the attitude towards rules and regulations as, according to the Lord, the Sabbath was made for man, and not man for the Sabbath (Mark 2:27). After all, people often forget about the real meaning of fasting and run the risk of becoming blind followers of the law. Therefore, at the end of the first week of the Great Lent, the Gospel tells how the Savior, despite acting against the prescriptions, explained the true meaning of the biblical precepts.

No one present at the synagogue could say a word against the Lord when He asked them “Is it lawful on the Sabbath to do good or to do evil, to save life or to kill?” (Mark 3: 4). The Pharisees only looked at Him angrily and reproached His formal violations of the Law. But, as the Apostle Paul says, “though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing” (1 Cor. 13: 2). So, love is the only thing that makes sense for the Christian.

On March 19, the Bishop of Zvenigorod Theodorite headed the evening service at the Intercession Church of the Moscow Theological Academy.

On March 20, Bishop Theodorite celebrated the Divine Liturgy of St. John Chrysostom, co-served by the clergy of the Intercession Church.

During the reading of Hours, Bishop Theodorite elevated a four-year student Sergei Polikopa into the rank of subdeacon.

After the Eucharistic Canon, Bishop Theodorite ordained Subdeacon Sergei into a deacon.

Before the Holy Communion, Hegumen Dionisy (Shlenov) delivered a sermon, in which he spoke about the true fear of God:

Pure fear is the fear of saints. Pure fear is the fear of the Holy Spirit. Pure fear is the holy ascetics’ exultation when they meet with God. He sets the ascetic before the face of God, Whom the ascetic still fear not as a strict Judge, but as the One before Whom he experiences a subtle feeling of shame for his own imperfection».

Background information:

Chanting performed by a male choir under the conduct of Hieromonk Nestor (Volkov) and a female choir led by Ksenya Tarelkina.

During the Divine Liturgy, chanting performed by a male choir conducted by V.V. Chuvilov and a female choir led by K.A. Alekseeva.

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MThA Press Office