“Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven.” Matthew 5 “In humility count others more significant than yourselves.” Philippians 2 Inspired by Father Barnabas Powell, St. Macarius the Great, and, of course, the Scriptures, I offer this encouragement to my fellow Christians as a sort of “Lenten Challenge.” Ash Wednesday is this week, March 6, for Western Christians, and the first day of Lent for Eastern Christians is Monday, March 11. Lent, as you know, is a time of repentance and preparation for the events of Holy Week and, ultimately, Easter or Pascha. Traditionally, whether Eastern or Western, Christians have utilized certain tools to aid them in their repentant preparation: Fasting, Prayer, and Alms-giving. However, the fathers of the church have said that observing a fast to the strict letter of the law is worthless if we still harbor anger, resentment, and other vices when it comes t...
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