The Sarantaleitourgon

[caption id="attachment_4305" align="alignleft" width="293"]Metropolitan Sotirios celebrating Divine Liturgy at the Monastery Metropolitan Sotirios celebrating Divine Liturgy at the Monastery[/caption]

On Tuesday, November the 15th 2016 began the fasting period for the Nativity of our Savior Jesus Christ. This is a period of preparation of the body and the soul for the coming of our Lord. But as our Lord instructed us, fasting has a special meaning when it is connected with prayer and almsgiving. For this reason, our church calls us for a fuller liturgical life. The ecclesiastical tradition has set for this period the daily celebration of the Divine Liturgy, i.e. the duration of the fasting period, from the 15th of November to the 25th of December. This forty day celebration of the Divine Liturgy is called "Sarantaleitourgon" in Greek meaning forty liturgies. Once again this year, our sisterhood has the great blessing of celebrating the "Sarantaleitourgon" giving you the opportunity to commemorate your loved ones during the daily celebration of the Divine Liturgy. If you wish to have your loved ones, reposed and alive, commemorated during this holy period please send back to the monastery the form that was mailed out to you from the sisters. If you have not received the form, simply mail or e-mail to our monastery a list with the names of living and departed members of the Orthodox Church along with your donation to help the sisters in this endeavor. It is our duty as Orthodox Christians to help our brethren by praying for them and asking others to join their prayers to ours…

During the Divine Liturgy the church in heaven (the reposed saved Christians) unites itself with the church on earth (the living struggling Christians). Both the souls of the reposed and the living orthodox Christians are commemorated and receive spiritual benefit and help during the Divine Liturgy.