Ecumenical Patriarch: Holy and Great Lent is opportunity to become conscious of wealth of our faith

Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew shared a message for Holy and Great Lent 2025, emphasizing the importance of fasting, repentance, and spiritual renewal during this sacred time. He invited believers to join Christ on the journey towards His Resurrection, highlighting that Great Lent is a period of spiritual struggle and renewal, not just abstaining from food.

The Patriarch underlined the communal nature of Orthodox faith, stressing the importance of love, compassion, and care for others as expressions of true freedom in Christ. He referenced the Parable of the Good Samaritan and Christ’s teachings on the Final Judgment to illustrate the values of Christian asceticism as a path to spiritual transformation.

Encouraging prayer, repentance, forgiveness, and love, the Patriarch quoted Metropolitan Meliton of Chalcedon, urging believers to approach Lent with sincerity and divine freedom. He prayed for a spiritually fruitful Lenten journey leading to the joy of Pascha and the freedom of God’s children.

Read the full message below:

Most honorable brother Hierarchs and blessed children in the Lord,

Once again, with the will and grace of God, we enter Holy and Great Lent, a period of fasting, repentance, and spiritual vigilance as we prepare for the celebration of Christ’s Resurrection. This season is a time of renewal of baptismal grace and a new beginning in Christ.

Holy and Great Lent is an opportunity to deepen our personal encounter with Christ within the context of our communal faith. It is a time to embrace true freedom in Christ through love and compassion for others, reflecting the teachings of the Good Samaritan and the Final Judgment.

As we journey through Lent with prayer, repentance, and love, let us remember the words of Metropolitan Meliton of Chalcedon and approach this season with sincerity and divine freedom. May our Lenten journey lead us to the joy of Pascha and the freedom of God’s children.