On the evening of Friday, March 7, 2025, during the first week of Great Lent, a special service was held at the Catholicon of the Sacred Church of the Holy Sepulchre. The Patriarch of Jerusalem, Theophilos III, led the service which included chanting of the canon of the Theotokos and the reading of the Akathist Hymn to the Most Holy Theotokos and Ever-Virgin Mary.
The Chief Cantor and Deacon Eustathios Tsoumanis led the chanting, with a congregation of monks, nuns, and laity in attendance. The service was also attended by the Consul General of Greece in Jerusalem, Dimitrios Angelosopoulos, and members of the Greek Consulate. During the service, His Beatitude delivered a sermon in Greek, emphasizing the significance of the Holy and Great Lent and the importance of fasting in the spiritual life of Christians.
He highlighted the biblical origins of fasting and its role in spiritual growth, quoting passages from the Bible and writings of saints and theologians. The sermon focused on the role of the Theotokos, Mary, in the divine providence and the salvific work of Jesus Christ. Her obedience and humility were praised as essential elements in the mystery of the Incarnation and the atonement for the sins of the world.
The sermon concluded with a poetic reference to the Theotokos as a “living and abundant fountain” of divine gifts and blessings. The faithful were urged to reflect on the example of Mary and strive for spiritual perfection through fasting and prayer during the period of Great Lent. As the Lord said, every believer who receives the grace of the Holy Spirit becomes “a well of water springing up into everlasting life” (John 4:14). This truth is even more significant for the Theotokos, who became the vessel of the Holy Spirit at her Annunciation when the angel proclaimed, “The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee, and the power of the Highest shall overshadow thee” (Luke 1:35).
During the Great Fast before Pascha, our holy Church honors and venerates the Theotokos, who is exalted above the Cherubim and Seraphim. We seek her intercessions as she shares in the divine glory of her Son and God.
Together with the hymnographer, we sing praises to the Mother and Virgin of God, acknowledging her as the Theotokos who gave birth to God incarnate. We pray for her intercession as we journey through this holy Fast with repentance, confession, and temperance.
May the All-Holy Theotokos intercede for us as we prepare to celebrate the glorious Resurrection of Christ in peace. Let us also pray for the peace in the Holy Land, where the sacred feet of our Saviour once stood. Amen. Wishing you a blessed fasting period and a joyous Pascha. Amen. Many happy returns.
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