Welcome to the Transfiguration of Our Savior Greek Orthodox Church Website
A message from our priest
The Pilgrimage of a Lifetime!
Each year Orthodox Christians enter a period we call Great Lent. It is a period with many ancient traditions that have evolved over the past centuries and it culminates with Holy and Great Week and the celebration of Holy and Great Pascha. It is also a period surrounded by a cloud of confusion and resentment for some, while others experience an annual pilgrimage of spiritual renewal.
The idea of pilgrimage is an ancient practice that has for millennia been a part of nearly every world religion. It is a time of intense spiritual discipline, normally during a Holy period, when believers set aside time and resources to grow closer to God. But you don’t need to leave Florence to have the benefit of a pilgrimage.
Each year during Great Lent we have the opportunity to set aside time in our daily schedule to grow closer to our Lord. With the arrival of Great Lent, a period of intense spiritual discipline, the Church opens her doors for daily worship so that we can enter in and dwell a few moments with God in His House. In the hustle and bustle of the modern world, our lives are in need for time each day not only to slow down but to dwell upon God.
In additional to the Church services, the Church also increases our expectations for daily fasting, daily prayer, daily works of charity, and daily Bible readings. Of course none of these practices will help us earn our Salvation, a free gift of God’s grace. Instead these disciplines are meant to assist us in reorienting our lives to better conform to the manner in which Christ wants us to live. The purpose of our annual pilgrimage of Great Lent is to present our “bodies as a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is our reasonable service.” (Romans 12.1)
I pray you will join me this year in a Pilgrimage of a Lifetime and embark upon Great Lent as a time of spiritual renewal and dedication to our Lord, God and Savior Jesus Christ. Join me in the Church each day and call upon the Lord. Join me in offering our bodies as a living sacrifice to God. Join me in setting aside time and resources every day so that, together, we can grow closer to our Savior.
Then….join me as we celebrate His Glorious Resurrection on Sunday, April 15th after spending weeks in prayer and spiritual discipline. It will be a year you will never forget.
Father Athanasios C Haros, Pastor
Announcements:
Orthodoxy 101, An Introduction to Orthodox Christianity
BEGINS MONDAY, JANUARY 30, 2012 6PM
Class meet in the Fellowship Hall and run for 10 weeks.
