Common practices of the Great Lent between 4th century and now in the Coptic Orthodox Church.

During this week in the fourth century , you will see a deacon having a list of the candidates of the baptism “Catechumen” who will be catechized during the Great Lent and if they passed all tests including the witness from their neighbours. Then they can receive the “illumination” the Holy Baptism in the Feast of the Resurrection. Yes they are buried and raised with Him. Colossians 2:12 and Romans 6:4.

The curriculum the church used to teach them is having its traces in our Coptic Orthodox Lectionary  for the Great Lent ( Lent Latin Quadragesima: Fortieth)  (please visit http://stmary-ottawa.org/publications/Katameros_Lent.pdf  for the lectionary of the Great Lent). We will find the main structure of the daily prophecies “the teaching part for the catechumen” composed of the History of salvation in the Books of Moses,  where we remember that God who started the covenant with Israel is still exists and works in our time, life and space. Reading the prophecies also is an important curriculum, showing  how God dealt with His people and His people dealt with Him. Another subject will be from the Book of Wisdom, A Christian should be wise. Third subject from the Book of Job as a person who was tempted and won. Forth Subject will be the teaching of the Creed. Fifth Subject will be the Lord’s Prayer. As they will be sons and daughters to their Father who art in Heaven. That is why in all our hymns in the Great Lent we find the Lord’s Prayer is repeated , in every hymn. Sixth subject will be the sermon on the mount the constitution of the Christians, where tablets of stone are not required but the tablets of the human hearts (2 Cor.3:3) are due.That is why the reading of the first week mostly taken from the chapters Matt. 5, 6, and 7 The sermon on the mount. It is  a good practice to read it before confession, so you can prepare yourself. 

The Bishop will teach the catechumen, after they listen attentively to the readings. then they will be anointed with the oil of exorcism, in some ritual it is a daily practice so that the Satan will not take the seeds which was planted in their hearts from the words they have heard from the Scripture of from the bishop. It is a common practice today that we have two oils in the Great Lent and Pascha week, Unction of the sick on the last day in the great lent and another ointment after reading the Book of revelation in the Bright Saturday. Maybe these two ointments are traces of the catechumen ointments.

In Bright Saturday we have many processions, in the Resurrection Feast we have a procession after the Resurrection Enactment, could be also related to the procession of the newly baptize. 


How to live Great Lent

1-Read the daily readings , as stated above from the link. StMarkDC also has an app where you can 
  listen to the audio readings for each day in English and Arabic.
I wish the family can sit together , to read or listen to the readings

2-Pray the hymns of the Great Lent http://tasbeha.org/hymn_library/cat/37
 Start by the Psali on the Third Praise http://tasbeha.org/hymn_library/view/716

3-Pray for every person who asked you to remember them, get topics from the news, if you find any 
 city afflicted or so, include it in your prayers.

4-Include prayers between reading the psalms of the Agpia, you can stop for a moment and remember a person or an issue, then you can continue your prayers. 

4-Reading spiritual books like the “The Life of Repentance and Purity” by Pope Shenouda , something to stir you up.

5-Change the environment at home, to suit the Great Lent, prayers, hymns, verses, words can benefit one another, conversation, visit the sick, make a list of people who are far from the church to remember them, pray for the Church , for Sunday School, for the world leaders, for those in a position which affects the humanity.


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Comments

  1. Fr. Bishoy LamieFebruary 27, 2017 at 2:46 PM

    Comparing between what we have in the Coptic Orthodox Church now and some practices from 4th century. Trying to find links related with the catechumen.

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