The Great Fast/Lent is about Repentance, but I find the concept to generally be greatly misunderstood. Its not crying - although you may cry. Its not about sackcloth and ashes - although that can be part of it. What it is about is changing your direction. The literal meaning is to turn around.
What are you giving up for Great Fast/Lent? You aren't giving up anything, instead you are putting something on: You are taking off the clothes of the fallen world and you are putting on the resurrected Christ. You are giving up lies, and illusions, and prison, and you are putting on life and immortality. You are preparing to meet Christ at Passover and to participate in his victory over death.
12The night has passed and the day has arrived, therefore let us strip off the works of darkness from us, and let us put on the armor of light. 13And let us walk in a right manner as those in the daytime, not in partying, not in drunkenness, not in orgies, not in envy or in fighting, 14But put on our Lord Yeshua The Messiah and do not be concerned for the desires of your flesh. (Rom 13 - Aramaic Bible in Plain English)
Just as you only need a mustard seed of faith and the rest can be grown, you only need to have the same amount of repentance and the rest can be grown also. Just as every small sin can lead to bigger sins then every act of righteousness is rewarded with bigger acts of righteousness. That is, you are rewarded with further participation with God in mystical life and a qualitative life worth living.
Turning around in your walk is not only leaving sin. In which case you would still be selfish, but rather you are walking towards the spiritual Jerusalem where Jesus is seated and you are walking with The Spirit.
The Written Law had kept us while we were closed off to the faith that was going to be revealed. 24The Written Law was therefore a guide for us to The Messiah that we would be made right by faith. 25But when the faith came we were not under a guide. 26For you are all children of God by the faith of Yeshua The Messiah. 27For those who have been baptized into The Messiah have put on The Messiah. (Gal 3 - Aramaic Bible in Plain English)
So you are giving up something for lent? Not really. It's time to go the extra step and to put on Christ. Don't tell me what you aren't doing for the Great Fast/Lent, tell me what you ARE doing for God.
Read from the words of the Holy Prophet Isaiah:
“Is this not the fast that I have chosen:
To loose the bonds of wickedness,
To undo the heavy burdens,
To let the oppressed go free,
And that you break every yoke?
7 Is it not to share your bread with the hungry,
And that you bring to your house the poor who are cast out;
When you see the naked, that you cover him,
And not hide yourself from your own flesh?
8 Then your light shall break forth like the morning,
Your healing shall spring forth speedily,
And your righteousness shall go before you;
The glory of the Lord shall be your rear guard.
9 Then you shall call, and the Lord will answer;
You shall cry, and He will say, ‘Here I am.’
The true meaning of the fast linked with the repentance is to give up mortality and everything associated with death and the fallen world and to put on the immortal life which is not only a gift of duration - in that you wont truly die, but also a life of meaning and quality.
What are you giving up for Great Fast/Lent? You aren't giving up anything, instead you are putting something on: You are taking off the clothes of the fallen world and you are putting on the resurrected Christ. You are giving up lies, and illusions, and prison, and you are putting on life and immortality. You are preparing to meet Christ at Passover and to participate in his victory over death.
12The night has passed and the day has arrived, therefore let us strip off the works of darkness from us, and let us put on the armor of light. 13And let us walk in a right manner as those in the daytime, not in partying, not in drunkenness, not in orgies, not in envy or in fighting, 14But put on our Lord Yeshua The Messiah and do not be concerned for the desires of your flesh. (Rom 13 - Aramaic Bible in Plain English)
Just as you only need a mustard seed of faith and the rest can be grown, you only need to have the same amount of repentance and the rest can be grown also. Just as every small sin can lead to bigger sins then every act of righteousness is rewarded with bigger acts of righteousness. That is, you are rewarded with further participation with God in mystical life and a qualitative life worth living.
Turning around in your walk is not only leaving sin. In which case you would still be selfish, but rather you are walking towards the spiritual Jerusalem where Jesus is seated and you are walking with The Spirit.
The Written Law had kept us while we were closed off to the faith that was going to be revealed. 24The Written Law was therefore a guide for us to The Messiah that we would be made right by faith. 25But when the faith came we were not under a guide. 26For you are all children of God by the faith of Yeshua The Messiah. 27For those who have been baptized into The Messiah have put on The Messiah. (Gal 3 - Aramaic Bible in Plain English)
So you are giving up something for lent? Not really. It's time to go the extra step and to put on Christ. Don't tell me what you aren't doing for the Great Fast/Lent, tell me what you ARE doing for God.
Read from the words of the Holy Prophet Isaiah:
“Is this not the fast that I have chosen:
To loose the bonds of wickedness,
To undo the heavy burdens,
To let the oppressed go free,
And that you break every yoke?
7 Is it not to share your bread with the hungry,
And that you bring to your house the poor who are cast out;
When you see the naked, that you cover him,
And not hide yourself from your own flesh?
8 Then your light shall break forth like the morning,
Your healing shall spring forth speedily,
And your righteousness shall go before you;
The glory of the Lord shall be your rear guard.
9 Then you shall call, and the Lord will answer;
You shall cry, and He will say, ‘Here I am.’
The true meaning of the fast linked with the repentance is to give up mortality and everything associated with death and the fallen world and to put on the immortal life which is not only a gift of duration - in that you wont truly die, but also a life of meaning and quality.