Holy Lent is the greatest pilgrimage that every Christian experience every year to commemorate, or more aptly, to emulate Christ in one’s self and spread His message to mankind. Syrian Orthodox lectionary readings during these period help us to cleanse ourself in this Holy journey. Here is a small summing up of these thoughts. Every Sunday there are special liturgical hymns, where you literally time travel and congregate the divinity.
Kothene Sunday
This is the Sunday just before the start of Holy Lent. Divine Ministry of our Lord starting with the miracle of wine at the wedding of Cana. Here we learn how Mother Mary intervenes for the needy and how our Lord miraculously provides in abundance. Our Church fathers specially brings in, this thought on this very day to boost up our faith and prepare ourself to receive in abundance what is bestowed upon us.
Gherbo Sunday
On the Second Sunday as it’s called Gherbo, we are read with the healing given to the leper. The divine message is the call to embrace all those who are marginalized in the society, regardless of what they are. Also as an individual, to keep away the thoughts that make you far from anyone be it any reason, and hold them close to your heart….. perfect reminder to the oneness of creation.
Mshariyo Sunday
On the third Sunday it is the healing of the paralytic. The thought for each Christian is to bring people to God through your faith. Here we do come across people with steadfast faith hurdling up the roof to reach Jesus. Also we can easily find another group of people, blocking or not cooperating in paving the way for the paralytic to be taken to Jesus which remained the reason for those who brought him to go through the hurdle of lifting him up the roof. The call to look into ones’ self and see which is the real definition of the faith that each one of us possess, where you stand, in this perspective.
Knanoyitho Sunday
On this Sunday, the call is to believe in oneness of mankind. Also here we are entrusted with duty to pray to Lord for all mankind , as the disciples set us as example, while pleading to Lord to heal the Cananite lady, reiterating the importance of inclusiveness.
Kpiptho Sunday
On this fifth Sunday, the divine healing of the crippled on Sabbath is being read leaving us the strong message to have look into who we are. Here we see the Pharisees trying to accuse Jesus as the healing is on the Sabbath and as breaking of Law. The emphasy here is to impart us that the “Law is for mankind”
Samiyo Sunday
On this Sunday, the lectionary reading invokes in each Christian, a divine call, not to judge for any mishaps happening to anyone, or even to ourselves and also to be totally submissive to Almighty, for everything that happens in our life. Jesus our Lord in His divine ministry, heals the blind man, who was born blind.
Hosanna, the mass celebration our Lord and the Holy Passion week follows……. finally the Ressurection, where the death fails, blossoming the surety of Eternal Life!!!!
The divine liturgical songs are available in the following link
Pen N Picture 