Serbian Orthodox Church

Information Service of
the Serbian Orthodox Church
March 14, 2005

BEGINNING OF GREAT FAST

Today is the first day of the pre-Paschal Great Fast.

The Christian fast originates from Our Lord Jesus Christ. The Lord Himself fasted forty days before he began to preach the Gospel, just as the Prophet Moses and other Prophets of the Old Testament did before Him. The Apostles also fasted and all Orthodox Christians throughout the ages. “Fasting guided the Holy Fathers in life according to God,” says St. Basic the Great. The first commandment of God in the garden of Eden was the commandment to fast, i.e. to abstain.

The fast has two aspects, the physical and the spiritual. It consists in abstention from rich and large means but first and foremost in abstention from bad thoughts, wishes and deeds. The fast increases love and prayer and readiness for evangelical virtues.

There are multiple day fasts (Great Lent, the Apostles Fast, the Dormition Fast and the Nativity Fast) and one day fasts (every Wednesday and Friday except during fast-free weeks, the eve of Theophany, the Exaltation of the Cross and the Beheading of John the Baptist).

The pre-Paschal Great Fast is also called the Holy Forty Days and Great Lent.

HIEROMONK IRINEJ (DOBRIJEVIC) VISITS AUSTRIA

On Thursday, March 10, 2005 in the Serbia-Montenegro Consulate in Austria, Hieromonk Irinej (Dobrijevic), consultant to the Holy Synod of Bishops of the Serbian Orthodox Church was the guest of the Serbian Unity Congress. The conference room of the Consulate was overflowing despite the fact that there was little time to organize the discussion with Fr. Irinej regarding his experience and work in Washington and Belgrade. The purpose of organizing the talks was to build bridges of cooperation between the Serbian emigrant communities in America and Europe; to exchange experiences and learn more about each other; and, finally, to preserve Serbian culture in different places in the world. Fr. Irinej also spoke about the measures necessary to ensure a suitable position for Serbs living abroad.

At the beginning of the discussion Fr. Irinej was introduced as the first member of the Serbian Unity Congress administration to be introduced to the Serbian community living in Austria. Father Irinej spoke for three hours on the above topics, and then answered many questions.

This exceptional evening was attended by several eminent guests, among them the Serbia-Montenegro Ambassador, Mr. Mihajlo Kovac.

[Serbian Translation Services]