Great Lent: Orthodox Christians' journey to Easter
Great Lent is the spiritual process of conversion in preparation for the feast of Christ's resurrection. Great Lent is a 40-day period of prayer and fasting for Orthodox Christians. The Orthodox Great Lent begins on Pure Monday(February 23, 2026 ) and continues until Good Friday. It begins a few days after Catholic Ash Wednesday .
What is Great Lent?
Inspired by Christ's retreat into the desert, Great Lent opens with Pure Monday, a radical break with the noise of the world and the excesses of Carnival . During this period, the face of the Church changes: vestments become sombre, hymns melancholy and prayer more present. This outward stripping away has but one aim: to prepare the heart and free man from superfluous attachments, so as to live Easter to the full.
How does one go about this spiritual process?
As with the Catholics, Lent is a conversion process, with a slightly greater dimension for the Orthodox. 3 axes of effort are required to prepare for the feast of Christ's resurrection .
- Fasting: this is a dietary discipline that enables us to regain control over our sweet tooth, in preparation for Easter.
- Prayer: specific offices, such as the Great Canon of St. Andrew of Crete, punctuate the days. Prayer is like the oxygen that drives asceticism. Pope Francis liked to say, "Prayer is the oxygen of the soul."
- Almsgiving: the third axis of effort is linked to the first two. Here are a few examples: concrete love for neighbor, personal deprivation or an offering for the needy.
Praying with Saint Andrew of Crete
Saint Andrew of Crete was a bishop and theologian between the 6th and 8th centuries. He was one of the greatest poets of the Byzantine Church. Saint Andrew of Crete is best known for having written the canon: a liturgical hymn. The most famous is the great canon of Penance sung during Lent.
Here's an extract from the grand canon, which we can read during Lent.
"We have sinned, we have committed iniquity, we have done wrong in Thy sight; we have not obeyed, we have not done as Thou commandedst us; but Thou, O God of our fathers! Do not abandon us to the end. I have sinned, I have committed iniquity, I have violated Thy commandment: for I was born in sin; I have added the wound to my bruises; but You, Merciful One, You who are the God of our fathers, have mercy. To You, my Judge, I have declared the secrets of my heart; see my abasement, see my affliction, be propitious in my judgment; You who are Merciful, You who are the God of our fathers, have mercy. I have disfigured Your Image, I have violated Your precept; all my goodness has been darkened, my lamp has been extinguished by my sins: O Savior! Have mercy, give me back my joy, as David sings. Convert, my soul, do penance; reveal your hidden wounds; tell them to God who knows everything. You alone, O Savior! You know the secrets; have mercy on me according to Your Mercy, as David sings. My days have fled like the dream of a man awakened; like Hezekiah, I weep on my bed, I ask You to add years to my life. But what Isaiah, O my soul, can come to your aid, if not the God of the universe? "
So be it.
Live Lent to the fullest with Hozana
On the Hozana website or app, find numerous suggestions for living out Lent 2026 and discover Lenten journeys that have been followed by thousands of prayers, such as :
- From Palm Sunday to Easter, let us enter into Holy Week by praying with the heart of Mary.
- Join this community to experience the extraordinary "Virtus": 70 days to be transformed by Christ and enter with him into the joy of Easter.
