PREPARING
FOR THE GREAT AND HOLY LENT
Understanding
Meatfare and Cheesefare Week in the Orthodox Church
Meatfare week
is the second week preceding Great Lent. It also paves the way
for the upcoming Sunday known as Judgement Sunday (Meatfare
Sunday).
Meatfare
Sunday -
Commemorated
It is a
strong conviction and belief of the Church that Christ will come
a second time into the world, not to save the world, but in
"glory" to judge the world. Two
weeks before the beginning
of Great Lent the Orthodox Church reads the Gospel passage from
Saint Matthew 25:31-46.
As we
approach Lent and Pascha, the Christian is admonished to take
stock of our lives and correct our faults by fasting, praying
and almsgiving.
The Last Judgment will be made according to the good
works of each person as a result of his faith in and
worship of God. These good
works are directed to the "least", those in need, as
Christ Himself says, "as you did it not to one of the least of
these, you did it not to me", (v. 45). Traditionally, this is
the last day before Great
Lent that an Orthodox Christian eats meat, which is why
it is called "Meat Fare Sunday" (Farewell to meat until Pascha).
Cheesefare
week is the week preceding Great Lent. It also paves the way for
the upcoming Sunday before Great Lent known as Forgiveness
Sunday (Cheesefare Sunday).
Cheesefare
Sunday -
The Last
Sunday Before Great Lent
The theme of Cheese Fare Sunday refers to the expulsion
of Adam from Paradise. Adam
in Paradise misused his
freedom by allowing himself
to be persuaded by the evil one to disobey the command of
God to not eat of the fruit
of the tree of knowledge of good and evil. The evil
one convinced him that by
so doing he would know more than God.
The Church in its hymnology presents the condition
of Adam outside of Paradise as weeping and working hard for his
livelihood. The Gospel passage from Matthew (6:14-21)that is
read on this day refers to
themanner in which we should pray, fast, give alms and
complete good works; in secret, without boasting.
The name of
this Sunday, "Cheese Fare", implies that traditionally this is
the last day that an Orthodox Christian eat cheese or dairy
products before the beginning of Great and Holy Lent at sundown
(Farewell to cheese/dairy until Pascha).
