Source: Patriarchate of Antioch
February 11, 2018
By the Grace of God
John X
Patriarch of the Orthodox Church of Antioch
To My brothers, the hierarchs and Shepherds of the Holy Church of Antioch
My spiritual children throughout the Apostolic See My brethren and beloved spiritual children:
It gives me a great pleasure as we are on the Threshold of these holy days; I add my voice to the voices of your hearts. I also pray for the peace of the world and for the welfare of all men. We are entering into this blessed season. We offer our prayer for those who have departed from us and offer our intercessions to our Lord and Creator to bless our lives by His holy name.
Lent is the queen of virtues. This is what we pray in the Orthros of the Meat Fare Sunday; we invite the faithful to receive Lent as queen over our souls, leading them to the shores of salvation:
“Let us go before, O brethren and cleanse ourselves for the queen of virtues; for behold she hath come bringing to us a fortune of good deeds; quenching the uprisings of passion and reconciling the wicked to the Master. Let us welcome her, therefore, shouting to Christ God, O thou who rose from the dead, keep us uncondemned, who glorify thee, O thou who alone art sinless.”(Doxastikon of the Praises).
...Read the rest at the Patriarchate of Antioch.
