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From Sunday, February 27 to Friday, March 3, 2023 His Beatitude Metropolitan Tikhon spent the first week of Great Lent at Saint Tikhon’s Monastery. During His Beatitude’s stay, he spent time with the monastic brotherhood and presided at the celebration of Forgiveness Vespers on Sunday evening, Great Compline with the Great Canon of Saint Andrew of Crete the evenings of Monday through Thursday, and the Liturgy of the Presanctified Gifts on Friday morning.
His Beatitude gave an address at Forgiveness Vespers where he spoke about the difficulties that the Lenten season can bring as we cleanse our hearts from sin. He said “If we are willing and obedient and truly desire God to use the fast to cleanse us, we will suffer—not because fasting is suffering, but because Lent, when faithfully kept, reveals many painful truths about ourselves.” At the same time, His Beatitude encouraged the faithful to stay joyful with hope since “our purification lasts for a time—throughout this Lent, throughout this life, throughout our dying and passage to eternal life… In the end, the Lord who is the End, who tramples down death by death, will defeat death, the last enemy (1 Cor. 15:26).
