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While there is a popular notion about the unchanging nature of Orthodox liturgical practices, any study of history shows that Orthodox liturgical practice has undergone numerous and significant changes over history. \u00a0One area where we can note significant change is the themes assigned to the Sundays of\u00a0Great Lent. \u00a0The big change in Sunday lenten themes begins in the 12th Century when Sundays of preparation were introduced into the liturgical practice. \u00a0This somewhat further lengthened the time of Great Lent and these additional pre-Lenten Sundays found their way into the\u00a0Triodion, the Liturgical book guiding Great Lent. \u00a0According to\u00a0Archimandrite Job Getcha in his book,\u00a0THE TYPICON DECODED\u00a0(p 38),\u00a0The Ancient Triodia of the Orthodox Church had the following themes for the Sundays of Great Lent:<\/p>\n
1] \u00a0Sunday of the Holy Prophets<\/p>\n
2] \u00a0Sunday of the Prodigal Son<\/p>\n
3] \u00a0Publican and Pharisee<\/p>\n
4] \u00a0Good Samaritan<\/p>\n
5] \u00a0Rich man and Lazarus<\/p>\n
6] \u00a0Palm Sunday<\/p>\n
The themes were all based in Scripture. \u00a0 At some point, maybe about the 12th Century, the Gospel lessons associate with these themes were moved, some to the Sundays before Great Lent. \u00a0In their place, a lectionary taken from Mark\u2019s Gospel became the determining factor for the Gospel lessons each Sunday of Lent.<\/p>\n 1] Sunday of the Publican & Pharisee<\/p>\n 2] \u00a0Sunday of the Prodigal Son<\/p>\n 3] \u00a0Meatfare Sunday<\/p>\n 4] \u00a0Cheesefare Sunday<\/p>\n The Meatfare and Cheesefare themes are not Gospel themes, but, of course, there are Gospel lessons on these Sundays (Last Judgment and fasting). \u00a0The themes seem to reflect a more monastic development. \u00a0One might say the Church began emphasizing\u00a0more Lent and fasting as themes in their own right. \u00a0Some modern critics would say the emphasis moves away from Christianity to churchianity. \u00a0 The practice of the religion is being emphasized more in the Church\u2019s message.<\/p>\n The ancient themes of the Lenten Sundays which were displaced to before Lent, were replaced by the following themes in the contemporary Tiodia:<\/p>\n 1] \u00a0 Sunday of Orthodoxy<\/p>\n 2] \u00a0 St. Gregory Palamas<\/p>\n 3] \u00a0Veneration of the Cross<\/p>\n 4] \u00a0St. John Climacus<\/p>\n 5] \u00a0St. Mary of Egypt<\/p>\n 6] Palm Sunday<\/p>\n One can see what is happening: \u00a0the expansion of Great Lent by creating the Preparatory Sundays, and then transferring what were the original and ancient Lenten themes to the Preparatory Sundays. \u00a0What in the ancient church were the main themes and emphases of Great Lent get moved to before Lent, as they are seen as really only preparing the faithful for Lent. \u00a0Lent is about something else which the ancient themes no longer reflected. \u00a0Scriptural\/ Gospel themes for Great Lent are replaced by new Lenten themes which are mostly monastic.<\/p>\n It could be argued that the first two themes (Sunday of Orthodoxy\/ Icons and Gregory Palamas) represent theological issues\/ triumphs, but these were theological issues which had heavy monastic support. \u00a0 \u00a0The replacement of the original Scriptural themes after the 12th Century with monastic themes is consistent with other liturgical changes that take place at the same time in Orthodoxy reflecting the ever increasing monastic influence over Orthodox liturgical practice.<\/p>\n The use of the Markan lectionary in Great Lent strikes me as in some ways being more catechetical. \u00a0The focus of them is on teaching, \u201cwho is Jesus?\u201d \u00a0 \u00a0That seems to me to be what the question both the Epistle and Gospel lessons is answering. \u00a0But the monastic Sunday themes reflect the dominance monasticism had over Orthodox liturgical life, Orthodoxy spirituality and the Church itself at this point in Orthodoxy\u2019s history. \u00a0The ancient \u201ccathedral\u201d rite and the liturgical practice which governed the non-monastic churches will disappear, and monastic practice will come to dominate the Orthodox Church.<\/p>\n There may be pastoral reasons why this occurred, but I don\u2019t know exactly why the changes occurred. \u00a0Archimandrite Job\u2019s book explains the changes but doesn\u2019t tell us completely why the changes occurred. \u00a0What is clear is that the unchanging nature of the Orthodox Church isn\u2019t its liturgical practice. \u00a0One would hope the liturgical changes were done to try to preserve the unchanging theology and Gospel of the Church. \u00a0 What might be interesting for some future Great Council of the Church is to discuss the reasoning behind all of the liturgical changes which occurred beginning in the 12th Century that led in the next couple of centuries to the monastic take over of church life and practice. \u00a0It would be good to discuss the disappeared cathedral rite and the \u201csecular\u201d parishes which once predominated in Orthodoxy. \u00a0How can we best serve the contemporary membership of our Church? \u00a0The Church\u2019s liturgical life has undergone great changes over time so there should be no reason why we can\u2019t discuss today what liturgical practice is best for the catechetical and evangelical work of the church in the 21st Century.<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/farm5.staticflickr.com\/4051\/4587280957_ca2e128a78.jpg\")
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