"The 5th week of the Great Lent has a particular character given by two special religious services celebrate then” said HG Bishop Ioan Casian at the end of the Denia of Acatist of the Annunciation celebrated of the Episcopal Cathedral.
“The Church celebrates this week the Canon of St. Andrew of Crete in its entirety showing the man's deep repentance before God. The Creator does not leave man in the profound sadness of sin but gives him the joy of hope and eternity. After Sunday of Forgiveness and St. Andrew's Canon in the first week of the Great Lent, follows the Sunday of Orthodoxy's victory, which means the hope and courage that come from the light of the icons that represent Christ incarnated and present among us for our salvation. The darkness of sin and the sadness of God's disobedience and man’s falling away from Him, turn into the joy of the Creator's solidarity with his creature and the certainty of the possibility of salvation through grace, faith and good deeds.”
"In the same way, after the feeling of the profound sinfulness expressed by the recitation of the Canon of St. Andrew in the middle of the fifth week, we express our joy by the reading of the Acathist of Annunciation which speaks of the Virgin Mary receiving the Son of God in the name of the entire humanity through the incarnation and the birth of Him in the world for our salvation "- continued the hierarch of Canada.
"The man’s soul who traveled this way as pilgrim towards the risen Christ reaches the point where it enjoys the similar victory as that of saints in our case of the St. Mary of Egypt. She is the image of the person living and knowing the darkness of sin, but through the grace of God and by profound personal repentance, becomes a model of holiness for all humanity.
The 5th week ends with a sense of joy for the one who receives with goodwill the good news that he/she will bring Christ to the world by word and example of life. The Annunciation becomes the prototype of God’s good news towards man about the reality of his salvation "- concluded the hierarch.
