Great Lent is a time of special penitential services in the Orthodox Church. This is no coincidence, because the holy Tenth sets the person to repentance.
The naming of the Lenten Divine Service "Mary's Standing" is more popular than authorized. This name reflects the pious attitude of Christians to the great feat of repentance of St. Mary of Egypt, an ascetic of piety, who lived in the V-VI centuries.
When the service of Marino is performed
The Orthodox charter presupposes the dispensation of a special Lenten service on Thursday of the fifth week of Saint Fourteenth. On this day in the Church the memory of Mary of Egypt is celebrated. According to established tradition, the service begins on the eve of the celebrated event, and continues on the very day in the morning. Thus, in 2016, Mariino standing leaves on Wednesday evening, April 13th and Thursday, the 14th of the month. In 2017, this service is celebrated on March 29th and 30th.
Some features of the service of Mary's standing
Every Orthodox believer tries to attend the service on Wednesday evening of the fifth week of Great Lent. It is on this day that the church service of Matins begins, on which the great penitential canon of St. Andrew of Crete is read. If in the first week of fasting this deceased liturgical work is divided into four parts, then on the morning of Thursday of the 5th week of fasting in the temples the repentant troparia of the entire great liturgical creation sounds, to which are added the troparia of St. Mary of Egypt, St. Andrew of Crete and special great-baptized tripses. It is the reading of the penitential canon that is the main feature of the service of Mary's standing.
In addition, in many churches on Wednesday evening the life of St. Mary is read, which is divided into several parts inserted after the matins. The memory of the great feat of the ascetic of piety in conjunction with the great canon gives a special prayerful and repentant attitude to the believer.
The service of Matins on Thursday of the fifth week of fasting also indicates the possibility of each person to hope for God's mercy, because there is not a single sin that, with sincere repentance, would not be forgiven by the Lord. St. Mary of Egypt was an example of a real gracious transformation of human life and personality. The reverend was a great sinner and a promiscuous harlot until her conversion to Christ. Realizing the sinfulness of her life, the righteous woman spent all the remaining time on repentance and the great feat of hermitage in the desert (where she spent several decades alone). The consequence of the sincere repentance of the righteous was the acquisition of the last great grace of God and holiness.
The life of the reverend shows that absolutely for everyone, the path to salvation and holiness is open, you only need to turn your heart, mind and thoughts to the awareness of your life and sincere repentance, followed by a change in your sinful being towards fighting passions and vices.
