Great Lent : Journey to Pascha

St. Vladimir,s Seminary Press, March 1997. Paper Back. Good. Alexander Schmemann, one of the most respected and widely-read Orthodox writers of the 20th century challenges, in all his work, our willing acceptance of a modern consciousness against a thorougly Christian one. Taking seriously the radical nature of the faith and its exemplar in the fathers, Schmemann never fails to rattle any lingering complacency his readers may possess. Here he explores and explains the liturgical services, fasts, symbols, and prayers of the Lenten season. ''A journey, a pilgrimage!'' he exclaims in the introduction. ''Yet, as we Begin it, as we make the first step into the 'bright sadness' of Lent, we see--far, far away--the destination. It is the joy of Easter, it is the entrance into the glory of the Kingdom. The night may be dark and long, but all the way a mysterious and radiant dawn seems to shine on the horizon. 'Do not deprive us of our expectation, O Lover of man!''' With an understanding and possession of this foretaste, you'll be better poised to experience Easter, as early Christians and the Church fathers did, as the night ''brighter than the day.'' 140 pp. SVS Press, 1990 reprint of original 1969 publication. Cover design varies completely from that shown. Moderate cover wear, firm binding, unmarked text, but with some dogeared pages.