The third Sunday of the period of Great Lent is called the Sunday of the Lost Son according to the Parable of the Lost Son told in the Gospel of Luke (Luke 15:15-32), the content of which is the following. There was once a man who had two sons. Upon the request of the younger one he divided his property between his two sons. After a few days the younger son sold his part of the property and left home with the money. He went to a country far away, where he wasted his money in reckless living. He spent everything he had. Then a severe famine spread over that country and he was left without a thing. In that time of trouble he remembered his father’s house, regretted for his reckless living and returned to his father’s home. Seeing that his younger son has regretted, the father received him joyfully. Whereas the elder son complained, saying that during all those years he had worked for his father like a slave and had never disobeyed his orders, and however, he had never deserved such honor. His father answered him: “My son, you are always here with me, and everything I have is yours. But we had to celebrate and to be happy, because your brother was dead, but now he is alive; he was lost, but now he has been found.”

The elder and the younger sons are the righteous and the sinful souls, and father’s receiving his lost son means that in the same way God receives the regretting sinner. The allegoric meaning of the parable is in the elder son symbolizing all those who are righteous or think that there are righteous. The parable admonishes all of them not to be self-conceited.

St. Cyril of Jerusalem is one of the prominent Patriarchs of Jerusalem. He has been repeatedly persecuted by the supporters of the Arian heresy, he has been exiled, and however, eventually again has become the Patriarch of Jerusalem. He has participated in the Second Ecumenical Council of Constantinople. Many sermons and speeches of the Patriarch Cyril about Christian doctrine have been translated into Armenian. His letter addressed to the King Costandios on the occasion of the apparition of the Holy Cross in the sky of Jerusalem is up to date read in the Armenian churches. Patriarch Cyril’s collection of sermons is instructive and edifying for those who are preparing for baptism. According to the tradition the basin in which Patriarch Cyril has been baptized is inside the Chapel of St Stephen of the Church of St. Hakob (St. James), of Jerusalem.

The Armenian Apostolic Church commemorates the memory of the Patriarch Cyril twice during the year.

St. Cyril the Bishop is the contemporary of St. Cyril the Patriarch. His secular name is Huda. According to the hagiographical sources, well knowing the locality, Bishop Cyril helps the queen Heghine (Helen) to find the Holy cross of Christ, Witnessing the wonder-working power of the Holy Cross Bishop Cyril is baptized together with his mother, Anna, and after the baptism is renamed “Cyril”. Later he is ordained a bishop and during the period of exile of the Patriarch Cyril he takes his place for a time. Being subjected to severe torments, Bishop Cyril and his mother have been killed during the persecutions realized by the King Julianos the Betrayer.

The second Sunday of the period of Great lent is called the Sunday of Expulsion. The basis of the mystery of and the name of the day can be found in the Holy Bible, the Book of Genesis: “So the Lord God sent him out of the Garden  of Eden and made him cultivate the soil from which he had been formed” (Genesis 3:23). Prehistory is the following. The human being, listening to the deceitful words of Satan, disobeyed the divine commandments and ate the forbidden fruit, As punishment the human being, the human being, of course, didn’t die at once, but was deprived of the eternity granted by God and was cursed Since then man must work hard and sweat to make the soil produce enough food, and woman will have pain in giving birth to her offspring. And in end God said to the human being: “You were made from soil and you will become soil again” (Genesis 3:19).

The church Fathers have given the Sundays of the Period of great lent such names and mysteries which symbolize the mankind’s way of life – birth, sinning, regret and repentance. This should serve for the human being as an occasion for thinking of himself/herself and his/her lifer so that the period of great Lent should be fruitful and productive.

According to hagiographers, St. Theodoros was born to God-fearing and pious parents in the village of Saroo, near the town of Amasia.  He was a soldier in the Roman Army, and rose through the ranks, eventually becoming a Captain.

In the beginning of the fourth century, Rome was under the rule of the Emperor Diocletian.  Instead of worshipping at the temple of the pagan goddess Rea, as he had been instructed to, St. Theodoros burns the temple to the ground, thus demonstrating that pagan idols were false. For this act, Diocletian imprisons St. Theodoros, and he suffers severe tortures.  In the year 306 A.D., he is martyred by being set on fire.

St. Theodoros is also known as the “Slayer of the Dragon”, as he was said to have defeated a great and mighty dragon due to his courage and faith.

During the fasting period people eat exceptionally food of vegetable origin.
During the fasting period people not only refuse of certain kinds of food, but also of ill habits – talkativeness, lying, swearing and other sins.
Refusing from food without avoiding of sins is useless. “Satan always fasts, it does not eat anything and however, it does not and is not tired of sinning,” says St Gregory of Tatev. During the Sermon on the Mount Jesus says the following about fasting: “Moreover when you fast, be not, as the hypocrites, of a sad countenance: for they disfigure their faces, that they may appear unto men to fast. Verily I say unto you, they have their reward. But you, when you fast, anoint your head, and wash your face; that you appear not unto men to fast, but unto your Father which is in secret: and your Father, which sees in secret, shall reward you openly.” (Mt 6:16-18). Our Lord Jesus Christ teaches us the way of fasting. As disease makes influence on the body in the same way sin makes influence on the soul. It is not fasting that atones the sin. It is God that gives absolution to sins. However, fasting is important in giving absolution to sins. Repentance, prayer and confession are the main conditions for receiving absolution of sins.
Forty days of fasting period symbolize Christ’s 40-day lasting period of abstinence and repentance in the desert. After His baptism Jesus “was led by the Spirit into the wilderness, being forty days tempted of the devil and in those days he did eat nothing” (Lk 4:1-3). Jesus subjected Himself to abstinence for the salvation of mankind, He repented instead of mankind so that penitence of all those who fast should gain sense and be realized by means of His abstinence. Another period of fasting lasting for a week follows the 40-day fasting period. It is the Holy Week. That is why the forty-day called fasting period lasts 48 days.
The period of Great Lent consists of seven remarkable Sundays: Eve of Great Lent, Sunday of Expulsion, Sunday of the Lost (Prodigal) Son, Sunday of the Steward, Sunday of the Judge, Sunday of Advent and Palm Sunday.
The 24th day or the fourth Wednesday of the period of Great Lent is called Mijink symbolizing that first half of the period of Great Lent has already passed. This year Mijink is on March 11. That day fasting is not stopped. According to folk tradition the housewives bake unleavened cake and put a coin in it while baking. The current year will be successful for the member of the family who will have the coin in his/her portion.
According to ancient traditions marriage and offering sacrifice were forbidden during the period of Great Lent. However, by the pontifical encyclical of Vazken A Catholicos of all Armenians it was permitted in case of extreme necessity to perform the sacrament of marriage during the period of Great Lent and on Sundays except all days of the Holy Week.

On these days of Barekendan, the angel’s words addressed to the prophet Elijah are fulfilled:  “Arise and eat, otherwise the journey will be too great for you” (1 Kings 19:7). The Armenian Church thus allows her faithful to organize games, festivals, carnivals and large, plentiful meals to observe the feast, as it is followed by a period of fasting and abstinence.

The Eve of Great Lent, as Great Barekendan is also called, commemorates the human bliss, which Adam and Eve enjoyed in the Garden of Eden.  It also symbolizes the heavenly right, according to which, mankind could eat all types of fruit, except the fruit of the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil. Barekendan is the manifestation of the virtues of the soul, through which people can transform mourning to joy, and torment to peace. It is with this comprehension, with bowing of our souls, penitence, fasting and hope for mercy, that each Christian individual should take his first step on the long, 40 day journey of Great Lent, culminating with the Glorious Resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ.

The period starting from the day following the Great Barekendan and lasting till the Feast of the Glorious Resurrection of Our Lord Jesus Christ, is called Great Lent. In the period of the Great Lent, people, refraining from bodily pleasures and sins, get prepared for the Feast of the Glorious Resurrection of Our Lord Jesus Christ by means of abstinence and repentance. Both spiritual and moral and bodily abstinence are considered to be important.Our church fathers have called the period of the Great Lend as “Karasnordats”, as the period of fasting lasts 40 days. This period of the Great Lent is also called “Salt and bread”, as in the past during the period of the Great Lent people have eaten only salt and bread.

In the New and old Testaments there are many testimonies concerning the period of Great Lent. Moses fasted for forty days and only then received the Lord’s rules and canons. However, this period is related to 40-day period of temptation of Christ in the desert, following which our Church fathers established this period of fasting.

Fasting may be of three kinds: usual fasting, rigorous abstinence and absolute fasting. In case of usual fasting people can eat only food of vegetable origin. In case of rigorous fasting people refuse to eat any food even of vegetable origin. And in case of absolute fasting people refuse to eat any kind of food, including even bread and water.

During the period of the Great Lent curtains in the churches are closed in commemoration of the fact that after sinning Adam was exiled from Eden and the doors were closed before him.

As the result of Arian disputes a new heresy had appeared, the head and supporter of which was Bishop Makedon of Constantinople, who denied the deity of the Holy Spirit. The Ecumenical Council convened in Constantinople on that special occasion, re-endorsed the definition of the Ecumenical Council of Nicaea and stack for the formulation “One deity, three persons”.

Accepting the Ecumenical Council, the Armenian Apostolic Church commemorates the memory of 150 Patriarchs participating in the Council.

In the Armenian Church, the Feast day of St. Vartan the Captain and Companions is also celebrated as the Naming Day of His Holiness Karekin II. To mark the occasion, at the conclusion of Divine Liturgy, a Pontifical Prayer is offered before the Holy Altar of Descent.

The eldest among them was Priest St. Ghevond, and among his companions were Catholics Hovsep, Bishop Sahak of Syunik, Bishop Tatik of Basen, Priest Mushe or Mushegh, Priest Arshen, Priest Samuel, Deacons Abraham and Kajajn.

After the Battle of Avarayr the Persian King Hazkert took revenge on Armenians and ordered to kill the brave priests.

According to the tradition the day of the Feast of St. Ghevond the Priest and His Companions is the day of the clergy.

Priest St. Pion also has been one of the devoted advocates of Christianity. It is known that he has served in Smyrna, where he has been martyred for preaching Christianity.

Deacon St. Kyouregh (Cyril) and St. Benjamin have been martyred for the sake of Christian faith. Accusing Kyouregh (Cyril) in destroying heathen temples, Julianus the Betrayer allowed the heathen priests to judge him and the heathen priests subjected him to severe torments. Deacon St. Benjamin was martyred during the period of reign of the Persian king Hazkert I for preaching Christianity among the Persians.

Among the victims martyred during the period of reign of the King Hazkert I were Vormzdana, minister of the Persian royal palace, and Sayen, a Persian noble. Both of them being deprived of royal and noble pleasures and privileges continued to remain loyal to Christian faith and were martyred for the sake of Christian faith.

Abdlmseh was the son of rich Jews living in Persia. While pasturing his father’s cattle  Abdlmseh was acquainted with other Christians of the same age, who baptized him and renamed Abdlmseh, which means “Servant of Christ.” Becoming aware of his son’s converting to Christianity and not succeeding to force him to renounce of Christianity, his father stabbed him in the same place where the saint had been baptized.

Following the creation of the Armenian Alphabet, St. Sahak and St. Mesrop opened a school for translators in the city of Vagharshapat (Etchmiadzin). There they begin the translation of the Holy Bible into Armenian and did it so perfectly, that centuries hence the Armenian Translation is called the “Queen Translation of the Breath of God”. The first sentence translated from the Holy Bible is the opening verse of the Book of Proverbs: “To know wisdom and instruction, to perceive the words of understanding”.

In accordance with the Law of Moses, the infant Christ was brought to the Temple by Mary and Joseph and presented to God. A man named Simeon was there, to whom it had been revealed that he should not see death before he had seen the Lord.  Simeon held the infant in his arms, blessed God, and said, “Lord, let your servant now depart in peace, for my eyes have seen your Salvation, which you have prepared before the face of all people.  A Light to lighten the Gentiles, and the Glory of Your people, Israel.” (Luke 2:29-32)

In the tradition of the Church, Evening Services (Nakhatonak) are conducted on the night preceding the Feast Day.  At the conclusion of the service, the priest lights a candle from the Holy Altar, and distributes the flame to all present. With great care, the faithful take the lit candles home to their families.

The morning of the Feast Day, Divine Liturgy is celebrated in Armenian Churches throughout the world. The hymn offered during the Liturgy commemorating Tiarn’ndaraj glorifies Simeon’s articulation of “a Light to lighten the Gentiles”. The hymn praising Simeon also lauds the Mystery of the Incarnation.

Many additional customs have been inherited from the past, including the blessing of the four corners of the world in the Andastan Service, the blessing of newlywed couples, as well as offering prayers for the crops and fertility of the fields.

After the martyrdom of the Apostle St. Bartholomew they were isolated in the mountains Tsaghkavet of Tsaghkotn province and led an ascetic life for about 40 years. Being led by the divine message they came to the Armenian royal court to preach Christianity the Armenian king Artashes and the queen Satenik. In the royal court only the relatives of the queen Satenik followed the Voskians. 12 servants of the royal court who had come with the queen Satenik to Armenia from Alans’ country, were baptized in the river Euphrates and left together with the Voskians for the mountains.

Sts. Voskians are among the first martyrs and hermits of the Armenian Apostolic Church.

Later Christ brings the example of the Prophet Jonah to the Pharisees asking for a divine sign.

The Armenian Apostolic Church commemorates the memory of the Prophet Jonah always during the period of the fast of Catechumens symbolizing that thanks to sincere repentance one may deserve God’s mercy.

The meaning of the Fast of Catechumens is the purification of the five human senses from pagan impurity. In the ancient Church there was a custom to fast during five days before baptism. St. Gregory the Illuminator ordered King Tiridates and others to fast for five days before baptism in order to get freed of the evil. That is the reason also for fasting of Catechumens to be called “fast of salvation” from the evil.

According to the tradition, the fasting of Catechumens was initiated by St. Gregory the illuminator in memory of the above-mentioned practice.

There are two explanations regarding the name of this feast.
It is called the fast of Catechumens:
1. As the precursor of the Great Lent, and
2. As the first Armenian fast.

On the fifth day of the fasting of Catechumens, on Friday, the remembrance day of the Prophet Jonah is celebrated, but it is celebrated not as the feast of Prophet Jonah, but as the memory of an example of great repentance and abstinence which Jonah urged. At times, wrongly, the fasting of Catechumens was called the fast of St. Sarkis, because the Armenian Church celebrates the feast of St. Sarkis on Saturday following the fast. In Middle Ages the Byzantine and the Georgian Churches blamed the Armenian Church for the fasting of Catechumens, relating it to St. Sarkis, to whom they ascribed sorcery. According to the testimonies of Armenian medieval writers. Greek and Latin Churches also had the fasting of Catechumens in ancient times.