Sunday of Orthodoxy

This Sunday celebrates the triumph of the true faith through the restoration of the holy icons in 843, after the end of the Iconoclast controversy. It proclaims the victory of right worship over heresy, of light over darkness, and of truth over falsehood.

St. Gregory Palamas

This Sunday honors St. Gregory Palamas, Archbishop of Thessalonica, whose teaching on hesychasm and the uncreated energies of God was formally vindicated in the 14th century as a “second Triumph of Orthodoxy.” It emphasizes inner prayer of the heart and the reality of deification by God’s grace in the life of the faithful.

Veneration of the Holy Cross

In the middle of Lent, the Cross is brought out for veneration as a sign of Christ’s victory and as a source of strength for the faithful on their Lenten journey. It reminds believers of the Lord’s Passion to come and calls each Christian to deny himself, take up his personal cross, and follow Christ.

St. John of the Ladder

This Sunday commemorates St. John Climacus (of the Ladder), author of “The Ladder of Divine Ascent,” and holds up his teaching on ascetic struggle as a guide for Lent. It stresses gradual spiritual ascent through repentance, humility, and the fight against the passions.

St. Mary of Egypt

The last Sunday of Great Lent commemorates St. Mary of Egypt as a model of deep repentance and radical transformation by God’s mercy. It underscores that no sin is beyond forgiveness when met with sincere repentance, perseverance, and a life of holiness.