Prayer and reading guides · English
Your First Great Lent: A Gentle Guide
Great Lent is the Church's long walk toward Pascha, the feast of the Resurrection. It begins after the Fast of Nineveh and the preparation Sunday, and it ends with Holy Week and the joy of Easter. It can feel like a mountain when you are new. It is easier to think of it as a path with rest stops, walked with a community.
The shape of the season
The fast lasts about two months, ending with Holy Week. Each Sunday carries a Gospel theme the Church uses to guide the season, and Holy Week follows the Lord's Passion day by day. In Doxali, the Coptic calendar shows where you are, and the fast companion walks you through the season.
Three simple pillars
Many people find it helps to keep Lent with three things in mind: prayer, fasting, and mercy.
- Prayer. Pray a little more than usual. If you pray one hour of the Agpeya, consider adding another. Go to the extra church services.
- Fasting. Keep the fast your father of confession gives you. Start small if this is your first time.
- Mercy. Give, forgive, visit, call. Lent is a good time to repair relationships.
Tip: Write your rule on a card. Seeing it keeps you honest and encouraged.
Read through the season
Reading Scripture shapes the season. Doxali has a Great Lent reading plan of about a chapter a day, and a shorter plan for Holy Week. You can also read the day's Church readings.
Expect a hard week or two
Most people hit a wall around the second or third week. Energy dips, the novelty fades, and the old habits push back. This is normal. Go to confession, talk to someone, and keep going. The Church walks with you.
Holy Week and the feast
Holy Week is the heart of the year. If you can, attend as many services as your life allows, even if only part of each. Then keep the feast with joy: the Holy Fifty Days that follow are a time of celebration, with no fasting.
Quick questions
What if I fall off the fast?
Begin again at the next meal. Tell your father of confession when you next see him.
Do I have to fast alone?
No. Lent is lived with the Church. Pray with your family, join a Bible study, or read the plan with a friend using Doxali's plan sharing.
Where do I start?
Today. Pray one hour, read one chapter, and do one kind thing.