Orthodox Christians begin Lent ‎

Orthodox Christians began their 40-day Lenten season on Ash Monday, Feb. 23, in preparation for Easter, with their spiritual head urging them to engage in conversion to God and love of brother.  We must live Lent "by offering prayer and seeking ‎forgiveness," in order truly to taste Pascha "with all the saints," by becoming "saints," by confessing ‎before God and people that we are "clay vessels" that are shattered on a daily basis by the evil one, ‎always "falling and rising," Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew said in his Lenten message.  ‎"Lent,” the patriarch said, “is a period of preparation and repentance as the voice of our conscience, which is internal and ‎inexpressible, our personal judgment.”  “When it finds us doing wrong, it protests vehemently inasmuch as ‎‎"nothing in the world is more violent than our conscience,” he said.  “Each of us must be at peace with our conscience … surrendering our passions and offering them as ‎an oblation of love toward our fellow human beings, just as the Lord gave Himself up "for the life and ‎salvation of the world."  Only then will forgiveness rise from the tomb for us as well; and only then shall ‎we live in mutual respect and love, far from the horrific crimes that we witness plaguing the entire ‎world today," Patriarch wrote.  Western Churches and Eastern Orthodox Churches celebrate Easter on different dates, as the former follow the Gregorian calendar and the Eastern, the Julian calendar.  (AsiaNews)