Biblical Diary of Great Lent

Great Lent is a time of preparation for the central events of the liturgical year — the Sufferings and Resurrection of Christ. There are many texts about them not only in the New Testament but also in the Old. The prophets of Israel in different eras described the fate of the Righteous One in this world, His sorrows with which anyone fulfilling God's will will inevitably confront, and His triumph that follows the trials. All these expectations were partially realized in various figures of biblical history; however, they were fully fulfilled in the life of the only truly righteous Man — Jesus Christ.

In the diary, 48 texts are collected — one for each day of Great Lent — prophesying about the Sufferings and Resurrection of Jesus Christ. Familiarity with them will help you deepen your understanding of the feat of Jesus Christ and simplify the understanding of the liturgical texts of Holy Week, Easter, and Sunday days infused with images from the prophecies.

In order for you to not only read the passages from Scripture but also understand them, we have written a brief commentary for each of them, explaining the connection of the text with Christ. It is important to understand that the interpretations of most biblical prophecies are multilayered: they contain a layer relating to the events close in time to the prophets, as well as layers that point to the events of the First Coming or the Second Coming of Christ. One interpretation does not contradict another but complements it.

You will also find prayers for each day related in meaning to both the read passage and to a number of other texts from the Bible (all references to the relevant verses are provided after the prayer).

The diary preserves some elements of the ancient liturgical tradition of Lent: the beginning of Lent is marked, the first days of each week are noted, and the first letters of each prayer form an acrostic (a cross theme). At the same time, the provided passages from the Bible do not coincide with those that sound in the churches. For convenience, all the days of Lent are numbered in order.