True Christians are never “Sunday only” Christians: our faith permeates our whole life daily, hourly, and it guides our behavior. There are two weeks each year when this is especially important: Clean Week and Holy Week. If you do not have these on your calendar, find them, remember them, and cherish them.

Clean Week is the first week of Lent (Mar 7-13 this year). This week we wake up to our need for God, and our need to repent (turn back to him). It begins the Lenten season of spiritual recentering and healing; the “prescription” is fasting from rich food, increased prayer and church attendance, and giving more generously to the poor (alms).

The most important first step in beginning the Lenten season is asking forgiveness of each other. The evening before Lent begins (Mar 6), the Church has given us a beautiful, moving service in which we ask forgiveness of each other. It is a liturgical, very practical way to begin Lent right, making peace with each other so we can focus on healing together.

If you are an Orthodox Christian, Forgiveness Vespers is essential. Do not miss it. Clear your calendar for that day, and for at least one other evening that week. Consider going out to eat or to a park after coffee hour, enjoying some last minute dairy treats with friends and family, and then returning to Church to begin Lent well as a parish family.

We block out days and weeks of our lives for all sorts of important occasions and events. When we have a serious medical diagnosis, we slow down and focus solely on the immediate need for healing. Clean Week is the Church’s reminder that we have a terminal spiritual diagnosis. The remedy, thankfully, is clear and proven: forgiveness, fasting, prayer, and alms. Ultimately, these put us in the hands of the Great Physician, the Lord, who heals us by his own Passion, Burial, and Resurrection.