The Armenian Apostolic Church celebrated the Divine Liturgy on Sunday 14 February 2021, on the Eve of Great Lent. The Celebrant & Homilist was Archpriest Fr Norayr Patanian as the gathered faithful were able to take communion for the first time since the Covid pandemic.
The Eve of Great Lent, also known as Poon Paregentan, commemorates the human bliss, which Adam and Eve enjoyed in the Garden of Eden. It also symbolises the heavenly right, according to which, mankind could eat all types of fruit, except the fruit of the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil. Paregentan is the manifestation of the virtues of the soul, through which people can transform mourning to joy, and torment to peace. It is with this comprehension, with bowing of our souls, penitence, fasting and hope for mercy, that each Christian individual should take his first step on the long, 40 day journey of Great Lent, culminating with the Glorious Resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ. The period starting from the day following Poon Paregentan and lasting till the Feast of the Glorious Resurrection of Our Lord Jesus Christ, is called Great Lent.
