Having reached the middle of the sea of abstinence, let us look towards the haven of salvation, the season of Thy voluntary Passion, O Lord. In Thy lovingkindness and Thy mercy, grant us also to behold in peace the day of Thy glorious Resurrection!

We sing this verse on March 14, the “mid-point” between Forgiveness Sunday and Pascha. The first part of Lent was aimed chiefly at our purification. On Wednesday night, March 21, this effort reaches its final summation at the reading of the Great Canon of St. Andrew of Crete. After this, the tone of the lenten services begins to change. We are made to realize that this purification was not an end in itself. It must lead us ultimately to the contemplation, the comprehension and finally the appropriation of the mystery of the Cross and Resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ.