Text Box: 70 Cedar Lane, Teaneck, NJ 07666 Phone: 201-837-2200 Volume. XX No:02 February 2008 St. Peter's Mar Thoma ChurchText Box: ~Vicar’s Message~ Dearly beloved in Christ, Greetings! The Church enters into the Great Lent or the Fifty Days Lent on February 03, Sunday. Lent is a period when followers of Christ discipline themselves, thereby trying to renew their lives. It is a time of confession, conversion, and renewal of the faithful. It is a season ,set apart by the Church Calendar, for fasting and prayer, as an annual reminder of the memory of the death and resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ. The celebration of the feast of Lent dates back to the earliest times, the church felt the need to prepare in a special way for Easter. The forty days symbolize the forty days fasting of Jesus Christ in the wilderness. During the next ten days the believers identify with the passion, crucifixion, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. During Lent let us challenge ourselves to re-orient our lives in tune with the culture of Cross. Some people give up something in Lent, others take up something. But important aspect is the real change or transformation of life. Each Sunday has a particular theme from the Gospels, which manifests the healing, transforming power of Christ during his earthly ministry. Let us spend these Lent days by praying, reading, meditating the Word of God, fasting and sharing with the needy people who are not able to give back. Gain internal strength to resist temptations and live victoriously in the power of the Holy Spirit. Maramon Convention begins on Feb.10 and ends on 17. .Pray that this gathering be a blessing for many and may our Lord’s blessing be upon this year’s convention.