Honolulu Marathon
There are no spiritual couch potatoes in Orthodoxy. Every Orthodox Christian is called to be a spiritual athlete who reach their full potential through spiritual exercise. In practical terms, this is done through participating in the Liturgy and through the spiritual disciplines of fasting, prayer, and almsgiving.
In Hawaii, many go out for their daily exercise. Some walk, others jog, and some run. The pace varies but the underlying aim is that of physical fitness. Many people take part in various races like the Aloha Fun Run. But the greatest of all races in Hawaii is the annual 26.2 miles-long Honolulu Marathon.
The annual forty-day fast known as Great Lent is about to begin for Orthodox Christians in Hawaii. In 2026, Orthodox Lent begins Monday, February 23, and goes all the way to midnight Holy Saturday, April 11. Orthodox Christians fast on Wednesdays and Fridays throughout the year, but during Lent our fasting regimen becomes more intense, we now fast everyday of the week. This is not salvation by works. We do not earn spiritual brownie points that will get us into heaven. In Orthodox Lent, fasting is combined with attending prayer services and giving to the poor. If done in a spirit of charity and love for God, the outcome we seek is deeper union with Christ, becoming more Christlike.
The spiritual essence of Lent can be found in the prayer of Saint Ephrem:
O Lord and Master of my life, take from me the spirit of sloth, despair, lust of power, and idle talk.
But give rather the spirit of chastity, humility, patience, and love to Thy servant.
Yea, O Lord and King, grant me to see my own transgressions, and not to judge my brother, for blessed art Thou, unto ages of ages. Amen.
Orthodox priests often warn people: Fasting without prayer is just a diet. Many overweight Americans can benefit from losing weight. If they lose weight, they will look better and enjoy improved physical health. However, while the outer man might benefit from the diet, the inner man might still be mired in sin and stuck in spiritual immaturity.
Icon of Christ’s Transfiguration – Source
The ultimate goal of Great Lent is union with Christ. This is also known as divinization or becoming like Christ. The goal of the Christian life is our being transformed into the likeness of Jesus Christ. Our transformation is not by our self efforts but by allowing the Holy Spirit to work in us, transfor ming us into Christ’s likeness. Lent is a time of repentance—turning back to God. We turn away from sin and we say No to the passions of the flesh while saying Yes to God. When we fast, we are saying No to our flesh, and when we pray, we are turning our hearts to God. To put it another way, through the spiritual disciplines we crucify (put to death) the desires of the flesh thereby renewing the inner man. Jesus said:
Whoever desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me. (Mark 8:34)
To take up our cross, means to die to self–the self-centered ego that is oriented downward away from God. Through the spiritual disciplines of Lent, we experience death to self and new life in Christ. The forty days of Lent is long and there may be times when we feel tired and discouraged. Let us remember the Apostle Paul’s words:
And let us not grow weary while doing good, for in due season we shall reap if we do not lose heart. (Galatians 6:9)
Lent, like a marathon, is meant to be a transformative experience. Just as a marathon has a finish line, the finish line for Orthodox Lent is Pascha – Easter Sunday, when we celebrate Jesus Christ’s victory over Death.
Orthodox Lent and Local Culture
A lot of what I wrote here may seem really strange to Hawaii Locals. We love our food. We love our plate lunches, family gatherings, beach picnics, and potluck parties with our friends and coworkers. Orthodoxy is not against eating and having a good time. Rather, what Orthodoxy does is teach people to think about what they eat and how they eat. Orthodoxy views food as a gift from Akua (God), and we gotta tell Akua: Mahalo! Eating food, family get togethers, and partying with our friends point us to the Eucharist when we eat Christ’s Body and Blood in Church, and we party (celebrate) with the saints of the Church. That’s why the finish line of Lent is the Liturgy and the Eucharist. If you don’t understand what I’m writing about, go visit an Orthodox Church in Hawaii.
Sunset at Ala Moana Beach Park
If all this sounds weird and too extreme, think about this. Imagine you’re having a great time with your friends and family at Magic Island. It’s been a fun day and the sun is going down. You’re watching the beautiful sunset and you’re thinking deep thoughts. It’s going get dark soon and everybody is gonna go home. The good time has come to an end. Maybe you will get another chance to get together with your friends and family, but what if you don’t get another chance? You think about your friends, cousins, coworkers, your uncles and aunts, your grandparents who are no longer with us. They passed on. Is that it? Is that if for us guys too? The Good News is that Jesus Christ has come to rescue us from the power of Death and the Devil. On Sunday mornings, the Orthodox Church celebrates the Eternal Party of the kingdom of God (the Liturgy). We party with the saints and the angels because we have eternal life in Jesus Christ–that is, “da real kind life dat stay to da max foeva and no can die.” (John 3:16; Hawaii Pidgin) In Jesus Christ, we can look forward to the Eternal Day that has no sunset, where we will be with Jesus Christ forever.
The Finish Line – Easter Sunday
Pascha – Orthodox Easter Service – Celebrating Christ’s Victory over Death