Pilgrimage to Pascha - what a wonderful work! I cannot recommend this Lenten devotional enough. The work consists of heartfelt and sincere meditations that carry the reader from Forgiveness Sunday all the way to Palm Saturday. With that said, these 2-3 page devotionals are not simply comforting “thoughts for the day.” These meditations consist of scripture, lives of the Saints, teachings of the Fathers, and excerpts from church hymns - all the materials we are to be absorbing and reorienting ourselves with during this season of repentance and spiritual growth. This book will undoubtedly become a treasured work that my family will revisit during Lent for years to come. Makes for a great read-aloud or simply as an independent study, but either way the reader will learn so much about his own sins as well as the true purpose for this holy season. As you begin your day with the wisdom of this thoughtful and beautiful book, you will find yourself not simply trudging through the fast, but making a fruitful and redemptive pilgrimage to the Cross.

Wow! I love this graphic novel about St Katherine. My 3rd grader pretty much only reads graphic novels. She hasn’t really shown a lot of interest in saints or church. We try to have devotional time daily and she finished what she was reading and we still had time left. I gave her this book and she didn’t want to stop reading! At the end of our devotions, we share what we learned and she wouldn’t stop talking about St Katherine!! She kept piping up - oh I have one more thing to share. At the end is the icon of St Katherine and it tells of her life and listed her feast day, which my daughter is now excited about celebrating. We talked about how we can also pray to the saints. Something she probably wouldn’t have listened to before. But because she was able to connect to this story, it helped expand her knowledge in the faith. We need more of these!! I also love that it was a female saint...someone my daughter can look up to.

This book opened a new level of meaning and fulfillment into the why and how of the Advent services and hymns guiding me to the celebration of the birth of Christ. I learned about the Saints and Forefathers who wrote them and why. As I read this book, it personalized my journey to prepare and be present in celebrating, embracing and experiencing with all Orthodox Christians the birth of Christ. It really is a Winter Pascha.

I was delighted how this little book has sweetly guided me to a more meaningful prayer life. Even if we are busy, we are reminded how important a moment to pray, Lord of Mercy, can become a part of everyday life and a habit. And, an important permanent addition to my spiritual library, to revisit often over a lifetime.

I wasn’t going to finish this. It wasn’t written for a lay person, but I persisted. It got interesting and concepts more comprehensible starting in chapter 11. I would have preferred the starting point in that chapter and expanding concepts through to the end of the book. This book will go over the heads of a majority of people who want to delve deeper into God and science. There is a relation there that is acknowledged by our Eastern Orthodox faith that hasn’t been articulated because the technology and vocabulary didn’t exist, but our elders perceived. I would have preferred if the author delved and developed more on this concept instead. I felt that just as he was driving the point home how Orthodoxy could delve deeper, he desisted. If I understood the concept correctly (and I’m overly simplifying this). The Western Christian leadership tended to instill fear and demonize what they didn’t want to understand and could not control. Therefore around the Dark Ages, this impacted/limited the development of perceiving God, as knowledge of nature and science revealed a whole new world.

L Joseph Letendre has blessed us with another great little book on spiritual discipline. This book will be a resource that the reader will be drawn back to again and again. The short chapters are easily digested in a 15-minute sitting, but with profound take-aways. Fasting is explained in the context of the Church’s worship, and the spiritual goal of fasting is kept front and center throughout the book. He does not assume that the reader is fluent in Orthodox terminology but defines terms like “asceticism” or “hesychasm” for those new to the Orthodox faith. He cites Orthodox writers such as Fr. Alexander Schmemann and draws insight and illustrations from Holy Scripture to inspire the reader to take fasting seriously while confronting challenges specific to 21st century North America. And, as someone new to Orthodoxy, I found his summary of the fast days in the Church’s calendar helpful, as well as the emphasis on fasting as a discipline that strengthens the Church’s communion instead of a private discipline done at the whim of the individual.
This book does not focus on detailed instructions for meal planning during fast days, but on fasting as a part of spiritual warfare and fruitfulness. The author suggests that fasting begins with food but involves the taming of other addictions by the continual practice of self-denial. Some of these other areas requiring discipline include limiting screen-time, social media, making space for silence, and controlling our thoughts. Practical help is provided to avoid “toxic thoughts”, and the reader is cautioned against the extreme of “Pharisaism” and getting caught up in the minutiae of fasting rules. And, as always, the reader is encouraged to seek the guidance of a priest and others experienced in this discipline. Overall, this is a great book to pick up to understand the Church’s ancient practice of fasting and to begin a life of Christian self-discipline.

I cannot say enough good things about this Devotional. I have used this Devotional Guide for the past 3 years and every year I learn more and more about the Church, the Bible, and our Lord and Savior. I have recommended this book to many of my friends and family. :)

I’m really looking forward to using this devotional for Lent this year and for many years to come. Each day has which scriptures to read, a meditation from Archpriest Belonick, wisdom from the Fathers, a portion of a hymn, and a story of the life of a saint.

As a mother of elementary-aged children, I really appreciate having this book to read aloud from in the mornings. As beneficial as it is to read on my own, having all of this information organized by day helps me so much in prioritizing our family’s Lenten journey, especially during these uncertain months. Between work, homeschooling, and daily life, this book is such a blessing to me because all the organization has been done for me.

I really appreciate the meditations on the daily scriptures written by Archpriest Belonick. He explains his thoughts when reading the scriptures in a very honest and personal way that gently leads me to focus on God and not on myself. As a small aside, I also really like the title. I sometimes catch myself thinking, “Ugh, Lent is coming.” But no! Pascha is coming! Lent is the journey to get there and this title is a great reminder of that. I highly recommend using this book as an aid for anyone or for families during Lent!

Wow wow wow!! What an amazing story. My 8 year old and I listened to this book on audible. I couldn’t believe the deep conversations we had time and time again. The story telling of not only what the the main character goes through but the views of the support characters was PHENOMENAL. My son and I had conversations about history, war, Saints, monks and being thankful for what we have. The book was action packed so it kept my son’s attention but it was gentle and not graphic at all. This is book is amazing at starting Orthodox discussions with children.

I almost balked at 'nutritional yeast' but this is all good, comfy home cooking to help make the fast manageable. Lots of good advice, especially for folks with allergies.

Always enjoy well written books. A useful book for human interaction; communication; that makes you a more well rounded person from a Orthodox frame of view. Helps me see the humanity in other people ; including those w different world views & helps me approach them in a more positive manner.

Always enjoy well written books. A useful book for human interaction; communication; that makes you a more well rounded person from a Orthodox frame of view. Helps me see the humanity in other people ; including those w different world views & helps me approach them in a more positive manner.

"When You Fast" is a concise and excellent introduction to fasting. Fasting, and its related life of asceticism, is often foreign to catechumen and new converts to the Orthodox faith. The author, L. Joseph Letendre, provides an excellent background and overview of fasting that is informational, in keeping with the Orthodox phronema, and a perfect length for those new to this subject! The footnotes and references are a delightful element for readers who would like to deepen their knowledge and practice.

I love this book, it has become a pre-Lenten must read. I always read it during the weeks of the Triodion, as a practical reminder of the danger of Despondency and a guide to help fight against it. It is to Evagrius' writings on Despondency what "30 Steps to Heaven" is to the "Ladder of Divine Ascent." I can not highly enough recommend this book.

This book answers so many questions and puts things in order. I feel a great peace in my soul. Thank you Dr. Jeannie! I want to give this book to everyone I know.

Very well written and thought book on the understanding of what it means to be and think in a Christian Orthodox manner. Dr. Jeannie has produced a book not of rules but of understanding. This is a valuable book to add and read and reread. Thank you Dr. Jeannie

I tried very hard and multiple times to read this book. I failed. I am sure that someone will glean something from this book and from this format, but it simply was not for me.

As for the narration...I had to speed up the narration after falling asleep twice. The narrator reminded me of the voice-overs on those deadly boring movies and videos we had to watch in school.

I stalled on this one.

2.5 stars on what I did manage to complete.

Full Disclosure: I was given a copy of this book in return for an honest review. Thank you for the opportunity to do this, AFP!

Great book. A must read for any 'Westerner' seeking to convert from a Western to an Eastern/Orthodox mindset, which is no simple task and no mere intellectual exercise, but an organic, holistic way of life. It's also extremely important in learning to become more sensitive to the seriousness of theology, which is not something to be taken lightly, as it is immensely important in the development not only of one's own spiritual life, but in the spiritual trajectories of cultures throughout history. One of my favorite books. I now own more than one copy.

Every Lent, I, like so many others, struggle to incorporate Scripture and other spiritual reading into my fasting disciplines. I also grapple with not taking on so much extra that I overburden myself to the point of breaking. “Pilgrimage to Pascha: A Daily Devotional for Great Lent” hits the sweet spot to provide spiritual benefit without the burnout. As the authors themselves define their work, “…easily digestible daily nourishment from the Tradition of the Orthodox Church as you undertake your Lenten pilgrimage.”

The book begins on Clean Monday and ends on Palm Saturday (with a chapter for Annunciation included at the end for easy reference). The chapters themselves are each a single day in Lent and include the following; again from the authors:
“Each portion in this little book contains a reference for a selected prescribed scriptural passage from either the Old or New testament, a meditation on that scripture, practical advice from the Church Fathers and other saintly writers, an excerpt from a liturgical hymn, an edifying life of a saint, and a concluding prayer.”

This daily formula is connected in such a way to be read together as only Orthodox tradition can meld, but at the same time each portion can be read independently throughout the day, (useful for mother of small children like myself with limited chunks of time), without being any less edifying. Each portion is even compact enough to be re-read throughout the day or in some cases, memorized.

My only preference would have been if each day could have been fit onto two pages instead of three, so when the reader opened the book they see the whole day at once, but it in no way hampered my reading and I can understand how more line spacing is often easier for many to read.

Inversely, since there are three pages per day, I would have preferred if the daily Scriptures cited had its text fully written out, but then again, this is the time of year we should be reading our Bibles most and I did find myself often reading verses further than those prescribed in the book which is beneficial

Overall I have no doubt this book will alleviate Lenten stress for the reader instead of add to it. No matter if you read it cover to cover or are only able to get to certain days, you will be mentally and spiritually gratified.

Excellent short book on the spiritual disciplines of prayer, almsgiving and fasting in the Eastern Orthodox Tradition. The chapter on each discipline starts with “why” and then covers the practical aspects of “how”. Even though I have been Orthodox 45 years (baptized/chrismated as an adult), reading this book encouraged me to take my personal prayer life more seriously. My wife and adult daughter have also read the book and thought it was excellent. We are currently involved in a parish small group study using this book.