Daily Orthodox Devotional — Sunday, February 22, 2026
Daily Orthodox Devotional — Sunday, February 22, 2026
Sunday of Cheesefare (Meatfare Sunday) — Tone 4
“The Expulsion of Adam and Eve from Paradise”
Commemorations
SUNDAY OF CHEESEFARE — Tone 4 The Expulsion of Adam and Eve from Paradise.
- Uncovering of the Relics of the Holy Martyrs at the Gate of Eugenius at Constantinople (395–423)
- Martyrs Maurice and his son Photinus, and Martyrs Theodore, Philip, and 70 soldiers, at Apamea in Syria (ca. 305)
- Venerable Thalassius, Limnæus, and Baradates, Hermits of Syria (5th c.)
- St. Athanasius the Confessor, of Constantinople (821)
A Word for This Sunday
The Sunday of Cheesefare stands at the threshold of Great Lent. We are called to look upon our forefather Adam, cast from the beauty of Paradise by disobedience, and to recognize ourselves in him. Yet the Church does not leave us in despair — she immediately sets before us the readings of resurrection, love, and fasting, pointing us toward the road back. The Lenten journey begins not in gloom, but in sober hope.
Readings
I. The Gospel of Luke — Luke 24:1–12
The Women Find the Tomb Empty
(Cross-references: Matthew 28:1–8; Mark 16:1–8; John 20:1–18)
Now on the first day of the week, very early in the morning, they, and certain other women with them, came to the tomb bringing the spices which they had prepared. ²But they found the stone rolled away from the tomb. ³Then they went in and did not find the body of the Lord Jesus. ⁴And it happened, as they were greatly perplexed about this, that behold, two men stood by them in shining garments. ⁵Then, as they were afraid and bowed their faces to the earth, they said to them, “Why do you seek the living among the dead? ⁶He is not here, but is risen! Remember how He spoke to you when He was still in Galilee, ⁷saying, ‘The Son of Man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men, and be crucified, and the third day rise again.’ “
⁸And they remembered His words. ⁹Then they returned from the tomb and told all these things to the eleven and to all the rest. ¹⁰It was Mary Magdalene, Joanna, Mary the mother of James, and the other women with them, who told these things to the apostles. ¹¹And their words seemed to them like idle tales, and they did not believe them. ¹²But Peter arose and ran to the tomb; and stooping down, he saw the linen cloths lying by themselves; and he departed, marveling to himself at what had happened.
(New King James Version — Orthodox Study Bible)
Orthodox Study Bible Commentary on Luke 24
On the stone being rolled away (24:2): The stone is rolled away not to let the all-powerful Lord out, but to let us witness His Resurrection.
On the two men in shining garments (24:4): These men in shining garments were angels.
On the third day (24:5–7): In order to dispel any doubt, the angel confirms his message by recalling Christ’s own words. In calculating the third day, the first day is Friday, the day on which Christ died before sundown. The second is Saturday, the Sabbath on which Christ rested in the tomb. The third day, which begins after sundown on Saturday, is the day of Resurrection, Sunday.
On Mary the mother of James (24:10): Certain Fathers teach that Mary the mother of James was the wife of Alphaeus, and this James was one of the Twelve. Most, however, hold that this is the Virgin Mary, being in fact the stepmother of a different James, “the Lord’s brother.” The Virgin Mary appears in certain icons of the Myrrhbearing Women, and in a hymn by St. John of Damascus, we sing: “The angel cried to the lady full of grace, ‘Rejoice, O pure Virgin: your Son is risen from His three days in the tomb.’”
II. The Epistle of St. Paul — Romans 13:11–14:4
“The Day” Is at Hand; Christian Liberty in Serving God
¹¹And do this, knowing the time, that now it is high time to awake out of sleep; for now our salvation is nearer than when we first believed. ¹²The night is far spent, the day is at hand. Therefore let us cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armor of light. ¹³Let us walk properly, as in the day, not in revelry and drunkenness, not in lewdness and lust, not in strife and envy. ¹⁴But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to fulfill its lusts.
¹Receive one who is weak in the faith, but not to disputes over doubtful things. ²For one believes he may eat all things, but he who is weak eats only vegetables. Let not him who eats despise him who does not eat, and let not him who does not eat judge him who eats; for God has received him. ⁴Who are you to judge another’s servant? To his own master he stands or falls. Indeed, he will be made to stand, for God is able to make him stand.
(New King James Version — Orthodox Study Bible)
Orthodox Study Bible Commentary on Romans 13–14
On the night and the day (13:12): The night is life in this world, and especially life under the influence of sin and evil. The day refers to the presence of Christ’s Kingdom, both in the Church now at hand and fulfilled completely in the age to come.
On Christian liberty and the weak in faith (14:1): In Orthodox Christianity, there are things that cannot be compromised, and there are areas of flexibility. God is gracious and allows diversity in doubtful things — matters not related to essential doctrines and moral teachings. The weak in the faith are people who assign primary importance to secondary matters. The two examples of flexible areas given here involve food restrictions (v. 2) and the observance of liturgical calendars (v. 5), things which the weak might try to use to judge others or to divide the Church.
This passage is read on the eve of Great Lent, reminding the faithful that the main focus of the season is not on the details of fasting restrictions, but rather on overcoming passions of the soul (13:14).
On judging one another (14:7–10): Because we are the Lord’s, we have no business judging others’ practices based on our own ideas, prejudices, or cultural heritage. These things cause us to lose sight of the fact that we are united in Christ, who is our one Lord and Judge.
III. The Holy Gospel — Matthew 6:14–21
On Forgiveness, Fasting, and Heavenly Treasure
¹⁴“For if you forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. ¹⁵But if you do not forgive men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.
¹⁶“Moreover, when you fast, do not be like the hypocrites, with a sad countenance. For they disfigure their faces that they may appear to men to be fasting. Assuredly, I say to you, they have their reward. ¹⁷But you, when you fast, anoint your head and wash your face, ¹⁸so that you do not appear to men to be fasting, but to your Father who is in the secret place; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you openly.
¹⁹“Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal; ²⁰but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. ²¹For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.“
(New King James Version — Orthodox Study Bible)
Orthodox Study Bible Commentary on Matthew 6:14–21
On mutual forgiveness (6:14–15): Jesus insists on mutual forgiveness between people as a precondition of God’s forgiveness. Those who do not forgive are not forgiven — period. This teaching is repeated in the parable of the unforgiving servant (18:21–35), which concludes with the same teaching. To not forgive others is to willfully flee from the forgiveness of God for ourselves.
On true fasting (6:16–18): Keeping a sad countenance to show off one’s fasting is mere external display. Jesus rejects such hypocrisy. For the one who fasts, the compassion of God outshines the physical discomfort. During the fasting seasons of the Church, the hymns call the faithful to wash and anoint their faces — thus, there is no “Ash Wednesday” in the Orthodox Church. Fasting is for spiritual growth and the glory of God, not to be seen by those around us.
Fasting also is not merely abstinence from food, but consists of self-denial in all areas of life in order to escape the control of the passions. On the eve of Great Lent, we sing: “Let us abstain from passions as we abstain from food.” St. John Chrysostom writes: “What good is it if we abstain from eating birds and fish, but bite and devour our brothers?”
On heavenly treasures (6:19–21): By attaching themselves to treasures on earth, people cut themselves off from heavenly treasures. They become slaves to earthly things rather than free in Christ. The heart of discipleship lies in (1) disentangling ourselves from the chains of earthly things, and (2) attaching ourselves to God, the true treasure (v. 21).
Reflection for the Sunday of Cheesefare
Today the Church places before us a profound tension and a profound mercy.
We hear of Adam expelled from Paradise — our inheritance forfeited, the gate of Eden closed. And yet, on this very Sunday, the Resurrection of Christ shines through Luke 24: “Why do you seek the living among the dead? He is not here, but is risen!” The tragedy of Adam is not the end of the story. Christ, the New Adam, has reopened what was closed.
St. Paul sets the tone for the days ahead: “The night is far spent, the day is at hand.” We stand between two worlds — the darkness of our passions and the light of the Kingdom. The armor we are to put on is not armor of steel, but of Christ Himself: “Put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh.”
And then the Lord gives us the grammar of Lenten preparation in Matthew 6: forgive, fast, and set your heart on heaven. These three imperatives belong together. We cannot fast while harboring resentment. We cannot receive God’s forgiveness while withholding our own. And we cannot seek heavenly treasure while clinging to the earth.
The Lenten fast begins not at a lectern or an altar — it begins in the heart, with the hard work of forgiving those who have wronged us.
A Prayer for This Day
O Lord, as we stand on the threshold of the holy season of Great Lent, grant us the grace to fast with joy, to forgive with sincerity, and to lay up treasure in heaven by works of love. Remember not our trespasses, O Good One, but in Your mercy forgive us all things, and number us among those who glorify Your holy name. Amen.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Commentary from The Orthodox Study Bible. Copyright © 2008 by St. Athanasius Academy of Orthodox Theology.
“Christ is Risen from the dead, trampling down death by death, and upon those in the tombs bestowing life.”
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