> The Great Canon of St Andrew of Crete is the longest canon in all of >  our services, and is associated with Great Lent, since the only times >  it is appointed to be read in church are the first four nights of Great >  Lent (Clean Monday through Clean Thursday, at Great Compline, when it >  is serialized) and at matins for Thursday of the fifth week of Great >  Lent, when it is read in its entirety.There is no other sacred hymn >  which compares with this monumental work, which St Andrew, Bishop of >  Crete, wrote for his personal meditations. Nothing else has its >  extensive typology and mystical explanations of the scripture, from >  both the Old and New Testaments. . One can almost consider this hymn to >  be a "survey of the Old and New Testament". It's other distinguishing >  features are a spirit of mournful humility, hope in God, and complex >  and beautiful Trinitarian Doxologies and hymns to the Theotokos in each >  Ode.The canon is a dialog between St. Andrew and his soul. The ongoing >  theme is an urgent exhortation to change one's life. St Andrew always >  mentions his own sinfulness placed in juxtaposition to God's mercy, and >  uses literally hundreds of references to good and bad examples from the >  OT and NT to "convince himself" to repent.The entire great canon >  services and the life of St Mary of Egypt, which is read when the >  entire canon is read, are available at our Great Lent resources page: >  http://www.orthodox.net/greatlent. >  -- >  Posted By Pr Seraphim to Redeeming the Time at 3/11/2008 03:42:00 PM