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===Spiritual theme===
The first Sunday of Great Lent originally commemorated the [[Prophet]]s such as [[Moses]], [[Aaron]], and [[Samuel]]. The Liturgy's alleluia verses and scripture readings appointed for the Sunday of Orthodoxy reflect this older usage. The [[Epistle]] reading is a completion of [[Book of Hebrews|Hebrews]] 11:24-26, 32-12:2. The yet to be baptized catechumens of the early church hear the Epistle about the Old Testament men who lived by their faith in a promise whose fulfillment they did not see. After the righteous of the Old Testament are mentioned, the Epistle says: ''And all these, having obtained a good testimony through faith, did not receive the promise, God having provided something better for us, that they should not be made perfect apart from us.''
The Gospel lesson is [[Gospel of John|John]] 1:43-51, and it ends with a explanation of the ''something better'' of the Epistle: ''"You will see greater things than these." And He said to him, "Most assuredly, I say to you, hereafter you shall see heaven open, and the angels of God ascending and descending upon the Son of Man."'' The catechumens of the early church, and the faithful preparing for Pascha today, are told that, with faith, they will see the inauguration of the new age, the fulfillment of all promises, and the manifestation of the Kingdom, through the Incarnation, in the Church.
==Hymns==
[[Troparion]] (Tone 2)
