The moment when man fell away from God and became a mortal being the notion of time emerged and counted days, hours, and years. The Holy Church marks the beginning of a Ecclesiastical New Year or the Indiction blessing it with a prayer.

The story from the Gospel during the Divine Liturgy on the first day of the Church year tells us that Christ entered the synagogue on September 1 to announce His mission quoting a passage of the prophecy of Isaiah and proclaiming the arrival of the acceptable year of the Lord.

The words by Isaiah testify of the arrival of a new era in our spiritual life. It is the time of the Lord where the natural laws do not govern any longer because the kingdom of the only true King, the Lord Himself, is being established. Next, the Lord speaks of Himself: “Today this Scripture is fulfilled in your hearing” (Luke 4:21). The New Kingdom has arrived and we are called to take residence there. From now on, the eternal flow of time received that what is not subject to change or death.

If the Nativity of the Mother of God is the first feast of an ecclesiastical year, then the Dormition of the Mother of God it’s the last one, showcasing the transition from temporary life to life in eternity. Therefore, a year in the life of an Orthodox faithful is no longer a space in time but it is filled with deep spiritual meaning and sense akin to the life of man as a whole.

The Indiction teaches us to be mindful of our spiritual calling and, together with the rest of the creation, our complete and radical renewal in Christ.