In his homily, the Metropolitan of Sweden highlighted the significance of the first Sunday of the Triodion, marking the start of a solemn period of repentance and prayer in the Church’s liturgical calendar.
He emphasized the importance of humility and repentance as foundational aspects of the Christian life, drawing from the parable of the Publican and the Pharisee.
Contrasting their attitudes in prayer, he illustrated the Pharisee’s self-righteousness and pride, contrasting it with the Publican’s deep humility and genuine repentance. God’s response to their prayers, he explained, depended on the sincerity of their hearts, with genuine humility and virtue being acknowledged and exalted by God.
He urged the faithful to emulate the Publican’s humility rather than the Pharisee’s pride, aspiring to embody compassion, which pleases God above all else.
Please, read the full homily of the Metropolitan:
Dear Brothers and Sisters,
This Sunday is a great milestone in the liturgical year of our Church because from today begins the solemn period of the Triodion, a period of repentance and prayer, which prepares us with faith, love and humility, to face the Passion of our Lord, to crucify our own passions and to venerate His glorious Resurrection. Thus, during this period of seventy days before Easter, the Church helps us to acquire true humility and repentance which are the necessary pillars for our whole life.
As a Gospel reading on this Sunday, the first day of the Triodion, the Church reads the parable of the Publican and the Pharisee, known to us all, to show us that only through a course of deep repentance and humility can man be truly exalted, justified by God and live his redemption and resurrection.
Let us try, however, to go a little deeper into the truths of this parable. The Pharisee, in the way he enters the Temple and prays to God, reveals his inner world to us. We see him having complete confidence in himself and his good deeds. That’s why he’s in a hurry to get justice on his own. He considers himself completely different from others who are sinners and must be punished by God. He believes he is the sole embodiment of righteousness, godliness, and meticulous adherence to God’s Law in every aspect. He condemns, despises, debilitates and rejects the Publican and every sinner. He addresses God regarding his good deeds, not out of genuine gratitude, but rather to boast about his piety and the remarkable deeds he performs.
On the contrary, the Publican, through his prayer and demeanor within the Temple, demonstrates profound reverence for God and a profound acknowledgment of his own sins, recognizing the depth of sin within his heart. He possesses a profound understanding of his unworthiness to even raise his eyes to heaven. He is not preoccupied with the conduct and sins of others, on the contrary, he recognizes how sinful he is before God. He knows that God is not obliged to accept his repentance and forgive him, yet all he asks of God is His mercy.
However, how does God receive the prayer of each, and what judgment does He render? He rejects and does not justify the Pharisee because he stands up before God; because he considers all others to be sinners; because in him there is no love for others, and therefore his good deeds are deeds of pride and not of faith and love for God and other people. The Lord does not condemn good deeds. Yet, God acknowledges good deeds when they stem from genuine humility and virtue, not from selfish motives. The Lord rejects the Pharisee’s good deeds because he shows off to God and others.
On the contrary, God exalts and justifies the Publican, for within the depths of his heart resides a profound sense of love. He focuses solely on his own repentance, refraining from judgment and condemnation of others. Continuously seeking divine mercy and forgiveness for his sins, he also displays genuine and profound humility.
Let us embrace, my brothers and sisters, the words of the Kontakion, which we chanted today; Let us move away from the prideful demeanor of the Pharisee and instead, take a lesson from the humility of the Publican. Let our hearts echo with sighs and cries to our Savior, aspiring to embody compassion, for it is the only virtue truly pleasing to Him!
I am wishing you a blessed Beginning of the Triodion!
Translated by: Konstantinos Menyktas
