On the third day of the Great and Holy Lent, on March 5, 2025, Patriarch Porfirije of Serbia prayerfully attended the Great Compline with the Penitential Canon of St. Andrew of Crete, which was served at the Church of St. Sava in Vračar.
On this occasion, the Patriarch emphasized: “We read the prayer of St. Ephraim the Syrian many times throughout the fast, and every verse of it is profound, revealing to us not only the meaning and mystery of fasting but also the deeper meaning of the Christian life. The entire Gospel is encapsulated in this prayer. The message of the Gospel is contained in these words, and it is enough to focus on the final stanza, where we say: ‘Grant me to see my own faults and not to judge my brother.’
We all know how difficult it is to engage in this relentless spiritual struggle, to descend into our own hearts, and to see ourselves in the light of God’s presence. The demonic forces seek at all costs to draw us away from the center of our being, to detach us from our hearts, and to scatter our minds among countless events, objects, and phenomena of the external world. As a result, we end up seeing ourselves as arbiters, as judges, as those called to assess, evaluate, and pass judgment on everything outside of us—while at the same time leaving our inner being untended, neglected, often overgrown with wild passions and sins that take root in our hearts.
As I said, the message of the Gospel is summed up in this prayer. In relation to this particular verse, it is enough to recall the Lord’s words: ‘You see the speck in your brother’s eye, but do not notice the log in your own.’ Or when He addresses those who, being outside their own hearts, judge and pronounce verdicts on everything happening around them, saying: ‘Let him who is without sin cast the first stone at her’—referring to the woman who was visibly sinful, the adulteress.”
Patriarch Porfirije concluded by saying, “Let us strive, as much as we can, to make this prayer of St. Ephraim the Syrian our own way of life, repeating it unceasingly so that it may become part of our daily existence. May God grant us humility before the throne of the living God, before Christ, before His throne—which is not far from us, but within us, in our hearts.
For this reason, we must continually immerse ourselves—through prayer and spiritual effort—into the depths of our hearts. There, in seeking Christ, we will also find the answers to the countless questions that trouble us, especially those that concern our very selves.
May this first week of the fast be blessed, and may God grant that we reach the Sunday of Orthodoxy with spiritual joy, inner peace, and mutual love, and with our hearts filled with love for God, for His entire creation, and for our fellow human beings.
May this prayer be blessed!”
