On Sunday, February 9, 2025, when the Church commemorates the Parable of the Publican and the Pharisee, Metropolitan Arsenios of Austria presided over the Hierarchical Divine Liturgy at the Holy Trinity Cathedral in Vienna.
Accompanying the Metropolitan in the service was Protopresbyter of the Ecumenical Throne, Ioannis Nikolitisis. Following the conclusion of the service, an event was held in the “Rigas Feraios” hall, featuring the participation of the Choir and the Byzantine Chanting Group of the Holy Metropolis, on the occasion of the cutting of the Vasilopita (New Year’s cake) of the Philoptochos Society and the beginning of the solemn period of the Triodion.
In his sermon, the Metropolitan spoke about the two categories of people presented in the Gospel passage. The Lord, in the Parable, describes the manner of prayer of the Pharisee, who began well by offering praise to God and by adhering to the Law of Moses. However, he ultimately fell into self-promotion, self-righteousness, and judgment, failing to entrust himself to God’s mercy and condemning the grieving Publican. “In this way,” the Metropolitan noted, “the Pharisee deprived himself of God’s infinite goodness, as he praised himself for his virtues without attributing them to the Lord.”
In contrast, the Publican, by crying out, “God, be merciful to me, a sinner,” gained the mercy of the Almighty through his humility and established a relationship with Him, despite his previous sinful life, which should have excluded him from such grace. Drawing from this parable, the Metropolitan urged the faithful to follow the spiritual program of the local Church in a spirit of repentance and to seek God’s grace and mercy through solemn services. He explained that this period of the Triodion should be approached with humility, repentance, true fasting, and a return to the inner self of the heart. By living in this manner, we strive to fulfill all the necessary conditions so that, through God’s grace, we may become partakers of the Resurrection.
The Metropolitan emphasized that the Triodion is not merely a journey but a sacred initiation that helps us experience our personal Pascha—the passage to the new life of the eighth day. He wished everyone a blessed and spiritually enriching Triodion, encouraging active participation in the Church’s worship services and a shared journey toward the Kingdom of God, beginning here and now.
Following the dismissal, an event was held in the “Rigas Feraios” hall for the cutting of the Philoptochos Society’s Vasilopita, where refreshments and various treats were offered to all attendees. The event was enriched by musical performances from the Adult Choir, conducted by Ing. Xanthí Tokmakidou-Trifunovic, as well as from the School of Byzantine Music and Traditional Instruments and the Byzantine Chanting Group, under the direction of the Protopsaltis of the Holy Metropolis of Austria, Mag. Dimitrios Apostolakis, and the Lampadarios Georgios Dimitriou.
The Metropolitan expressed his gratitude to everyone for their efforts and once again extended his best wishes to all. The gathering also provided an opportunity for discussion and exchange of thoughts.
Translated by Ioanna Georgakopoulou
