The Lord is everything to me. He is the strength of my heart and the light of my intellect. He inclines my heart to everything good; He strengthens it; He also gives me good thoughts; He is my rest and my joy; He is my faith hope and love.
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Forgiveness Sunday
Today marks the transition from the period of preparation for great Lent to the start of great Lent itself. While this Sunday is specifically called Forgiveness Sunday the mercy of God and forgiveness is a recurring theme throughout this period.
In the parable of the Publican and the Pharisee we see the tax collector recognising and declaring his sin and being forgiven, while in the parable of the Prodigal Son we see him coming to realise the desperation of his condition and turning back towards his father, although perhaps without explicit recognition of the extent of his fault. However he too is forgiven after acknowledging his dependence on the mercy and love of his father. So we are shown that the mercy of God is limitless. However in the account of the last judgement we are presented with the stark challenge that we shall be judged according to our works and that the standard is impossibly high. How can these contrasts be reconciled?
In today’s gospel reading we are shown a way forward. “If you forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father also will forgive you; but if you do not forgive men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive men their trespasses.” We have been shown the way, it is for us to take most seriously this command. Nevertheless there is a great challenge here. To forgive those who have wronged us, or hurt us, it is not sufficient to forgive with conscious thought only, but from our hearts, and to extinguish any residual resentment which may flare up. Indeed it may be necessary to forgive the same offence many times before we truly forgive our brother from our heart.
Now today’s gospel reading also contains instructions for an important aspect of Great Lent, that of fasting, or abstinence from certain foods. As we see from the parable of the Pharisee and the Publican, the Pharisee takes pride in his fasting and makes known that he does so. The fact that he approaches it in the wrong way does not make it optional. Fasting is necessary but not sufficient. It is not a matter of mechanically following certain rules. Instead we must do so wholeheartedly, not as an end in itself but as a means to the end of become more like Christ himself, to develop self-discipline, to deepen our prayers, and to follow through with love of our neighbour, that is anyone with whom we come in contact in our daily lives, and to engage in charitable acts. While the standard is set very high, Saint Paul offers some comfort to all of us who are entering on this journey. We are not to judge one another, but each of us should do our best to improve our observance, remembering always that is a means to the end of more fully following Christ himself.
Again we are told not to become enslaved by the riches of our earthly life and the cares that accompany them, for they are insecure and transient, but to concentrate on the treasures that come from God’s mercy and the hope that we place in Him.
As we look forward to the start of great Lent, and our journey towards the Passion and Resurrection of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, let us truly ask forgiveness and grant it in reconciliation with each other, in the service of vespers of forgiveness later today.
Finally throughout Great Lent let us take to our hearts, as inspiration and comfort, the prayer of Saint Ephrem the Syrian: “O Lord and Master of my life, do not permit the spirit of laziness and meddling, the lust for power and idle talk to come into me. Instead, grant me, Your servant, the spirit of prudence, humility, patience and love. Yes, Lord and King, give me the power to see my own faults and not to judge my brother. For You are blessed unto the ages of ages.
Amen.
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