“Humble prayer is the foundation of the true spiritual love”, the Patriarch of Romania said today, 21 February 2016, in the sermon delivered for the faithful present in Patriarchal Cathedral. On this Sunday, the 33rd after Pentecost, His Beatitude Patriarch Daniel celebrated the Divine Liturgy in the place of worship located on the Hill of Joy. His Grace Varlaam Ploieşteanul, Assistant Bishop to the Patriarch concelebrated.
Sunday of the Tax collector and the Pharisee
The Church scheduled for this Sunday Divine Liturgy, which marks the beginning of the Triodion Period, the text on the parable of the Tax collector and the Pharisee.
“Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. The Pharisee stood by himself and prayed: ‘God, I thank you that I am not like other people—robbers, evildoers, adulterers—or even like this tax collector. I fast twice a week and give a tenth of all I get.’ But the tax collector stood at a distance. He would not even look up to heaven, but beat his breast and said, ‘God, have mercy on me, a sinner.’ “I tell you that this man, rather than the other, went home justified before God. For all those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.” (Luke 18:10-14)
The Primate of the Romanian Orthodox Church spoke, in the sermon delivered, about the Triodion church period and showed that “it is a time of preparation for the Holy Easter” and that these weeks “are steps for inner spiritual climbing in order to meet the Crucified and Risen Christ and feel in our souls the light and joy of the resurrection of Christ.”
While speaking about the first three weeks of this preparatory period, His Beatitude explained that “on the Sunday of the Tax Collector and the Pharisee we are shown the importance and utility of humble prayer, on the Sunday of the Prodigal Son we are shown the importance of the sincere repentance, and on the third Sunday, of the Fearsome Judgement, we are shown the importance of the generous mercy, of the deeds of merciful love towards those in need”.
The Church urges us to cultivate both good deeds and much
When speaking about the Sunday of the Tax Collector and Pharisee, the Patriarch of Romania underlined that “this Sunday shows us how great the power of humbleness is”, because “the humbleness of the sinful tax collector was appreciated more than the proud prayer of the virtuous Pharisee who did good deeds, but had no humbleness”.
“This tax collector who had no virtues, the Gospel reads, was better off when he went out of the temple than the Pharisee who was proud. Although first the Gospel creates the impression than God prefers a humble sinner to a proud righteous, yet the Church urges us to cultivate at the same time good deeds and much humbleness. This urge is clearly expressed in the Matins service of the Sunday of the Tax collector and the Pharisee, the 5th chant, which reads: “Let us hasten to follow the Pharisee in his virtues and to emulate the Publican in his humbleness. Let us hate what is wrong in each of them: foolish pride and the defilement of transgressions”. Thus, the Church tells us to do good deeds like the Pharisee, but without the pride of the Pharisee, and to be humble like the tax collector, but not to do the deeds of the tax collector who was greed of money, oppressed his fellow beings, imposed taxes greater than those established by the law. This text Gospel urges us to do good deeds, but with humbleness and always praying with much humbleness”, His Beatitude said.
The Gospel shows us how great the importance of the humble prayer is
His Beatitude explained why we must pray with humbleness and showed that “when human being is in state of humbleness he is full of the humble and merciful love of God”.
“This is why his prayer (of the humble man) is received because if he denies himself, his selfishness, he makes room for the love for his fellow beings and, especially, for the grace and merciful love of God to illuminate his soul and renew his life, to exalt his senses and thoughts. This is why God shows us that His love is humble and merciful in Jesus Christ and that the humble and merciful are loved by God because they resemble God. This episode of the prayer of the Tax collector and of the Pharisee shows us that a man sinful but humble can be a teacher for us”, the Patriarch of the Romanian Orthodox Church explained.
Humble prayer is the foundation of the true spiritual love
“The humble man prays for his own sins as well as for forgiving the sins of the other ones, and the more humble man is, the greater the prayer for other people is”, the Primate of the Romanian Orthodox Church underlined.
“Today’s Gospel shows us that if we pray to the Good Most Holy God with a humble soul, the soul of the humble man is filled with the holiness and kindness of God. In conclusion, it is necessary to remember that the humble prayer is the foundation of the true spiritual love. Nobody can truly love his fellow human being if his love is selfish and proud, disdainful and judging others, because the true love is merciful, according to Saint Paul the Apostle who says that pure love is benevolent, and does not envy or boast”, the Patriarch of Romania said.
During the Divine Liturgy, Archdeacon Ioan Dragomir, Patriarchal Counsellor was ordained priest for the Chapel of the National Cathedral, and the young theologian Mihai Sfarghie was ordained deacon for the Patriarchal Cathedral.
