Not Any Prayer Is Accepted By God, But Only The Prayer Said In Lowliness
On 9 February 2014, the Orthodox Church is on the 33rd Sunday after the Pentecost, also named of the Tax Collector and of the Pharisee. The evangelical pericope of Saint
Evangelist Luke, 18:10-14, about the Tax collector and the Pharisee was read in all churches.
The Orthodox Church began the period of the Triode
This Sunday marked the beginning of the Triode for the Orthodox Church, one of the three great divisions of the liturgical year.
In the sermon delivered in the Chapel of the Patriarchal Residence dedicated the Saint Gregorythe Enlightener, His Beatitude Daniel, Patriarch of the Romanian Orthodox Church spoke about the period of the church year which we have just begun, named the Triode.
We all need devoted prayer, sincere repentance, mercy shown to those in need and restrain
This period of preparation, before beginning the Lent has a special significance due to the way the Church chose to read the Evangelical Pericopes, showed the Patriarch of Romania. During thefirst Sunday of the four ones before the Lent, named the Sunday of the Tax collector and of the Pharisee we are shown that the first stage in the spiritual climbing to the resurrection of the soul from the death of the sin and preparation for the feast of the Resurrection of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ or Holy Easter is the stage of the devoted prayer. The second Sunday of the preparatory period, the Sunday of the prodigal son shows us the need or stage of climbing to Resurrection, the stage of sincere repentance. The third stage is symbolised by the Sunday of the Frightening Judgement, which is the stage of the generous mercy, and the fourth one is theSunday of Adam’s expulsion from Paradise because he has not fasted; this thing shows us the importance of fasting or restraint from greed in order to get the merciful generous love”.
God, be merciful to me, a sinner
The Patriarch of the Romanian Orthodox Church has also spoken both about the devoted prayer of the tax collector and about the proud attitude of the Pharisee: “We see in the Pharisee’s attitude the prayer of a proud man, with his soul full of his own importance. Because he was full of his own importance there was no more room in him for the presence of God or for the love for his fellow beings, as he was bragging himself and judging others. At the same time, in the same church, the devoted tax collector, his eyes looking down, was praying God with much sorrow in his heart: God, be merciful to me, a sinner”.
God prefers a devoted sinner to a proud righteous
The Patriarch of the Romanian Orthodox Church underlined the fact that not any prayer is accepted by God, but only the prayer said in lowliness: “Christ, our Lord, tells us that out of these two people, of the proud Pharisee and the repenting sinner tax collector, the latter one, namely the tax collector went back home improved. Thus, we see that God prefers a repenting sinner to a proud righteous. This thing shows us that not any prayer is accepted by God, but only the prayer said in state of lowliness. Thus, the true prayer is first of all glorification of God for all His boons shown to us, thanksgiving for the help received from Him, and prayer to receive further help, all our life”.
Let us follow the virtues of the Pharisee and the lowliness of the tax collector
“The Triode, the Matins service, emphasises the importance of the devoted prayer, while chant V of the Matins urges us to take whatever is good from both of them, namely the virtues of the Pharisee and the lowliness of the tax collector and move away from whatever is wrong, that is the pride of the Pharisee and any other pride that brings about doom. Thus, the book of the Triode makes a synthesis between the virtues of the Pharisee and the lowliness of the tax collector and urges us to practice virtues, fast and be merciful, and to do all these with lowliness”, the Patriarch of Romania also said.
Whenever we sin we must raise ourselves through repentance, and whenever we do good deeds we must cover them with the coat of lowliness
His Beatitude showed that the Gospel of the day is rich in spiritual meaning, and underlined the fact that this opposition between lowliness and pride also shows us the way to salvation, as well as the fight we have to wage on the way to salvation.
“Although the Gospel has little words it has special richness of spiritual meanings, so that this opposition between lowliness and pride also shows us the way to salvation, as well as the fight we have to wage on the way to salvation, namely when we are sinners we must raise ourselves through repentance, while when we do good deeds we must cover them with the coat of lowliness lest they become pride or cause for fall or for spiritual decay just because of exclusivist selfish pride. We see that the Gospel faces us with the danger or dangers that pride can generate, first of all the lack of full communication with God, then a prayer with no sanctifying fruit and fast changing from self content into judgement or accusation of other people. (…) God answers the devoted persistent prayer through the peace and joy bestowed into the soul of the one who prays with lowliness, with love for God and for one’s fellow being”, His Beatitude also said.
Next Sunday, the Orthodox Church will be on the Sunday of the Prodigal Son, the 24th one after the Pentecost.
