Forgiveness Sunday is the last day before we begin our journey through Great and Holy Lent, on our way to Pascha, the Feast of Feasts. With the Holy Feast of Pascha, we celebrate the life-giving Resurrection of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. We celebrate the victory over death, as neither death nor the power of the grave could hold our Savior prisoner. However, this victory came through the Cross, for it was on the Cross that Christ frees us from our bondage to sin. Now, through faith in Him, we are restored, we are transformed, and we are once again capable of eternal life. Therefore, our Lenten journey is a way for us to be united to Him in His Crucifixion and Resurrection.
The Lenten journey is also an opportunity for renewal and reorientation toward God as we strengthen our commitment to Him. It is an opportunity to intensify our ascetic struggle (ἄσκησις in Greek) to actualize our potential to become saints by nurturing the transformative and sanctifying power of the Holy Spirit in our lives. During Great Lent, wefast to open the door to a deeper spiritual dimension. We also intensify our prayer life to strengthen our bond with God, and we engage in works of charity to learn to love others more fully. The Gospel reading for Forgiveness Sunday prepares us for the beginning of our Lenten journey by setting out the Lord’s basic teachings on fasting, praying, and giving.
There is a fundamental connection between forgiveness and prayer. Our Lord taught us to pray in simplicity and truth. He gave us the Lord’s Prayer, where we call on God to “forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us.” Christ then tells us, “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 your trespasses.” We might fall or miss the mark at many points throughout our lives, and it is only through the love and mercy of God that we can be reconciled to Him. We do not approach forgiveness as a contractual undertaking. We forgive because we trust and give ourselves over completely to God’s infinite love and compassion.
This reconciliation with God requires that we take on His qualities of love and mercy towards humankind. We learn in the parable of the unforgiving servant (Matthew 18:21-35) that it is insincere to seek the mercy and forgiveness of God when we are not willing to be merciful to others. Nothing makes us more like God than being ready to forgive the wicked and wrongdoers, just as He taught when He spoke of making the sun shine on both the evil and the good. Forgiveness may sometimes be a process that takes time. What is most important is our willingness to participate in the process. Recognizing our own sinfulness, we understand the depth of our need for forgiveness.
The Lord similarly teaches us about fasting. It is essential for us to understand both why and how we fast. In part, we fast to share in Christ’s fasting at the beginning of His earthly ministry. As the ancient nation of Israel spent 40 years in the desert, so the Lord was led to the desert by the Holy Spirit, and there He fasted forty days and forty nights while He was tempted (Matthew 4:1-11). He was victorious over all the temptations the enemy put before Him. He then began His ministry on earth. Jesus, as the Second Adam, was victorious through fasting, whereas the first Adam failed to fast from the fruit of the tree and fell into sin (Genesis 3). As Saint Basil says, “We have been injured by sin; let us be healed by repentance. But repentance is futile without fasting . . . It is because we did not fast that we were banished from Paradise. So let us fast that we may return to it.”
Following in Jesus’s steps, we fast so that we learn discipline. Through our efforts, with the grace of God, we learn to control the passions which seek to rule over us. We grow in self-control, so our appetite and body no longer dominate us. Our prayer life improves as we simplify our lifestyle, becoming less preoccupied with cooking, eating, and entertainment. The Church calls on us to become less materialistic and more spiritual, think more about our salvation, and take a few weeks during Lent to put aside worldly concerns. As a result, we learn restraint and abstinence, which bring about spiritual growth and purity of heart. One of the most significant benefits of fasting is that it helps us grow spiritually. Fasting from food teaches us how to fast from sin, as both involve denying our impulsive desires and urges. We also fast to understand and empathize with our sisters and brothers who are hungry and in need. We fast in preparation to receive our Savior during Holy Week and the Great Feast of Pascha.
However, it is essential to understand how to best approach fasting to maximize the spiritual benefits. Our fasting from food is only beneficial if we also seek fellowship with God and others. That is why fasting cannot be separated from prayer, forgiveness, and almsgiving. An active participation in the sacramental life of the Church is also necessary. Parishes throughout the world offer Presanctified Liturgies during the week in order to spiritually sustain the faithful in the period of Great Lent. Through Holy Communion, Christ Himself sustains our fasting efforts throughout the week. Fasting accomplishes its purposes only when it is not an end in itself, but a means of encountering Christ. As we fast, we focus on our own struggle, not on the efforts of others. We remember that the Pharisee fasted from food twice a week, but his heart was full of pride and judgment for others, so he could not benefit from fasting. The Lord, however, teaches us to fast with joy and in communion with Him: “Anoint your head and wash your face, that your fasting may not be seen by men but by your Father who is in secret; and your Father who sees in
secret will reward you” (Matthew 6:17-18).
The Lord further tells us not to store up treasures on earth, but treasures in heaven, for where our treasure is, there our heart will also be. We know this instinctively when we think of our loved ones. Our children represent our treasure, as do our parents, spouses, brothers and sisters, friends, and everyone we love. They are our treasures because we love them, so our hearts are with them. During Lent, we are presented with the opportunity to cultivate those relationships, but to also critically assess whether our hearts seek to cherish money, possessions, status, or other worldly things. These may not necessarily be evil if used for God’s glory, but they are not an end in themselves. To accumulate treasures in heaven means letting go of our attachment to worldly things, trusting in God, setting our heart on Him, and serving others in love. May we open ourselves to God’s love and grace as we begin Great and Holy Lent.
May it be a time of renewal and growth for all of us. May we draw ever closer to God, forgiving all injuries and insults, learning discipline and self-control over food, thoughts, words, and actions, and growing in love for God and each other. Our journey toward Pascha will place us on the path where His Cross can lead us completely to our own resurrection.
