Hieromonk Methodius (Savelov-Iogel) – Sunday of Forgiveness.

The Great Fast is preceeded by the Sunday of Forgiveness – the day when we,mutually and sincerely from our hearts, forgive one another's offenses.

To forgive offenses... What can be harder? Yet, at the same time, what can be sweet as this? The root of offences sits deeply in each man's heart.

With pain and over time, we are able to throw off and expel grudges.

But, when you'just master yourself, when you just collect enough strength to tear out and cast aside those things that are so sickly and which deeply sit in one's soul, bright joy at once relieves us of the state of darkness and agitation with the forgiveness of offences and injuries and brings us to the daring possibility to pray to our Father: "Forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors."

Often, in our time, men would talk of paradise and hell with a skeptical smile. Man does not understand that he carries both paradise and hell in his soul, already being on earth.

Remember the day of having partaken of Holy Communion – the day when it was especially real and as far as possible, one experienced in his soul that she (the soul) was with Christ. Remember that moment when you, in spite of man's law, righteously acted according to God's truth; you forgave offences, gave away to the last poor man, and there was, whatever easiness and calm was in your soul, spiritual joy and peace.

And now, here, you acted against the voice of conscience. In vain do you search for a kind of excuse,some kind of explanation for your behaviour.

You are not at peace.... The heart is being gnawed by anquish, often by irritation, bitterness, and a repulsion of Christ's love. In the soul, hell opens and one experiences the fire of hell. In this horror, there is the falling away from love.

All Lent, especially Great Lent, always direct us to the door of paradise from the valley of sins; and to let go of grudges and offences, to pull out the root of ill-will and enmity, to overcome hell in our hearts and to actively strive to enter into our Father's Kingdom.

So then, let us mutally free each other from our offences and grief. Let us abandon quarrels, feuds and enmity..

Is it really better to remain with these (sins) and and to be without God' s love?

Is it not true that without God, man cannot live? But it is his grief, when God brings true and life- giving change that by his self-will, he makes his passions into false idols.

God is love. Abiding in love is abiding in God.

And, if we feel ourselves far away from this Love, then, seek at least to be a little farther away from enmity, anger and malice and try to overcome whatever the face of life itself calls us to, today (Forgiveness Sunday), as we stand at the very threshold of Great Lent.

 

Hieromonk Methodious March 1937, Harbin.

 

The Casting out of Adam form Paradise. Sunday of Forgiveness. Blessings the Russian Convent of Our Lady of Vladimir. Feb 24/ Mar 8 1992, p. 18-19. From book "Before the Eyes of God's Truth" , first published in Harbin in 1942.

17.03.2024