Sunday February 5 (1/23 old calendar) - 02/05/12

Sunday February 5 (1/23 old calendar)
Matins: Matt. 28:16-20 Liturgy: 2 Tim. 3:10-15 Luke 18:9-14

       Hieromartyr Clement, Bishop of Ancyra, and Martyr Agathangelus. St. Paulinus the Merciful, Bishop of Nola. St. Mausimas the Syrian, monk. St. Salamanes the Silent of the Euprates, monk. St. Gennadius of Kostroma, monk. Commemoration of the Sixth Ecumenical Council. St. Eusubius, recluse of Mt. Coryphe near Antioch. Translation of the Relics of St. Theoctistus, Bishop of Novgorod. St. Lupicinus of Lipidiaco (Gaul). Repose of Abbot Damascene of Valaam (1881).

Monday February 6 (1/24 old calendar)
St. Xenia of Petersburg, fool-for-Christ
St. Xenia of Rome and her two female slaves.

       St. Macedonius, hermit of Syria. Martyrs Babylas of Sicily and his two disciples, Timothy and Agapius. Translation of the Relics of St. Anastasius the Persian. Martyrs Paul, Pausirius, and Theodotian, of Egypt. St. Philo, Bishop of Kalpa in Cyprus. St. Philippicus the presbyter. Martyr Barsimaeus of Syria and his two brothers. St. Zosimas, Bishop of Babylon in Egypt. St. Dionysius of Olympus and Mt. Athos. Martyr John of Kazan. St. Gerasimus, Bishop of Perm.

Tuesday February 7 (1/25 old calendar)

       St. Gregory the Theologian, Archbishop of Constantinople. St. Publius, ascetic of Syria. St. Mares the Singer of Syria. Martyrs Felicitas of Rome and seven sons: Januarius, Felix, Philip, Silvanus, Alexander, Vitalis, and Martial. St. Moses, Archbishop of Novgorod. St. Castinus, Bishop of Byzantium. St. Demetrius Skevophylax of Constantinople. Martyr Medula and her companions. St. Apollo of Thebes, monk. Icon of the Most Holy Theotokos "Assuage My Sorrow" Icon of the Most Holy Theotokos "Unexpected Joy".

Wednesday February 8 (1/26 old calendar)

       St. Xenophon and his wife, St. Mary, and their two sons, Saints Arcadius and John, of Constantinople. St. Symeon "the Ancient" of Mt. Sinai. Martyrs Ananias presbyter, Peter, and seven soldiers, in Phoenicia. Translation of the Relics of St. Theodore, abbot of the Studion. St. Joseph, Bishop of Thessalonica, brother of St. Theodore of the Studion. St. Gabriel, abbot at Jerusalem, and St. Ammon, disciple of St. Anthony the Great. St. David III, king of Georgia. Two Martyrs of Phrygia. St. Clement of Mt. Stirion, monk. St. Xenophon of Robika, monk.

Thursday February 9 (1/27 old calendar)

       Translation of the relics of St. John Chrysostom, Archbishop of Constantinople. St. Peter of Egypt. New-Martyr Demetrius at Constantinople. St. Titus the Soldier, monk of the Kiev Caves. New Hieromartyr Peter Zverev (1929). Translation of the Relics of St. Marciana the Queen to the Church of the Holy Apostles. St. Claudinus, monk.

Friday February 10 (1/28 old calendar)

       St. Ephraim the Syrian St. Theodosius, abbot of Totma (Vologda). St. Paladius the hermit of Antioch. St. Ephraim, wonderworker of Novotorzhk. St. Ephraim, Bishop of Pereyaslavl (Kiev Caves). St. Isaac the Syrian, Bishop of Ninevah (ascetic writer). St. James the Ascetic of Porphyrianos. Martyr Charis.

Saturday February 11 (1/29 old calendar)

       Translation of the Relics of Hieromartyr Ignatius the God-bearer, Bishop of Antioch St. Laurence, recluse of the Kiev Caves. Martyrs Romanus, James, Philotheus, Hyperechius, Abibus, Julian, and Paregorius, at Samosota. Martyrs Silvanus, Bishop of Emesa, Luke the deacon, and Mocius (Mucius) the reader. St. Aphraates of Persia, monk. St. Barsimaeus, Bishop of Edessa. Saints Gerasimus, Pitirim, and Jonah, Bishops of Perm. New-Martyr Demetrius of Chios. St. Andrew Rublev, iconographer. St Sulpicius Severus, disciple of St Martin of Tours.

Sunday of the Publican and the Pharisee

       The Sunday of the Publican and the Pharisee is the first Sunday of a three-week period prior to the commencement of Great Lent. It marks the beginning of a time of preparation for the spiritual journey of Lent, a time for Orthodox Christians to draw closer to God through worship, prayer, fasting, and acts of charity. It is also on this day that the Triodion is introduced, a liturgical book that contains the services from this Sunday, the tenth before Pascha (Easter), to Great and Holy Saturday.
       The name for this Sunday is taken from the parable of our Lord Jesus Christ found in Luke 18:10-14. This is the story of two men, one a Pharisee, a member of a Jewish sect known for its diligent observance of the Law, and the other a Publican, a government official charged with the responsibility of collecting taxes.
       Both men enter the temple, and the Pharisee stands openly and prays, thanking God that he is not like other men, specifically extortionists, the unjust, adulterers, “or even this tax collector”. He then begins to list his religious accomplishments by stating, “I fast twice a week, and I give tithes of all that I possess”.
       In direct contrast to the pride of the Pharisee, the Publican goes to a place where he will not be noticed by others and beats his breast saying, “God, be merciful to me a sinner!”.
       Having told this story, Jesus affirms that it was the Publican who returned home justified and forgiven rather than the Pharisee. He states, “Everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted”.
       The theme of this parable is repentance. Repentance is the door through which we enter Lent, the starting-point of the journey to Pascha. To repent signifies far more than self-pity or futile regret over things done in the past. The Greek term for repentance, ‘metanoia’, means “change of mind.” To repent is to be renewed, to be transformed in our inward viewpoint, to attain a fresh way of looking at our relationship with God and with others. The fault of the Pharisee is that he has no desire to change his outlook; he is complacent, self-satisfied, and so he allows no place for God to act within him. The Gospel depicts him as a man that is pleased only with himself, who thinks that he has complied with all of the requirements of religion. But in his pride, he has falsified the meaning of true religion and faith. He has reduced these to external observations, measuring his piety by the amount of money he gives.
       The Publican, on the other hand, truly longs for a “change of mind.” He humbles himself, and his humility justifies him before God. He becomes, in the words of the Sermon on the Mount “poor in spirit.” He acknowledges that he is a sinner, and he knows that salvation is only found in the mercy of God. Here we find an example of true humility, an essential aspect of repentance. A “change of mind” and the transformation of our lives can only happen when we humble ourselves before God, acknowledge our willingness to turn from sin, and receive His grace into our lives.
       Our preparation for Lent thus begins with a prayer for humility, the beginning of true repentance. Through repentance, we can find and return to the true order of things, a restoration of our spiritual vision that will guide us in a very difficult and challenging world. By entering Great Lent in humility and repentance, we can attain deeper communion with God as we receive His forgiveness and He blesses by guiding us to greater spiritual heights.