On the second evening of Great Lent, His Grace Patriarchal Auxiliary Bishop Paisie of Sinaia officiated the Great Compline with the Great Canon at the Patriarchal Cathedral, describing it as “the dialogue of the sinful man with his own conscience before God.”
Patriarchal Auxiliary Bishop Paisie continued this penitential canon “is not the repentance of a single individual, but the repentance of the entire fallen human nature.”
“In these prayers of repentance, the entire human nature is encompassed, yearning for renewal through the grace of God.”
A Call to Repentance
His Grace explained the deep spiritual atmosphere of the Triodion period, particularly during Great Lent, when the entire Church enters a state of repentance. He emphasized how the language of the liturgical services and even visual elements, such as the clergy’s dark vestments, reflect this penitential state.
“During this time, the entire language of the Church changes, especially in the services, becoming an ongoing call to repentance. The whole Church is in a state of repentance! We see this not only in the dark-colored vestments of the clergy but especially in the prayers of the Church, the most succinct yet powerful of which is: Have mercy on me, O God, have mercy on me!”
By repeatedly praying Have mercy on me, O God, have mercy on me!, the bishop emphasized, “we acknowledge that we can do nothing by ourselves for our salvation, that our entire salvation—the attainment of eternal life—depends solely on God’s mercy.”
“This is why the Church’s prayers during this period are, above all, prayers of repentance. The hymns of this season tell us that the Gates of Repentance are the gates of salvation.”
The Church’s Lenten Hymns
During this season, Bishop Paisie of Sinaia highlighted that the Church underscores, through its hymns, the essential truth of turning back to God through repentance.
“The hymns of this period remind us that the Gates of Repentance are the doors to salvation. The Gates of Repentance are the gates of the Kingdom of God, and no one can attain salvation without repentance. That is why the Holy Fathers of the desert were, above all, men of repentance. They taught the entire Church the fundamental truth that without repentance, there is no salvation.”
“Let us pray to our Savior Jesus Christ to grant us the strength to unite repentance with prayer, fasting with almsgiving, and love for God and neighbor, so that we may receive divine help on this spiritual journey toward the Resurrection, with the hope of attaining salvation,” concluded His Grace Bishop Paisie of Sinaia on March 4.
The Great Canon: A Journey of Penitence
The Great Canon of Saint Andrew of Crete, a liturgical hymn of repentance recalling the history of salvation, is recited on the first four evenings of Lent. To reinforce the necessity of a conscience free from passions, the Church has also ordained its complete reading in the fifth week of Lent.
Photo: Lumina Newspaper / Luigi Ivanciu
