Romanian Orthodox Patriarch Daniel said on Sunday that, in the Parable of the Pharisee and the Tax Collector, the decisive criterion before God is not outward correctness, but humility of heart, stressing that “God prefers a humble sinner to an arrogant righteous man.”
The Patriarch explained the meaning of the Gospel reading for the 33rd Sunday after Pentecost – the first Sunday of the Triodion period – underlining that the prayer which truly brings a person closer to God is the one offered with awareness of one’s own sinfulness and complete dependence on divine mercy.
“The prayer that raises a person up is prayer offered in humility, with the recognition of one’s limits and faults, while the prayer that prevents a person from drawing near to God and harms him spiritually is prayer made in pride or arrogance,” he said.
Contrast between the Pharisee and the tax collector
Referring to the Pharisee’s attitude in the parable, Patriarch Daniel said that he turns prayer into an act of self-praise and judgment of others.
“The narcissistic Pharisee very quickly transforms thanksgiving to God into self-gratulation, into congratulating himself in the presence of God, as a witness,” he said.
By contrast, the tax collector is presented as a model of repentance and humility, even though his life had been sinful: “The tax collector would not even raise his eyes to heaven, but beat his breast and said: ‘God, be merciful to me, a sinner.’”
Joining good deeds with humility
The Patriarch stressed that it was precisely this humility that made the tax collector pleasing before God.
“From the description of the physical posture and attitudes of the Pharisee and the tax collector during prayer, we understand that prayer is not only the work of the soul, but the work of soul and body together,” he said.
Patriarch Daniel also pointed out that God’s love and mercy do not imply acceptance of sin, noting that “God’s preference for the humility of the tax collector does not mean approval of the tax collector’s sins, nor disregard for the good deeds of the Pharisee.”
The Triodion period
The Patriarch explained that the Triodion season has a deeply pedagogical and spiritual character.
“The Triodion period is a time of more intense humble prayer, of more frequent reading and listening to Holy Scripture, a time of more frequent confession and Holy Communion, but also of greater acts of charity,” he said.
“For this reason, the Triodion period urges us to imitate the good deeds of the Pharisee and, at the same time, to cultivate the humility of the tax collector,” he added.
Preparatory Sundays
The Church has established four preparatory Sundays before Great Lent to show the essential stages of spiritual renewal.
“For the renewal of our spiritual life, for the resurrection of the soul from the death caused by sin, four great works are essential: humble prayer, sincere repentance, generous charity and fasting,” Patriarch Daniel said.
“May the Most Merciful God help this first Sunday of the Triodion period become a good beginning for humble prayer, which also includes prayer for all people, because God desires that all people be saved and come to the knowledge of the truth,” he concluded.
Patriarch Daniel attended the Divine Liturgy on Sunday at the historic Chapel of St George the Great Martyr at the Patriarchal Residence in Bucharest.
Photo: Lumina Newspaper
