Dear Brothers and Sisters,

Congratulations with the feast of the Resurrection of the Lord as well as the second preparatory Sunday before the beginning of Great Lent!

If the main theme of last week’s Gospel reading was humility, then today’s Gospel tells us about how a humble person can acquire true and deep repentance.  Let’s call to mind the humility of the young, self-loving, greedy, and impatient son, which appeared once he had squandered everything, found himself hungry and without any support, and when he realized that he was powerless to better his own life.  The first thing he did was to remember his father’s house.  He remembered everything that was good, while at the same time forgetting all the unpleasant, difficult moments that may have taken place in the past.  In his mind and heart he humbled himself and came to terms with the idea that he had been wrong to leave home.  Secondly, he humbled himself and realized that he had to return to his father, confess his sin before him, and
acknowledge that he was in the wrong.  Finally, we can note that he understood that, having spent all his inheritance which he had received from his father, he no longer had a right to demand anything or to count himself as a son.  He humbled himself with the thought that his only hope is his father’s mercy.  

Having accepted these good and humble thoughts, this young man set out for home.  Without a doubt he experienced attacks from the Devil along the way. The evil one reminded him of past wrongs and sent him all manner of contrary thoughts (including thoughts that he isn’t as sinful as he first thought, or that his father won’t forgive him, will scold him, and drive him out, etc.).  Despite these attacks, the younger son was not driven off course and arrived home safely.  

Once he had arrived at home, another unforeseen situation could have derailed his intentions.  His father came out to greet him and accepted him with deep love and joy.  The following thought could have entered into the son’s mind: “Why should I continue to humble myself and beg for forgiveness? My father has already welcomed me home as his son.  There’s no point in humiliating myself.  Everything has turned out well, without me having to admit to my faults.”  Here, as was the case along the way, he again shows his humility and fastness of spirit, and falls to the feet of his father, begging for forgiveness.  The merciful father forgives him and accepts him once again into the ranks of his sons.  

This journey towards repentance should be familiar to each of us.  Like this son, we also abandon the house of our Heavenly Father when we sin.  If we find the spiritual strength to humble ourselves, we also come to the realization that we made mistakes and that we must repent.  Next, a spiritual struggles arises within us.  We begin to say things like:
    “Did I really sin? Maybe not, because…”
    “Yes, I made a mistake, but that’s because…”
    “Yes, perhaps I was wrong, but he or she is much worse…”
    “I’m ashamed to tell the priest at confession.”
    “I’ll tell the priest, but there is no way I’ll ask the person I offended for forgiveness, because… etc.”  
And in such a way our path to repentance ends in failure.  Sometimes we manage to reach home and both God and that person against whom we have sinned come out to meet us.  Seeing that they have already forgiven us or that they didn’t even notice that we had sinned against them, we again can forget about humility and prematurely end the penitential process.  

Today, as we did last week, let’s pray that those trials that the Lord sends our way do not pass without benefiting us, and that through them we acquire a humble heart.  Let’s also pray that, through humility, we are able to successfully traverse the difficult and long penitential path of Great Lent.  At the end of this path our crucified Saviour, with outstretched hands, is waiting for us.  He is ready to accept each person into His embrace.  Let’s also remember the final words of the Paschal matins service, which, God willing, we’ll hear at the conclusion of Lent and try to spend the next two months in such a way that we will in truth be able to forgive, through Christ’s Resurrection, those who hate us.

priest Alexis