Forgiveness Sunday
Teacher of wisdom, Giver of reason, Distorter of the unwise and Protector of the weak, strengthen and understand my heart, Bishop. You give me words of wisdom, Words of my father: Do not forbid my mouth to call You: Merciful, have mercy on me fallen. (cond)
The last preparatory week before Great Lent is dedicated to the commemoration of the Exile of Adam. In this week's hymnography, the fall of our first parents Adam and Eve is mentioned, which explains the necessity of fasting. Adam and Eve did not keep the first fast, and fell through intemperance and disobedience, and now we, through the voluntary acceptance of feats of abstinence and obedience to the Church, can rise up and regain the heavenly bliss that they lost. At the Liturgy, the Gospel is read, which suggests that we forgive the sins of our neighbors and that we fast not only for others to see, but for our own purification. The fourth and final step of our preparation is forgiveness. The Gospel clearly tells us that if we do not forgive each other's sins, the Lord will not forgive our sins either. Also, in the Lord's prayer we pray that the Lord forgives us as we forgive others.
Father Aleksandar Shmeman talks about the importance of forgiveness: "To forgive another, to receive forgiveness from another!" It is a real return from alienation to unity, from hatred to love, from division to union. Because forgiving another is not easy at all. We often talk about the fact that we "don't even pay attention" to other people's shortcomings - and even worse - that we "raised our hands from other people". So isn't that indifference, isn't that contempt and isn't that cynicism? To forgive another and receive forgiveness from another can only he who has felt and understood with his whole being all the horror of the absence of love in the world, all the bottomless sadness of man's loneliness to which man has condemned himself with his self-love and his pride. All of this is contained in the prayer that the Church addresses to God on Forgiveness Sunday: "Do not turn away Your face from me, because I am grieving...". (from the book Secrets of the Holidays)
This week, the Church also reminds us of all the bright examples of God's pleasing people who spent fasting and feats, so that we too could follow their example. The liturgy adapts to the theme of forgiveness as the final stage of our readiness to begin the fasting journey.
We thank you, Christ our God, that you have directed the present time of fasting to our salvation, and in a short time skillfully healed our greatest spiritual wounds and stripped us of a multitude of sins.
We pray to you, all-merciful, remove from us, during the fasting period, all Pharisaic hypocrisy and Judean stubbornness. Drive away (from us) arrogance due to abstinence and remove every forbidden deed, word and thought. Fill us with the Holy Spirit, the light and truth that you legislated. Strengthen us in the fight against passion; strengthen us in the war against sin. Prepare us to abstain from food and stay away from evil deeds in order to follow You, Who through fasting showed us victory over the devil, and were partakers of death and resurrection, and enjoyed the eternal life that You have prepared for those who are hungry and thirsty for Your justice.
Through fasting and faith in You, strengthen our people in the fight against every enemy.
Because You are our God and Savior, and You deserve the glory, with the beginningless Father and Your most holy and gentle and life-giving Spirit, now and always and to the ages of ages. Amen
(Prayer of Forgiveness Sunday)
In all our temples, the so-called Praschalno vespers is served on the evening of Syropusnu Sunday, which in its order contains some peculiarities. Vespers is customary until the evening entrance, and after the prayer of the Saint, a great Lenten prokimmen is sung, which we will sing alternately with another great Lenten prokimmen during the Holy Forty, also on Sunday vespers. During the chanting of this prokimen, the presbyter takes off his ceremonial clothes and puts on a purple or purple epitrachilus, and from this moment the order of the vespers acquires a Lenten character, which means that we have already entered the great and holy period of the Holy Forty. At the end of the worship service, we ask each other for forgiveness and we forgive each other, so that fully prepared and reconciled with everyone, we can enter the path of exploits.
Archbishop Averkije (Taushev) mentions a beautiful monastery practice: In the Holy Land, many ascetics went to spend the entire Great Lent in the desert after Vespers, and would not return to their monastery until Lazarus Saturday. Many would not even experience the return. Precisely because of such people, it was accepted that during this touching ceremony of mutual forgiveness, the verses of Passover are sung: "May God be risen" and "Pasha Svyaščenaja nam djes pokasja". Singing these songs is still common in many monasteries. It encourages the weakness of people, who seem to be afraid of long days of strict fasting, and brings us to the very limit of the bright celebration of the feast of the Resurrection of Christ.
Lent spring has come! Flower of repentance;
Let's cleanse ourselves, brothers and sisters, of all evils,
Crying out to the giver of light, Glory to you, Kiss of Man! Let's begin the joyful season of Lent,
Having prepared for spiritual feats. Let's cleanse the soul,
Let's clean the body. Let's refrain from food
so also from all passions, delighting in the virtues of the spirit,
so that, by perfecting ourselves in them with love, we would all be worthy to see in spiritual joy the most honorable suffering of Christ God and His Holy Resurrection!
(Stichire na Gospodi vozvah weekly in the evening of Syropus Sunday)

Source: SPC