Brothers and sisters,
today is the first Sunday of preparation for Great Lent, which is called the Sunday of the Publican and the Pharisee. On this day, during the liturgy, a passage from the Gospel of Luke is read, chapter 18, verses 10-14. These are only four verses. But they have enormous significance. These verses have given rise to a huge number of interpretations, sermons, and even works of art. From year to year and from century to century, Orthodox Christians turn to this Gospel text to find inspiration for Great Lent.
10 Two men went up to the Temple to pray: one a Pharisee and the other a publican.
Of course, the Lord Jesus is referring to the Temple in Jerusalem. In biblical times, this was the only place of worship for God that God Himself established. The Temple had a particularly great significance. It is difficult for us to even imagine how significant this place was. In this sense, you and I are very spoiled. Although the church may be far from home, the place where one can pray to God and bring Him a sacrifice of praise is everywhere. For the Jews of the time of the earthly life of the Lord Jesus, this was impossible.
The Pharisee and the publican "went into the Temple to pray," the Gospel says. When we enter the temple of God, you and I, brothers and sisters, should ask ourselves why we are doing this. Do we enter the temple simply to "light a candle," or perhaps just to sit in silence, or perhaps we are simply brought to the temple by habit or boredom. Often, we who live outside our Orthodox homeland enter the temple simply to be in the company of our acquaintances and friends. Some, for example, the clergy, may go to the church as to their place of work. The Pharisee and the publican entered to pray. This is the most important and first reason for visiting the temple. Let us ask ourselves every time we enter a church whether we have come to pray or for something else.
The Pharisees were people who made the exercise of piety their life's work. The publicans were collaborators with the pagan Roman authorities. They collected taxes for the Romans, and helped the pagans control the People of God. In this sense, each of us is both a publican and a Pharisee. We are constantly trying to live pious lives, and we are constantly working in the service of this world, which is always in some way opposed to God and His Church.
11 The Pharisee stood and prayed thus within himself: God, I thank You that I am not as other men are, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this publican:
What is this prayer that the Pharisee says? It is a ritual prayer. It is what we call a prayer rule in our personal spiritual life. It is what in the liturgical life of the Church is called the daily cycle of worship. The rule that the Pharisee practiced apparently included a section in which he was supposed to thank God for his own piety and condemn the sins. This should not surprise us. After all, when we read the Psalms, we often repeat words in which we condemn sinners, or even ask God to punish them for their sins. For example, in Psalm 101, which we read during the First litrugical Hour, we promise God to fight with sinners from the beginning of each day.
The Pharisee reads the ritual prayer and suddenly turns his attention to a specific person standing next to him. He knows nothing about his circumstances. But he brings down his condemnation on him. The Pharisee asks God to bring down His wrath on him. In this way, he goes beyond the ritual prayer.
12 I fast twice a week, I give tithes of all that I get.
This is a continuation of the ritual prayer. It is an expression of gratitude to God for the sacrifices that a person is able to bring to Him.
13 Now the publican, standing afar off, would not lift up his eyes to heaven, but smote himself on the breast, saying, “God be merciful to me, a sinner!”
The publican’s prayer is a personal prayer. It is a spontaneous appeal to God with a request for repentance. His gestures are connected with the prayer. After all, he stands at a distance, he remains on the threshold of the temple. He does not look to heaven, but bows his head. Finally, the publican strikes himself on the breast. This is a personal prayer. The publican does not use ritual prayer, although in the eyes of the people she was considered the most important.
“God be merciful to me, a sinner.” This is the prayer that became the basis of the Jesus Prayer and other short prayers that are called to revive the soul of an Orthodox Christian
14 I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other: for everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.
Why does the Lord say that the publican "went home justified rather than the Pharisee"? Because personal prayer is more important and higher than ritual prayer.
On the eve of Great Lent, the Church calls us to repentance. Repentance is the destruction of our former selves, it is an attempt to run forward, to where God awaits us. God is man's future. It is necessary to talk to God. Talking to God is prayer.
It is obvious that we, Orthodox Christians, almost always prefer ritual prayer. The prayer rule seems to us a more "reliable" way of addressing God. Therefore, we almost never pray personally, in our own words. And even personal prayer, like the Jesus Prayer, we often turn into a ritual. Therefore, we are very, very far from the publican.
In personal prayer, God personally speaks to a person. God speaks through the words with which the person himself addresses God. That is why personal prayer is so difficult. After all, in it, every word must be weighed. Each word in it is unique, each word has a special gravity. On the eve of Great Lent, let us ask God to teach us to pray so that He hears our words.