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You are here: Home / News / Sunday of the Publican and the Pharisee & the Gate to Lent

Sunday of the Publican and the Pharisee & the Gate to Lent

February 20, 2021 at 8:35 am

Today, February 21, we celebrate the Sunday of the Publican and the Pharisee and begin the use of the Triodion (the service book of the Orthodox Church that provides the texts for the divine services for the pre-Lenten weeks of preparation, Great Lent, and Holy Week).

‘Open unto me, O Giver of Life, the gates of repentance . . .’ sings the Church at Matins for the first of the four Sundays which prepare us for Lent. Indeed, this Sunday could be thought of as a gate: a gate through which we enter the sacred period which leads us on to Easter; a gate which opens into that atmosphere of repentance, to that life of repentance which Lent should bring to each one of us. But we must remember that the word “penitence” or “repentance” is a translation of the Greek gospel term metanoia: and that this means “change of spirit”. Much more is involved than the observance of some kind of outward repent ance. What is asked of us is radical change, renewal, conversion.

The Year of Grace of the Lord: A Scriptural and Liturgical Commentary on the Calendar of the Orthodox Church by Fr. Lev Gillet

Filed Under: News Tagged With: Great Lent

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Four Evangelists Orthodox Church is a mission parish of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the USA, a jurisdiction under the archpastoral care of the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople.
Ukrainian Orthodox Church USA and the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople

General Service Times

We warmly invite you to join us during any of our worship services. All are welcome! See our calendar for specific events and/or changes.

Sunday
Prayers of the Hours: 8:45AM*
Divine Liturgy: 9:00AM

Saturday
Evening Vespers: 6:00PM*

* Confession available upon request

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