Sunday before the Great Fast

The readings of the Great Fast start with the most important revelation that God declares about Himself – which the holy church emphasises and focuses on – and that is the fatherhood of God the Father. The fatherhood of God is the motive for His divine plan for our salvation as mankind and the cornerstone of our daily relationship with Him. It is also the underlying desire of our worship, our fasts and prayers and the title and reason for our service. Any worship offered to God outside of the perception of fatherhood or the spirit of sonship is worthless, and makes one live a false pride with prayer that is not genuine. It also makes one think he/she is better than others and causes his/her self-righteousness to become destructive. For we do not worship God from our ability to do so but because of the need of His love, His forgiveness and his godly righteousness. 

As such, the readings of today focus on the divine fatherhood for mankind. The Vespers Psalm starts with talking about the exaltation of God, the ignorance of mankind, and how man believes he or his thoughts is superior to others: “Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth!” (Ps. 46:10) Note that, God is not exalted and elevated above our reality, our pains and our needs, but is exalted above our weaknesses and our thoughts. For His love is greater than our weaknesses and the economy of His love is above our limited understanding. His divine love surpasses the ignorance of all mankind.

The Vespers Gospel shows the value of the faith of the children of God, and the strength and effectiveness of their prayers that move mountains. However, the reading also shows the necessity of Gods children to forgive their brethren. We are truly God’s children when we enjoy His fatherhood and hold onto the brotherly love: “For assuredly, I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, ‘Be removed and be cast into the sea,’ and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that those things he says will be done, he will have whatever he says. … ‘And whenever you stand praying, if you have anything against anyone, forgive him, that your Father in heaven may also forgive you your trespasses’” (Mark 11: 23, 25).

The Matins Psalm makes clear what distinguishes the children of God from the workers or slaves, which is worship with joy and happiness, not because of a specific purpose or because of avarice for certain gifts or because of fear from punishment but because of love for the Father and His care and filiation to Him: “Serve the Lord with gladness; Come before His presence with singing … We are His people and the sheep of His pasture” (Ps. 100: 2, 3). Subsequently, the Matins Gospel confirms the same message that came in the Vesper Gospel, namely that forgiveness of our brethren, a widening heart (i.e. increasing love for others), and faith in the impossible reveals our true sonship to the Father: “If your brother sins against you, rebuke him; and if he repents, forgive him. And if he sins against you seven times in a day, and seven times in a day returns to you, saying, ‘I repent,’ you shall forgive him. … So the Lord said, “If you have faith as a mustard seed, you can say to this mulberry tree, ‘Be pulled up by the roots and be planted in the sea,’ and it would obey you” (Lk. 17: 3 – 4, 6). However at this moment, the Lord rebukes any thought of entitlement to the Fatherhood of God. Our actions are simply a natural reaction to His Fatherhood and His love, that we do not deserve:  “So likewise you, when you have done all those things which you are commanded, say, ‘We are unprofitable servants. We have done what was our duty to do.’” (Lk. 17: 10)

As for the Pauline epistle, it shows how the church reveals the fatherhood of God the Father through the care of fatherhood within the church. It is completely different from the rule of the world which is why the apostle summarises the rule of the world in little words: “For you put up with it if one brings you into bondage, if one devours you, if one takes from you, if one exalts himself, if one strikes you on the face” (2 Cor. 11: 20). However, fatherhood in the church is (amongst others) the endurance of pains and trials, practicing vigil, tears and sorrow, continual prayer, taking heed of everyone and being joyful for those who were far and have returned: “ Are they ministers of Christ?—I speak as a fool—I am more: in labours more abundant, in stripes above measure, … in weariness and toil, in sleeplessness often, in hunger and thirst, in fastings often, in cold and nakedness—besides the other things, what comes upon me daily: my deep concern for all the churches” (2 Cor. 11: 23, 27 – 28).

The Catholic epistle in its turn tells us about the gifts of the Father to His children and the responsibilities of the children towards their Father. His gifts to us are extraordinary, and no manner of human speech (i.e. understanding) is able to grasp this: “As His divine power has given to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him who called us by glory and virtue, by which have been given to us exceedingly great and precious promises, that through these you may be partakers of the divine nature” (2 Pet. 1: 3 – 4) However, at the same time, He seeks the toil/diligence of His children:  “But also for this very reason, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue, to virtue knowledge, 6to knowledge self-control, to self-control perseverance, to perseverance godliness, 7to godliness brotherly kindness, and to brotherly kindness love” (2 Pet. 1: 5 – 7).

The Praxis declares the most important message of the New Testament which is that the Fatherhood of God is (also) for the Gentiles. It was revealed in Christ’s salvation – to whom be all gory – and became (or is) the subject of the church’s ministry:  “When he had greeted them, he told in detail those things which God had done among the Gentiles through his ministry. And when they heard it, they glorified the Lord. …  But concerning the Gentiles who believe, we have written and decided that they should observe no such thing, except that they should keep themselves from things offered to idols, from blood, from things strangled, and from sexual immorality” (Acts 21: 19, 20, 25).

The Liturgy Psalm focuses on the fear of the Lord in God’s children’s life and the authority of the Father over the people. Just as the Matins Psalm shows worship in joy, the Liturgy Psalm is complementary in this by showing worship in reverence and fear: “Serve the Lord with fear, And rejoice with trembling. Now therefore, be wise, O kings; Be instructed, you judges of the earth” (Ps. 2: 11, 10).

The Liturgy Gospel concludes with the incarnated Word proclaiming the Fatherhood of God the Father during the sermon on the mount. As such the Gospel reading mentions the word ‘Father’ ten times to confirm the divine Fatherhood for us, which is the essence of worship, the pinnacle of our relationship (with Him), the joy and desire of our sonship and the manifestation of the church: “But you, when you pray, go into your room, and when you have shut your door, pray to your Father who is in the secret place; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you openly. … In this manner, therefore, pray: Our Father in heaven, … so that you do not appear to men to be fasting, but to your Father who is in the secret place; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you openly” (Matt. 6: 6, 9, 18). Hence, the signs of worship in sonship and fatherhood are almsgiving in secret, prayer in spirit and fasting with joy.