Why don’t we observe the Wednesday and Friday fast during the week of the Publican and the Pharisee?
Q: Hello
Father! Why don’t we observe the Wednesday and Friday fast during the week of
the Publican and the Pharisee? Thank you! Respectfully, Olga.
A: The parable of the publican and the Pharisee
gives an image of the spiritual truth that God resisteth the proud, but giveth
grace unto the humble (Js. 4:6). The Pharisees were representatives of the
social-religious trend in Judea during the second century B.C. Their
distinguishing characteristic was an intense zeal for observing the Law of
Moses. Religious life requires that a person be attentive to himself, that he
have moral sensitivity, humility, and pure intentions. If he doesn’t have
these, a hardness of heart gradually creeps in on him. Then a
pseudo-spirituality inevitably comes. The result is spiritual death. If instead
of humility there is self-opinion and pride, instead of sacrificial love there
is spiritual egoism, then it is not hard for the devil to take over such a
person and make him an accomplice in his evil deeds. People who are unbelieving
or spiritually inattentive do not even know or guess how often they do just
what the enemy of our salvation wants them to do.
Phariseeism
is not a vocation or a membership in some kind of religious organization.
Phariseeism is a state of the soul. It begins with self-opinion and
self-aggrandizement. Just as soon as a person’s attention to himself and
strictness with himself relaxes, the first shoots of a dangerous plant appear,
the fruits of which can kill the soul. Death comes as a result of poisoning
with the poison of pride.
The main
moral characteristic of a Pharisee is self-love and egoism, which directs all
the movements of his soul. We rarely think about how much egoism and therefore,
phariseeism we have in ourselves. Our insensitivity to our surroundings, our
constant coldness, the lack of a constant readiness to sacrifice our time,
energy, and convenience for the sake of others shows how far we are from the
repentant publican, who with a contrite heart pronounced only five words, but
departed justified.
 |
| Hieromonk Job (Gumerov) |
By
cancelling the Wednesday and Friday fast during the week of the Publican and
the Pharisee, the holy Church desires to keep us from pharisaical self-complacency,
when the formal observation of Church rules (fasting, prayer rule, and church
attendance) becomes the goal of spiritual life. The holy fathers teach that all
this must be fulfilled, but it must be seen as a means for acquiring spiritual fruits.
The
Pharisees considered themselves to be wise and knowing. But the wisdom that is
from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, and easy to be intreated,
full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality, and without hypocrisy. And
the fruit of righteousness is sown in peace of them that make peace (Js.
3:17-18)
Q: Hello!
Christ tells the parable of the Pharisee and the publican in the temple. The
Pharisee says that he does this and that, including that he fasts two days out
of the week. Tell me, please, what days of the week were these, and why were
they fast days? Thank you! Evgeny.
A: According to the law of Moses there was only
one day established as a day of fasting (Heb. tsum—to draw out) during the
year—on the day of Purificaton (Yom Kippur): Lev. 16:29; Num. 29:7.
Nevertheless, any of the sons of Israel could voluntarily take on a fast. Such
fasts are often written about in the Old Testament. A fast could be for one
day, or it could go on for many days: the prophet Moses on the mountain in the
presence of God spent forty days without food and water (Ex. 34:28), and the
prophet Elias fasted for just as long (3 Kings 19:7-8). Fasting for the Jews
presupposed total abstinence from food. David ate nothing for seven days (2
Kings 12:16-21). The faster usually put on sackcloth, refrained from daily
washing, sprinkled his head with ashes (3 Kings 21:27; Nem. 9:1). The Jews had
voluntary recourse to fasting: 1) Before decisive events, the outcome of which depended
upon God’s mercy; (2 Kings 12:16, 21-23; Eph. 4:3-16, and others); 2) During
sincere repentance and humility before God (1 Kings 7:6; 3 Kings 21:27); Ezd.
10:6; Nem. 9:1); and 3) To attain full communion with God (Ex. 34:28; Deut.
9:9, 18).
In Babylonian
captivity, a one-day fast was established for the Jews: On the ninth day of the
fourth month (tammuza), as a sorrowful remembrance of the Chaldean capture of
Jerusalem (587/6 B.C.), on the tenth day of the fifth month (ava), on which the
city was destroyed and the temple was burned (Jer. 52:12-13), on one of the
days of the seventh month (tishri) in memory of the murder of Godolia (Jer.
41:1-3)
The
Pharisee from the Lord’s parable fasted twice a week voluntarily, and boasted
of it. The Pharisees had a custom of fasting on the fifth day of the week, when
the prophet Moses ascended Mt. Sinai, and on the second, when he descended from
the mountain.
The
prophets condemned external fasts without repentance and humility. The parable
of the publican and the Pharisee speaks of this. Such a fast leads to pride and
spiritual blindness.
Q: Who are
the Pharisees?
A: The
Pharisees (according to one etymology, the Hebrew perushim—set apart) were
representatives of the most influential religious-social trend in Judea. They
are first mentioned in the Gospel of Matthew (3:7-9). The lack of mention of
them in the Old Testament leads us to believe that this sect was formed
significantly later than the conclusion of the canon of sacred Old Testament
books (c. fifth century B.C.). There is a convincing theory by certain
researchers who see the sect of the Pharisees as an answer to Hellenism—the
tendency toward cultural-historical synthesis among the Mediterranean peoples.
This tendency was the result of Alexander the Great’s successful military
campaigns (356-323 B.C.). The Hellenic influence on Israeli society apparently
brought to life this party of zealous defenders of national tradition. Josephus
Flavius first speaks of the Pharisees as one of the three sects (along with the
Sadducees and Essenes) in the thirteenth book of Judaic antiquity (13.5:9),
talking about the activities of one of the Maccabees—the high priest Jonathan
(c. second century B.C.).
The
Pharisees, unlike the Sadducees, accepted the future resurrection, and the
existence of angels and spirits. They preached a strict life, ritual purity,
and exact fulfillment of the law. Representatives of this movement struggled
against pagan influence upon the people, and stood for national independence.
All of this attracted people to them.
But the
farther time separated them from the God-revealed source of truth, the stronger
a purely human origin showed itself in their teachings and actions. Formalism
began to grow. The Lord through Moses forbade the introduction of new
commandments and the repeal of those already given: You shall not add to the
word that I speak to you, neither shall you take away from it: keep the
commandments of the Lord your God which I command you (Deut. 4:2). Despite
this, they introduced 613 new rules: 248 commands (according to the number of
bones in the human body) and 365 prohibitions (according to the number of days
in the year). They ascribed more significance to their innovations than they
did to God’s commandments. The Savior rebuked them for this: Why do ye also
transgress the commandment of God by your tradition? (Mt. 15:3); For laying aside
the commandment of God, ye hold the tradition of men (Mk. 7:8). They
characteristically treated with contempt sinners, publicans, and people not of
the book: But this people who knoweth not the law are cursed (Jn. 7:49).
Although there were many sinners in Israeli society during the time of the
Savior, the Lord never rebuked anyone like he did the Pharisees. But woe unto
you, Pharisees! for ye tithe mint and rue and all manner of herbs, and pass
over judgment and the love of God: these ought ye to have done, and not to
leave the other undone. Woe unto you, Pharisees! for ye love the uppermost
seats in the synagogues, and greetings in the markets. Woe unto you, scribes
and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye are as graves which appear not, and the men
that walk over them are not aware of them (Lk. 11:42-44). Jesus Christ rebuked
the soulless formalism of the Pharisees and Scribes, who accused the Savior of
violating the Sabbath by healing seriously ill people. Without doing away with
the law, the Lord placed works of love and mercy for suffering people higher
than ritual: The sabbath was made for man, and not man for the Sabbath (Mk.
2:27).
Pride and
self-opinion about their righteousness lead the Pharisees to spiritual
blindness and made them incapable of humbly accepting anyone higher, purer, and
more righteous than themselves. The Lord’s miracles, His teachings, which
astounded the people by their moral heights, and His meekness all evoked wrath
in the representatives of this sect. This was the main reason why they did not
see in Jesus Christ the Messiah promised by the prophets, and, along with the
Sadducees, demanded His crucifixion.
The
better representatives of the Pharisees, who had a living faith and were not
deadened by formalism, became Christians: the Apostle Paul, righteous
Nicodemus, Gamaliel, and others.
Our Lord
Jesus Christ warned His disciples against the leaven of the Pharisees (Mt.
16:11). Phariseeism as a spiritual state is a danger to any believer. It begins
when a person prays formally, with his lips and not his heart, out of habit,
and thinks he is pleasing to God. “People who are trying to conduct a spiritual
life sometimes have the most subtle and difficult battle through their thoughts
every moment of life—a spiritual battle. One has to be a bright eye to
everything in every moment in order to notice the thoughts flowing into the
soul from the evil one and deflect them. Such people must always have a heart
burning with faith, humility, and love; otherwise, devilish deceit easily
settles into it, and after deceit comes little faith or faithlessness, and then
also all kinds of evil, from which they cannot soon cleanse themselves even
with tears. Therefore do not allow your heart to be cold, especially during
prayer, and avoid all cold indifference” (St. John of Kronstadt, My Life in
Christ). Spiritual pride, assurance of your own righteousness, ostentatious
piety and hypocrisy are all phariseeism. The Holy Church in its struggle with
the danger of falling into this state puts forth the example of the repentant
publican. With his humble prayer we begin our daily morning prayers: “God, be merciful to me, a sinner.”
By Hieromonk Job (Gumerov)
Source: http://www.pravoslavie.ru/76967.html
Byzantine Chant (and Sheet Music) of The Polyeleos by the Festive and Monsatic Choirs of St. Elisabeth Convent
Faithful to Christ: New Martyr Valerian Novicki
A young
man full of hopes, faith, and aspirations… He wants to serve God and carry the
Word of Christ to the people in the times of persecution and unbelief.
***
January 14, 1930
A cold
prison cell in Sluck. It is snowing. When you look at the intricate snowflakes
dancing around in the air, you can even lose touch with reality for a moment.
However, you come round and start praying again after a while. No one knows
what will happen to you in the next couple of hours…
A local
teacher reported Father Valerian Novicki to the authorities. He was accused of
anti-kolkhoz agitation. In fact, all he had done was speaking out against the
new anti-religious club formed in a neighbouring village, where they staged
blasphemous plays and sketches. He said that he would not perform funerals for
the peasants who visited that club. The priest pleaded not guilty.
A young
man full of hopes, faith, and aspirations… He lives in a cosy house with a wife
and three children.
He wants
to remain alive so badly! He wants to serve God and carry the Word of Christ to
the people in the times of persecution and unbelief… He had made up his mind in
1923, having studied law in the Belarusian State University for two years and
upon seeing the persecutions of the Church. He became a priest, saying, “We’ve
got to rescue the faith!” He was 26 at the time.
He was
aware of the risks and challenges that he was about to face. Being a worthy son
of his father, Archpriest Vasily Novicki, and a faithful warrior of Christ, he
fearlessly took up his cross and carried it to the end. The Lord comforted him
with an opportunity to serve in Holy Trinity Church (v. Teliadavičy, MI), a
wonderful wife, and remarkable children.
Dominica
Ignatievna, the priest’s wife, went to visit her husband in the prison but she
was denied a meeting. She received a note from her husband, which read, “They
offered me to save my life by denying God and my ecclesiastical rank. I
refused. Will you pull through with the children alone?” She wrote back, “Don’t
deny God or your priestly rank. The Lord will help me.”
They were
a gorgeous couple. Look at their amazingly expressive eyes that shone forth
their souls of unearthly beauty! She did not want to part with her beloved
husband: they had dreamed of spending their entire life together in love and
faith, and to have grandchildren. Nonetheless, they had to make their choice
and bear the brunt of it.
Matushka
Dominica was left alone with three children. The family did not know anything
about the fate of Father Valerian until 1975. The sole response to all their
requests was that he had died of a stomach-related illness in exile.
February
23, 1930. The country was celebrating the Day of the Red Army and Navy for the
twelfth time.
The three
prisoners sentenced to shooting were brought to the rifle range. They were
offered life in exchange for disavowing their faith in God and priestly rank.
The
ground was frozen. Digging out a grave wasn’t easy. Especially for oneself. Can
you imagine what it could be like to dig out your own grave, especially when
you are just thirty-three?
— Fire!
Several
tomtits were scared away by the shot. They were the only witnesses of that
tragedy.
People do
not know where these three graves are even now. What we know is that
Hieromartyr Valerian Novicki intercedes before God for all of us and for the
peace in our land.
Prepared by Sister Tatiana Khomiankova
and Sister Maria
Kotova
December 28, 2017
St.
Elisabeth Convent
New Orthodox Priest Vestments from the Catalogue of St. Elisabeth Convent
For the Start of the Lenten Triodion
Today, we
begin the beautiful cycle of services from the Lenten Triodion. The word “triodion” means “three songs,” but
really there are many odes in this book—all of them are offered for our
spiritual benefit. The Holy Church is
preparing us for Great Lent. Like any
journey that is to be successful, the journey of Lent must be undertaken with
proper resolve, commitment, and preparation.
And this is why we do not just begin Lent one day, but take time to
prepare for it; not merely waiting, but actively preparing our hearts, minds,
and bodies for this journey to Pascha.
During
these weeks before Lent begins, the Church, our loving Mother, offers us the
treasures of the Gospel readings about the Pharisee and the tax collector, the
parable of the prodigal son, and about Christ’s glorious second coming. It is easy to see that these passages are
connected to each other and that together they carry the message of
humility. In the story about the
Pharisee and the tax collector (Luke 18:14), we learn about the humility of the
latter as the condition that allows him accept God’s grace that washes away his
sins and renews within him a right spirit (Ps. 51:10). Only humility allows us to see our true state
on our knees at the pig trough of sin, as did the prodigal son, and makes us
come to our senses (Luke 15:17) and run to the Father’s house (Luke
15:18). Our choice to leave our sinful
ways and to return home puts us in the Father’s embrace (Luke 15:20), and
allows us once again to become His children.
Finally, the Gospel reading on Forgiveness Sunday (Matt. 25:31-33)
reminds us of the true meaning of humility: those who have learnt from Christ
(Matt. 11:29) do not see themselves worthy of any reward (Matt. 25:37-39),
Christ’s love lives in their hearts and shines forth through their acts.
But let
us listen carefully; let us ponder: the very first lesson we are to learn on
our path to Great Lent, the very first example that the Church offers us before
the beginning of the fast, is not that of Saint Mary of Egypt, who exercised
prayer and fasting in the wilderness, or that of Saint Anthony the Great, who
is known for his severe asceticism, or that of Saint Seraphim of Sarov, who
fasted and prayed for one thousand days and nights. Rather, we are offered the example of a tax
collector, a publican, who probably did not fast at all, at least not as much
as did the Pharisee, but who “went down to his house justified” before God
(Luke 18:14). What a strange thing: we
are preparing for Lent, but all next week we do not fast at all, not even on
Wednesday and Friday! This is not in
order to fatten up before the fast, as some may think, but in order to set our
minds and hearts straight, to help us understand the most important thing about
fasting: a fast is not a diet; it is a medicine to cure an illness quite
different from excess weight. Without
the publican’s humility, without his realization that we are not even worthy to
“raise our eyes to heaven” (Luke 18:13), without the words “God, be merciful to
me, a sinner!” (Luke 18:13) becoming not just the publican’s prayer, but our
prayer, our fast will be worthless and even dangerous, as our pride leads us to
assume the Pharisee’s foolish stance: “I thank you, God, that I am not like
other men…” (Luke 18:11)
Let us
then “flee the vaunting of the Pharisee and learn the humility of the Publican,”
let us remember this lesson as we enter into Great Lent in just a few
weeks. As we prepare to fast, the first
thing we must learn is that limitations in foods are not the ultimate goal, but
a tool to help us take control over our passions. “Foods for the stomach and the stomach for
foods, but God will destroy both it and them” (1 Cor. 6:13). The true goal of fasting is to learn
humility.
Let us
not boast to ourselves about the lack of oil in our potatoes—we equally lack
the oil of forgiveness of people around us; or about the small size of our
meals—our pride flows from us as if from the Horn of Plenty. The goal of fasting is humility and a clearer
vision of our true fallen state. Until
we come to our senses and realize that we are on our knees at the trough of our
sins and passion, we will not want to get up and run back to the Father’s
house.
“He who
exalts himself shall be humbled. Let us humble ourselves before God, and with
fasting cry aloud as the Publican: ‘God, be merciful to us sinners.’”
By Fr. Sergei Sveshnikov
Source: https://frsergei.wordpress.com/2010/01/30/god-be-merciful-to-us-sinners/
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