SIX MEDITATIONS ON THE HYMNS OF THE PUBLICAN THE PHARISEE

1. BRETHREN, LET US NOT PRAY AS THE PHARISEE - THE FIRST WORDS OF THE TRIODION

"Brethren, let us not pray as the Pharisee: for 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!"

The first hymn of the Lenten Triodion, Sat Vespers for the Sunday of the Publican and the Pharisee. Tone 1

Praying like the Pharisee: Boasting

·  Judgemental

·  No love for his fellows.

·  Clueless about his inner condition

·  No compunction

·  No spiritual pain

·  Missing the point!

Praying like the Publican

·  Deep *spiritual* pain over his inner condition and therefore, humility.

·  Repentance

·  Zeal

·  No distractions whatsoever

·  Confidence!

2. SPIRITUAL AND PSYCHOLOGICAL PAIN

The Pharisee felt no spiritual or psychological pain. His vanity made him blind to his true condition, and his life was outwardly successful, so, unlike most unspiritual people, he had nothing in his life that caused psychological pain.

The Publican felt deep spiritual pain because of his sinfulness. This is not the same as depression, or bad self-esteem or the psychological pain felt by most in the world.

Spiritual pain ALWAYS leads to prayer and repentance, and justification. That is, we get better.

Most only feel disquiet in their souls because of psychological things. We must cultivate feeling spiritual pain. The things which teach it and increase it are the reading of the Gospels and Psalter, fasting, the *full* services, praying for our enemies, and humbling ourselves.

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3. TRUE CHRISTIAN PRAYER

"Mine eyes are weighed down by my

transgressions, and I cannot lift them up and see the height of heaven. But receive me Savior in repentance as the Publican and have mercy on me."

Aposticha, Tone 5, Vespers, Sunday of the Publican and Pharisee.

True Christian prayer in a nutshell. It is full of honest realism about ourselves, and also confidence! Worldly pain leads away from God; spiritual pain always leads to *confident* prayer to God. Do not in run away from feeling your sins. Learn to feel them in a spiritual way.

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4. AGAINST ALL EXPECTATION.... A PRIMER ON HOW TO PRAY

"The Pharisee was exalted in his righteousness, and so he fell. The Publican was abased, defiled by many sins yet he was exalted and, against all expectation, he was justified."

Sunday of the Publican and Pharisee, Matins Canon, Ode 4

Living the spiritual life helps a person interpret this important hymn correctly. "Again all expectation" refers only to the experience of those who do not think spiritually, but psychologically. This is the feeling of the depressed, despondent and hopeless. The vast majority of thinking regarding sin, especially habitual sins, is psychological.

When we spiritually abase ourselves, we will ALWAYS have expectation. The ability to think this way is a skill, counter to the conditioning of the world; it must be learned. I have found it expressed consistently only in the hymns of the Orthodox Church.

God will teach those who want to learn. Cultivate this feeling of self-abasement with expectation. The Gospels will teach you this, and the Psalter too. The services of the church are critical in teaching this way of thinking. (preeminently, those in Matins and Vespers - the Liturgy has other purposes. Alas, most Christians do not value these services, which, over time and by grace, transform the soul).

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6. SORROW, BUT NOT DESPAIR

"The crafty enemy lies in wait for the righteous and despoils them through vainglory, while he binds sinners fast in the noose of despair. But let us emulate the Publican and hasten to escape from both these evils."

"In our prayer let us fall down before God, with tears and fervent cries of sorrow, emulating the Publican in the humility which lifted him on high and let us sing in faith: O God of our fathers, blessed art Thou."

Sunday of the Publican and Pharisee, Matins, Canon, Ode 7

The whole of the services for the Sunday of the Publican and Pharisee are a spiritual primer on how to think of ourselves, how to think of our sin, and how to pray. These verses from the canon at matins are characteristic.

We must feel spiritual sorrow for our sins. This sorrow never includes despair. That deadly sin is the disease of the proud, who are either oblivious to their sins, or crushed by them. All spiritual sorrow causes repentance and leads to consolation. God will teach us this type of sorrow if we humble ourselves.

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Priest Seraphim Holland 2014 St Nicholas Russian Orthodox Church, McKinney, Texas

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