SUNDAY OF THE PUBLICAN AND PHARISEE — TONE 8. Beginning of the Lenten Triodion. Leavetaking of the Meeting. Martyr Nikephoros of Antioch in Syria (ca. 257).
Tone 8 Troparion (Resurrection)
You descended from on high, O Merciful One! You accepted the three day burial to free us from our sufferings!// O Lord, our Life and Resurrection, glory to You!
Tone 1 Troparion (Feast)
Rejoice, O Virgin Theotokos, Full of Grace! From you shone the Sun of Righteousness, Christ our God, enlightening those who sat in darkness. Rejoice and be glad, O righteous Elder, you accepted in your arms the Redeemer of our souls,// Who grants us the Resurrection!
Tone 4 Kontakion (from the Lenten Triodion)
Let us flee from the pride of the Pharisee! Let us learn humility from the Publican’s tears! Let us cry to our Savior: “Have mercy on us,// O only merciful One!”
Tone 1 Kontakion (Feast)
By Your Nativity You sanctified the Virgin’s womb and blessed Simeon’s hands, O Christ God. Now You have come and saved us through love. Grant peace to all Orthodox Christians,// O only Lover of Man!
Tone 8 Prokeimenon (Resurrection)
Pray and make your vows / before the Lord, our God! (Ps. 75:10a)
V. In Judah God is known; His Name is great in Israel. (Ps. 75:1)
Tone 3 Prokeimenon (Song of the Theotokos)
My soul magnifies the Lord, / and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior. (Lk. 1:46-47)
2 Timothy 3:10-15 (Epistle)
But you have carefully followed my doctrine, manner of life, purpose, faith, longsuffering, love, perseverance, persecutions, afflictions, which happened to me at Antioch, at Iconium, at Lystra – what persecutions I endured. And out of them all the Lord delivered me. Yes, and all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution. But evil men and impostors will grow worse and worse, deceiving and being deceived. But you must continue in the things which you have learned and been assured of, knowing from whom you have learned them, and that from childhood you have known the Holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus.
Hebrews 7:7-17 (Epistle, Meeting)
Now beyond all contradiction the lesser is blessed by the better. Here mortal men receive tithes, but there he receives them, of whom it is witnessed that he lives. Even Levi, who receives tithes, paid tithes through Abraham, so to speak, for he was still in the loins of his father when Melchizedek met him. Therefore, if perfection were through the Levitical priesthood (for under it the people received the law), what further need was there that another priest should rise according to the order of Melchizedek, and not be called according to the order of Aaron. For the priesthood being changed, of necessity there is also a change of the law. For He of whom these things are spoken belongs to another tribe, from which no man has officiated at the altar. For it is evident that our Lord arose from Judah, of which tribe Moses spoke nothing concerning priesthood. And it is yet far more evident if, in the likeness of Melchizedek, there arises another priest who has come, not according to the law of a fleshly commandment, but according to the power of an endless life. For He testifies: “You are a priest forever according to the order of Melchizedek.”
Tone 8
Alleluia, Alleluia, Alleluia!
V. Come, let us rejoice in the Lord! Let us make a joyful noise to God our Savior! (Ps. 94:1)
V. Let us come before His face with thanksgiving; let us make a joyful noise to Him with songs of praise! (Ps. 94:2)
Tone 8
V. Lord, now let Your servant depart in peace, according to Your word, for my eyes have seen Your salvation! (Luke 2:29)
Luke 18:10-14 (Gospel)
“Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, ‘God, I thank You that I am not like other men – extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this tax collector. I fast twice a week; I give tithes of all that I possess.’ And the tax collector, standing afar off, would not so much as raise his eyes to heaven, but beat his breast, saying, ‘God, be merciful to me a sinner!’ 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.”
Luke 2:22-40 (Gospel, Meeting)
Now when the days of her purification according to the law of Moses were completed, they brought Him to Jerusalem to present Him to the Lord (as it is written in the law of the Lord, “Every male who opens the womb shall be called holy to the LORD”), and to offer a sacrifice according to what is said in the law of the Lord, “A pair of turtledoves or two young pigeons.” And behold, there was a man in Jerusalem whose name was Simeon, and this man was just and devout, waiting for the Consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit was upon him. And it had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not see death before he had seen the Lord’s Christ. So he came by the Spirit into the temple. And when the parents brought in the Child Jesus, to do for Him according to the custom of the law, he took Him up in his arms and blessed God and said: “Lord, now You are letting Your servant depart in peace, according to Your word; for my eyes have seen Your salvation which You have prepared before the face of all peoples, a light to bring revelation to the Gentiles, and the glory of Your people Israel.” And Joseph and His mother marveled at those things which were spoken of Him. Then Simeon blessed them, and said to Mary His mother, “Behold, this Child is destined for the fall and rising of many in Israel, and for a sign which will be spoken against (yes, a sword will pierce through your own soul also), that the thoughts of many hearts may be revealed.” Now there was one, Anna, a prophetess, the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Asher. She was of a great age, and had lived with a husband seven years from her virginity; and this woman was a widow of about eighty-four years, who did not depart from the temple, but served God with fastings and prayers night and day. And coming in that instant she gave thanks to the Lord, and spoke of Him to all those who looked for redemption in Jerusalem. So when they had performed all things according to the law of the Lord, they returned to Galilee, to their own city, Nazareth. And the Child grew and became strong in spirit, filled with wisdom; and the grace of God was upon Him.
Sunday of the Publican and the Pharisee; Beginning of the Lenten Triodion
The Sunday after the Sunday of Zacchaeus is devoted to the Publican and the Pharisee. At Vespers the night before, the Triodion (the liturgical book used in the services of Great Lent) begins.
Two men went to the Temple to pray. One was a Pharisee who scrupulously observed the requirements of religion: he prayed, fasted, and contributed money to the Temple. These are very good things, and should be imitated by anyone who loves God. We who may not fulfill these requirements as well as the Pharisee did should not feel entitled to criticize him for being faithful. His sin was in looking down on the Publican and feeling justified because of his external religious observances. The second man was a Publican, a tax-collector who was despised by the people. He, however, displayed humility, and this humility justified him before God (Luke 18:14).
The lesson to be learned is that we possess neither the Pharisee’s religious piety, nor the Publican’s repentance, through which we can be saved. We are called to see ourselves as we really are in the light of Christ’s teaching, asking Him to be merciful to us, deliver us from sin, and to lead us on the path of salvation.
Two weeks before the beginning of the Fast, as part of our preparation for Great Lent, Holy Week, and Pascha, the Church prescribes the reading of Saint Mark’s Gospel. From Monday to Friday the focus is on the end times, and the Savior’s death and burial.
Reflection on the Sunday of the Publican and Pharisee: The Beginning of the Triodion
His Beatitude Metropolitan Tikhon
Sunday of the Publican and Pharisee, 2024
This week, we begin our Lenten efforts by making no efforts to fast whatsoever. This is an important reminder: God does not need our fast, but we always stand in need of his grace. No matter what efforts we make or fail to make during the coming weeks, our fast is not our project, much less our accomplishment: it is merely a small attempt to repent—which is to say, to make ourselves more susceptible to Christ’s mercy, and that mercy is all that matters in the end. Fasts and services will pass away, but the mercy of the Lord endures forever. The Lord loves and rewards our efforts, and he hallows and respects our choices, but we are nothing without his loving-kindness.
The Genuine Power and Truth of Humility
On the Sunday of the Publican and the Pharisee, which marks the beginning of the Triodion, the Lord sets out by His word a pattern of salvation for us. He reveals the mindset the faithful must have in order to enter the arena without ‘tempting the Lord’ so that all their striving throughout Great Lent may not be in vain. In this blessed period, the Book of the Triodion is the best guide for all those who take their work of repentance seriously. Man’s entire life, from the moment he sees the light of day until he finally closes his eyes, is one continual presentation before God. For this reason, it becomes urgent for us to seek a pure voice in our prayer and entreaty, so that our presentation may be found well-pleasing before Him… In his hatred against God and man, the enemy and author of every evil invented pride and foolishness, despair and unbelief, sloth and despondency. Nevertheless, virtue proves to be stronger than all the devices of the enemy, as it is sustained by gifts from on high and the invincible alliance of the Almighty Lord, Who hastens to strengthen those who labour to keep His commandments. Virtue does not only oppose evil, but it also amends and justifies through repentance and humility those who have fallen, as is shown in today’s Gospel.
The way in which the publican and the Pharisee converse with God indicates that there are two kinds of prayer, supplication and thanksgiving, which are acceptable or useless, depending on the manner in which they are offered. Supplication brings fruit when it is offered with faith and surrendering to God, with contrition and pain of heart, and, of course, when it is accompanied by the loathing of evil works. It is rendered useless, however, when it is offered perfunctorily, with indifference and a hardened heart, or when it is polluted by demonic despair and self-pity. Thanksgiving is a kind of prayer particularly pleasing to God and it is very powerful when it is filled with humility and mighty gratitude, when it is accompanied by compassion and entreaty for those who did not receive the same good portion. If such is the case, as our Holy Fathers teach us, thanksgiving intercedes before God for our weaknesses and makes up for all our shortcomings. Yet its power is annihilated when man ascribes the gifts he has received from above to himself. Thanksgiving provokes divine anger when it proceeds from conceit and hidden pride. It proves to be destructive when it is accompanied by judging and humiliating others.
—Archimandrite Zacharias Zacharou. At the Doors of Holy Lent.
Sunday Bulletin February 2, 2025