Let us envy the repentance of the Publican

"Let us, the faithful, envy the repentance of the Publican, and let us not boast in a Pharisaic manner; but from the depth of our heart let us offer a sigh to the Benefactor of all, God; for He Himself commanded, saying that everyone who exalts himself shall be humbled, and he who humbles himself shall be exalted. Therefore, with one accord, let us cry out to Him: O God, be merciful to us sinners and save us." (From the Aposticha of Thursday of the Fourth Week of the Fast)

(Let us, the faithful, envy the repentance of the Publican and let us not boast in the manner of the Pharisee. Let us offer, that is, from the depth of our heart a sigh to God, the Benefactor of all. For He gave the command, saying that everyone who exalts himself shall be humbled, while he who humbles himself shall be exalted. Therefore, with one mind, let us cry out to Him: My God, have mercy on us sinners and save us.)

The Publican of the well-known parable of the Lord is set forth once again by our Church, now that we have passed the midpoint of the Great Fast, as a model for the Christian. This, of course, is because of his repentance and his proper stance before God — his own prayer, "Have mercy on me, O Lord, the sinner," was justified, which means that he received the grace of the forgiveness of his sins and of being clothed by the Lord. And what is the essential element of his repentance for the holy hymnographer? His sigh from the depths of his heart over his wretched state. Which means: as soon as we feel that we have deviated from the right path of the Lord and are pained by it, turning our gaze imploringly toward Him, He hastens to embrace us, offering to us not something of His own but His very Self! We saw this in the foremost example of repentance, the prodigal son.

It is the stance of humility, notes the holy composer. Repentance and humility go hand in hand; repentance, sighing, and tears of mourning accompany one another, and these three constitute a "holy trinity" which the Lord accepts as the most precious incense we can offer to Him. In the words of the great venerable John of the Ladder, the Father of the Fast: "Repentance done with constant care, mourning purified from every stain, and the most holy humility of beginners differ and are distinguished from one another as bread from leaven and flour. For the soul is first crushed and refined by true repentance. Then it is joined in a certain way and, so to speak, mingled with God by the water of true mourning. Subsequently, having been kindled by the fire of the Lord, it appears as firm bread, blessed humility, unleavened and without form (that is, free from the leaven of wickedness and pride)." (Discourse 25, On Humility)

And where does this grace-filled condition lead? The hymnographer reminds us—and we mentioned it above as well: to the exaltation of man unto God Himself. For the unfailing mouth of the incarnate God confirmed it: "everyone who humbles himself shall be exalted"—you humble yourself in the manner of Christ, and you are lifted up to Heaven. Precisely the opposite of what happens to those who think in a worldly manner, whether Christians or not: you fall to the lowest level because you become proud. A repetition of that tragic spiritual being who became proud and found himself utterly fallen. "I beheld Satan like lightning falling from Heaven." We would not be exaggerating if we said that every sin for which we do not repent—therefore do not mourn and do not humble ourselves—leads us to the edge of the spiritual precipice; without realizing it, we find ourselves before the abyss of our ruin, one step away from our (spiritual) suicide!

 

Greek source: https://pgdorbas.blogspot.com/2025/03/blog-post_27.html