“Therefore, we are righteous when we confess ourselves as sinners, and when our righteousness is not in our own merits but in God’s mercy.”
— Blessed Jerome (Dialogue contra Pelagianos, Book 1)
Gospel Sunday Readings Leading Us into the Days of Great Lent: Their Main Meaning and Purpose
The Gospel Sunday readings that precede our entrance into the days of Great Lent begin with the reading of the Gospel of Zacchaeus (Luke 19:1–10). This passage tells us about the worst man in the city of Jericho—Zacchaeus, the “chief tax collector” (Luke 19:2), a collaborator who collected taxes for the pagan occupiers from his own people. The following Sunday presents the Gospel of the Publican and the Pharisee (Luke 18:10–14), describing the worst parishioner of the Jerusalem Temple (the publican). Next comes the Gospel of the Prodigal Son (Luke 15:11–32), telling us about the weakest link in family life—the prodigal son. Then, the Gospel of the Last Judgment (Matthew 25:31–46) places us before the judgment of the Last Day. The following Sunday introduces the Commemoration of Adam’s Expulsion from Paradise, also known as Forgiveness Sunday (Gospel of Forgiveness—Matthew 6:14–21). Thematically, all these readings are deeply interconnected.
These Gospel readings offer us themes for weekly reflection—each Sunday is dedicated to a specific theme (Sunday of Zacchaeus, Sunday of the Publican and the Pharisee, Sunday of the Prodigal Son). This first group of readings seems to tell us: if we are the worst residents of our city, the worst parishioners, and the weakest members of our families, then now is the time to begin the path of repentance during Great Lent, since the primary purpose of any fast is repentance and prayer.
The next group of Gospel readings (on the Last Judgment and Forgiveness) confronts us with the necessity of preparing for our final days, with the hope—through repentance—of returning to Paradise.
The Call to Repentance
In the Gospel of Zacchaeus, what stands out is this lost man’s desire to seek and see Jesus (Luke 19:3). Indeed, such a man could hardly expect understanding from the other inhabitants of the equally cursed Jericho (cf. Joshua 6:25), who likely reassured themselves by comparing their lives to his. Yet only in God and through God can a sinner find deliverance from his sinful past and complete cleansing from the consequences of his transgressions.
“Come now, and let us reason together,” says the Lord. “Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red like crimson, they shall be as wool.” (Isaiah 1:18).
In response to Zacchaeus’ desire to see Jesus, Christ enters his life and completely transforms it:
“And when Jesus came to the place, He looked up and saw him, and said to him, ‘Zacchaeus, make haste and come down, for today I must stay at your house.'” (Luke 19:5).
Likewise, the Gospel of the Publican and the Pharisee presents us with two types of religious people. The Pharisee is a respectable and pious worshiper, who prays:
“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.” (Luke 18:11–12).
Modern churches might long for such a pious and generous parishioner. In contrast, the publican—a mere visitor, someone who barely steps inside the temple—would not be a welcome sight. Yet, standing at a distance, he dares not lift his eyes to heaven, but beats his chest, saying:
“God, be merciful to me, a sinner!” (Luke 18:13).
We often feel uncomfortable around such people, as they challenge our own sense of piety by their mere presence. But God judges differently:
“For My thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your ways My ways,” says the Lord. (Isaiah 55:8).
The Scandal of Grace
Even more shocking is the Gospel of the Prodigal Son, which might offend those who zealously uphold the sanctity of the family. When the prodigal son gathered all he had (i.e., his share of his father’s inheritance) and squandered it in reckless living (Luke 15:13), this was an insult to societal morals, especially in a bourgeois sense. We reject such people and condemn them.
Yet, when he reaches the very depths of his fall, the prodigal son makes the only right decision:
“But when he came to himself, he said, ‘How many of my father’s hired servants have bread enough and to spare, and I perish with hunger! I will arise and go to my father, and will say to him, “Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you, and I am no longer worthy to be called your son. Make me like one of your hired servants.”‘ And he arose and came to his father. But when he was still a great way off, his father saw him and had compassion, and ran and fell on his neck and kissed him.” (Luke 15:17–20).
What stands out most is the phrase: “when he was still a great way off, his father saw him and had compassion.” This echoes the words of the Apostle Paul:
“But now the righteousness of God apart from the law is revealed… the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ, to all and on all who believe. For there is no difference, for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, being justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus.” (Romans 3:21–24).
Judgment and Forgiveness
The Gospel of the Last Judgment (Matthew 25:31–46) places us directly before the judgment seat, where, unexpectedly, no doctrinal or canonical errors are examined. The only question is whether we have been merciful to others:
“For judgment is without mercy to the one who has shown no mercy. Mercy triumphs over judgment.” (James 2:13).
The Commemoration of Adam’s Expulsion, or Forgiveness Sunday, reminds us that our own forgiveness and return to Paradise depend on whether we can forgive others:
“For if you forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.” (Matthew 6:14–15).
We must forgive because we ourselves are in need of forgiveness:
“God resists the proud but gives grace to the humble.” (James 4:6).
The Great Lenten Journey
A major obstacle to true repentance (which is the main goal of any fast) is the Pelagian and semi-Pelagian mindset—the belief that a person can be saved by their own efforts and good works. The Holy Fathers strongly condemned this misconception.
Saint Ambrose of Milan exclaimed:
“I will boast not because I am righteous, but because I am redeemed. I will boast not because I am sinless, but because my sins are forgiven. I will boast not because I have done good, but because Christ is my Advocate before the Father, and because His Blood was shed for me.”
Thus, the Gospel readings that introduce us to Great Lent paint a radically different picture of salvation:
“So the last will be first, and the first last.” (Matthew 20:16).
Lenten Prayer of St. Ephraim the Syrian
“O Lord and Master of my life,
Take from me the spirit of sloth, despair, lust of power, and idle talk.
But give rather the spirit of chastity, humility, patience, and love to Your servant.
Yes, O Lord and King,
Grant me to see my own sins, and not to judge my brother,
For You are blessed unto ages of ages. Amen.”
***
Notes and Citations on Pelagianism and the Teachings of the Church Fathers
[1] Pelagius (c. 360 – after 431 AD)—a well-known heresiarch of the 4th century—falsely claimed that a person is capable of earning their own salvation, which is granted to the best among us. Otherwise, he argued, it would mean that a person plays no role in their own salvation and glory. He also maintained that the corruption of human nature through the Fall was not radical enough to prevent man from discovering within himself an autonomous righteousness, independent of God, capable of perfecting and saving him by his own efforts.
[2] In opposition to such views, Saint Basil the Great wrote:
“Let him who boasts, boast in the Lord, for Christ has been made by God for us righteousness, wisdom, justification, and redemption. This is the true and proper boast in God, when a person does not take pride in his own righteousness but knows that he is truly unworthy of genuine righteousness and is justified solely by faith in Christ.”
Likewise, Saint Hilary of Poitiers, commenting on Psalm 50, stated:
“For these works of righteousness would not be sufficient to merit perfect blessedness unless the mercy of God overlooked all the imperfections of human changes and inclinations in our will toward righteousness. Therefore, let hope in God’s mercy endure forever.”
Commenting on Psalm 113, Saint Basil the Great also observed:
“For eternal rest awaits those who have fought righteously in this life, not because of the merits of their deeds, but through the grace of the most merciful God, in whom they have placed their hope.”
Similarly, Blessed Augustine emphasized:
“You may proclaim that the righteous of old possessed great righteousness, but they were still saved only by faith in the Mediator, who shed His Blood for the forgiveness of sins.” (Ad Bonifacium, Book 1, Ch. 21).
In the same work, Augustine noted:
“The Pelagians believe they honor the saints by refusing to acknowledge that they were men of imperfect righteousness, though the chosen vessel himself declared: ‘Not that I have already attained, or am already perfected’ (Philippians 3:12). Yet soon after, the same man, who denied being perfect, said: ‘Therefore, as many as are perfect, let us have this mind’ (Philippians 3:15), thus showing that in this life, there is a kind of indisputable perfection—one that is recognized when a person acknowledges their own imperfection.”
“For who among the ancient people was more perfect than the high priests? And yet, God commanded them to first offer sacrifices for their own sins. And who among the New Testament people was holier than the Apostles? Yet, the Lord commanded them to pray: ‘Forgive us our debts’ (Matthew 6:12).”
Thus, for all the righteous, who groan under the burden of their corrupt flesh and the weakness of this life, there remains only one hope:
“We have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the Righteous; and He Himself is the propitiation for our sins” (1 John 2:1–2). (Book 3, Ch. 5).
In Contra Cresconium, Book 5, Ch. 80, Augustine wrote:
“For a good human reputation, the testimony of many who know me is sufficient, but in the presence of God, I do not dare to justify myself before the eyes of the Almighty based solely on my own conscience, even though I confidently present it against your accusations. And I place my hope in the abundance of mercy that comes from Him, not in the scrutiny of judgment, of which it is written: ‘A king who sits on the throne of judgment scatters all evil with his eyes’ (Proverbs 20:8). Who can say, ‘I have cleansed my heart; I am pure from my sin’?”
In Letter 29 to Jerome, Augustine declared:
“There is more virtue in some than in others, and in some, there is none at all. Yet, in no one is there a virtue that cannot be increased while they live on this earth. And as long as it can be increased, that portion which is less than it should be has a corrupt nature. Because of this corruption, there is no righteous person on earth who does good and does not sin (Ecclesiastes 7:20); because of this corruption, no one living shall be justified in Your sight (Psalm 143:2); because of this corruption, if we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us (1 John 1:8). Because of this same corruption, whatever we achieve, we must still say: ‘Forgive us our debts’ (Matthew 6:12), even though all our words, deeds, and thoughts have already been forgiven in Baptism.”
In De verbis apostoli, Sermon 2, Augustine also pointed out:
“You say: ‘It is enough for me that I received forgiveness for all my sins in Baptism.’ But has the weakness ended if iniquity has been erased? Truly, as long as your infirmity remains unhealed, you must continue to say, ‘Forgive us our debts’ to the One who is able to be merciful to all your iniquities. In the end, what remains of corruption after redemption, except the crown of righteousness? It is granted unconditionally. But let not the head under it become dizzy with pride. Notice that He who saved your life from corruption and adorned you with a crown does not wish to crown an arrogant head.”
In Sermon 15, he further noted:
“You have saved them freely. What does ‘freely’ mean? It means that You found nothing in them that required You to save them, but You saw much for which they should be condemned.”
In his commentary on Psalm 30, Augustine wrote:
“Who are the blessed? Not those in whom God finds no sin. For He finds sin in all, for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God (Romans 3:23). But if all are sinful, then blessed are only those whose sins are forgiven. This is what the Apostle expressed when he said: ‘Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness’ (Romans 4:3). Also: ‘If by grace, then it is no longer of works’ (Romans 11:6). What does ‘by grace’ mean? It means without any payment. You have done nothing good, yet you are granted the forgiveness of sins. Your deeds have been examined and found evil. If God were to repay you justly according to your deeds, He would undoubtedly condemn you. But instead of giving you the punishment you deserve, He grants you undeserved grace.”
Saint Gregory the Theologian, in Homily 7 on Ezekiel, stated:
“Our righteous Advocate defends us as righteous at the judgment because we acknowledge ourselves as unrighteous and condemn ourselves as such. Let us therefore place our trust not in our works, but in the fact that we have an Advocate.”
And Saint Gregory the Great, in Homily 73 on the Song of Songs, observed:
“If He were to judge even the unrighteousness of the elect, who could stand? Hear what a holy and chosen man said to God: ‘You have taken away the guilt of my sin. For this, every righteous person will pray to You in a time when You may be found’ (Psalm 32:5–6). Thus, even the saints must pray for their sins and for salvation by mercy, not relying on their own righteousness. For all have sinned and need the mercy of God.”
[3] See: Saint Ambrose of Milan, De Jacob et vita beata, Ch. 6.
[4] See: Blessed Augustine, On Faith and Works, Ch. 14.22.
[5] See: Gregory the Great, Moralia on the Book of Job, Book II.1.1.
[6] The Lenten Prayer of St. Ephraim the Syrian
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