Forgiveness Sunday

On this last Sunday before Great Lent, the last day when Orthodox Christians traditionally eat dairy products until Easter, the Church remembers the expulsion of Adam and Eve from Paradise. God commanded them to fast from the fruit of a tree, but they did not obey. In this way, Adam and Eve and their descendants became heirs of death and corruption.

On Forgiveness Sunday, many attend Forgiveness Vespers on the eve of Great Lent. They hear the Lord's teaching on fasting and forgiveness and enter into the season of fasting by forgiving one another so that God will forgive them. If you forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will forgive you; but if you do not forgive men their trespasses, neither will your heavenly Father forgive your trespasses.

Today's Gospel reading also gives advice on fasting. Also, when you fast, do not be like the hypocrites, with a sad face. For they disfigure their faces to give the impression to men that they are fasting. Surely, I tell you, they have their reward. But you, when you fast, anoint your head and wash your face, so that you do not appear to be fasting to men, but to your Father who is in the secret place; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you openly.

After the dismissal to vespers, the priest places himself next to the analogy, or in front of the ambo, and the faithful go up one by one and venerate the icon, after which each prostrates himself before the priest saying: “Forgive- me, a sinner. » The priest also makes a prostration before everyone saying: “God forgives. Forgive me. » The person responds: “God forgives” and receives a blessing from the priest. During this time, the choir quietly sings the irmoi of the paschal canon, or the Stichera paschal. After receiving the priest's blessing, the faithful also ask each other for forgiveness.