Photo: Newsru.com
Orthodox Christians on Forgiveness Sunday — the last day of Maslenitsa week before Lent, which this year starts on March 18 going to the temple, and by tradition, ask each other for forgiveness.
Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia Kirill this morning celebrated the Divine Liturgy at St. Daniel Monastery Stauropegial. In the evening, at 17:00 to mark the beginning of fasting patriarch make Vespers with the rank of forgiveness in Christ the Savior Cathedral. Such services will be held in all the churches of the Russian Orthodox Church.
At the time the special rank of forgiveness after Vespers on behalf of the faithful priest prays that the Lord has helped people successfully passed the post. Then the clergy, from the patriarch, apologies to all persons in the church, the laity ask forgiveness from the clergy and from each other.
As the first zampredcedatelya Patriarchal Commission on Family and maternity protection Archpriest Dimitry Smirnov, in the process of forgiveness lies «A deep spiritual truth» Which consists in the fact that «If your soul is capable of forgiveness, it is able to accept the forgiveness of God.»
«Chin forgiveness emerged in monasteries — in close monastic community, like a family, there are always some friction, some resentment. And the monks every night before going to bed, ask forgiveness of each other in order to free the soul from all these things And we, the laity, too, are making this office, going for Lent, because it is a time of repentance, but repentance is an attempt to ask the forgiveness of God for themselves, » — Smirnov said.
In Forgiveness Sunday last time before Lent used skoromnogo (nepostnaya) food. Forty days of Lent is the principal, and the longest of the four rigorous multi-day fasts. It is associated with the evangelical tradition of how Christ fasted for 40 days in the desert.