The Metropolitan of Axum, His Eminence Daniel, underlined during his Cheesefare or Forgiveness Sunday sermon, as part of the Divine Liturgy at Addis Ababa’s St. Froumentios Greek Orthodox Cathedral, that “Paradise cannot hold those who cannot forgive”.
His Eminence referred to the ancient rite and the true meaning of Great Lent, which began on Clean Monday, or Shrove Monday, the next day.
The Sunday of Forgiveness is the last Sunday prior to the commencement of Great Lent.
During the pre-Lenten period, the services of the Church include hymns from the Triodion, a liturgical book that contains the services from the Sunday of the Publican and the Pharisee, the tenth before Pascha (Easter), through Great and Holy Saturday.
On the Sunday of Forgiveness focus is placed on the exile of Adam and Eve from the Garden of Eden, an event that shows us how far we have fallen in sin and separated ourselves from God. At the onset of Great Lent and a period of intense fasting, this Sunday reminds us of our need for God’s forgiveness and guides our hearts, minds, and spiritual efforts on returning to Him in repentance.
His Eminence Daniel also conveyed his best wishes for a blessed Great and Holy Lent to the Pope and Patriarch of Alexandria and All Africa, His Most Divine Beatitude Theodoros II.
