Forgiveness Sunday: 'Neither Will Your Father Forgive You...'

Fr Alexander Schmemann. 

In the Orthodox Church, the last Sunday before Great Lent—the day on which, at Vespers, Lent is liturgically announced and inaugurated—is called Forgiveness Sunday. On the morning of that Sunday, at the Divine Liturgy, we hear the words of Christ: 

‘If you forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you, but if you forgive not men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses…’ (Mark 6.14-15) 

On Forgiveness

Protopresbyter Alexander Schmemann 

A Homily delivered to the community at St. Vladimir's Orthodox Seminary

on Forgiveness Sunday of 1983

As once more we are about to enter the Great Lent, I would like to remind us – myself first of all, and all of you my fathers, brothers, and sisters – of the verse that we just sang, one of the stichera, and that verse says: "Let us begin Lent, the Fast, with joy."