The first evening of the Holy and Great Lent unfolded in profound prayer and quiet repentance at Saint Andrew Ukrainian Orthodox Memorial Church, as the faithful gathered to begin the sacred journey with Great Compline and the opening portion of the Great Canon of Repentance by Saint Andrew of Crete. The service was presided over by Archbishop Daniel, with the prayerful presence and blessing of Metropolitan Antony.

Serving alongside Archbishop Daniel were the clergy who embody the unity of the Church across parishes and jurisdictions: Very Rev. Fr. Vasyl Pasakas, pastor of Saint Andrew Memorial Church; Very Rev. Fr. Roman Shak of the Lviv Eparchy of the Orthodox Church of Ukraine; Very Rev. Fr. Vasyl Shak, pastor of Saint Panteleimon Ukrainian Orthodox Church in Brooklyn, NY; and Rev. Fr. Ivan Tchopko of the Three Holy Hierarchs Chapel of St. Sophia Ukrainian Orthodox Theological Seminary. The Canon was chanted with deep reverence by seminarians of St. Sophia Seminary, whose voices carried the ancient cry of repentance into the hearts of all present.

The Great Canon of St. Andrew of Crete is one of the most searching penitential hymns of the Orthodox Church. Composed in the 7th century, it weaves the entire story of salvation - Adam and Eve, the Patriarchs, Kings, Prophets, Apostles - into a personal confession. The Canon does not accuse others; it addresses the soul directly, calling each person to honest self-examination, humility, and return to God.

Again and again, the refrain pierces the heart: “Have mercy on me, O God, have mercy on me.”

These words are not mere repetition. They are a school of prayer - teaching the soul to stand truthfully before God, without excuses, and to trust completely in His compassion.

The Canon places before us two luminous witnesses. Saint Andrew of Crete, the author, knew both the heights of theology and the depths of the human heart. His hymnography does not despair; it guides the wounded soul toward healing.

At the conclusion of the Canon, the Church lifts up Saint Mary of Egypt - a living icon of repentance. Once lost in sin, she became radiant with holiness through sincere conversion, fasting, prayer, and total surrender to God. Her life proclaims that no fall is final, and no soul is beyond redemption.

In his pastoral remarks, Archbishop Daniel reflected on the words that echo throughout Great Lent - “Have mercy on me.” In the Orthodox understanding, mercy (eleos) is not pity from afar. It is God’s active love that heals, restores, and raises the fallen.

“When we say, ‘Have mercy on me, O God,’” Archbishop Daniel shared, “we are not begging a distant Judge. We are opening our wounded hearts to the Physician of souls. Mercy is God entering our brokenness with His healing presence. To ask for mercy is to trust that God’s love is stronger than our sins.”

He reminded the faithful that Great Lent is not a season of self-condemnation, but of return - return to prayer, to humility, to forgiveness, and to the joy of reconciliation with God and neighbor.

Vladyka stated: “When we cry out during the Great Canon, ‘Have mercy on me, O God,’ we are not uttering words of despair. We are making a confession of hope. Mercy is not God’s tolerance of our weakness; mercy is God’s power to heal what we ourselves cannot heal. It is the touch of divine love upon a wounded soul that dares to stand in truth before its Creator.”

“The Church places the Great Canon at the very threshold of Great Lent because repentance must come before everything else. Before fasting, before spiritual struggle, before resolutions and promises, there must be honesty. The Canon teaches us to stop hiding - from God, from others, and from ourselves - and to say with humility: ‘This is who I am, Lord, and yet I trust in Your love.’”

As the final prostrations were made and the last words of the Canon faded into silence, the Church stood at the threshold of Great Lent renewed in purpose. The first step had been taken - not with noise or spectacle, but with tears, prayer, and hope.

Great Lent invites every soul to walk this path: to look inward honestly, to seek forgiveness courageously, and to believe unwaveringly in God’s mercy. In the quiet of that first Lenten night, the Church proclaimed a timeless truth:

Repentance opens the door. Mercy leads us home.