Metropolitan Anthony (Pakanich): Great Lent is a path of repentance and spiritual maturation

In the Fourth Week of Lent, the Orthodox Church remembers the Venerable John of the Ladder, author of the great guide to spiritual perfection. According to the Orthodox Life portal , Metropolitan Anthony (Pakanich) notes that this period is a time of renewal, when a person’s spiritual life must come alive with new vigor through repentance and reconciliation with God.

According to the teachings of St. John of the Ladder, repentance is not just the recognition of mistakes, but “a return to God and the renewal of our baptism.” Metropolitan Anthony emphasizes that any spiritual ascent begins with a resolute rejection of despair and a willingness to change one’s life. According to him, the true goal of a Christian is to prepare for eternal life through the purification of the soul, because only with a pure heart God is revealed. This path requires courage, humility and faith, not just external observance of rites.

In his publication, Vladyka also touches on the problem of substituting modern psychology for spiritual life. He warns that the popular trend today to “live by psychology” instead of participating in the Church’s Sacraments can become a form of self-deception. Psychology, according to the Metropolitan, often only “wipes away tears” without offering a radical cure, while Orthodoxy denounces the passions of man, helping him to mature spiritually.

In conclusion, it is emphasized that no psychological training can replace Confession and purification of the soul. Metropolitan Anthony reminds that the Lord graciously gives Himself in the Holy Mysteries, healing human nature. True knowledge of oneself is impossible without knowledge of God, which is achieved only through repentance – the only way to true joy and harmony.