> ## Content Index
> Fetch the complete content index at: https://uoj.news/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover other available public pages before exploring further.

# Patr. Daniel: Lent Is a School of Restraint and Repentance
- URL: https://uoj.news/news/86554-patr-daniel-lent-is-a-school-of-restraint-and-repentance/
- Published: 2026-02-25T12:15:00.000Z
- Updated: 2026-09-25T16:11:32.000Z
- Description: Patr. Daniel taught that Great Lent is a spiritual school of repentance, calling believers to choose the Giver over His gifts through fasting, prayer, and humility.
- Author: Tobias Straney
- Tags: #Category: News, Great Lent, Patriarch Daniel of Romania

**BUCHAREST, ROMANIA —** His Beatitude Patr. Daniel delivered a [homily](https://basilica.ro/patriarhul-daniel-postul-mare-este-scoala-duhovniceasca-infranarii-pocaintei-text-integral/) entitled “Lent Is a Spiritual School of Restraint and Repentance” during the Great Canon service on Monday, marking the first day of Great Lent. The service was celebrated in the historic St. Great Martyr George Chapel of the Patriarchal Residence.

Reflecting on the Canon of St. Andrew of Crete, the Patriarch emphasized that fasting is a path to spiritual freedom—“a school of liberation from selfish passions and growth in virtues.” Citing St. Basil the Great, he noted that fasting was first instituted in Paradise as a test of obedience, inviting humanity to choose between the Giver and His gifts. True repentance, he said, requires prayer, fasting, almsgiving, and a change of life.

[![](https://uoj.news/content/images/2026/02/86529-patr-daniel-explains-true-meaning-of-fasting-703c24cbdc62.jpg)On this topicPatr. Daniel Explains True Meaning of Fasting](https://uoj.news/news/86529-patr-daniel-explains-true-meaning-of-fasting/)

Patr. Daniel also explained the Lenten Prayer of St. Ephrem the Syrian, describing it as “an epiclesis of the Liturgy of Penance”—an invocation for the transformation of the repentant heart. Great Lent, he concluded, prepares the faithful for Pascha through humility, obedience, and renewed communion with Christ.

Previously, the [UOJ reported](https://uoj.news/news/86508-romanian-orthodox-church-calls-for-nationwide-prayers-for-peace/) that the Romanian Orthodox Church called for nationwide prayers for peace.