The primate of the Orthodox Church in America, Metropolitan Tikhon, opened Great Lent with services at St. Nicholas Cathedral and delivered a message to the faithful reflecting on the spiritual challenges of modern society.

According to the church’s official website, the hierarch presided over Forgiveness Vespers on Sunday evening and celebrated Great Compline on Monday, during which the Great Canon of Andrew of Crete was read. Clergy and church administration staff joined him in prayer at the cathedral in Washington.

In his Lenten address, Metropolitan Tikhon warned that contemporary society, immersed in a constant “cycle of news” and endless online debate, has elevated personal opinion to the highest value. He described what he called a modern “dictatorship of opinions,” in which individuals feel pressured to comment on every issue, while the “attention economy” fuels passions and prejudices.

“We are called to begin not with confidence in our own rightness, but with humility and self-examination,” he said, urging believers to practice sobriety, restraint and discernment during the Lenten season.

Citing the words of the Apostle Paul about the need to “examine oneself,” the metropolitan stressed that spiritual vigilance does not limit freedom but rather fosters inner independence. Those who cultivate self-restraint and thoughtful reflection, he said, are less likely to become captives of the daily news agenda and more able to act in the light of prayer rather than under the pressure of circumstances.

At the same time, Metropolitan Tikhon emphasized that the purpose of fasting is not merely to distance oneself from evil or from the noise of the outside world. “The Christian seeks to be free not only from evil, but for good,” the message stated. Lent, he said, is a path toward genuine joy and inner peace born of communion with God.

He acknowledged that the labor of repentance can be accompanied by trials, but said its fruit is “true freedom and love.” Great Lent, he added, prepares believers for the celebration of Pascha — the feast of joy and light.