Blessed Theodora also narrated that one monk asked Abba Isiah: Why is it that those who live in the world with their negligence toward fasting, neglect for prayer, running away from vigils, and lack of humility; with their taking pleasure in food, living according to their passions, ‘devouring’ each other, spending the entire day cursing and swearing – how is it that they do not fall, and do not even say that they sin? Yet we monks, with our fasts; vigils; sleeping on the ground; eating only bread; abstinence from wine, oil, and all bodily comfort; with mourning and sobbing – we say we have lost our souls, have deprived ourselves of the Kingdom of Heaven, and are condemned to torments? Are not the Law and the commandments given to everyone equally?
The good Father shed tears and sighed from the depth of his soul and said: You said well, my son, that worldly people do not fall. This is because after they have fallen once, terribly and bitterly, they cannot get up nor do they have any place further to fall. The devil has no need to wrestle or fight against those who are always lying down and never get up. Monks – at times vanquishing and at other times being vanquished; attacking and attacked – they still antagonize the devil. Worldly people, because of their senselessness and ignorance, because of their love for the world and worldly things, remain in their first downfall, not even seeing or realizing their fall. You must understand that not only do you and I – we who only seem to be monks, while not living the monastic life – have need to always weep and lament, but even the great Fathers – in other words, the true ascetics and hermits – had need to be constantly weeping. Listen to this carefully and judge for yourself. Lying is from the devil, as says the Lord (Jn. 8:44). To look upon a woman to lust after her, He put alongside fornication; to be angry with one’s neighbour, He equated with murder, and declared that there is need even to account for every idle word. Who is he, or where do we find anyone who never was tempted by a lie; or by lust for a woman, and was not stained; and would not therefore have need of repentance? For all have sinned, and come short, of the glory of God (Rom. 3:23).
However, know this, that whether one is a monk or a layperson, a bishop or a king – unless one gives himself totally to the Cross, in other words, gives himself to asceticism in humbleness of mind, he cannot be a true Christian. The Lord Jesus Christ our God beatifies such when He says: Blessed are the poor in spirit for their’s is the Kingdom of Heaven (Mt. 5:3). He did not say the “rich,” but the “poor.” Again: Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled… Blessed are they that mourn: for they shall be comforted (Mt. 5:6,4).
So where is mentioned here those who lord over luxurious tables and all worldly things, and live in dissoluteness and excess, and enjoy everything to satiety, with laughter, with obscenity, and without fear of God? There are some unfortunate people in the world who say that fasting is demanded only for monks, along with all sufferings and the heavy yoke; people in the world can have pleasures, rest and all sorts of comforts. O you senseless and slow of heart! Do you not hear what the Lord says: Blessed are they which do hunger… for they shall be filled (Mt. 5:6), and Woe unto you that are rich! for ye have received your consolation. Woe unto you that are full! for ye shall hunger (Lk. 6:24-25). And Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat: because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it(Mt. 7:13-14).
This and all similar words are meant not for monks – because there were as yet no monks when Sweetest Jesus our God was teaching this – but for people living in the world, those who lead a bustling life, filled with material love. If the Lord was teaching this only for monks, then people in the world are more to be pitied and more unfortunate than even animals, since they would thereby be deprived of the holy commandments and the Beatitudes. If the Law is common to all, then common too are the yoke and the Beatitudes, the Judgement and Hell.
When the monk heard this from the Abba, my good Teacher, he was struck with amazement, and sighing deeply he fell to the feet of the honourable Father and said: So, holy Father, we need great labour, much sweat and asceticism. Pray for me, holy Father.
And the Abba blessed him and let him go.
(Taken from the book Matericon: Instructions of Abba Isaiah to the Honorable Nun Theodora pp. 81-83)
Saint Isaac the Syrian compares our life in this world to crossing the sea in a ship.
Just as it isn't possible for someone to cross the great sea without a ship, so someone can't reach love without fear. We can cross the tempestuous sea placed between us and the spiritual paradise only with the ship of repentance, borne by the oarsmen of fear. If these oarsmen of fear don't handle the ship of repentance well, by which we cross the sea of this world toward God, we will be drowned in it.
Repentance is the ship, fear is the rudder, love the divine harbor. So fear puts us in the ship of repentance and we cross the tempestuous sea and it guides us to the divine harbor, which is love where all those who labor and have been enlightened by repentance arrive. And when we have reached love, we have reached God. And our journey has ended and we have reached the island which is beyond this world.
Notice how he emphasizes that it is only with this "ship of repentance" that we can reach our goal. Repentance is essential to arrive at the "divine harbor." It is the fundamental way we move toward perfection and a virtuous life of love based on God's grace. It is because of our desire for God's love, and to love others that we repent.
Ref: Orthodox Spirituality, p 140
Repentance is expressed by the Greek word, metanoia. In the literal sense, this means a change of mind. In other words, repentance is a change of one's disposition, one's way of thinking; a change of one's inner self. Repentance is a reconsideration of one's views, an alteration of one's life.
How can this come about? In the same way that a dark room into which a man enters is illumined by the rays of the sun. Looking around the room in the dark, he can make out certain things, but there is a great deal he does not see and does not even suspect is there. Many things are perceived quite differently from what they actually are. He has to move carefully, not knowing what obstacles he might encounter. When, however, the room becomes bright, he can see things clearly and move about freely.
The same thing happens in spiritual life.
When we are immersed in sins, and our mind is occupied solely with worldly cares, we do not notice the state of our soul. We are indifferent to who we are inwardly, and we persist along a false path without being aware of it.
But then a ray of God's Light penetrates our soul. And what filth we see in ourselves! How much untruth, how much falsehood! How hideous many of our actions prove to be, which we fancied to be so wonderful. And it becomes clear to us which is the true path.
If we then recognize our spiritual nothingness, our sinfulness, and earnestly desire our amendment - we are near to salvation. From the depths of our soul we shall cry out to God: "Have mercy on me, O God, have mercy according to Thy Great mercy!" "Forgive me and save me!" "Grant me to see my own faults and not to judge my brother!"
As Great Lent begins, let us hasten to forgive each other all hurts and offenses. May we always hear the words of the Gospel for Forgiveness Sunday: If ye forgive men their debts, your heavenly Father will also forgive you; but if ye forgive not men their debts, neither will your Father forgive your debts (Matt. 6:14-15).
St. John Maximovitch
http://agapienxristou.blogspot.ca/2014/12/open-to-me-doors-of-repentance-o-giver.html
Elder Sergei was born in the Netherlands in 1903. Most of his life was spent in France. His is a spiritual Child of Igumen Chariton the last abbot of Valaam before it was closed by the Communists. He spent his life in a country where there were few Orthodox Christians. His views are most helpful as he spent most of his life counseling spiritual children who lived in our secular Western society.
He taught that repentance was the “beginning, middle, and end of spiritual life.” He distinguished between two kinds of repentance: a) for a specific sin, b) for a general sinful state.
The first kind is most vital. he writes:
“There are three stage towards repentance for specific sins. 1) Repenting of the sin in your mind as soon as it is committed. 2) At the end of the day, when you are doing your examination of conscience, recall the sin and ask God for forgiveness again. 3) Confess the sin and repenting of it when you receive the sacrament of Confession.”
The first stage allows us to obtain forgiveness from God when dealing with our lesser sins and impure thoughts. He says,
“If you have wicked thought and repent it by desiring to think and act otherwise, this sin is erased immediately.”
Elder Sergei put great emphasis on the second stage. We need to make sure to set aside the time to concentrate on repentance at the end of each day. At this time we should undertake a spiritual critique of all that we did during the day reviewing both the evil as well as the good we have not done. After this examination of our conscience we then seek forgiveness from God with sincerity and contrition for all the ways we have been unfaithful to Him. He says,
“We must have a sharp conscience, so that every night we can examine ourselves and what we did during the course of the day and see what we did wrong, what good we failed to do, and what we did poorly. then, we should ask God’s forgiveness for all these things.”“Always keep repenting, not because you have necessarily done something, but because our nature is weak. We must repent for what we are. When we repent, we must consider not just what we have cone wrong, but all the good we have failed to do.”
The third stage, confession before God in the front of a priest, is imperative as it “allows us to avoid remaining psychologically and spiritually burdened by the sins we have committed in the past.”
The second kind of repentance involves our ongoing character. There are many sins were are unaware of. They have become part of our nature. In Confession we must ask God: “Forgive me my sins which I do not know, for all my unconscious sins.” He writes:
” We must also repent of all our failures and insufficiencies. We should not allow ourselves any excuses as there are no external circumstances that can justify our weaknesses.”
Repentance is necessary fro everyone as there is no one without sin. Whoever does not think they are sinful is living in delusion. Repentance is an “inner stance” of the fear of God, remembrance of death, and above all, humility. It is “the key to the spiritual life.” He advises:
“God prefers someone who sins and repents for it to someone who think that he never sins and never repents.”
For those who have not repented in a long time they must ask God for forgiveness for their lack of repentance. God knows our sinful struggle, our condition of mortality, and is forgiving with infinite mercy for those who continually repent. Elder Sergei writes:
“Our attitude towards the Kingdom of Heaven should be like that of a traveler who must not become panicked about all the things he has to do once he arrives at his destination, but must continue on, planning for his current journey. We must realize that we do not know when the train will come that will take us to the Kingdom. to be ready when it comes, we should be like the wise virgins and always have oil in our lamps.”“We must never believe that our sinful state is beyond repair. We must be confident that there is always forgiveness for us. All we need to do to be forgiven is to ask.”
According to Elder Sergei, “repentance as a permanent state is the normal state of the Christian, and is the state of all the saints. We must then strive toward this goal with all our might and all our prayer. It will then reveal itself to us as a might force of spiritual progress. He says,
“Repentance is the key to spiritual life. It allows us to have the wedding garment without which we are cast out of he wedding feast.”
Reference: Elder Sergei of Vanves: Life and Teachings, pp 29-34
Are you a sinner? Do not despair. Come to church with repentance.
Have you sinned? Say to God: “I have sinned.” You find it so difficult to confess your sin? But if you do not accuse yourself first, the devil will
eventually accuse you. Therefore, before he has a chance to do so, strip him of his power; because, truly, his role is to accuse us. Erase your sin
before he has a chance to blame you. For you have an accuser who will not remain silent.
Have you sinned? I ask nothing else from you except this: enter the church and say to God with repentance, “I have sinned.” Because it is written: “confess your sins first, so that you may be justified” (Isa. 43:26).
Confess your sin so that you may erase it. This does not require any effort,or many words, or large sums of money, or any other such thing. It only
takes three words: “I have sinned.”
Have you sinned? Come to Church and erase your sin. Every time you fall while walking you get up. Similarly, every time you sin, repent. Do not despair; do not become indifferent, so that you do not lose hope in the heavenly riches that are in store for us. Even if you sin late in life when you
have grown old, repent and come to Church. The Church is a hospital not a court. It bestows forgiveness; it does not demand accountability for the sin. Say to God: “Against Thee only have I sinned and done this evil before Thee” (Ps. 50:6), and He will forgive you. Show Him that you repent, and He will have mercy on you. If we do our part, God will do His part.
Since the almighty Lord is so loving and merciful, let us not remain indifferent for our salvation. Waiting for us are the Kingdom of Heaven,
Paradise, and goods that no human eye has seen, that no human ear has heard, and which no human mind can conceive. Shouldn’t we do whatever we can in order not to lose these things? Shouldn’t we give something trivial in order to acquire these great and invaluable things? Therefore, let us repent, let our hands become accustomed to giving to others, let us humble ourselves, let us mourn and cry for our sins. All these things are small. But great and beyond our strength are the things that will be given to us by God; that is, Paradise, and the Kingdom of Heaven. May we all be worthy of entering it, through His grace.
St. John Chrysostom
As a general rule fasting and praying awaken in a person the desire for a more spiritual way of life. When the passions of the body become pacified, a person's mind is enlightened, and he begins to see his own shortcomings better. He becomes ashamed of his sinful deeds and bad habits, and he feels a strong desire to cleanse his soul through repentance before God.
We can appreciate better the importance of repentance when we remember that Christian teaching began precisely with the call to repent. The prophet John the Baptist preached: "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand" (Matthew 3:1-2). The Lord Jesus Christ began his preaching with the same words. "I indeed baptize you with water unto repentance," John the Baptist continues, "but He who is coming after me is mightier than I, whose sandals I am not worthy to carry. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire" (Matthew 3:11). That was a prophecy about the coming of the Holy Spirit on the day of Pentecost and the divine rebirth of Christians through their faith and repentance.
Indeed, after the descent of the Holy Spirit, the teaching of the Apostles was, first of all, the calling for repentance and the beginning of a new life in Jesus. The believers had to accept Jesus Christ as their Savior from the evil dominating the world. This is the very essence of Christianity. After the descent of the Holy Spirit on Pentecost, when the crowd asked, "What shall we do, brothers?" The Apostle Peter answered: "Repent, and each of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ, for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the Gift of the Holy Spirit … Save yourselves from this corrupt generation!" (Acts 2:37-40). These words pointed out the deep, sinful sore in humanity, which can be healed only through repentance, rebirth in Christ, and unity with Him.
So, as we see, the Apostles called for profound changes in people's attitudes, a break with their past, and suppression of passions. The acceptance of Christ as our Savior requires a fundamental transfiguration of our thoughts and feelings: a sincere desire for a New Life in Christ. That is why the Church is so persistent in its calling to repentance during Lent. Repentance is the beginning of salvation. And fasting — being a restraint from gluttony, all kinds of excesses, and worldly concerns — contributes to true repentance! That is how the goal of our faith is reached, as Saint Paul teaches: "Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature: former things have gone" (2 Corinthians 5:17).
Can a sinner repent of his sins in ten days? According to the immeasurable compassion of God he can. During the reign of Emperor Maurice, there was a well-known bandit in the vicinity of Constantinople. He inspired fear and trembling both within the capital and without. One day, the Emperor Maurice himself sent the robber a cross as a sign of faith that he would do him no harm if he surrendered. The robber took the cross and surrendered. Arriving in Constantinople, he fell before the feet of the emperor and begged for forgiveness. The emperor kept his word, had mercy on him and released him. Immediately after that, the robber became gravely ill and sensed that death was drawing near. He bitterly repented of all his sins and tearfully prayed to God that He forgive him, as the emperor had forgiven him. He shed so many tears at prayer that his handkerchief was completely soaked. After ten days of weeping and praying, the repentant man reposed. The same night he passed away, his physician saw a wondrous vision in a dream: when the robber had given up his soul, there gathered around him black, manlike demons with pieces of paper on which were written all his sins. Two radiant angels also appeared. The angels set a scale between them, and the joyful demons placed all those papers on it, weighing down their side of the scale; but the other side was empty. The angels held counsel: ``What shall we place on it? Let us seek something good in his life!'' And then that handkerchief soaked with tears of repentance appeared in the hands of one angel. The angels quickly placed it on their side of the scale and it outweighed all the demons' papers. Then the black demons fled, howling sorrowfully, and the angels took the soul of the repentant thief and carried it to Paradise, glorifying the man-loving God.
By Saint Nikolai Velimirovich.
Whoever repents sincerely is prepared to withstand any sorrow: hunger and homelessness, cold and heat, illness and poverty, humiliation and banishment, lies and slander, for the soul seeks God and does not concern itself with anything worldly, but instead prays with a clear mind. And whoever is tied to lands and wealth can never have a clear mind in God, because deep within his soul there is always a concern over worldly things. If he should not repent completely and not sorrow over his insult to God, then he will die impassioned, never having received the Lord.
Elder Siluan
