On How Saving Is the Contrition of Heart and Sorrow for Sins
April 1
(A Word on the Repentance of Sinners)
By Archpriest Victor Guryev
April 1
(A Word on the Repentance of Sinners)
By Archpriest Victor Guryev
It is not in vain that the word of God and the Holy Fathers, when speaking of the impurity of the soul, compare it with bodily impurity; and it is not in vain that, when speaking of the repentance of a sinner and the cleansing of the defilements of sin by repentance, they compare this cleansing with bodily washing. Indeed: just as bodily impurity is harmful to health, unpleasant to the sight of others, and can be infectiously harmful to others, so also sinful impurity is deadly for the soul, repugnant to virtuous people, and likewise can be destructive for many. And just as bodily washing contributes to the health of the body and makes its appearance bright and pleasing, so also the washing of the soul from the defilements of sin contributes to the salvation of the soul and is beneficial also for others, giving them a saving example and stirring in them good emulation.
