On Not Judging our Neighbors
May 5
(A word on repentance and on the forgiveness of sins.)
By Archpriest Victor Guryev
May 5
(A word on repentance and on the forgiveness of sins.)
By Archpriest Victor Guryev
We say: “This one did such-and-such an evil, and for this he will receive such-and-such a punishment from God; and that one sinned differently and will also be punished by God; and for another there will be no forgiveness at all.” And so, according to us, it turns out that no one will be forgiven. Is this really so?
A certain maiden ascetic shut herself in a dark cell and there fasted for nineteen years. But, by the instigation of the devil, she once fell into a mortal sin. Fortunately, however, she very soon came to her senses, was moved in soul, and began to ask God for forgiveness. Her repentance was so deep, her self-restraint so strict, that she forgot absolutely everything except her sin. With tears she prayed to God and said:
“You, O Lord, are the God who has known and borne our sins and the countless evils of the whole world; You do not desire the death of the sinner; You do not forget those who stand on the brink of destruction; You desire that all be saved and come to the knowledge of the truth. Therefore, save me also, who am perishing, by Your mercy, and show Your goodness even upon me!”
Thus she prayed, and her prayer was heard by God. She gave herself, in order to obtain forgiveness, to great abstinence, suffered for the Lord for thirty years, and afterward received mercy from Him, and God forgave her. This was revealed to a certain presbyter, and he told everyone: “The maiden, by her repentance, pleased God more than by her virginity.” All this, the account concludes, is written so that we may not judge anyone who sins, for we do not know how or who truly repents. For this blessed maiden crushed her heart and lived the rest of her life in humility after her sin, and therefore, because of her repentance, she was not brought low by the Master Christ.
From this it is clear that by judging others we seize a right that belongs not to us, but to God — to judge them. And in general, how can we judge our neighbors when we ourselves may be a thousand times more sinful than they? How can we condemn when the mercy of God toward those who repent is boundless? How can we judge when, at the very moment of our condemnation, the Lord may say to those we condemn: “I forgive you this, and that, and the other — I forgive everything”? And finally, how can we judge when we see that between us and the judgment of the Lord there lies an entire abyss?
Therefore, “judge nothing before the time, until the Lord comes, who will bring to light the hidden things of darkness and reveal the counsels of the hearts; and then each one will receive praise from God” (1 Corinthians 4:5). Amen.
Source: Translated by John Sanidopoulos.
