Prologue in Sermons: October 5 (b)

 

Late Repentance

October 5

(From the Discourse on Andrew, concerning a grave thief.)

By Archpriest Victor Guryev

People whose habit of a particular sin has become a passion think only of one thing: how they can indulge that sin as soon as possible. Warnings from those close to them mean nothing to them. But since everything has an end, their lawless deeds also have an end. And this end often comes while they are still alive, and a most lamentable end it is. They repent then, but too late.

Prologue in Sermons: September 30

For Those Who Conceal Their Sins in Confession

September 30

(A Homily of Saint John Chrysostom on the Confession of Sins.)

By Archpriest Victor Guryev

Regarding the Mystery of Repentance, the Church, among other things, makes the following determination: whoever conceals his sins in confession not only does not receive forgiveness for them, but also doubles them. “But if you conceal anything from me,” the spiritual father says to the penitent before confession, “you have a twofold sin.” It would seem that such a stern determination of the Church ought to compel all Christians to be open in confession and to approach it not with a feeling of Pharisaic self-righteousness, but with the disposition of the publican and the prudent thief. Nevertheless, even to this day we often see that some, because of false shame, others because of weak faith, others because of pride, and still others at the instigation of the devil, in a word, many do not cease concealing their sins and thereby leave confession without true peace in their conscience, without the divine word of forgiveness within their souls. How, then, can such people be moved to openness? How can their false shame, weak faith, and pride be taken away? How can they be made truly repentant? Let us endeavor to do this through the following words of Saint Chrysostom. God grant that those who conceal their sins in confession may be convinced of their error and come to their senses.

Homilies from the Menaion for Every Day of the Year: September 28

The Month of September 

Day 28

29. To Unrepentant Sinners

(From the Life of our Venerable Father Chariton)

Unrepentant sinners, who have come into the depths of evil, whose habit of one sin or another has turned into a passion, not only do not think about correcting their lives, but are concerned with only one thing: where and how they might more conveniently commit some evil deed without punishment—for example, how they might kill someone, rob, deceive, or wrong someone. What do you think, brethren, will such hardening in evil pass these sinners by without consequence, or not? Know that it will not pass them by, either in this life or in the life to come. There is no need even to speak of the fact that it will not pass them by in the life to come; but that it does not pass them by in the present life, we shall prove by actual examples.

When the Venerable Chariton the Confessor was going to Jerusalem, robbers attacked him, seized him, bound him, brought him to their cave, and, intending to put him to a bitter death the following day, went out onto the main road in order to find more people whom they could either rob or kill. When the robbers had gone, Chariton prayed throughout the night that the Lord would deliver him from them, and the Lord truly delivered him. The robbers had left in the cave where they lived a vessel of wine. During their absence, a serpent crawled into the cave and, finding the vessel of wine, drank from it. Having become intoxicated, it vomited the wine it had drunk back into the vessel together with its poison, and then crawled away. The robbers returned home, and, overcome by thirst, all rushed to the vessel of wine, drank from it, and then, as it is said, “killed themselves with that deadly poison: for they all fell to the ground, and, having convulsed, died.”

Prologue in Sermons: September 27

 

Repentance Will Not Save Us If, After It, We Again Add Sins to Sins

September 27

(A Word on Punishment by Gregory the Black-Robed Monk,* Concerning Not Being Negligent of One’s Salvation.)
 
By Archpriest Victor Guryev

There are many people who, having repented of their sins and received forgiveness for them, nevertheless, immediately after confession, begin to sin again. They again defile themselves with the uncleanness of sin, think that it is nothing, and, comforting themselves, say: “God is merciful; God will forgive again.” Do such people act rightly or not? We are convinced that they act very badly, and the following word of one of the teachers of the Church, the Black-Robed Monk Gregory, leads us to this conviction.

Among other things, he says the following concerning this matter:

“Brethren, let us renounce worldly wickedness; let us not again become entangled in fleshly passions—gluttony, drunkenness, and fornication—which corrupt both soul and body. Our life here is short; therefore, let us take care for our souls and rejoice in our salvation; let us strive to blot out our sins through good works. Let us not act in such a way that today we repent, and tomorrow take up again the same sins, or even worse ones than those we committed before confession. If today you have washed your defiled body, but the next morning defile it again, will you derive any benefit from your washing? In the same way, there will be no benefit for the one who repented today but tomorrow took up his sins again. And what genuine benefit can you derive from your repentance when, after having been forgiven, you return again to sin? And can your prayer be heard? And can you escape the wrath of the Lord? No, for as great as the Lord’s mercy is, so grievous are His punishments. And the Lord judges each person according to his deeds, and each will receive recompense according to his deeds. Blessed is the person who, when tempted to sin, can refrain from sinning. But woe to the heart that is double-minded, and to the sinner who walks in two ways.”

Prologue in Sermons: May 7

Do Not Conceal Your Sins in Confession

May 7

(A homily about the robber who confessed all his sins before everyone in repentance.)

By Archpriest Victor Guryev

In the Church’s exhortation by the confessor to the penitent before confession, we read among other things: “Behold, my child, Christ stands here invisibly, receiving your confession; do not be ashamed, nor afraid, and hide nothing from me, but without concealment tell everything you have done, that you may receive forgiveness from our Lord Jesus Christ…; but if you hide anything from me, you will have a double sin.” Therefore, whoever hides his sins in confession doubles them. And so it is; for such a person adds another sin to the one he has hidden: he lies before God, Who Himself stands invisibly, receiving our confession. But, unfortunately, many Christians are not instructed by this; some out of false shame, others out of pride, others through lack of faith, and still others simply through not understanding the great importance of the most holy Mystery of Repentance, hide their sins in confession, and thus leave confession not only not cleansed of their sins, but even more burdened by them and condemned. How can such people be led to correction? How can they be instructed so that in the future they will be fully open in confession? Let us try to encourage and instruct them by an example.

Prologue in Sermons: May 5

On Not Judging our Neighbors

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:

Prologue in Sermons: April 15

Both Sorrow and Joy Can Serve for Salvation

April 15

(A Word from the Paterikon about two monks who took wives.)

By Archpriest Victor Guryev

In the Prologue we read: “Two monks once fell into a grievous sin. But after some time they repented and said: 'Well then, what profit did we gain by leaving the angelic life and falling into a defiled way of living? Does not eternal torment await us for this? Let us go again into the desert and repent. The Lord will receive our repentance.' Having said this, they went to a monastery, confessed their sin to a spiritual father, and he imposed a penance upon them. He commanded them to remain shut in seclusion for a whole year and sent them there only bread and water, to both in equal measure. A year passed, the time of the penance was completed, and it was revealed to the elders of the monastery that the monks had been forgiven. Opening the cells where they had been confined, the fathers brought them out. And what was seen? One monk was very thin and pale and came out in despondency, while the other was joyful, his face radiant, and he was rejoicing. The fathers were amazed at such a contrast, especially since, as we have said, the monks received the same food in equal measure. And so they first asked the sorrowful brother: 'How did you spend your time in your cell?' The monk answered: 'I thought about the evil I had done and pictured to myself the torment of hell into which I ought to go.' They asked the rejoicing monk: 'And you, what did you think about in your cell?' He said: 'I glorified God, Who rescued me from a defiled life and brought me back again to the angelic state, and, praising God, I rejoiced.' Then the elders said: 'The repentance of both was pleasing to God, for He forgave them both.'”

Great Wednesday: The Tears of Repentance (Elder Ephraim of Arizona)

 

Great Wednesday: The Tears of Repentance 

By Elder Ephraim of Arizona

Time is constantly shortening; it is continually diminishing. Every day that passes is another step toward death. Know this: even a single tear is equal to a cleansing bath. Just as a bath refreshes the body and washing cleanses a garment, so the tears of a repentant soul purify the heart, purify the mind, purify the body, purify life, purify speech, and even purify every expression of a person.

We should kneel and pray with great humility. To every repentant soul is given a word; it is given enlightened prayer. We see this in the sinful woman of the Gospel on Great Wednesday. How did she, a woman of the streets, know how to pray? Yet from the moment she decided to repent and began to turn toward the light and toward the truth, the spirit of prayer was given to her.

How beautiful are her words before the Savior! She knelt before Him and surely entered into an inner dialogue with Him. With her whole heart she expressed her repentance, because it had been revealed to her that He alone was her Savior and that all others had deceived her. She saw that only Jesus Christ could give her light, relief, joy, and the forgiveness of her many sins.

April: Day 1: Teaching 2: Venerable Mary of Egypt

 

April: Day 1: Teaching 2:
Venerable Mary of Egypt
 
(A Model of Repentance)

By Archpriest Grigory Dyachenko

I. Who does not know the wondrous life of Mary of Egypt? Who does not know into what depth of evils she descended, to what height of virtues she afterward ascended, and how this astonishing transition took place? Let us not recount what is probably known to all, but rather set forth only the principal truths, relating to the labor of repentance, which this instructive life reminds us of.

II. a) The first truth is that repentance is always possible for us. However great and numerous our vices may be, however long we may have already served lawlessness, however deeply rooted and inveterate we may have become in evil — we can always come to our senses and turn to God with a prayer for mercy. For seventeen years, the freshest and most flourishing years of her life, Mary gave herself over to sins without repentance. And how did she give herself over? To what sins? It seemed that she had lost all shame; it seemed that she had completely driven the fear of God from her heart and entirely stifled the voice of conscience within herself. The name of Mary was covered with universal disgrace. Yet even this soul, seemingly lost, was able to repent: why then should we not repent? Perhaps our sins are less than Mary’s sins — then repentance is all the easier for us. And even if not less, even if greater? Mary came to herself and began to repent when she was striving to enter the church to venerate the life-giving wood of the Cross of the Lord: the Holy Cross — this anchor of salvation for sinners — is always with us; the blood of Jesus Christ, crucified on the Cross, is able to cleanse us “from every sin” (John 2:1). Let us only cry out to Him, like Mary, with living faith in His merits on the Cross and hope in His mercy.

Prologue in Sermons: April 1

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

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.

Homily for the Fifth Sunday Evening of Great Lent (St. Sergius Mechev)

Homily for the Fifth Sunday Evening of Great Lent 

By Holy Hieromartyr Sergius Mechev

(Delivered in 1929)

In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit!

In the work of repentance, my dear ones, we must distinguish two moments. One of them is the turning of the sinner to God with supplication as to a physician: “Heal, O Lord, my soul, for I have sinned against You.” This supplication was present both in the Prodigal Son and in our Venerable Mother Mary of Egypt, whom we glorify this week. This moment of the sinner’s turning is characterized by the fact that the sinner, in turning with supplication to God, enters into a secret covenant with Him. Such a covenant was made both by the Prodigal Son and by Mary of Egypt.

But all our life proceeds through repentance, and through it the original beauty of countenance is restored to a man, and from here again there is a path either to sin or to God. The “imaginary soul” strives to displace everything holy and real. Even after conversion, a question arises for a person: how to live? — and a struggle begins between the “imaginary soul” and the “true soul.” Every life is characterized by struggle. If there is no struggle, there is no life. And we, my dear ones, are all inclined to return to the former path. Just as a cancerous tumor strives to fill the whole organism, so the soul infected by sin strives to displace the true soul, and the struggle begins.

Homily Two for the Fourth Saturday Evening of Great Lent (St. Sergius Mechev)

Homily Two for the Fourth Saturday Evening of Great Lent 

By Holy Hieromartyr Sergius Mechev

In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit!

Last Sunday, by bringing forth the Holy Cross for veneration, the Holy Church called us, by looking upon it, to follow Christ on His way of the Cross. Today She gives us the image of a great ascetic, our Venerable Father John of the Ladder, who in his life walked the path of bearing the cross. His life gives us practical guidance on how to follow this path, helps us to understand our own spiritual condition, and, above all, to recognize its diseased aspects.

One of the main wounds of contemporary spiritual life lies in our sinful attitude toward the mystery from which spiritual life begins — the Mystery of Repentance.

Every person who comes to the gates of the Church must bring repentance for his entire life; without this he cannot enter the Church and begin spiritual life.

Prologue in Sermons: March 22

Everyone Must Prepare for Death: Both Young and Old

March 22

(A Homily of Saint Chrysostom on the Judgment)

By Archpriest Victor Guryev

We, brethren, somehow think little about death, and only a few of us prepare for it. “We have now grown old, and we no longer have the strength to pray,” say the elderly. And the young say that they will still have time to repent; their time has not yet passed them by. Thus speak both the old and the young. But do they speak the truth?

Saint Chrysostom addresses both and says the following to them:

“Fathers and brethren, mothers and sisters! Do not say: ‘We have lived our life, and we no longer have the strength to make prostrations!’ O elderly people! You already know that soon the Lord will call you to His Judgment; therefore do not be slothful in preparing to give an answer. O young brothers and sisters, do not deceive yourselves with the words: ‘We are young, and therefore it is permitted for us now to drink, to eat, and to make merry. The time will come, and we too shall repent.’ O brethren, do not forget that just as dew dries up under the sun, so also your youth will soon fade and weaken if you give yourselves over to evil deeds. O man, when you sleep, do you hear that a thief has entered your house? So also you do not know when the Angel will come and take your soul, unpurified by repentance. Then you will begin to repent, but it will already be too late. Therefore, while we have time, brethren, let us adorn ourselves with virtues and fulfill the commandments of God, that we may become heirs of the Kingdom of God.”

Homily for the Sunday of Saint Gregory Palamas (St. Sergius Mechev)

Homily for the Sunday of Saint Gregory Palamas 

By St. Sergius Mechev

In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit!

I spoke to you yesterday and today about the fact that the Holy Church now sets before us the example of Gregory Palamas in connection with the course of the Great Fast, and today at the Liturgy I spoke about, according to the teaching of Gregory Palamas, what life is and what death is, and what kinds of deaths there are: the death of the body and the death of the soul.

Here is what Gregory Palamas, Archbishop of Thessaloniki, writes to a certain pious old woman:

“Know, pious mother, or rather let the maidens who have chosen to live according to God learn through you, that the soul also has a death, although it is immortal by nature (Philokalia, III, 3). … For just as the separation of the soul from the body is the death of the body, so the separation of God from the soul is the death of the soul. And this is chiefly death — the death of the soul. It was this death that God indicated when, giving the commandment in Paradise, He said to Adam: ‘In the day that you eat of the forbidden tree, you shall surely die’ (Gen. 2:17). For then his soul died, having through transgression been separated from God, while in body he continued to live from that hour on for nine hundred and thirty years” (Philokalia III, 4).

In what does true death consist?

Homily for the Second Sunday Evening of Great Lent (St. Sergius Mechev)

Homily for the Second Sunday Evening of Great Lent 

By St. Sergius Mechev

In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit!

Repentance is above all reconciliation with oneself, and through this reconciliation with God and with people. About this I have already spoken to you, and now I want to give an example of external repentance — such repentance when outwardly there is real repentance, but inwardly it is a repentance that does not bear the knowledge of one’s sin and the striving, through the endurance of sorrows, to cleanse oneself from this sin.

In the times of the ancient Church there lived a certain steward (oikonomos), by the name of Theophilos. He lived in holiness, managed the church property righteously, and was loved by everyone for his kindness. To everyone he was a consolation in sorrow. When the bishop died, the people began to ask Theophilos to occupy the episcopal throne, but Theophilos refused. “I know my sins and therefore am unworthy of this rank; I cannot be a bishop,” he said, shedding tears and falling at the feet of the Metropolitan who wished to consecrate him as bishop. For a long time he lay at the feet of the hierarch, weeping and asking that the burden not be laid upon him. The Metropolitan gave him three days to think everything over well. After three days the same thing happened again: Theophilos stubbornly refused the episcopal rank. Then the Metropolitan appointed another bishop for the citizens, and Theophilos again remained steward. Here, it would seem, is an example of true repentance. A man recognizes his sins and refuses the episcopal rank in reconciliation with God and with men.

Confession on Friday of the First Week of Great Lent (St. Sergius Mechev)

Confession on Friday of the First Week of Great Lent 

By Holy Hieromartyr Sergius Mechev

In the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit!

I think our main misfortune is that we consider confession to be merely an obligation performed once a year. Then we fast, confess, feel relieved — and this divine lightness we wrongly reduce to simple emotional relief, an ordinary human feeling. We feel lighter — and that seems to be enough.

But is repentance given only so that we may feel better?

We must understand that confession is the means given by God for the ordering of our spiritual life — for the transformation of our entire existence. Otherwise repentance becomes fruitless. Repentance is a great mystery, yet we turn it into nothing more than a pleasant emotional experience.

The Holy Fathers teach that true repentance begins from the very moment you have confessed. The priest prays over the penitent that the Lord may grant him the image of repentance:

“Have mercy, O Lord, upon Your servant, and grant him the image of repentance.”

But why do we ask this, if the person has already confessed and repented?

Because from that moment — from confession, the forgiveness of sins, and union with the Holy Body and Blood — repentance in life truly begins. That is real repentance.

Prologue in Sermons: February 11

 

The Lord Always Receives the Truly Repentant

February 11

(A homily about one who robbed the dead and was again saved through repentance.)

By Archpriest Victor Guryev

People who have fallen into grave sins, but have washed them away with tears, sincerely repented of them, and firmly set themselves on the path of correction, should never think that the Lord will not forgive their former heavy sins or show them His mercy. Let them know that if they persevere on the path of virtue, the Lord will certainly forgive them and will no longer remember their former iniquities.

The abbot of one of the monasteries of Jerusalem, named John, related the following:

“A young man came to me,” he said, “who, weeping bitterly, said: ‘Father, receive me; I wish to repent.’ Seeing him in terrible sorrow, I said to him, ‘Why are you so distressed? Reveal to me the cause of your grief, and the Lord will ease it for you.’

The young man answered, ‘Oh, I have sinned terribly.’ And sighing deeply, he began to beat his breast and, from intense agitation, could speak no further. I did not cease urging him on, giving him examples of sinners who had repented and been forgiven, and at last I succeeded. The young man confessed.

Homily for the Sunday of the Prodigal Son -- On True Repentance and the Mercy of God (St. Cleopa of Sihastria)

Homily for the 34th Sunday after Pentecost
(Sunday of the Prodigal Son)
On True Repentance and the Mercy of God

By St. Cleopa of Sihastria

“I will arise and go to my father, and I will say to him: Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you” (Luke 15:18)

Beloved faithful,

In Holy Scripture God is called the “Father of mercies” (2 Corinthians 1:3), because He continually shows mercy to sinners who return to Him with all their heart through true repentance. God says through the Prophet Isaiah: “In returning and rest you shall be saved; in quietness and trust shall be your strength” (Isaiah 30:15). In another place, through the same Prophet, God says: “Wash yourselves, make yourselves clean; remove the evil of your deeds from before My eyes; cease to do evil… Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be white as snow; though they are red like crimson, they shall become like wool” (Isaiah 1:16–18).

This truth was also fulfilled in the case of the prodigal son from the Holy Gospel that was read today. First, he came to himself; he longed for the happiness he had enjoyed when he was in his father’s house; then he said: “How many of my father’s hired servants have bread enough and to spare, and I perish here with hunger!” (Luke 15:17). These were the words of the prodigal son when he came to himself — that is, when he began to recognize the weight of his sins. Without this feeling and awakening, none of the sinners can return with all their heart to the all-good God.

Prologue in Sermons: January 5

One Should Not Hide Sins During Confession

January 5

By Archpriest Victor Guryev

Some Christians conceal their sins during confession. Some hide them out of false shame, others out of false fear, some due to disbelief, others due to ignorance, and so on. Are these actions good? No, brethren, know that they are very wrong: for by hiding their sins, they lie before the Lord Himself, multiply their sins after confession, and bring joy to the devil. Let us examine everything in detail. Who receives our confession: the priest who listens or the Lord? Certainly, it is the Lord, as is said in the church teaching from a spiritual father: "Behold, child, Christ invisibly stands, receiving your confession." Therefore, those who hide their sins during confession truly lie before the Lord. And those who conceal their sins during confession only multiply them. "If you hide anything from Me," says the spiritual father to the penitent, "you have a double sin." And those who hide their sins in confession ultimately bring joy to the devil. In a church teaching given before the Lord’s Baptism, it is said: "Let us not hide, brethren, the sins we have committed, but, having confessed them to our spiritual father, let us repent of them with a sincere confession. For if we hide them here, we create great joy for our adversary, that is, the devil."

Homily on the Sunday Before Theophany (Archimandrite John Maslov)

Homily on the Sunday Before Theophany

By Archimandrite John Maslov 

In the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit! 

The voice of one crying in the wilderness: "Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make his paths straight" (Mark 1:3). These words of Holy Scripture speak of how the great Prophet and Baptist of the Lord prepared the people to receive Christ the Savior. This great chosen one of God was destined to prepare the way for the Only Begotten Son of God, coming into the world, to dispose and prepare people to accept Jesus Christ through his preaching of repentance. He invited all who came to him in the desert to repent of their sins and to change their way of life. And the Savior Himself, upon entering upon His public ministry to the human race, first addressed the people with a word of repentance. "Repent," He cried, "and believe the gospel" (Mark 1:15).

The repentance preached by Saint John the Baptist in the desert and demanded of people by the Savior Himself refers not only to the temporary confession of sins, but to repentance as a virtue, as a constant disposition, a constant effort to acknowledge one's sinfulness, to purify one's heart through contrition and the pursuit of virtue. We must view repentance as our essential duty, which must be a constant and unceasing struggle throughout our earthly life. No one can avoid sin. Such is the lot of fallen man. Saint John the Theologian speaks of this: "If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us" (1 John 1:8). The Apostle Paul said of himself that he was "the chief of sinners" (1 Tim. 1:15) and "accursed" (Rom. 7:24). As for us, it is difficult to express how great and how heavy is the burden of our sins.