My beloved spiritual children in Christ Our Only True God and Our Only True Savior,
CHRIST IS IN OUR MIDST! HE WAS, IS, AND EVER SHALL.
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ON MORTAL SINS, REPENTANCE AND FORGIVENESS
Source: "The Evergetinos, A Complete Text."
[Note: "A mortal sin is that sin for which a person does not repent. No one is so good and so merciful as God. Yet a man who remains obstinately in sin and will not repent--not even God forgives him. We are deeply sorry when we sin, nevertheless, we gladly embrace every excuse and occasion for sins" (Abba (Father) Mark)]
Through the works of the Devil, a brother who lived in a small monastic house regularly fell to immorality; nonetheless, he forced himself not to put aside his monastic habit. After finishing his services and his rule of prayer, he would entreat God with groans: "My Lord, whether I wish it or not, save me, for I, mud that I am, crave for the stench of sin; but Thou, as God All-Powerful, are able to prevent me from sinning. For, if Thou hast mercy on the righteous, this is nothing of note; and, if Thou, by the same token, savest the pure, this is nothing admirable; these, by virtue of the measure of their struggle and virtue, are worthy to enjoy Thy goodness. Master, let Thy mercies do their miracle, and show to me Thy endless love of man; for the poor man has entrusted unto Thee, that is, he who has been deprived of all the virtues."
These and similar things the brother said each day, with eyes filled with tears; whether he had happened to sin or not.
Anyway, one night, according to his habit, he fell into the loathsome sin of immorality; but immediately at midnight, he got up to fulfill his rule of prayer. The Devil, who has led the brother into sin, would literally go mad at the hope that the sinful brother held out for his salvation and his effrontery; as the Devil saw it, to place himself before God by his prayers. So it was that this time he decided to appear visibly before the brother, telling him: "You wretch! How do you not become red with shame in standing before God? How do you dare to bring the name of God to your lips? Are you so brazen that you dare even chant?"
To these words of the Devil the brother answered:
"This cell is a forge: you give a hit with the hammer and receive one; thus I will continue to fight against you until death and wherever I am on the last day of my life. So take heed: grounding my courage in the limitless goodness of God, I tell you on my oath and assure you that, on the name of Him Who came to call sinners to repentance and to save them, I will not cease to pray to God in defiance of you, until you cease to war against me. And we shall see who shall win; you or God."
Hearing these decisive words, the Devil said to the brother: "All night, from now I will not war against you so that I am not responsible for your gaining the victory's crown for your patience." From that moment, the Enemy departed from the brother's presence.
And the brother, who had been so assaulted up to that time, came to contrition and thereafter sat and wept unceasingly for his sins.
Often he thought to himself: "You do good in weeping." But he would respond to this thought: "Away with such good; for whether He saves a man's soul or not, it is not God's desire that any man, having sported his soul in all kinds of disgraceful deeds, should then merely sit and lament for this waste (but that he should actively repent)." (Orthodox Heritage)
(To be continued)
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"Glory Be To GOD For All things!" - Saint John Chrysostom
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With sincere agape in His Holy Diakonia (Ministry),
The sinner and unworthy servant of God
+Father George