An Attempt at Constructing a Confession

This book was created from many sources as it was shaped by immersion into the prayer life of the Church, the experience of spiritual guidance, and pastoral care.

The immediate material for this collection came from the talks of Archimandrite John (Krestyankin), which were held in the 1970s at the Pskovo-Pechersky Monastery during the first week of Great Lent, after the reading of the Penitential Canon of Andrew of Crete. Many people remember those evenings of trembling, penitential standing before the living and near God, and before their own conscience, as well as the convicting and healing words of pastoral exhortation.

The talks were recorded. Naturally, in the process of transcribing and retyping, many errors appeared. In publishing these talks at the request of pilgrims and parishioners, we strove not only to correct the errors but also to preserve, as much as possible, the conversational tone.

“Repent, for the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand!”

By publishing these talks, we hope they will help at least some to hear and fulfill this divine call.

We have gathered here to offer another confession to the Lord. I would like to begin the confession with a few words. Each of us, to the best of our ability and opportunity, strives to maintain cleanliness in our homes and neatness in our clothing. And there are some especially fastidious people who zealously maintain cleanliness and order. How concerned such a person becomes when, due to some circumstances, this order and cleanliness are disrupted.

Likewise, a person who is used to watching over the purity of their heart and the neatness of their soul cannot live without repentance. Such a person longs and thirsts for the next confession, just as the parched earth longs for the life-giving moisture. As the psalmist David says, «My soul thirsts for You, like a land that is parched» (Psalm 142:6). Imagine for a moment a person who has never washed off bodily dirt throughout their entire life! So too, the soul requires washing, and what would happen if there were no Sacrament of Confession, this healing and cleansing «second Baptism»?

We have all probably seen many times, or perhaps remember from childhood, what happens when it warms up in winter and children roll snowballs. They take a tiny snowball, no bigger than a fist, and roll it down a hill: in the blink of an eye, this little ball turns into a huge, unwieldy mass of wet, dirty snow! The same happens with the sinful state of our soul. Watch yourself! You sincerely repented with tears, partook of the Holy Mysteries of Christ – what peace and calmness fills your heart! But then, on your way out of the church, you meet someone and, in conversation, carelessly throw a small lump of judgment into your heart... That’s it! The avalanche has started moving! Look now at how quickly the sinful snowball will accumulate...

We also have personal repentance: in the evening, during prayer, remember how you have offended the Lord throughout the day and repent. Experienced spiritual guides even recommend not postponing repentance, but as soon as you have offended your conscience, immediately rebuke yourself and ask the Lord for forgiveness. And the Lord will forgive, for «a broken and contrite heart, God will not despise» (Psalm 51:19).

However, the weight of this sinful snowball, which we manage to roll up in our soul, will press down until, during the Sacrament of Confession, the absolution prayer is read over the truly repentant sinner by the priest, who has the authority by grace of the priesthood to forgive sins.

This is what we, sinful people, feel and experience. But here is what holy people visibly saw. The spiritual daughter of the last Optina Elder, St. Nektary, came to him just before his death. When she approached him, the elder blessed her and said, «You need to confess, there is a cloud of demons over you!» This is who is attracted by the soul's filth!

And one more thing I would like to say: after the Sacrament of Confession, before the reading of the absolution prayer, the priest reads a prayer for those who have repented. Pay attention to the words of this prayer: “…reconcile and unite him [the penitent] with Thy Holy Church, O Christ Jesus, our Lord…” How is this reconciliation with the Church to be understood? We go to the temple, pray, sing akathists and moliebens, perform choir duties (for those who participate in the divine services). It turns out that by our sins, we have long been separated from God, from the grace-filled internal communion with the Church. We have severed the spiritual bond, the umbilical cord through which our souls and spirit are nourished by the grace of the Holy Spirit. So, the priest, performing the Sacrament of Confession, prays for our reintegration, since we, through our sinful lives, have separated ourselves from the Church.

In fact, we should come to confession already having reflected on our actions, already having wept before the Lord over our sinful lives. We should each bring our own personal repentance before the Cross and the Gospel.

Before we begin to repent, we must forgive everyone everything! Forgive without delay, right now! Forgive in truth, not like this: “I forgive you, but I can’t stand to see you or talk to you!” We must immediately forgive everyone and everything as if there had been no offenses, no disappointments, no animosities! Only then can we hope to receive forgiveness from the Lord.

Help us, Lord, at this moment to forgive everyone everything!

Once, during the earthly life of Jesus Christ, a certain lawyer came to Him and asked, «Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?» And He answered, «You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart... and your neighbor as yourself» (Luke 10:25–27). Here are our main commandments – love for God and love for our neighbor.

But since our duties to God and our neighbor are diverse, the commandments were divided by God into ten, presented in such a way that the first four relate to God, and the other six to our neighbor. Now, let us consider how we have violated the Law of God?

Lord, accept our humble repentance!

In the Russian translation, this sounds like: «I am the Lord your God; you shall have no other gods but Me.»

What duties do we have in relation to God according to this commandment?

First duty: We must have true knowledge of God. But do we have this true knowledge of God? No, we do not have a correct understanding of God, of the Orthodox teaching of our faith, of the Church, of which we are members, and of the reception of Holy Baptism.

Lord, forgive us, sinners!

We also justify ourselves, saying that we have no place to draw this correct understanding of God from, that no one has taught or is teaching us this. But in justifying ourselves, we deepen our guilt, for this is untruth! We live far too inattentively, distractedly, and we do not want to draw the necessary knowledge from the sources available to each of us.

1. Ask your conscience: do we treasure each divine service in the church, do we pay attention to the prayers and hymns that the Church prays? Here is the school, here is the most necessary, the truest theology, here is the most repentant prayer, the most inspired praise to God. Do we nourish our mind and soul with all this? No, Lord, forgive us!

We do not like to come to church at the start of the service, we push through people during the service, crowd around the candle box, talk loudly, move from place to place. We do not hear what is being read or sung, and we disturb others, taking nothing from this source of true theology.

Lord, forgive us, sinners!

And some still consider themselves too well-read and all-knowing, and such people listen with irritation and condemnation: «What, is he talking about the same thing again?» completely forgetting that the priest, standing on the pulpit, is standing as if on the stone rolled away from the tomb of the Lord, and the word of the Gospel cannot be without benefit from the holy place. Even the most humble word from the pulpit always teaches the truths of Orthodoxy.

Lord, forgive us, who reject Your words!

2. We do not read soul-saving books, making excuses that they are not available now, and again, this is a wicked excuse! But do we read the Book of books, the Holy Gospel? The Gospel is in almost every one of our homes, and if not, it is due to the greatest negligence. Do we learn from this Book of Life? The Holy Church has laid out daily readings from the Gospel and the Apostolic Epistles. It may be that not everyone can follow and complete this, but who stops us from reading at least one chapter every day? How many of us, who are now repenting, have ever attentively read the Gospel, the Acts of the Apostles, and the Epistles?

Forgive us, Lord!

We not only fail to read the Gospel at home, but we also do not listen to it in church! Reverent behavior in the church is always required, and during the reading of the Holy Gospel, everyone should freeze and attentively listen with a bowed head. Yet, we still, if we are lucky, do not push one another during this moment (and this does happen to us – Lord, forgive us). We are lucky if we don’t pass candles around, thus distracting others (repent to the Lord, those guilty of this – Lord, forgive us). We are lucky if, using «empty» time, we don’t rush to adjust the candles or light the lamp (this also happens with us – Lord, forgive us). We are lucky if we do not distract others with idle conversations, and in this, we are sinners, Lord!

But even if we do not externally violate this moment of the divine service, how many of us can sincerely say that we listen to the words of the Holy Scripture with the utmost attention? Do the words not merely skim the surface of the ear, not reaching not only the heart but even the mind, which in that moment wanders God knows where? Lord, forgive our inattentiveness, our audacity, our light-mindedness, and our coldness, which we show in listening to the reading that the Church offers us during the service.

Having now brought repentance to the Lord, let us resolve from this day forward (this does not require great intelligence or an extraordinary feat) that as soon as the Gospel reading begins in the temple, we will stop all other activities, cease any movement, bow our heads, and attentively listen to the words of the Gospel.

Help us, Lord!

But if a person passes by you, someone who has not heard the sermon today and does not know how to behave at that moment, do not rebuke him harshly. And later, perhaps remembering him, after the service, with love and kindness, explain to him how one should behave during the reading of the Gospel. This is how it should be done Christianly!

We do not read books of religious and moral content. True, not everyone has them, and they are hard to obtain. But among us are those who have them, yet they sit on shelves, and either out of laziness or lack of time, we do not read them: «It's better to sleep a bit more.» Those who are more educated are more likely to read a newspaper than serious spiritual reading. Others neither read themselves nor allow others to: «What if they don’t give it back, or I might want to read it just at that time.» See how greed overcomes us!

Here we must also remember that nothing is more foolish than appropriating someone elsés books of spiritual content! What good for the soul can reading a stolen book bring? If anyone is guilty of this and has such books, immediately, at the first opportunity, return them to the rightful owner!

Lord, forgive us for our ignorance and dishonesty!

3. Finally, one can learn about God from conversations with well-read and pious people. But what do we do? We love to talk so much, we are drawn to go to a neighbor’s, to friends and acquaintances–but not for conversations about God, the soul, and salvation. It is shameful and terrifying to admit that we, Christians, often gather to judge our neighbors, indulge in card games, or even engage in drinking wine. We go to visit empty, but return even more impoverished.

Lord, forgive us, sinners!

And this often happens with us after confession, on the day we receive the Holy Mysteries of Christ.

The second duty prescribed by the first commandment of the Law of God: to have true faith in God, hope in Him, and love for Him.

1. The most terrible sin against this duty of every person is godlessness, that is, the very state in which a great number of our fellow countrymen, our relatives, close ones, and acquaintances are currently living. How sorrowful this is, especially for parents whose children are godless–there is no need to even speak of it! But we, who have come here to confession, do we have firm and unquestionable faith in all things religious? Do we believe in immortality, that beyond the grave there is eternal life with recompense for earthly deeds? As hard as it is to admit, we, too, lack the living faith that should permeate all of our consciousness, the kind of faith that would guide our actions.

Lord, have mercy on us, who doubt Your existence, our immortality, and the coming of the Final Judgment!

2. Perhaps, among those who are now confessing, there are those who do not believe in the existence of the heavenly host of Angels and the legions of evil spirits. The latter is especially widespread among “educated” people. For some reason, it is shameful in our time to believe in the existence of real beings–evil spirits. But this is exactly what the enemy of our salvation desires! If there is no malicious influence, why then protect ourselves with the Life-Giving Cross, holy water, and the Jesus Prayer? Maybe some do not sufficiently venerate the Mother of God, the holy martyrs, and the saints of God? Repent before the Lord!

Lord, forgive us, sinners!

3. There is yet another type of grave sin against the first commandment–apostasy. Lord! How close we are to this state! And sometimes, perhaps, we have been true apostates, not because of the fear of suffering, as happened sometimes in the history of Christianity during persecutions of the Church, but simply out of fear, often a false fear, of losing some earthly prosperity.

It happens that we, as believing people, expect to receive some help from the Lord, for example, a better apartment, a better job, and we ask everyone to pray for us, yet at the same time, we hide our icons in the closet, afraid that our faith in God will be seen and that our request will be denied. This is how far we go in our madness.

Have mercy on us, Lord!

Out of cowardice, when going to see a doctor, we remove our cross, fearing that the doctor will not treat us or will not give us a sick note!

Lord, forgive our apostasy and cowardice!

But if a conversation about faith in God suddenly comes up at work, the unfortunate, faint-hearted person is ready to disappear into thin air. He would do anything so that no one even guesses by the expression on his face that he is a Christian–and the words of renunciation of Christ are already on the tip of his tongue... Repent before the Lord, those who recognize themselves in the painted image of the faint-hearted Christian!

Lord, have mercy on me, a sinner!

It is shameful to admit, even to say aloud. Not only young people but even older ones, already free from social obligations, having earned their rest and pension, are also afraid to openly hang icons in their homes!

Lord, forgive us, sinners!

Out of fear of showing our religiosity, we now often commit the sin of spiritual murder of our dying relatives by being ashamed of the neighbors and not inviting a priest with the Holy Gifts to bless the dying. Woe to us if, by our fault, any of our loved ones has passed into eternity without repentance and the reception of the Holy Mysteries of Christ.

Lord! Forgive us for these sins and do not be ashamed of us before Your Angels on the Day of Judgment for our renunciation of You here on earth.

4. We have little true, living faith, but we are terribly affected by superstitions. Superstitions, “suya,” is an empty, false faith. And how often we replace the true faith in God's good Providence with them! We believe in certain “lucky” and “unlucky” days, in “difficult” and “easy” days. We are afraid to start even a good deed on a “difficult” day, without thinking that we may not even live until the next day. We believe in all kinds of dreams, interpret them, practice divination based on them, and through such delusion, we fall into mental confusion and illness... Repent before the Lord!

Lord, forgive us, sinners!

Beware of believing in dreams, so as not to fall into prelest–a terrible spiritual disease!

And we bring these superstitions into the church and hold onto them more tightly than to true piety. And with our absurd remarks, we disrupt the prayers of those around us. For example, passing candles–who decided that they should be passed over the right shoulder, and not the other way around? (Even thinking about it is not worth filling our minds with.) The only thing that matters is that candles are passed without breaking them, without pushing the person who is making the sign of the cross, and without interrupting them at that moment. Or they shouldn’t be passed at crucial moments of the service–just hold them quietly in your hand and pass them without any superstitions.

These superstitions were passed down to us from our pagan ancestors. For example, on the Feast of the Holy Trinity, look at what happens at the cemeteries, at the graves where crosses stand! This is truly a black day for our departed! Instead of prayer, candles, and incense, we engage in actual pagan feasts at the graves on this day. And our departed ones in the afterlife burn with sorrow and grief, like the rich man in the Gospel, who asked the Lord to warn his brothers, still living, of what awaits them after death. If any of you have arranged such feasts and gathered at the grave for a banquet, go to the cemetery and ask forgiveness from your departed relatives for the terrible suffering you brought upon them with your ignorance, and never do this again on this holy day of the feast, when the Church prays a special kneeling prayer for the repose of our deceased loved ones. Do not make this day more painful for them.

And now, ask the Lord for forgiveness for your ignorance.

Lord, forgive us, sinners!

We believe in all kinds of omens and say that we cannot not believe in them, because they come true. But St. Seraphim of Sarov replied in such a case: “Don't believe–and they will not come true!”

Lord, forgive us, sinners!

5. Many sin against the first commandment of God’s Law by drawing signs or omens from every circumstance. They sin grievously before God who spread rumors about famine, floods, or even those who specify the exact date of the world’s end. How can one predict what even the Angels do not know, and what only the Heavenly Father knows! We sin no less when we listen to and believe these daring words and predictions.

Lord, forgive us, sinners!

6. Others sin against the first commandment–magicians, witches, fortune-tellers, and soothsayers–those who have abandoned faith in God’s power and instead believe in the hidden forces of created things, especially evil spirits, and seek to act in alliance with them for the harm of others. If there are such sinners among you, you must repent personally, with bitter tears, before the Lord!

For involvement in sorcery, the Church forbids communion with her for 20 years, just like it does for murderers. And those who are hardened and unrepentant are entirely cast out. Do not be comforted that now anyone can step over the Church’s threshold and approach the Holy Chalice. One may deceive people, even a priest, but who can deceive God? We spoke at the beginning of confession about how one can internally excommunicate oneself from the Church, so even if you don't physically leave the temple, grace will depart! And the most bitter example of receiving Holy Communion to condemnation is the communion of Judas.

Repent, while there is still time, while death has not overtaken you and you have not yet joined the company of evil demons whose help and fellowship you have sought until now. How terrible is this! Just think: a Christian, having renounced Satan and all his works during the Sacrament of Baptism, now seeks communion with them. And still dares to unite with Christ without repentance, approaching the Holy Communion irreversibly! Do not think that just because you are standing here, you are not guilty–some of you may be thinking, «There are sinners, but thank God, we don't practice sorcery!» If any of you have practiced divination, or turned to magicians for help, or treated someone with spells, or advised others to go to a “fortune teller,” you sin no less than the magicians themselves, leaving behind faith in God’s power and expecting help from these people.

You might say, “But prayers are said, and the sign of the cross is made.” Listen to what Saint John Chrysostom says: “If the name of the Holy Trinity is uttered on such people, if they call on the saints, or make the sign of the cross, it is still proper to avoid such people.” The Holy Church excommunicates such people from Holy Communion for five to six years.

Lord, forgive us, sinners!

We have the Sacraments of the Church, like the Anointing of the Sick (or Unction), which the Church has established for the healing of ailments; we have the great holy thing–the holy water of the Baptism, we have the Artos (Easter bread), and finally, in the Sacrament of Communion, we unite with God Himself! Yet we believe little in this, while running to a “fortune-teller”–which we consider a true and reliable remedy.

Lord, we have completely lost our minds and become confused about what is light, what is darkness, what is truth, and what is falsehood!

Lord, forgive us, sinners!

7. Lord, we have become so confused that we use the Holy Gospel, the Bible, for divination, instead of learning the truths of faith from them. We use cards for fortune-telling, and perhaps some of you even engage in spiritualism, turning saucers, summoning spirits (clearly not holy ones), and asking them about various fates and events. Repent before the Lord!

Lord, forgive us, sinners!

This is all disbelief in the good Providence of God, it is daring curiosity, a lack of hope in God!

8. Many of us sin against the first commandment of God’s Law by loving certain people more than God. Sometimes we even say, “If he or she dies, I will have nothing left to live for; my whole life is in him (or her),”–in this person, and not in the Lord who gave His life for us!

Lord, forgive us, sinners!

At times, we might hear such words: “I love animals more than people.” What madness! It is true that it is written, «Blessed is he who shows mercy to the beasts,» but to give all your affection to animals is a sin. If you are guilty of this, repent before the Lord!

Lord, forgive us, sinners!

9. Sins against the first commandment of God's Law include the sins of people-pleasing and reliance on human strength.

What is so terrible about people-pleasing and flattery that the Holy Scripture says, «The Lord abhors the bloodthirsty and deceitful man» (Psalm 5:7)? It is because, as St. Basil the Great says, “With our words we deceive those whom we flatter, and with our praises we bring curses upon the lives of the praised, and we make ourselves guilty of their eternal condemnation because of the delusion into which we lead the trusting people who believe our flattery.”

Perhaps some of you are guilty of people-pleasing to such an extent that you make a person like a god. Nowadays, even mothers bow down before their children, often neglecting their duties toward God to please them. It's Sunday, and she should go to church, but her grown-up children have come to visit, and the mother, in order to please her drunk son or son-in-law, stays at home. This would not harm family relationships if she went to church for just two hours.

Of course, if it were just one day, one exceptional time, then out of love for her children it would not be sinful to stay home. But when this happens every Sunday, the churches–especially in rural areas–remain empty, not because there are atheists everywhere, but because we fail to live according to Christian principles! Wouldn’t a mother deserve even more respect if her children knew that she would do anything for them, but on Sundays she has the right to spend two or three hours in church?

Lord, forgive us!

The sin of relying on human strength is that we often trust in ourselves and our own abilities, in our prayers, fasting, and various ascetic practices, in our often imaginary good deeds, completely forgetting that only with the help of God’s grace can we be saved. Or we place our trust in someone else more than in God, thus pushing God to the background and turning to Him only after everything else has failed. We don't even realize how grievous this sin is and how it angers God!

«Cursed is the man who trusts in man» (Jeremiah 17:5). Lord, forgive us! We did not even realize that we brought Your curse upon ourselves with this sin! Repent before the Lord!

Lord, forgive us, sinners!

Finally, our third responsibility, as prescribed by the first commandment of God's Law: to honor God, to serve Him, for example, by church and home prayers, and to diligently strive to follow His commandments.

Lord! We are all sinners before You, neglecting our home duties, showing carelessness, and being inattentive in our lives. Let’s examine ourselves!

Who among you, upon rising in the morning, reads the morning prayers attentively and sets the goal to please the Lord throughout the day by fulfilling His commandments? Where are such thoughts, Lord! If we do say our prayers, our thoughts are already far away, and we are submerged in worldly cares. Very few of us remember: «I am a Christian; today, there might be circumstances–how can I, with God's help, live the day in holiness, peace, and without sin?»

Where are these pious thoughts? Before we even open our eyes, we are already irritable, already angry: we snap at the mother who woke up an hour early to help us get ready for work, we walk around the apartment like a caged animal, we ignore our neighbors, greet them through clenched teeth, slam doors, yell at the children who might be grumpy because they've been woken up and dragged out to the daycare or school.

Then, if we live in a big city, we find ourselves in a crowded transport, and we completely lose our humanity! Here, we get extremely irritated, we push, argue, say cutting remarks as if everyone around is our mortal enemy. We don’t want to tolerate discomfort and inconvenience! This is how, Lord, we begin almost every day.

Lord, forgive us, sinners!

In summary, this means: do not make for yourself an idol, that is, do not create any image of a god for yourself, whether carved from wood or stone, cast from copper, iron, silver, or gold – do not make an idol and worship it as if it were a god.

Thank God, among us Christians, this is an unseen matter, and it seems as though we are not sinning against the second commandment of God’s law.

Is this truly the case? Aren’t our passions the very same idols to which we worship throughout our lives?

Listen to what the Apostle Paul says: “Their god is their belly” (Phil. 3:19).

Do these apostolic words not apply to us? Yes, Lord! Because we serve our belly and our body more than God. We spend an excessive amount of time and energy on concerns about food, but not the bread of life, rather what would delight our belly, what would soothe our body. We stand in line for hours to get some delicacy, some special clothing or shoes, and then complain that we don’t have enough time or strength for prayer and reading the Gospel.

Lord, forgive us, sinners!

How many of those who are repenting now can say they joyfully welcome fasting? Or perhaps some do not fast at all, unable to even exercise the willpower to control their belly for a short time? Repent to the Lord!

Lord, forgive us, sinners!

The second terrible idol, at whose feet so many human souls are laid, at whose base so many talents and abilities have been destroyed, and for which streams of bitter tears have been shed by mothers, fathers, brothers, wives, and children – is drunkenness. We will not speak here of the countless calamities that arise from drunkenness. Perhaps many of those standing here do not drink wine or vodka to excess, but has it never happened that you had a drink more than necessary at a gathering or somewhere else?

Repent to the Lord!

Lord, forgive us, sinners!

And what is even worse – have you ever made someone else drunk? Have you secretly brought someone alcohol, either from family or from your boss? Have you given money secretly to a drunkard’s family to buy alcohol? You might say that nowadays all services are paid for with a “little” or a “half liter.” But you, Christians, who know the harm these “half-liters” and “littles” do to a family – has your conscience never prompted you that, instead of paying for services, you are giving poison to your neighbor?

Lord, forgive us, sinners!

We are almost all guilty of contributing to the downfall of our neighbor through drunkenness!

We gave them a half-liter, and they drink it, losing their mind, blaspheme God, beat their wife, cripple their children, kill someone – and we share in their sin as accomplices.

The third idol we serve is the passion for greed, that is, the insatiable desire for wealth, the constant craving to have more and more.

Lord! We all suffer from this affliction. Our hearts are stirred and troubled by the thirst for acquisition, and not only for necessary things.

Furniture would serve its purpose, but we chase after a fashionable set, wardrobe, or sofa. Clothing is sufficient, but we stockpile it, filling closets, chests, and suitcases with unnecessary things. We forget the advice: “Give your second shirt to the poor.”

Lord, forgive us, sinners!

Perhaps some of you, who are repenting now, are gathering money for the sake of money, or, not trusting in God’s Providence, are saving money for a «rainy day»? Repent to the Lord! And hasten to use this evil idol, these evil accumulations, for good deeds. For this wicked idol of greed steals our prayers–remember how many times in church, even when the Church, during the Divine Liturgy, calls us to lay aside all worldly cares, we all continue to build various vain plans in our minds for achieving worldly goals.

Forgive us, Lord!

Greed has fastened our hearts to the earth. We clutter our homes with all kinds of unnecessary things, tremble over every rag, and there is no way to list all the things we are obsessed with! There is clothing, furniture, dishes, shoes, books, flowers, and food supplies (which later rot, are eaten by moths, worms, become moldy, and become useless).

This passion even manifests toward things such as prosphora, antidoron, artos, and holy water: for some reason, we collect them as souvenirs instead of consuming them with reverence and prayer. Then, bugs and worms appear in them, and we are forced to burn them, or perhaps some simply throw away the sacred items. Repent to the Lord!

Lord, forgive us, sinners!

And so, weighed down by this burden of things, we are suffocating. Just think of how much time is spent dusting, rummaging through all these completely unnecessary items for a Christian. How can we possibly pray to the True God, when we are so deeply involved in the service of the idol of greed?

The fourth idol, to whom we serve with no less zeal, is pride.

A proud person makes themselves an idol and honors themselves above all else. Almost all of us think that, as believing Christians who often attend church, we are not affected by this destructive passion.

Many of us consider ourselves the humblest of people. Let’s test ourselves now, standing before the Cross and the Gospel. Pride is recognized by action, like a tree by its fruit. Doesn’t each of us desire honor, glory, and praise? Many of you might think, “No, we don’t seek honor, glory, or praise…” But why then can you not bear even the slightest reprimand or comment, without getting offended or angry? Because deep down, each of us believes that we are “something” – and “something important,” as Saint Theophan the Recluse so vividly put it. How humble we are with our words! We know nothing, we can do nothing, we are spiritually poor, we cannot even pray, etc. But if someone, even with good intentions, says something about our incompetence or ignorance, or if we are dismissed from some task due to our inadequacies, all our false humility vanishes from our soul in an instant, and we begin to get upset, murmur, complain, and argue: “Why am I worse than others? They don’t understand me, they are unjustly belittling me, I don’t deserve this!” And there speaks our pride!

Lord, forgive us, sinners!

We love to teach, to point things out, we love to interfere in others’ affairs, imagining ourselves to be much wiser and more discerning than others. Some even shamelessly praise themselves: “I did this, and I did that, I did it better than others.”

Lord, forgive us, sinners!

Because of our pride, we do not want to submit to anyone, even those we owe: we do not obey our parents who raise us, we do not follow the commands of our superiors, we can hardly submit to the common rules of civil society. What do we care for authority, we only consider our own opinion to be right, always insisting on our own way. And if someone has hurt our pride with a word, how can we remain silent, even for the sake of outward humility? We will speak until our word is the last! Moreover, we do not calm down right away, and will keep regretting that we didn’t say more, we should have said this and that more painfully to our offender. There is our pride, our self-idol.

Lord! We cannot even bear rebukes and corrections, even from a spiritual father, even from the closest and most virtuous people. This list could go on endlessly. We are all afflicted with the disease of pride, making idols of ourselves, forgetting that all the good we have is not ours, but God’s. “Not to us, O Lord, but to Your Name be the glory.” But we must admit that we think otherwise: “To me, to my ‘I’ be the glory!” This is all terrifying, because God resists the proud and gives grace only to the humble.

Lord, forgive us, sinners!

Lord! We also suffer from vain glory, that is, empty glory. The vain-glorious person, without realizing it, constantly “trumpets before themselves.” Saint John Climacus calls the vain-glorious Christian an idolater.

Vain glory is such a subtle and repulsive form of spiritual pride that it tries to be present even in every good deed. Listen to how Saint John Climacus describes this sin, and repent to the Lord, recognizing yourself, your vain glory in these images: when, for example, I keep a fast – I am vain-glorious; and when, hiding the fast from others, I allow myself to eat, I am vain-glorious about my discretion. When I dress in fine (beautiful) clothes – I am conquered by vanity, and when I wear shabby clothes, again I am vain-glorious. Should I speak? I fall under the power of vain glory. Should I remain silent? Again, I surrender to it. Wherever I turn this thorn, its pricks are always upwards (The Ladder, Step 22, para. 5).

Lord, forgive us, we all suffer from this affliction!

What feeds human vanity? Human praise!

And how we love to be praised by people! Although it may sometimes feel a bit embarrassing when people praise us to our face, how our vanity longs for praise from afar, to be thought well of by others.

On the basis of vain glory grows another passion–hypocrisy, that is, the desire to appear pious while not actually being so. Perhaps, with some selfish purpose, you have done good deeds for show; such deeds not only bring no benefit, but also incur God’s anger. “Woe to you, scribes and... hypocrites” (Matt. 23:13) – this is what the Lord says about such people.

You can wear black clothing, you can bow down until you sweat, you can give away all your possessions, but if all of this is done for show, for human praise, or even for self-satisfaction, it will bring no benefit to the soul. Let it be a small sacrifice, but given in fulfillment of the commandment “give to him who asks of you,” and done in secret. Let it be brief prayers, but only not for show. Let it be a single tear of repentance, but only not for show, only visible to God, rather than hypocritical charity or other acts of piety.

There is yet another idol, to whom we sometimes turn in order to excuse ourselves for our sins–servitude to the spirit of the times. We sin by violating God’s and the Church’s commandments and justify ourselves by saying, “everyone is doing it now.” Search your conscience–are we not guilty of this sin too?

Lord, forgive us, sinners!

This means: do not take the name of the Lord your God in vain.

1. Lord, we are all sinners, violating this commandment of Yours and not even realizing what terrible offenses we commit! Anyone would be horrified to call themselves a blasphemer. In our minds, blasphemers are those who are violently unbelieving. We, the believers, go to church, partake in the sacraments of the Church... Yet, we are blasphemers:

– for, in our misfortunes and illnesses, we murmur against God, thereby condemning God’s Providence and will;

– among us, the faint-hearted Christians, there are those who, lacking the patience to bear some hardship or tribulation without complaint, openly declare: “There is no God!” and if they do not speak it, they think it. Repent with bitter contrition of heart, repent before the Lord for these blasphemous words;

– or maybe some of you have even dared to blame God for allowing people to sin? “Am I guilty that I have this character? It’s from birth...” or “If God existed, would He allow wars, robberies, murders, the death of children and young people?” and so on. And these words and thoughts belong to Christians?!

Lord, forgive us, blatant blasphemers!

2. There are among us also those weak in faith who tempt God, saying audacious words to the Lord:

“If You, Lord, exist, then fulfill this or that desire of mine, and if my wish is not fulfilled, then You do not exist!” And all this comes not only from those coming to faith, but also from people who call themselves deeply religious!

Lord, forgive us, sinners!

We are already resembling those blasphemers who mocked the crucified God on Golgotha! Recall the words of the criminal crucified beside Him: “If You are the Christ, save Yourself and us” (Luke 23:39).

If any of the penitent today have had such audacious words toward the Lord, repent with bitter contrition, repent:

Lord, forgive us, blasphemers!

3. Lord, we sin constantly, using Your name in vain conversations, as a proverb.

Listen to the conversations of the godless. Their speech is filled with references to God or dark forces. But they–these are the godless, for them this is truly just a saying. And how does our speech differ from theirs?! We too, without any hesitation, without fear and reverence, mix our speech with the name of God, His Blessed Mother, and the holy saints.

Moreover, we even dare to swear by God’s name, and sometimes cover obvious lies with this oath. And we do all this boldly before the all-seeing eye of God!

Lord, have mercy on us, sinners!

And if God’s punishment has not yet overtaken us, it is only due to God’s great forbearance.

Repent, those who dared to swear, and by the greatest gift–your life, your health, and even the lives of your children.

Repent not only those who themselves swore and swore falsely, but also those of you who, by stubborn distrust of your neighbor, forced them to swear an oath, or, even worse, did anyone require such terrible oaths from another?

Lord, we are also blasphemers...

Those of us who are more cautious with our words, unfortunately, often use words from prayer, the Holy Gospel, and the words of the Apostles as jokes. Perhaps some of us have mimicked or made fun of priests who, for some reason, seem amusing or irritating to us – this, too, is blasphemy.

Who among you reads or sings in the church during the services, always paying proper attention while reading and singing? Sometimes just one word, read or sung incorrectly, can distort the meaning so that instead of a praise, it becomes blasphemy–though unintentional, it is spoken or sung in the church during the service.

Lord, forgive us, malicious or merely thoughtless blasphemers!

4. We all, without exception, sin against the third commandment with inattentive prayer.

One can attend all the daily services at the church or read every prayer from their morning and evening rule at home–and not only fail to pray but actually sin, taking the Lord's name in vain. Of course, undistracted prayer is a gift from God for those laboring in the work of prayer.

But we must always watch over ourselves and concentrate with utmost attention on the words of prayer, urging ourselves to focus and bringing back our wandering thoughts to the words of prayer.

We may come to a pilgrimage, stand through all the monastery services, hardly leave the church, and imagine ourselves to be extraordinary prayerful people. But perhaps, at home, in our own churches, undistracted, we might listen to just one service or, due to our busy lives, only an Akathist, and yet, we could pray better, more purely, and more deeply.

Pay attention to yourselves! And repent before the Lord for the deep imperfection of your prayers.

Lord, forgive us, sinners!

5. Lord! In sinning against Your commandment, we also become oath-breakers.

How many times have we broken vows made before the Cross and the Gospel?! When we accepted the sacrament of Baptism, we renounced Satan and all his works and promised, having united with Christ, to serve Him with our whole lives. How many times have we violated this promise?!

Lord, forgive us, sinners!

When we approached the Cross and the Gospel during the sacrament of Confession, how many times have we promised the Lord to break sinful habits? And now we stand here again, bound hand and foot by the chains of intertwined passions and sinful habits. Do we even realize that we have violated the oath we made many times to the Lord during the sacrament of Repentance? “I promised You, O my sweet Jesus, to repent, but I, wretched one, have lied” (Canon to Jesus the Sweetest, 7th Ode).

Forgive us, Lord, even this time!

Monks who have made vows before the Cross and the Gospel–have they kept all their monastic vows in purity? Now, due to the lack of monasteries, some people, either consciously or without understanding, live in the world, even in families, and take monastic vows. And to our great horror, at the instigation of the enemy of our salvation, there is even the belief that a monk in the world is not the same as a monk in the monastery, that a monk in the world does not have to observe all the monastic vows with full strictness. This is nothing but our madness speaking. Wherever and under whatever circumstances a person lives, having taken monastic vows, if they do not fulfill them, they are an oath-breaker.

Lord, forgive us, sinners!

And we, clergy, when accepting the spiritual rank, vow before God to conduct the priestly ministry according to the word of God, with the rules of the Church, and with the instructions of the Church authorities. And yet, due to the weakness of our nature, we violate the oath we made before God. How many times have we failed to keep our countless vows, when we make a promise to God to fulfill something, but after receiving what we asked from God, we forget or delay fulfilling it! It is better not to promise anything at all, but if we do promise, then we must immediately fulfill it. Right now, make the decision to fulfill the vows you have made at the first opportunity, and beware of making new ones.

6. Examine your conscience, being believers in Christ, have we been ashamed to appear devout and Christian in the presence of worldly people? Perhaps, also, in our own faint-heartedness, have we treated devout and pious people with disrespect or mockery: “Look, she has started going to church all the time! She’s totally immersed in her prayers!” Did we ever say or think such words, or think them maliciously?

Lord, forgive us, sinners!

Maybe, lacking the patience to wait for our turn, we, unable to repent ourselves, criticized those who stayed longer at the confessional. But who forbids us from taking time to thoughtfully consider our lives and prepare for confession during the several days of fasting leading up to it, so that there is something to repent for?

We condemn those who frequently dare to approach the Holy Sacraments. But that is not our concern; it is a matter of a person’s conscience and the spiritual guidance of their confessor or priest. Can we truly know who is worthy and who is unworthy to partake in the Holy Mysteries of Christ?

7. But rather than condemning others, who often partake of the Holy Mysteries and approach Confession, let us look at ourselves. We almost all sin, preparing thoughtlessly for confession and Holy Communion.

The life of a Christian is a blessed life. It is the result of communion with the Lord. The most effective and closest way of communion is through partaking of the Holy Body and Blood of the Lord Jesus Christ. “I am the living bread,” said the Lord, “Whoever eats My Flesh and drinks My Blood abides in Me, and I in them... As I live because of the Father, so whoever eats Me will live because of Me” (John 6:48, 56–57).

Partaking of the Holy Mysteries of Christ is a grace-filled source of sustaining and strengthening our spiritual life. From the very beginning of Christianity, true zealots of piety made frequent communion the highest good. But we must always remember that the Lord, the Source of life, who brings life to those who partake of Him, is also a consuming fire. Therefore, we must not be careless or inattentive. A worthy communicant receives life, while an unworthy communicant receives death. Though this death is not always visible, it is carried out invisibly in the spirit and heart of a person. Sometimes we hear that someone received Communion and died shortly thereafter for some reason. “Well, thank God, he had just communed. May we all die like that!” But is that truly a happy death, or could it be a consequence of unworthy communion with the Holy Mysteries of Christ? Lord, save us from this!

But do not think that we are incapable of preparing ourselves worthily for Holy Communion. We must, on our part, make every possible effort to prepare, and when we approach the Sacrament, we must, according to the word of St. Seraphim of Sarov, do so “with a humble awareness of all our sins,” otherwise, the imagined “worthiness” will drive away God’s grace, as smoke drives away bees.

What then should our preparation for the Sacrament entail? Listen to what the Church’s Rule commands: “When someone desires to partake of the Holy Mysteries of Christ, they must observe the whole week, from Monday, in fasting, prayer, and perfect sobriety, and then, with fear and great reverence, they will receive the Holy Mysteries.”

Many of you, due to the weakness and burdens of life’s concerns and various circumstances, often beyond our control, are unable to fast for a week. But, in any case, at least two or three days of fasting should be observed.

Before Holy Communion, it is recommended to go to church, if possible. After midnight, nothing should be eaten or drunk, including medicines or even holy water. If someone struggles with the passion of smoking, let them not dare to defile their lips with cigarettes.

We must also prepare our soul for the Sacrament of Confession and Holy Communion. Read the prayer rule for Holy Communion at home, which consists of the Canon to the Savior, the Theotokos, and the Guardian Angel, as well as the Canon for Holy Communion. If you do not have these prayers, try to obtain them or copy them, if you can. And if someone cannot read, or has poor vision, or does not have the conditions to read the prayer rule, then try, with a contrite heart, to say the Jesus Prayer more frequently: “Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner.” In church, we should listen very attentively to the prayers read before Communion. In any case, according to our abilities and circumstances, we must focus and prepare to receive the Great Guest into the house of our soul.

Holy Communion is preceded by the Sacrament of Confession. Many of us do not know how to repent, and, in defense of ourselves, say: “I do not know how to repent!” But do you not know the commandments of the Lord? Most of us do! Who knows better than the person themselves about their deeds, thoughts, and feelings? We must make an effort, reflect on our lives, and look at ourselves: am I living as the Lord commands?

General confession is a reminder of our shared sins. If due to the crowd or other circumstances, there is no opportunity for individual confession in the church, then at home, before the Lord, one should reflect on their life and specifically their personal violations of God's will. Examine yourself: How do I behave with my loved ones at home, with coworkers at work, on the street, in church, in stores, on trains, or buses? What thoughts occupy my mind, what interests draw me, what content do my conversations with others have, and does all my behavior correspond to what the Lord requires of me as a Christian?

If you train yourself to such an examination and self-analysis, you will discover a vast abyss of sins in your soul, and you will no longer be inclined to judge those who confess for a long time and partake of Communion frequently. You will be too occupied with your own need for repentance.

Lord, help us learn to repent!

Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy; six days you shall labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is the Sabbath of the Lord your God.

And this commandment we all violate, often without even realizing it, without acknowledging the sin, and consequently, not repenting before the Lord! Let us now try to understand the meaning of this commandment, examine our souls, and if we are guilty, confess and repent.

1. This commandment instructs us to work honestly for six days. Yes, we who are able to work do so. But how? Already, on the eve of Monday, many of us begin to feel down: «Tomorrow, work again...» We go to work, and instead of thinking, «Lord, bless the start of my work week,» we think, «Oh, I can't wait for it to be Saturday again... I can't wait for retirement...» We sigh and groan when there is too much work. We try to snatch as much time as possible for idleness or our own personal matters, or engage in empty chatter with colleagues, all while getting paid for it. We don't work conscientiously; we do just enough so that our bosses don’t see our lack of effort, just to avoid a reprimand. And we’re not ashamed at all to receive money for such work when payday comes. We complain that our salary is too low, that we aren’t getting promoted. And if someone, even our superior, points out that we’re not working as we should, we become offended to the point of tears, hysterics, or even rudeness and defiance towards the one who made the remark, while also pointing out others who, in our view, work even worse than we do.

Perhaps some of you have mocked or ridiculed coworkers who work conscientiously, accusing them of trying to please the boss. Maybe you’ve tried to offload more unpleasant, difficult, or less rewarding work onto others. Repent if you recognize yourself in these accusatory words of confession.

Lord, forgive us, sinners!

How shameful it is to call ourselves Christians at work with such an attitude towards labor, for which we are paid our daily bread.

And another thing: do we neglect our work duties under the pretext of going to church? Do we Christians misuse sick leave, not to recover, but to roam from one church to another or visit monasteries? If anyone has done this, let them repent before the Lord for their deception. There are also some among us who, when they come on vacation to visit holy places, get so carried away that they decide to skip work without permission, even asking a priest to bless their absence, thus tempting both the priest and God. Repent if you are guilty of this before the Lord.

Lord, forgive us, sinners!

Perhaps among those of you present here today for confession, there are Christians who deliberately avoid public work, hiding behind a fake illness, or under an illness that could still allow them to work. Sometimes it’s possible to deceive a medical commission by pretending to be ill, but before the Lord, everything is open! The Church has never encouraged idleness! «He who does not work, let him not eat» – these are the words of the Apostle Paul, addressed to the first Christians (2 Thessalonians 3:10). Repent, if your conscience reproaches you, and immediately change your way of life.

There are also those Christians who not only refuse to work themselves but also criticize those who do, working to earn their living and trying to secure a pension for their old age. They condemn others, yet they shamelessly live off the charity of those who work at jobs they, in their limited thinking, dare to call «devilish.»

Repent, if there are any such sinners among you! Monastics, living in monasteries, do you joyfully and diligently carry out the obedience entrusted to you, with love and fervor? Do you complain about the authorities sending you on assignments, do you refuse duties because of stubbornness, desire for rest, or pride? Do you think that the obedience given to you is beneath your dignity? Repent before the Lord, if you recognize these faults in your monastic life.

Lord, forgive us, sinners!

2. And how do we spend the «seventh day,» that is, Sunday and the festive days, which we are commanded to dedicate to the Lord? Indeed, we have long mixed up all the days, Lord, we are completely immersed in worldly cares. We can never pull ourselves away from the consuming worries and household chores. We always claim we have no time, especially for prayer and good deeds.

Who among us daily and attentively fulfills the morning and evening prayer rule? Lord, forgive us, sinners, we have no time!

But have you ever thought that if you spent, say, half an hour in the morning reading your prayers attentively and with a contrite heart, along with a chapter from the Gospel and the Apostolic Epistles, you would get a spiritual boost for the whole day? And your work would go more smoothly, better solutions would come to mind, helpers would appear – but all this needs to be asked of the Lord in the morning. The same goes for the evening: the same 20–30 minutes of prayer – and the Lord can restore your strength during the hours of sleep, giving you renewed energy. And then, who among you can guarantee that, when lying down to rest, you won't fall into eternal sleep? Saint John of Damascus exclaims in one of the evening prayers: «Lord, the Lover of mankind, will this bed be my grave?»

Lord, forgive us, sinners!

We have become so caught up in the whirlpool of our tasks and cares that we forget about death. Tear your soul away from this frantic race of life for at least one day each week. Dedicate the «seventh day» to the Lord, as His commandment instructs! And you will see for yourselves how your life will begin to fall into order. The Lord will bless your work, your family, your homes, and your earthly endeavors.

And for the past violations of Your commandment, forgive us, Lord!

3. But even if we don't work on Sundays or festive days, we sin by being lazy to go to church. Do you know that the 80th rule of the Sixth Ecumenical Council states: «If... a layman, without any urgent need or hindrance... does not come to the church assembly for three Sundays... let him be excommunicated,» i.e., removed from the Church.

Lord, forgive us, sinners!

Many of us here probably comfort ourselves by thinking, «We go to church, and even more often than once a week!» We go... but how do we behave in the church?

We enter the church without fear or reverence. We squeeze, push, argue, snap, and even fight in the church. Wake up!

Lord, forgive us, sinners!

Each church has its own Guardian Angel, and he writes on an invisible record the behavior of all who enter the church. The church is a place of God's special presence on earth. It is Heaven on earth! How much reverence and fear we, great sinners, should show when stepping into the church threshold, how carefully we should behave in this holy place.

And how do we behave?! Here are some of the glaring misbehaviors in our church conduct. Many of those who regularly attend the same church or churches in our community somehow believe that they have a «reserved» seat in the church, as if they bought it. And just think, what do you do when you arrive and find someone else sitting in your «spot,» someone who came to the church before you? Do you really believe that if you offend or hurt that person by forcing them out of «your» place, and then you pray at that spot as hard as you can, even banging your head against the stone floor, that one single breath of your prayer will reach the Lord?! Understand that, apart from sin, you achieve nothing with your claims to «your» places. And in fact, we even get into real fights over these places.

It’s fine to stand in a particular spot, but then come early and peacefully take your preferred place. If it is already occupied, humble yourself, give it up with love, and the Lord will bless you even more.

Remember, this is not an empty saying, but an unchanging truth: If you force someone out of their seat by any means, you will gain nothing from the Lord–only amuse Satan. If you yield with love, such a prayer the Lord will not only accept, but perhaps will even grant you the grace to pray with compassion. Let this confession mark the beginning of your correction. At first, it may be hard, but later, you will remember this confession with gratitude.

It is time, it is high time for us, the gray-headed, to start reflecting on spiritual matters. Otherwise, we deceive ourselves, imagining ourselves to be prayerful people, living near monasteries and churches, but perhaps all our efforts are in vain because of such behavior in the church, and we acquire nothing from the Lord except condemnation.

There is another flaw in our church behavior. Some, due to weakness or illness, are unable to stand through the entire service and find a place to sit. The Lord sees the heart of each person and knows their bodily weaknesses. You, who are healthy, should not judge the infirm, whether they are young or old. Do not reprimand or criticize those sitting. It is a matter of each person's conscience. A young person may be an invalid in their own way.

I was horrified when a person, visiting our holy monastery, told me that during the Divine Liturgy, especially during the most crucial moment, the Eucharistic Canon, an elderly woman chased a younger woman from a seat, even though the latter had an open wound on her leg. When the younger woman quietly and pleadingly explained that she could not stand due to a leg ulcer, the harsh words of the older woman were: «May your leg rot and fall off!» Then, as though nothing happened, the woman made the sign of the cross, bowed, sang the «Our Father,» and perhaps even went to receive Holy Communion. It is terrifying to hear this, and terrifying to recount! How many similar, utterly inhuman and satanic dialogues occur in churches.

Not only do we offend or insult someone with an inappropriate remark in the church, but we also hypocritically end our judgment with the pretentious words: «Forgive me, sinner!» This sounds like a hooligan mockery: «Forgive me, for not hitting the mark.» How deceitful human nature can be!

Lord, forgive us, sinners!

Wake up! Do not give free rein to your evil tongue in church. Remember that the Lord is not only long-suffering, but that «it is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God» (Heb. 10:31).

And another sin of irreverence towards the church must be mentioned. It is difficult for children to endure long monastery services. Naturally, they run outside and start misbehaving around the church. Not only do they disturb the peace of the monastery, but they also distract those who, due to space constraints or illness, cannot stand and instead listen to the service through open windows or doors. Children will be children. They are naturally restless and noisy. But let them play and run outside the monastery walls. From an early age, they must be taught reverence for the sacred place. If you, grandmothers, mothers, and aunts, bring a child to church, you must watch their behavior and teach them at home that the church is a holy place, and the monastery is not a place for games or mischief. Even walking through the monastery should be done with a special attitude and reverent stride.

Lord, forgive our irreverence! We are irreverent ourselves and teach children to be the same.

4. We are also sinful against the Fourth Commandment of God’s Law by failing to observe the fasts established by the Holy Church.

Lord, forgive us, sinners!

We do not observe even the bodily fast, which means abstaining from certain types of food at certain times. But if, to some extent, we do observe the external fast, do not be proud or boast, for «true fasting is the alienation from evil, the abstinence of the tongue, the casting away of wrath, the separation from lust, from idle talk, lies, and perjury. These are the things we should avoid...» (hymn of the first week of Great Lent). How many of us truly fast in this way?

Here, we are all hardened and unrepentant sinners. We give no thought to this essential nature of fasting. Yet, there are some who impose bodily fasting upon themselves at times outside the prescribed periods, and again, they sin by breaking the Church’s rules without a blessing.

Lord, forgive us, sinners!

On feast days, the Church’s Rule even allows for consolation at the table, and on great feasts, it allows for «great consolation» at the table, meaning a more sumptuous meal. It is not sinful to enjoy tastier food, to linger at the table, to visit guests, or to invite guests to your home. But all of this should be done for the glory of God.

But perhaps some of you on feast days have fallen into a condition of gluttony and drunkenness, indulged to excess in empty entertainments, perhaps even in gambling, watching plays or films that are unworthy of a Christian, or spent the entire day glued to the television, or given themselves over to card games, or (especially among the youth) indulged in uncontrolled and wild dancing and singing? Repent before the Lord!

Lord, forgive us, sinners!

For us, Christians, how important it is to cherish the time of rest from work on feast days! We should honor the writings of the Holy Fathers, visit the sick, invite a lonely person to our home so they may warm themselves with the hospitality of our hearts, visit someone in trouble with a word of comfort, and, if we can, help those suffering under the burden of misfortune, illness, or financial hardship. Blessed is the one who spends their holidays in this way! But if you have sinned, repent!

Lord, forgive us, sinners!

Honor your father and your mother, that it may be well with you and that your days may be long upon the earth.

1. Love and honor your parents.

If we were to truly follow this commandment of God’s Law, then not a single word of offense would escape our lips when speaking of our parents, let alone any act of rudeness. We would strive in every way to fulfill their will, obey their good instructions, and comfort them in their old age with patience and love. We would care for them during times of illness, pray for the extension of their lives, and especially intensify our prayers for them when they depart from this life to the eternal one.

That is how we should treat our parents. But how do we follow this commandment of God? It is shameful to lift our eyes to the icons – do we really honor our parents? In our time, it is “out of fashion” to respect our parents. The youth even feel embarrassed to call their father and mother «parents» in front of their peers, instead using the offensive and even repulsive word “ancestors.” If any of you young ones, who are now repenting, have called your parents in such a disrespectful way, ask God for forgiveness.

Lord, forgive us, sinners!

If we are grown up and have our own families, do we strive to care for the old age of our parents, or do we believe, as is common today, that parents should care for us until their death?! We demand, not ask, but demand that they manage the household, raise our children, and care for us. And we justify our demands by saying, “We are working, and they are at home!” But if, for any reason, our parents refuse to be our servants or do not satisfy our desires, we pour out our anger and frustration upon them.

Lord, forgive us, sinners!

If an elderly mother or father becomes ill, we fall into despair and endure their sickness, not out of compassion for them, but out of pity for ourselves. We have become so insane that we no longer realize the basis of our demands from our parents. If they are at home now, it is their well-deserved rest, a life lived through hardships, sickness, labor, and great losses. If they help us now out of love, we should kiss their feet in gratitude. But instead, we dare to offend them with harsh words and petty complaints. Their frailties irritate us, and if they rebuke us in any way, we respond with such hurtful words that our mother may even weep in sorrow and pain.

Lord, we are mad, even by mere human reasoning, let alone the fact that we have completely lost the fear of You, and may not even realize that You find the sin of dishonoring parents so detestable that in the Mosaic Law, You commanded such sinners to be stoned to death: «Cursed is he who dishonors his father or mother» (Deut. 27:16). And then we wonder why nothing goes right, why there is no happiness in our lives.

Lord, forgive us, sinners!

It is especially grievous for us Christians not to honor our parents: we shout at them, throw angry words, and then rush to the church, even slamming the door behind us in anger. Why did we go to the church? Do we think that our prayers and offerings will be accepted by God? No! Do not deceive yourselves! God does not accept prayers or offerings from such people. Here is an example that happened during the time of St. Alexander of Svir:

At the consecration of a church in the name of the Holy Trinity, the elder gathered offerings from the faithful for the church. A peasant named Grigory also wanted to contribute something. But the elder did not accept the offering. Grigory tried two or three times to place his gift into the elder’s epitrachelion. The elder, with spiritual insight, first silently pushed his hand away and then said: “Your hand smells, you have struck your mother with it, and by this, you have brought upon yourself the wrath of God.” “What should I do?” asked Grigory. “Go and ask your mother for forgiveness, and from now on, do not dare to offend her.”

This advice is useful for all children who, by rude and disrespectful behavior, have had the misfortune to offend their parents. Do you hear? To offend parents is the greatest misfortune for us!

Lord, forgive us, sinners!

If our parents have passed away, do we pray for them fervently, give alms for them, remember them on parent memorial days, on their feast days, and on the day of their death? Do we offer prayers for them in the church, visit their graves, and keep them clean? Are crosses standing at the graves of our parents? Repent before the Lord, those who forget to do this or excuse themselves by their constant busyness. No, it is not busyness, but vanity and unwillingness to bother ourselves with the care of our deceased parents.

Lord, forgive us, sinners!

2. We sin against the Fifth Commandment of God’s Law by being cold toward our relatives.

How often do we hear among us, who call ourselves Christians, “What do I care about my brothers, sisters, and relatives? They are worse than strangers!” Yet, after caring for our parents, we should first of all care for our relatives. This is our blood duty. We say, “They don’t believe in God, I have nothing in common with them.” All the more reason we should care for them, to inspire them to Christianity by the example of our love and good, kind relationship with them. Instead, we harden our hearts against them, isolate ourselves from them, and run from them as if they were lepers. Such are we, unkind Christians!

Lord, forgive us, sinners!

If your son brings home a bride or your daughter brings home a son-in-law, and if we are Christians, it is only by our extremely warm and welcoming attitude toward the new family members that we can show them what Christianity and faith in God are truly about. But some, perhaps even those who now repent, due to wild maternal jealousy, cause so much discord in the new families that, God forbid, they lead them to destruction. Repent, those who are guilty of this before the Lord!

Lord, forgive us, sinners!

3. If we are parents ourselves, we sin against the Fifth Commandment of God’s Law by neglecting the upbringing of our children.

We have become so self-centered that we even avoid having children in order not to burden ourselves with raising them. Many mothers, even Christian ones, prefer to work rather than raise their children, forgetting the apostolic words that «woman is saved by childbearing,» meaning the upbringing of children.

As for the children we do have, we do not serve as examples of piety. On the contrary, through our wicked example, we teach them lies, hypocrisy, laziness, disrespect for elders, and vulgar language. We irritate them with our unjust behavior toward others, while children, in particular, have a heightened sense of justice and truth. And then we wonder why they grow up not as we would have liked.

We are lazy to pray for our children, lazy to take them to Communion, lazy to bring them to church. We complain that it is difficult to raise a Christian in this godless age. But why, if you feel incapable of doing so, do you not turn to the most important thing? Bring your child to Communion as often as possible, and believe that the soul of such a child will not forget the frequent union with the Lord Himself.

However, here again, we can fall into the opposite extreme and cause harm rather than benefit. When bringing your child to Communion, you must not mechanically take him to the sacrament, but once the child starts to understand even a little, you must teach him to approach it with reverence and joy. Do not say such sacrilegious things about Holy Communion as, «Come, the priest will give you some honey,» etc. Instead, say to your child: «Let’s go to receive the Holy Mysteries of Christ.» Dress him nicely, create an outward sense of specialness for him. If possible, let the child fast before Communion. For this, you can take the child to the early Liturgy.

Because we are unwilling to curb our excessive and unreasonable parental love, we often spoil our children so much that we raise true egotists–consumers who do not want to work to earn a living or study to gain a profession. We foolishly give them everything we have, and then complain that when we grow old, they drive us out of the house. You yourselves have raised egoists! So bear it and ask the Lord for forgiveness for the souls of your children, which you have ruined through your misguided upbringing.

Lord, forgive us, sinners!

Has anyone, in a moment of anger, cursed their children? A parent’s curse is a terrible thing! Woe to the children who have brought the curse of their parents upon themselves through their behavior. But no less woe to the parents who curse their children. Perhaps, in a burst of anger, someone has sent their child into the hands of the evil one? We are surrounded by the unseen world of spirits, both evil and good. Who knows, perhaps by God’s permission, you yourself will send your child’s soul into the hands of Satan.

Repent, ask the Lord for forgiveness, so that your curses may be wiped away by His mercy, and not remain upon your children!

4. If we are spiritual parents–godparents at the sacrament of Baptism–do we fulfill our duties as godparents, or have we merely become friends with the parents to improve our relationships? Do we help the parents in raising the children we have baptized in the faith and piety?

At the baptismal font, we renounced Satan and all his works on their behalf. We must not forget this, and if circumstances do not allow us to take an active part in the upbringing of our godchildren, we are still obligated to pray for them. But we do not pray for them as we should. If they grow up as blasphemers or simply nonbelievers, we, negligent Christians and godparents, are just as guilty as their biological parents.

Lord, forgive us, sinners!

There is still hope for correction until the grave. Perhaps if today the Lord forgives our previous negligence, and we pray fervently and faithfully for our godchildren, we may still earn their salvation for eternal bliss.

5. We sin against the Fifth Commandment of God’s Law by showing disrespect toward our superiors.

Here, we are all guilty.

Being a leader is very difficult. Do not think that those in authority receive large salaries for doing nothing. Whether the leader is at work, in a monastery, or in the state apparatus, in any area of spiritual leadership, each of them carries the responsibility not only for the entrusted task but also for all those under them. What right do we have to judge their work, which is often unclear to us, and to criticize their actions?

In a monastery, obedience to elders, to the leader, to the spiritual father, and to the elder is a spiritual law. A monk who follows the path of unquestioning obedience is on the sure path of salvation and spiritual progress. But this is forgotten, even by monks. Yet, the layperson must also follow a similar path of obedience toward those who are placed above them as authorities or elders.

If we oppose, irritate, and disobey our superiors, we sin against the Fifth Commandment. Lord, forgive us, who refuse to submit to anyone or anything due to our excessive pride, stubbornness, and rebellion. Perhaps someone who is now repenting is involved in the church services: singing or reading at the choir. Do you not sin by disobeying the priest or other serving clergy? Have you not made unnecessary and inappropriate remarks during the service, disturbing the prayerful atmosphere in the church and even the order of the service? Have you not become irritated by necessary corrections from the priest, the deacon, or the choir leader? Have you not intentionally disrupted the reading or singing? Have you, in this holy work of choir obedience, done anything out of spite, malice, or irritation? Perhaps you have harshly corrected someone in their singing, forcing them to be silent, thus deeply offending them and exceeding your authority. Or, on the contrary, have you stubbornly ignored corrections and violated the proper order of singing and reading? These are all choir-related problems.

Those who, whether out of obedience or love (so-called «lovers»), participate in the church services must remember: if you wish to receive some benefit, and not incur the wrath of God, you must first of all observe strict discipline. Unquestioningly submit to the priest, the serving deacon, the choir leader, and the cantor. Do not disrupt the service, but humbly join your humble praise and singing with the invisible choir of Angels. Otherwise, it would be better not to even stand in the choir and to pray in some corner.

Repent, those who have disrupted the order of the service with your behavior!

Lord, forgive us, sinners!

6. If the Lord has made you a leader, are we guilty of being either indulgent or, on the contrary, cruel to our subordinates? Have we forgotten, in the performance of our leadership duties, that we are dealing with real human beings, with living souls, and that no one has relieved us of the duty to be human toward our subordinates? This is especially required of us as Christians!

Have we hurt our subordinates with unfair treatment, played favorites by excusing all their faults and taking out our frustration on others? Have we worn down our subordinates with petty criticism, injustice?

Lord, forgive us, sinners!

7. We sin against the Fifth Commandment by showing disrespect to those older than us.

Using our strength and youth, we allow ourselves to treat older people as if they were no longer human beings, and the word «pensioner» has become something of a curse to us. Especially in large cities, people who have worked their entire lives, endured the horrors of war, destruction, hunger, and borne countless sufferings, difficulties, and losses–those who have earned the right to rest in their old age–have suddenly become «a burden» to the younger generations. «Oh, these pensioners! They should stay at home, stop wandering around stores, clinics, and clogging up public transport"–in other words, «You have no right to live anymore, yoúre just in our way.»

Can any of us, Christians still working, dare to not only speak such demeaning and offensive words out loud to elderly people but even think such things?

If you are guilty of this shocking sin of cruelty and lack of basic understanding, think: youth will pass in the blink of an eye, maturity will slip by, and old age will come. Then, someone will cry at you, «Yoúre in our way!» And then, you will repent for your madness and hard-heartedness.

Lord, forgive us, sinners!

8. We sin, especially those living in monasteries, against the Fifth Commandment of God's Law through ingratitude toward our benefactors.

Every monastery today survives on the voluntary donations of benefactors–pilgrims. These «annoying» pilgrims are our feeders and waterers.

How should we treat them? How should we pray for them! Especially since we live in a place of grace, although we have our own temptations, but how can we compare our situation with theirs? What motivates them to visit the monastery? The desire to escape from the hustle and bustle, from the harshness and cruelty of the world, the desire to focus on prayer, and to hear the established Divine services. If, because of our fault, any of our benefactors does not receive the comfort they sought, woe to us, who devour the homes of widows and orphans.

Lord, forgive us, the ungrateful!

9. We also sin against the Fifth Commandment by showing disrespect to the pastors of the Church, our spiritual fathers.

Here, we have become so shameless that we let our tongues run wild, sparing neither the white cassocks nor the gray hair of the poor village priest. Perhaps some of us have even avoided receiving a blessing, or refrained from accepting the Sacraments from those priests whom we deemed unworthy.

Repent, for you have insulted the Holy Spirit, Who sanctifies the Sacraments even through the most unworthy priest!

We have not followed the advice and guidance of our spiritual father, tormenting him with our envy and jealousy toward other spiritual children. Examine yourselves–has the image of Christ been obscured by the spiritual father whom you love? Could this be happening to you? The Lord is a jealous God! Repent and change your attitude toward your spiritual father, before it leads to a grievous spiritual disease–delusion.

Lord, forgive us, sinners!

What can we, those bringing repentance for our sins before the Lord today, say about this commandment?

Murder, murderer–how terrifying these words are! To kill means to deprive someone of the greatest gift–the gift of life.

If there are among those repenting now, those who have ever committed direct murder–whether intentionally or accidentally, using some instrument, hand, poison, or anything else–then they must confess separately to a priest. Certainly, most of us think: «Thank God, I have never killed anyone, so I am not guilty before the Lord of violating this commandment.»

But there is another terrible form of direct murder–when mothers kill their children in their wombs. This murder is doubly dreadful, for the mother-murderer kills not only the body but the soul of her child!

Repent, mothers who have committed this crime! Who gave you the right to decide life or death? Who told you that this child will live, but that one will not? Perhaps you killed a future genius, a person who would have saved the world with his prayers, a person with a great heart and mind! You may have killed a great elder, someone around whom thousands of souls would have found salvation, or perhaps you killed a public figure whose life would have brought great benefits to society. We are drowning in the blood of the slain infants, and this blood cries out to Heaven! Do not think that this sin will go unpunished. It is too grave a sin!

Repent, you whose consciences are stained with the blood of your own children!

Lord, forgive us, sinners!

And again, many of us may, perhaps even with judgment, think about mothers who have committed this crime and imagine ourselves free from such guilt. But even if we have not killed anyone in this way, we are infinitely guilty of slow, subtle murders of our loved ones through cruel treatment of them.

Here are some of the most grievous sins of this kind, which I will briefly mention. Listen carefully and repent from the bottom of your heart, with the greatest sorrow of spirit, for all these sins are against love for our neighbor. Without love for our neighbor, no matter how full our lives are with great feats, harsh restrictions, sufferings, and troubles, they will be condemned at the Last Judgment before the face of God!

1. Very close to committing actual murder are those who, in anger and irritation, strike their neighbor with their fists, inflicting blows. Perhaps some have even mutilated or disfigured someone with their beatings. Maybe some became excessively enraged with their children and beat them cruelly with anything they could find.

Lord, forgive us, sinners!

2. Has anyone near you died, or is anyone dying because you failed to help them in time?

· Perhaps someone died from hunger, and you knew and did not help;

· Perhaps someone was drowning before your eyes, and you did not act to save them;

· Perhaps someone died of illness, and you did not come to their aid in time, and they died;

· Perhaps you saw someone being murdered, and you did not protect them, or you mocked them and did not come to their assistance;

· Perhaps you heard the cries of someone dying, asking for help, but you ran away, locked the doors, turned off the lights, or covered your ears.

Lord! How can we still call ourselves Christians after this?!

Lord, forgive us, sinners!

3. Did we not bring someone closer to death by putting them in dangerous situations, exhausting them with labor, doubting their illness, mocking them, or accusing them of feigning sickness, forcing them to struggle through illness, and thus leading them toward a fatal outcome?

Lord, forgive us, sinners!

4. Lord! We have killed our neighbors when, in anger and irritation, we have showered them with reproaches, foul words, and cruel insults.

Each one of us has experienced how a harsh, cruel, and biting word can kill. How then can we use this verbal weapon to inflict such painful wounds on others? Lord, forgive us, sinners! We have all killed our neighbors with our words.

Saint John the Apostle says: «Anyone who hates his brother is a murderer...» (1John 3:15).

Who among you can even bite someone in anger and rage?

«That would be madness!» you might say. But listen to what Saint John Chrysostom says about this: «Much worse than those who bite are those who do evil with words. The former bite the body with their teeth, while the latter gnaw at the soul with their words, inflicting a wound on a person's good reputation, and a wound that cannot be healed. Therefore, the one who does this will be subjected to a greater punishment and torment, because they cause a more grievous wound to the conscience.»

Who among us is guilty of this gnawing and devouring of one another? Repent!

Lord, forgive us, sinners!

Beware of taking away the honor of the innocent, even if you dislike them for some reason, even if they are your enemy! Fear committing this moral murder, for before the Lord, we will bear no lesser responsibility for it than for physical murder.

5. Furthermore, if you are naturally silent and unprovoked, but you know that another person is easily kindled with irritation and anger, have you not engaged in deliberate incitement? By being stubborn or even by your persistent silence, did you not provoke your neighbor to anger, quarrels, or blows?

Lord, have mercy on us, sinners!

6. Perhaps, by your obstinacy and insistence on being right in an argument, even when you were wrong, you drove others to madness. In doing so, you are equally guilty, having led someone to sin.

Lord, forgive us, sinners!

7. Blessed Augustine says: «Do not think that you are not a murderer if you have led your neighbor into sin. You corrupt the soul of the one you have tempted and steal from them what belongs to eternity.»

Have you invited someone to a drinking party, incited them to revenge, tempted them to go to a spectacle during Lent, corrupted others with inappropriate jokes, books unfit for a Christian, indecent conversations, or with gossip and judgment? This list is endless. All of this is murder–the corruption of a neighbor’s soul!

Lord, forgive us, sinners!

8. Once again, about love among us, which the Lord commanded. What is the distinguishing sign of a true Christian? «By this everyone will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another» (John 13:35). But we, Lord, how far we are from being true disciples of Yours!

We quarrel, feud, become indignant, hate, and cannot bear each other. It is even shameful to say to unbelievers: «I am a Christian.» And often, in conversations among non-believers, one might hear: «Our neighbor is a believer, she goes to church, but what a spiteful, harmful person she is.» Woe to us if the name of Christ is blasphemed because of our hatred.

Examine your heart, ask your conscience if your behavior has become a stumbling block to others. If you are guilty, repent!

Lord, forgive us, sinners!

9. We are not new to confession, and surely we have heard many times that if anyone is offended by us, unless we make peace, unless we sincerely ask for forgiveness, no prayers, no labors, no repentance will be accepted by the Lord!

But while we know this theoretically, it seldom reaches our hearts or consciousness! We apologize to anyone easily, but not to those we constantly annoy. Our pride rises up, and if we do ask for forgiveness, it is often done mechanically, through gritted teeth, without the heart being involved, at best, “begrudgingly.” This, of course, brings little benefit to the soul. Sometimes, we even harden our hearts by recalling offenses and wrongdoings by others or sow discord and enmity among people!

Lord, forgive us, sinners!

10. The Word of God says: «Blessed is he who is merciful to the beasts.»

Have any of you killed animals without need? Have you kicked them, thrown stones or sticks at them? Perhaps, in your childhood, you deliberately tormented animals? All of this is a sin of murder! Repent of your cruelty!

Lord, forgive us, sinners!

11. Sometimes we don't realize that we are sinning! We may exhaust ourselves with excessive work and worries, give in to excessive sadness, even despair to the point of considering suicide. All of this is a grave sin against God! For life is a gift from God, and the circumstances of suffering are sent by His will. Through suffering, the Lord teaches our soul for eternity. But when we despair, show little faith in God’s providence, and shorten our earthly lives by excessive sorrow, we ruin our health and close the Kingdom of Heaven to ourselves.

Lord, forgive us, sinners!

12. And again, if the Lord has preserved us from the sin of despair, do we not, by our actions, irritations, and malicious outbursts, drive others to despair and, God forbid, bear responsibility for someonés suicide?! If this has happened, repent, weep, for you are guilty of the ruin of another's soul.

13. If we live without self-control, indulging in gluttony, drunkenness, licentiousness, smoking, or excessive immersion in other impure pleasures that destroy our health, we are suicides.

Lord, forgive us, sinners!

14. There are some Christians who believe that seeking medical treatment is sinful. Of course, one can choose to endure and not seek treatment, but one can easily fall into self-confidence and pride: “Let the weak in faith and sinners seek treatment, but not us!” It is better to do the following: when illness comes, seek treatment. If the pain passes with the medicine and treatment, praise God; if it does not pass, endure and thank God for the trial. This is how a Christian should act!

Lord, forgive us, sinners!

15. Finally, do we not commit the murder of our own soul by not caring about its salvation?

Oh, how we nourish and warm our perishable bodies! Do we treat our immortal souls the same way? We simply forget about them, forget to wash them with tears of repentance, to nourish them with prayer, to strengthen them with the Sacraments of the Church, to adorn them with good deeds, to correct them and prepare them for eternity. Where do we find time to think about this? We are so absorbed in earthly matters, living with a false hope that salvation is a natural outcome of life.

Lord, forgive us and grant us repentance before our end, and an understanding that «The Kingdom of Heaven suffers violence, and the violent take it by force!» (Matt. 11:12)

«Thou shalt not commit adultery.» This commandment forbids the following sins:

– Immodesty in thoughts, words, and deeds;

– Fornication;

– Incest.

The sins against this commandment are very terrifying! Terrifying because of their deformity, consequences, and their incredibly widespread nature among us. This sinful disease affects a person from a very young age and does not leave them until death.

Why, then, does the devil wage such a war against man through this type of temptation to sin? Because he, the enemy of our salvation, knows better than us that the words of the Apostle are true: «Neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers... will inherit the Kingdom of God» (1Cor. 6:9–10).

The sins against this commandment are so vile and contagious that the holy Apostle even advises not to speak of them to Christians. Only the necessity of repentance urges us to focus our attention on these crimes against our conscience before the Lord. Since our body is the temple of the Holy Spirit, by failing to preserve chastity, whether in marriage or in virginity for those who can maintain it, the Spirit of God is expelled from our body, and the devil is given a place.

As those who call ourselves Christians, we bear a great responsibility: we were redeemed at a great price–the precious Blood of the Son of God–to serve God with our soul and body (1Pet. 1:18–19, 1Cor. 6:20). What an offense to the Lord it is when, having been redeemed by Him for holiness, we defile our bodies with the most shameful desires of the flesh. «You are the temple of God, and the Spirit of God dwells in you,» says the Apostle Paul. «If anyone destroys the temple of God, God will destroy him» (1Cor. 3:16–17).

And this is confirmed by history itself: for the excessive spread of this sin, the human race was destroyed by the Great Flood. The two richest cities, Sodom and Gomorrah, perished terribly because the sins of sensuality among the inhabitants of these cities surpassed the measure of God's long-suffering patience!

If we look into our own souls impartially and examine the life around us, have we not deserved the fate of those unfortunate cities? How much longer will God’s long-suffering endure? Let us repent to the Lord with deep contrition and, if necessary, with bitter tears for the violation of the purity of our souls and bodies.

Here is the brief list of these sins. It will now be read, and if you have any of the listed sins on your conscience, repent, and ask the Lord to cleanse the impurity of your heart!

1. We sin, Lord, with sensuality in all its forms: accepting impure thoughts, conversing with them, enjoying them, consenting to them, lingering in them, thus provoking in our souls a voluntary, lustful stirring. And not yet committing the terrible sin in deed, we commit adultery in our hearts.

Repent to the Lord! We are all guilty of this!

Lord, forgive us, sinners!

2. We sin, Lord, by violating our chastity: through too free interaction with the opposite sex, impure touches, hugging, passionate kissing, lustful gazes, obscene speech, love songs, shameless dancing (especially among the youth in modern wild dances), flirtation, courting, matchmaking, excessive attachment, indulgence in food and drink, reading books that inflame the imagination and cause sinful thoughts, looking at seductive spectacles, watching films and plays that knowingly contain scenes filled with the poison of this sin, excessive vanity and immodesty in clothing, the desire to please and tempt others, unnatural distortions of God's image on our bodies, such as using cosmetics, artificial beautification, and so on.

Lord, forgive us, sinners!

Our entire life is permeated by these desires, subtly or openly this passion acts within us, whether we are aware of our sinfulness or not, but we are all guilty before the Lord!

Lord, forgive us, sinners!

3. There are sins of open fornication: if any of those who come for confession live in a marital union not sanctified by the Sacrament of the Church, repent with bitter tears of repentance, for you are living in fornication! Ask the Lord to sanctify your marital union through the Sacrament of the Church, regardless of your age.

Those who are in a marriage sanctified by the Church, examine your conscience–have you not committed adultery even in your heart through impure gazes at members of the opposite sex, let alone the actual sin of adultery? Have you not sinned by excess in bodily pleasures, for a Christian is bound to observe self-restraint and chastity within marriage? Did you maintain self-control during fasting periods, Sundays, and feast days? Repent to the Lord!

Lord, forgive us, sinners! Have you, husbands and wives, through your bad behavior, led your spouse to immorality? Have you caused someone to break up another family, leading their spouse astray? Do you really think that you will find happiness in your married life after this?

A marital union with divorced spouses is adultery!

The Lord Himself gave a clear answer to those who questioned Him about this: «I tell you that anyone who divorces his wife, except for marital unfaithfulness, causes her to become an adulteress; and anyone who marries a divorced woman commits adultery» (Matt. 5:32). And yet you justify yourselves: «But she or he is free, they are divorced.»

Lord, forgive us, sinners!

4. Have you tempted anyone? Have you corrupted someone with promises, saying «everyone lives like this nowadays,» or by promising to marry an overly trusting girl? How devastating this fleeting premature closeness is! Do you realize that, for the sake of satisfying curiosity, following the fashion of the time, or a brief flash of passionate feelings, young men or women rob themselves of purity? And then what? Bitter disappointment, reproaches of conscience, and rapid moral decay. How beautiful it is in any age to preserve onés bodily purity, chastity, virginity, and to build a solid foundation for the Christian family as the domestic church.

Repent to the Lord, all who have not preserved and prematurely defiled their virginity!

Lord, forgive us, sinners!

5. Those in a state of celibacy, perhaps in their thoughtlessness and spiritual lethargy, speak ill of the honorable marriage, thinking themselves to be virgins–look into your heart, ask your conscience: have you not defiled your virginity with sinful thoughts? Are you not consumed with sensual sins in all their forms? Repent to the Lord!

Lord, forgive us, sinners!

Have you not ruined your health and life through the sin of masturbation or some other secret unnatural sin? Repent to the Lord!

Lord, forgive us, sinners!

If something weighs on your conscience, you must cleanse it with individual heartfelt repentance. Let no one dare approach the Holy Chalice with unconfessed mortal sin. For unrepentant mortal sin not only prepares the soul for hell but also acts destructively on the person during their life. Elder Varsonofy of Optina said: «Thus the devil holds in his hands the capital and also gains interest on it.»

A sincere confession of sin completely destroys all the enemy's bonds that bind the sinner. Therefore, if anyone has any unconfessed hidden sins against the seventh commandment, be brave and confess them to the spiritual father by the Cross and the Gospel! Hurry, for the Lord said: «I will judge you by what I find!»

There is another sin against the seventh commandment: incest, which is the sin when close relatives form a union resembling marriage. This shameful sin is addressed by the holy Apostle Paul, who says:

«It is actually reported that there is sexual immorality among you, and of a kind that is not even tolerated among pagans; a man has his father's wife. And you are proud! Shouldn't you rather have gone into mourning and have put out of your fellowship the man who has been doing this?» (1Cor. 5:1–2)

Such a sin has a destructive effect not only on those who violate God's Law but also brings irreparable harm to the offspring. Mental deficiencies, physical impairments, and other weaknesses–these are the sad consequences of marriages contracted within close kinship, contrary to the laws of nature.

What does it mean to live chastely?

The ever-memorable Metropolitan Filaret of Moscow defined chaste living as follows: «To live chastely, in the exact sense of the word, means to live under the guidance of sound, undamaged, healthy reasoning, to refrain from any pleasure that is not approved by sound judgment, to preserve the mind free from impure thoughts, the heart free from impure desires, and the body free from impure deeds.»

Some might think now: «What kind of joyless life is this, if pleasures are forbidden?» Not at all! Neither common sense nor the faith of Christ forbids innocent amusements or pleasures. They are even necessary as a pleasant rest from labor.

The great teacher of faith and piety, St. John Chrysostom, wrote about earthly joys and pleasures: «If you want to enjoy yourself, go to the gardens, the flowing rivers, and lakes; admire the flowers, listen to the chirping of crickets, visit holy places. There you will find both health for the body and benefit for the soul, without any harm, and you will not regret this pleasure, as you would regret the pleasures of spectacles. You have a wife, you have children–what can compare to this pleasure? You have a home, friends–these pleasures, along with chastity, bring great benefit. For tell me, what can be more enjoyable than a wife and children for one who wishes to live chastely?»

This means: do not steal.

Theft, in Slavic, is called «tat’ba» – a grave sin that deprives those who commit it of the Kingdom of God, the Heavenly Kingdom. «Neither thieves, nor the greedy... nor swindlers will inherit the Kingdom of God,» says the Apostle Paul (1Cor. 6:10). It is clear that there are no professional thieves, robbers, or swindlers among us gathered here today. But to take even the smallest thing that does not belong to you is already theft.

1. Think back: Have you ever been tempted by something that, as they say, «lay poorly»? We often don't consider it a sin, but it is clear theft. Have we ever brought something home for the children or taught them from an early age that it’s okay to take something from work, that this is not stealing?

Lord, forgive us, sinners!

2. Have we ever been tempted by something in someone elsés garden, field, or private property–whether personal or state-owned? This, too, is theft.

Lord, forgive us, sinners!

3. There are also such thoughts: «I’m going to pray to the Mother of God, and She will take me for free!» Reflect and repent! This is also theft. How is this piety? In the past, people walked, and now they don't hesitate to take a free ride on public transport.

Lord, forgive us, sinners!

4. Have we ever stolen electricity from the state, creating tricks with the meter? This is a disgrace for a Christian!

Lord, forgive us, sinners!

From today, stop soiling your conscience with these shameful little things. Everyone now has enough means to pay honestly for these public services.

5. Workers in trade and public catering, or those who sell excess produce at the market! Have any of you measured, overcharged, or sold poor quality goods as though they were good? Repent before the Lord!

Lord, forgive us, sinners!

From today, do not soil your hands and conscience with stolen goods. No matter how much you gain, either materially or spiritually, from ill-gotten wealth, it will bring no benefit! On the contrary, even what was honestly earned will be wasted, and there will be no peace of soul – only anxiety: How not to get caught, how not to be suspected of living beyond your means.

6. What a disgrace before people, God, saints, and angels if a Christian thief is caught and exposed in theft. Today, everyone has enough means to earn honestly, and any excess in food, clothing, or furnishings–even if acquired honestly–is a sin for a Christian.

Perhaps someone, working in children's institutions, has stolen food from children? This is a real crime! Repent!

Lord, forgive us, sinners!

Have we ever cheated, offering old money, or knowingly taken too much change when the seller made a mistake in our favor?

Lord, forgive us, sinners!

7. Have we ever hidden or appropriated found items? Saints did not take even a pea pod lying in the road. If you didn’t put it there, it’s not yours. If you find something, try to return it to its rightful owner.

Lord, forgive us, greedy for other peoplés goods!

8. Have we ever bought knowingly stolen items, or bought something at a ridiculously low price from a drunkard who stole it from a family? Reflect! Remember, when you buy stolen goods, you become an accomplice to the crimes committed by both the thief and the drunkard. Never bring such items into your home! If you have done so, repent!

Lord, forgive us, sinners!

9. Have we ever signed or used false financial documents?

Lord, forgive us, sinners!

10. Perhaps we didn’t pay our debts or delayed payments, claiming poverty? But in reality, we were either too stingy to pay or unable to control our extravagance, and thus couldn’t save to pay.

Immediately settle your debts; if possible, pay today or promise the Lord to do so at the earliest opportunity. Then your repentance will be effective! In general, a Christian should live within their means. It’s possible to live more modestly, but in doing so, the soul will be at peace, because debt always weighs you down and «hangs on your soul.»

11. We sin against the eighth commandment by being careless with someone elsés or state property. If people or the state entrust us with using things, Christians must treat them with more care than they would their own, so as not to break, lose, or spoil what has been entrusted to us.

Lord, forgive us, sinners, careless and negligent!

12. We sin against this commandment if we force others to give us gifts. Perhaps someone hosts relatives or friends visiting holy places. Do you behave in such a way that they feel obliged to give you gifts? Do you demand special treatment as a host? Repent before the Lord!

Lord, have mercy on us, sinners!

If you cannot welcome your guests selflessly–feeding and lodging them–at least try not to be a shameless extortionist. Remember, no one has capital, everyone lives on a pension, and still, they have to save for travel expenses. So do not demand gifts or offerings, and try to welcome guests in a Christian manner!

13. Have we harmed someone else’s property intentionally, out of malice or envy? Have we trampled on gardens, broken fruit trees, poisoned dogs, chickens, or other animals, or intentionally flooded someone’s territory? Perhaps you’ve obstructed the benefits of others in some other way? Repent before the Lord! If any of these sins weigh on you, compensate for the damage you have caused, reconcile with those you have wronged, and like Zacchaeus, return four times what you took! Then your repentance will truly be accepted.

14. We condemn idle people, point fingers at them, and insult them. But aren't we also idle? Who of us works diligently all the time, down to the minute, at our job or vocation? And who refuses to accept the full salary?

Lord, forgive us, sinners!

15. The sin of sacrilege, that is, stealing or appropriating church or monastery property, is also a sin against the eighth commandment. Even the smallest thing cannot be taken from the temple–not even a candle stub. Know that church and monastery property is literally fire that you bring into your home.

16. There is also the sin of usury, selling food products or essential goods at inflated prices. This sin is expressed in speculation, the tendency to resell scarce goods at a knowingly inflated price for personal profit. Anyone among Christians involved in this shameful activity should immediately stop and repent before the Lord for their greedy greed and profit.

Lord, forgive us, sinners!

17. Have you ever begged for money or things for your supposed needs, or for the supposed needs of imaginary people, churches, or monasteries, in order to deceive simple-hearted people for your own gain? If this has been you, repent before the Lord and immediately stop this evil deception. Try to ensure that any donations reach those in need.

18. The eighth commandment forbids any form of gambling. All card games, dice games, especially with money, are a sin! If anyone is addicted to card games or spends precious time on any other gambling, repent before the Lord!

Lord, forgive us, sinners!

Do not touch this activity again. It does not require any special feat; you only need to treat it with the utmost severity. Understand that it is unworthy for a Christian to waste time on such empty things, entering into gambling, tormenting the soul, and angering the Lord! Surely there are more worthy activities than playing cards and «knocking the goat» in dominoes?

Lord, forgive us, sinners!

19. Have any of you taken bribes? Have you wronged anyone in distributing rewards for labor–perhaps divided bonuses or gifts unfairly? Have you deprived someone of work through your authority or through malicious gossip to your superiors? Repent, if you are guilty in this!

Lord, forgive us, sinners!

20. Have you been stingy with spending on good deeds or helping your neighbor? Have you neglected the care and beautification of our churches?

Lord, forgive us, stingy and greedy!

21. We sin against the eighth commandment if we use even our own things not for essential needs, but for luxury and vanity! For example, we have a decent coat or shoes or clothing, but we still buy unnecessary items for the sake of vanity.

Lord, forgive us, sinners!

On the other hand, someone may refuse to buy even a single new item, walking in patched clothes and denying themselves everything just to avoid spending. This is another extreme, a passion stemming from the violation of this commandment–miserliness. Others boast of not counting money, throwing it away on anything, which is the sin of wastefulness.

Lord, forgive us, sinners!

22. We sin against this commandment if we knowingly fail to protect others from losses, knowing they could happen. In times of trouble and need, did we take advantage of the confusion or desperation of those affected? Did we steal something during a fire, flood, or other natural disaster? Did we charge excessive fees for helping those in need? If this has been us, repent before the Lord!

Lord, forgive us, cruel, selfish, and merciless!

23. Even if we are free from all or most of the crimes listed above against the eighth commandment of God's Law, we must remember that, aside from material possessions, each of us is gifted by the Lord with various talents and abilities. Have we used them for the benefit of others? Have we helped with good advice, guided the lost onto the path of truth, comforted those in misfortune, or in general, do we live for others, or do we live only for ourselves, sinking into extreme selfishness?

Ask your conscience, and if it reproves you, repent before the Lord!

Lord, forgive us, sinners!

Do not speak falsely against your neighbor.

We are so deeply infected by the sins against this commandment that not a day – no, not even an hour – passes without committing this sin. These are the sins of our corrupt soul, our wicked heart, which manifest through our foul language. Let us bring a sincere repentance before the Lord!

1. This commandment forbids all forms of lying to us Christians. The father of lies is the devil, and therefore no lie, no matter what form, can ever be justified. Let us reflect on our lives, how we entangle ourselves in lies, both when it's needed and when it’s not. No one even pulls us by the tongue, yet we come up with fabricated lies to tell those around us.

Lord, forgive us, sinners!

2. And what about condemnation and gossip? We, apparently, condemn and gossip more than we inhale air, whether in thought, aloud, about those present or absent. Condemnation, alas, is the most beloved subject of our conversations.

But the Lord said: “Do not judge, or you too will be judged” (Matt. 7:1). Yet we don’t even remember this. We are drowning in condemnations and gossip!

We cannot live without it. When two or three gather, before they even open their mouths, a few phrases are spoken – and already condemnation has begun. In our thoughts, we never stop condemning.

Lord, forgive us, sinners!

Now, listen to how the wise people reasoned:

Rebuking the passion of condemning a neighbor for some moral fall, one remarkable Western preacher, E. Berthier, said:

«One of our neighbors has fallen... Well, if you are truly filled with the spirit of Christ, then let me express the impression that this fall will have on your soul. He has fallen. But you, who condemn him, have you never fallen yourselves? Will you be pleased when an enemy's voice begins to recount your past shortcomings, and does it not comfort you to think that oblivion has buried it forever?

You say your life has been free from major faults. I agree. But are you the cause of that? If you were spared occasions for falling, did not your heart long for them a thousand times, did it not thirst and crave for them? Show us, if you dare, the history of your inner life! Tell us about those secret thoughts that no one suspected, about those shameful desires, dormant passions, unworthy wishes, and the self-love you cherished and acted upon, to the detriment of humility and to the sorrow of others. None of these things were seen by any human eye. And while this abyss of sin wandered in your mind and soul, your life was always in order, recognized and respected by all. Now, let us imagine that in one of those moments when passion ignited your heart and seduced your conscience, a real temptation appeared, alive, with all its charms and allure – what would have become of you? Where would the pride of your blameless life and your shameless past have gone? Let’s imagine that this first fall drew the attention of someone who, due to lack of tolerance, would condemn and expose you, as you condemned your neighbor – what would have become of you? God spared you in His mercy. Thousands of circumstances kept you from falling, but be assured, had you been left to your instincts, you would have perished, and the highest reason for your salvation lies not within you.»

Your neighbor has fallen! But do you know his story? Do you know the delusions that surrounded him, the temptations that overwhelmed him, the obstacles that darkened his path? Do you know that in the fateful moment of his fall, he lacked a brotherly hand to support and save him, and that hand could have been yours?

Your neighbor has fallen! But did he know what you know? Did he have a past filled with blessings and pure influences that could have protected him? Did he, like you, receive prayers, tears, and warnings from a Christian mother from his cradle? Was the Gospel revealed to him from the beginning? Did he see the Cross on his path, extending hope of salvation to him? Did he hear the numerous warnings you never needed?

So, in God's eyes, who is more guilty? Who has been given more talents? Who will He demand more from?

This, brethren, is the first impression we should have upon seeing one of our neighbors fall: it should be a sorrowful turning inward, a sincere humility before God. The first impulse leads to another: a true and deep compassion for the one who has suffered evil.

When reading the beautiful chapters of the Gospel that recount the birth of the Savior, especially the wondrous hymn by which the Angels proclaimed the glory of God in the fields of Bethlehem, you may not have reflected on how touching it is that the Angels, beings who remain pure, were the first to rejoice and bless God for the salvation of fallen humanity! Thus, the closer we are to God and the holier our love for Him, the more we are capable of compassion and mercy. And why even refer to Angels when He, the One worshiped by the Angels, Who is called Holy and Just in the Scriptures, is presented to us everywhere as infinitely compassionate and merciful to fallen beings?

And if those who remain pure and He, Who is Holiness itself, are moved by the guilt of our neighbors, what should we, who are all guilty in varying degrees and share in their delusions, feel toward them?

This is how a Christian should think!

When, then, shall we begin our correction? When shall we control our tongue? After all, many, many of us have already crossed the halfway point of our lives, or even approach the end!

Lord, place a «guard upon my mouth, and a door of protection upon my lips» even at the end of my life!

3. The Ninth Commandment forbids us from slandering our neighbor.

Slander is the most outrageous offense against others. Slander is akin to murder! Look, even the prophet David prays: “Deliver me from the oppression of man; preserve me from the violent man” (Ps. 118:134).

If anyone has slandered someone, either before authorities or family members – repent before the Lord with tears! Ask Him to pardon you, for you are truly murderers in this sin, and immediately, if you can, retract the slander you have cast upon someone. May God grant that your slander does not cause irreparable harm!

Lord, forgive us, sinners!

4. Do you not enjoy eavesdropping, spying, or reading others' letters?

Repent before the Lord, those who have this vile habit.

Lord, forgive us, sinners!

In these matters, it is entirely within our power to stop and avoid these shameful deeds. Can a Christian, who calls himself a follower of Christ, stoop to such lowliness?

Lord, help us rid ourselves of these faults and forgive us for our past!

5. Who of you, now repenting, has divulged the weaknesses and sins of others, slandered the good name of a neighbor?

Repent before the Lord! This is the sin of Ham, who did not cover his father’s nakedness.

Lord, forgive us, sinners!

6. This commandment generally forbids idle speech, which always leads to condemnation, gossip, mockery, offensive and hurtful remarks about others, and any kind of trivial, empty talk about them.

Lord, forgive us, sinners, for we all live in these sins!

7. Do you believe harmful rumors, have you invented any malicious gossip, have you spread them around town?

Or do you like to listen and gather rumors, feeding them into your idle curiosity and mind instead of prayer and the word of God? Repent before the Lord!

Lord, forgive us, sinners!

8. “Blessed are the peacemakers” (Matt. 5:9) – says the Word of God. But we, instead of making peace, sow discord, repeating bad words spoken by others in anger, when we should remain silent for the sake of peace.

9. Have you ever spoken the truth «straight in the face» when it was unnecessary and only caused offense, hurt, or damage to the cause?

Lord, forgive us, foolish “truth-lovers”!

10. And in general, Lord, we do not possess straightforwardness, sincerity, simplicity, or silence, and because of this, we offend our neighbors and You, Lord, every hour, breaking the ninth commandment of Your law.

1. The Tenth Commandment forbids us from harboring sinful feelings, thoughts, and desires.

We are forbidden from dwelling on them, holding onto them, developing them, or indulging in them. What kind of thoughts are these?

They are desires of sensuality, greed, self-love, pride, selfishness, and lust. All of us are overwhelmed by a torrent of such desires!

Lord, forgive us, sinners!

2. We sin, Lord, against this commandment with dissatisfaction with our lot and fall into the sin of envy.

Repent, those who envy the wealth, happiness, health, abilities, beauty, and success of our neighbors.

Lord, forgive us, sinners!

3. Have we ever rejoiced at the misfortune of others?

Examine yourself: did you ever gloat, especially when your enemy found himself in trouble?

Lord, forgive us, sinners!

4. Have we wished illness or death upon others, especially our offenders?

Lord, we are sinful in this too, forgive us!

5. Do we feel frustration when seeing others in happiness, when we think they should have already perished?

Lord, forgive us, sinners!

The root of all sinful thoughts, desires, and actions, with their bitter consequences, is self-love.

It is the perverse tendency of our spirit to move from the infinite to the finite – to withdraw from God and turn inward. Through the distorted direction of the three main powers of the soul – the mind, the will, and the heart – seeking fulfillment in sensual life instead of turning to God, our self-love manifests itself in:

1. Daydreaming and excessive thinking.

2. Self-exaltation or pride.

3. Selfishness and sensuality.

From these arise all sinful goals, desires, words, and actions.

Lord, forgive us!

We are all self-loving! We are all murmurers, discontent with our lot. We consciously and unconsciously envy everything we see and learn; we want everything: food, clothing, houses, and even the environment of others – anything that serves comfort in life, that we see in others' homes, stores... Once we see something, we desire it for ourselves. And even feel some grievance if we don’t have it. We are ready to complain about our lives, our misfortunes, as we call them. We get upset to the point of illness – all out of envy. It is shameful and painful, Lord, to remember this now.

We delight in mental adultery, casting unclean glances with envy at the wife or husband of our neighbor.

Lord, forgive us, sinners!

Finally, all of these sinful thoughts, desires, and feelings that have just been listed – we don't even consider them sins.

After all, we didn’t act on them; we just thought them, daydreamed about them, and indulged in them internally – and so we do not repent of them. Yet by doing so, we are preparing our souls for eternal destruction!

Lord, forgive us, sinners!

We are too careless; we sin without fear. We test Your patience endlessly, postponing our repentance until tomorrow.

Lord, forgive us, sinners!

Lord!

Some of us rarely go to confession and Holy Communion – therés always no time... But we should go more often. How many times has it been, when our soul felt deeply troubled, and we should have run immediately to the spiritual doctor, but we had no time, we kept putting it off, and everything remains as it was – and then forgotten...

You, Lord, require that we throw out all the worst at confession, hate our sin, gather all our strength to avoid sinning in the future. We knew this, but we did not act on it...

You, Lord, call each of us to bitterly lament our sins, to suffer for them, to open them with pain in our hearts, and to think of them with hatred, as of our enemies, but we come cold and leave insensitive...

And it is terrifying to think: have we, each time, left without forgiveness, without being freed from our sins?

Each of us must now show You, Lord, a firm resolve to renounce sin, to hate sin, to break our life...

And confirm this resolve with an oath: to kiss the Cross and the Gospel in the promise that we have made, that we swear by it.

Lord, we sincerely desire this. And we ask You, help us keep our vow! Especially those of us who often intended to confess our sin to the priest, but were ashamed, and left unrepentant! Help us today to free ourselves from secret unconfessed sins! Let us no longer bear the burden of false shame upon our souls, and stop making them heavier with unrepentance!

Let us pray to the Lord!

Lord, my Lord!

I am a bottomless abyss of sin: wherever I look within myself – it is all bad, whatever I recall – everything is done wrong, spoken incorrectly, thought impurely... And my intentions and dispositions of my soul – are nothing but an insult to You, my Creator, my Benefactor!

Have mercy on me. Lord Jesus Christ, our God! I, as a worthless man, have sinned. But You, as a generous God, have mercy on me!

Accept me in repentance! Give me time to bring the fruits of repentance. I do not want to sin anymore, I do not want to offend You, Lord! Allow me to partake of the Holy Mysteries, that Your grace may descend upon me through them! Destroy the sin living within me! Live in me, Immortal Lord, so that neither life nor death may separate me from You!

And let my fate be as You wish, as You know – only save me, poor sinner! And I will bless and glorify Your Most Honorable Name forever. Amen!

(The prayer of the ever-memorable priest-monk

Father Boris Nikolaevsky.)

Have we ever wondered why we don't have the holy life of God within us?

Why is it that we are constantly breaking God's will? We sin, repent, sin again, repent again…?

There are moments when something good, something comforting flashes by... But these are only moments – they flash by and disappear, and again the darkness of sin, and again the “work of the enemy,” again service to Satan...

What is the reason? Haven’t we thought about it? Or is this mystery of our life going to remain a mystery? This should not be so.

What then should we do?

We often hear this question. And is there an answer – it seems there is no special concern...

There is an answer. Let’s think about it... We hear that we must live a pious life, that we need labor and struggle, we read books about this, we learn from general confessions about God’s commandments, we learn how people break these commandments, we hear the priest urging us to follow the commandments, we sincerely promise in confession that from this moment on, we will be different – but nothing comes of it... We sin again, we offend the Lord again. We sincerely apply our efforts to become better, to walk toward the Kingdom of Heaven – but in reality, we don’t move forward... And even worse, sometimes we can’t even stay where we are, we have no strength, and we slide back into the same pit we thought we had escaped from...

What a sorrowful state!

After all, the years don’t stand still, they rush by; pages of the calendar are torn off, and we can't put them back. Days and years go by, and death and the grave are drawing ever nearer...

What should we do?

This cannot continue like this.

There is some hidden secret here that we must absolutely know. It cannot be that the Lord, who cares more for our salvation than we do, who «desires all people to be saved» (1Tim. 2:4), it cannot be that the Lord has hidden from us what we so desperately need, without which, simply speaking, we cannot live. And this secret has been revealed by our Lord Jesus Christ long ago, and it is contained in His words: «Without Me, you can do nothing» (John 15:5).

But we are all accustomed to live and think that the main support in all our deeds is «I myself» – my understanding, my strength... We struggle, we try, we exert ourselves to do something good and... nothing comes of it!

It doesn’t work because we, blinded by our self-will, our pride, completely forget that the first step on the ladder of virtue is humility.

This is how the Beatitudes, or the commandments for our true happiness, begin – not the fleeting, earthly happiness we chase after in vain all our lives, like chasing after a shadow, but the true, full, and eternal bliss whose beginning was revealed by the Lord Himself to all Christians in His Sermon on the Mount.

«Blessed are the poor in spirit» (Matt. 5:3) – that is, happy are those who are extremely poor in spirit... What does it mean to be poor in spirit? It means «having a humble understanding of onés spiritual qualities, humbling oneself, considering oneself a sinner.» It means having qualities opposite to pride, vanity, and self-love. Why do the poor in spirit inherit the Kingdom of Heaven? Because the humble in spirit, «acknowledging their sinfulness and unworthiness, fully submit themselves to the guidance of Divine grace, not relying at all on their own spiritual strength, and grace leads them to the Kingdom» (Archimandrite Michael. The Interpretive Gospel. Gospel of Matthew).

Why do we neglect to walk the straight path to perfect joy?

Before we start repenting for our transgressions against this commandment of the Lord, let me explain something to you: «By the nature of our natural abilities, a person has a tendency or desire to develop and perfect his strengths, to compare himself with others, to gain a good opinion of others, honor, glory, and favor. This striving is useful when it encourages a person to improve himself intellectually and morally. A good name is also useful for our improvement and happiness and the happiness of others when it is based on true perfection, earned honestly, and used properly. But our nature, corrupted by original sin, our self-love, abuses this striving, and from disordered love and respect for our own superiority arises pride, which manifests in various ways and actions» (Bishop Peter. Indication of the Path to Salvation).

We are listening carefully to these words of the ascetics of piety and think that we acknowledge ourselves as sinners, that we, it seems, have nothing to be proud of, but this is self-deception.

In reality, we also sin through the pride of our mind, not honoring God as the Supreme Lord and source of all blessings. In our boldness and madness, we even come to the thought of denying God, denying the Gospel, denying the Sacraments of the Church.

We sin by not giving God the due honor, by not attributing to Him all the good that we receive. We did not thank the Lord for His mercy toward us. We sin by not thinking that we are entirely dependent on Him, not relying solely on Him, not first asking Him for grace and help, but relying on our own strength, seeking help from people, and perhaps even in the greatest madness turning to sorcerers, magicians, and fortune-tellers for help.

There is another terrible sin – the offense of God's greatness – this is directly turning to Satan for help. If there are any among us who have done this, then this sin must be personally confessed, asking for absolution.

We sin by attributing to ourselves the good things that we receive from the Lord. And the Lord turns away from our arrogance, for «everyone who is proud in heart is an abomination to the Lord» (Prov. 16:5). These are violations of truth and love for God, produced by pride.

The poor in spirit, according to St. Macarius of Egypt, constantly live in great humility and heart-felt contrition for their nothingness, always keeping before their eyes the sinful wounds of their soul.

We also call ourselves, and perhaps do truly consider ourselves sinners. However, this feeling is still far from true humility, for as St. John Climacus says, «the heart is tested when others dishonor it.» Who among us, placing his hand on his heart, can say that he willingly endures reproach, annoyances, and slander? Why do we lose our composure, fall into despair, and even reach a point of such distress that we lose our health? Because our pride, as St. Theophan the Recluse says, cries out in anguish: «They are tearing my skin!» This is why we are so touchy. And if we examine it closely, our sensitivity mostly comes from self-love, which is the root of the problem. We, Lord, are ambitious; we love only praise, and at best, silent acknowledgment of our imagined virtues. We cannot humbly accept even the smallest remark, whether it comes from our spiritual father, a superior at work, or parents at home, let alone thank the Lord who opens our eyes to our flaws through others.

Expecting praise and approval, and not receiving it, we get upset, grumble, lose our peace, and, swept up in self-exaltation, become full of envy at the accomplishments of others! We simply cannot bear to see virtues and accomplishments deserving of praise in others, and we do everything to diminish, slander, or twist them into something negative. Yet, we eagerly seek out and take pleasure in discovering the flaws of others, examining them under a microscope, and treating them with the utmost intolerance. This leads to the gravest sin, the dreadful leprosy of our spirit – the sin of judgment.

Lord, we are all entangled, drowning in the murky swamp of judgment, condemning everyone and everything, appropriating Your power and forgetting Your command: «Do not judge, and you will not be judged» (Matt. 7:1).

We all strive for elevation, for recognition of ourselves. Once, when the Lord saw this desire among His disciples, He said: «Whoever desires to be great among you, let him be your servant» (Matt. 20:26). Have we reflected on these words of the Lord? Do we have the desire to place ourselves in relation to others in the position of a servant? No. Lord, forgive our self-love! We expect services from those around us, we are terrified of becoming servants, and to justify our pride, we invoke age, social status, fatigue, illness, and so on. But imagine, even just for a moment, how our lives would be transformed if each of us, starting from this moment, made it a rule to anticipate the needs of those around us, to serve them to the best of our ability, forgetting ourselves – in accordance with the Lord's words, to be everyone’s servant.

Look at your life, your circumstances, and try to begin living, humbling yourself to the position of a servant, as the Lord said: «And whoever desires to be first among you, let him be your slave» (Matt. 20:27). If you act in this way with a sincere heart, you will undoubtedly feel the joy, the bliss of humility. But until now, Lord, we have poisoned our lives with pride and its evil fruits, distancing ourselves from You, closing the access of Your grace to our souls, and therefore we have no joy, happiness, or bliss. Because of pride, instead of spiritual health, we suffer greatly from self-reliance – we don’t even ask for Your blessing in prayer at the start of the day and every task, nor do we seek Your help in rest. We venture into tasks that exceed our strength, and then groan and languish under their unbearable weight.

From pride, we suffer from curiosity, the craving for novelty, hypocrisy, stubbornness, quarreling, disobedience, envy, jealousy, gossip, and ingratitude.

Even in our prayer and other spiritual struggles, we inject pride. And «if any of our actions or good deeds lacks humility at its core, that good is not good, it harms us and is foreign to God» (Bishop Varlaam Ryashentsev). For example, now is the time of fasting. Perhaps some of you have gone to church more, prayed more at home, or done something good for your neighbor. But if even the thought arose to count your supposed merits, everything is lost. The self-vision and self-assessment of spiritual deeds is a rotting corruption in the spiritual bloom of the Christian soul, a heart-felt lie, blindness, pride. This self-assessment diminishes our total hope in God's mercy, as if «I have worked, therefore have mercy.» The most sure and pleasing thing to God from us is: «Lord, I have nothing, I do not even dare to lift my eyes, have mercy according to Your great mercy.» And mercy will be all the greater, the more there is contrition and trust in God, not in deeds or anything of our own (Bishop Herman).

There is another subtle form of pride, very dangerous for our soul – vanity. Vanity strives to distort every action of ours so that it is not for the glory of God, but for our own glory and to please people. Vanity pulls us toward human praise and the pursuit of worldly fame.

The Lord has commanded us to carefully hide all good deeds from human eyes, to offer all our good deeds and love for our neighbor entirely as a sacrifice to the one God. Therefore, if any of us performs any work or good deed for show, we make virtue itself a means of satisfying our passion for vanity, and we provoke the wrath of God, as if committing sacrilege. This is because an act that should be done out of love for God and for His glory, if done for our own glory, offends God, as we seek to please people, whom we prefer over God; we prefer worldly glory over the glory of God!

Vanity and pride give rise to a desire for luxury and ostentation, a wish to stand out in some special way from those around us. It seems that everything we need is already sufficient for daily life, but no – it is not enough. We need to display polished furniture, carpets, and other unnecessary items of luxury in front of friends, neighbors, and relatives; we chase after fashionable items – and this especially concerns the younger generation.

We even try to serve vanity in our vices! How far we are from spiritual poverty, how far we are from the humble of heart...

This is only a brief look at the many sins within us. Now let us move on to the second Beatitude.

It is very difficult for us, worldly and fleshly people, to understand this Beatitude! As John Chrysostom says, it seems to contradict the opinion of the whole world, for everyone considers those who rejoice as blessed, and those who mourn, the poor, and those who weep – as miserable. However, the Lord calls the latter blessed instead, saying, “Blessed are those who mourn” (Matt. 5:4), even though everyone considers them to be unfortunate.

But we can mourn over different things! And the blessed here are not those who mourn over worldly matters, because even powerless malice weeps, even humbled pride weeps, even offended self-love weeps... How many are the vain tears! But these are all sinful tears, useless tears, which are extremely harmful to the one who mourns, because they bring death to the soul and body, as the Apostle says: “For the sorrow of the world works death” (2Cor. 7:10). This sorrow of the world often leads to the mortal sin of despondency and despair.

Blessedness and consolation are given to those who mourn because they know that they have imperfectly and unworthily served the Lord, or even deserve His anger through their sins.

Let’s examine our conscience, our heart!

1. Do we mourn because we have defiled and continue to defile the image of God in ourselves through our sins? Every day we throw this image into the dirt with our worldly passions, attachment to the world, unbelief, pride, hatred, envy, lack of self-control, drunkenness, and other passions, and through this we deeply anger our Creator and provoke His long-suffering!

2. Do we mourn because we only bear the name of Christians, given to us at baptism, but do not fulfill the law and live as if we do not believe in Christ – clinging to the earth, not thinking about Heaven, about the eternal life there, about death, about our unreadiness for the terrible and righteous judgment on the Last Day?

We are careless in the matter of our salvation. What mourning? We forget about all this completely!

3. Do we mourn because our heart constantly desires to do everything contrary to the Lord? How much do we pray, repent, read, sing, and partake of the Holy Mysteries, which can transform even a stone heart and make it soft like wax, yet we do not change due to our negligence? And we mourn because we do not bring forth fruits of faith and love, fruits of meekness and non-malice, fruits of self-control, purity, and chastity, fruits of charity, and so on.

4. Do we mourn when:

– We feel the surge of impure thoughts in our hearts;

– We are swept up by pride, malice, envy, greed, and stinginess;

– We feel not love, but hatred for our enemy;

– We are enticed by the passions of drunkenness, love of money, and covetousness;

– We are disturbed and drawn into opposition and disobedience to our parents, superiors, or elders?

We do not have, Lord, this constant mourning over our sins; only at confession, when the priest enumerates our sins, do we faintly recognize our sinfulness. Other than that, we are too busy to even prepare for confession and Holy Communion. We don’t take the time to think before confession about how we have angered the Lord in our personal life. We hope that the priest will enumerate the sins for us, and we’ll simply say “I am a sinner,” but we never truly bring personal repentance.

Where is that constant mourning over our sins?! We are lazy to read the prescribed prayer rule before communion, so that, even by striking our hardened hearts with the words of penitential prayers composed by those who knew how to weep before the Lord over their sins, we might somehow wake up our sleeping conscience and prepare our hearts for repentance (not to mention the fasting prescribed before the Sacrament of Confession and Holy Communion). All of this seems excessively difficult and inconvenient to us.

But look how the holy prophet David lamented over his sins: “I am weary with my groaning; all night I make my bed swim; I drench my couch with my tears” (Ps. 6:7).

5. There are also saving tears, of which we have no idea. “And then,” says St. Macarius the Great, “the ascetics weep and lament for the human race, shedding tears inflamed with love for mankind.” But we cannot and do not want to weep for our sins, because our insensitivity and coldness towards the work of salvation drive us to seek not true, complete joys, but empty amusements, mockery, and jesting: we entertain ourselves with card games, endless obsession with television, cinema, and theater, reading empty or even corrupting books, telling jokes, indulging in dancing, singing, and other boisterous displays of shallow, futile, soul-destroying, and often body-killing “joy.”

How far we are from this second step of moral perfection! We completely forget that we are “under the wrath of God: we are going through a desperate battle for life or death, when all around us are troubles, when the all-destructive and deceitful sin with such audacity and savagery is destroying human souls, redeemed by the Blood of the Son of God; when this spawn of hell is threatening to cast us into the soon-to-be-opened fiery Gehenna!” (Righteous John of Kronstadt).

Is it the time for us, Christians, to laugh and be merry now? “The time for laughter and merriment will come after tears and weeping over sins in this life and after the victory over sin” (Righteous John of Kronstadt).

Why are the meek blessed immediately after the mourners? Because meekness is the fruit and consequence of contrition and weeping for our sins.

Above all, we seek peace of soul in this world, but we do not have it, because this peace is the fruit of meekness and gentleness. «Learn from Me, for I am meek and humble in heart; and you will find rest for your souls» (Matthew 11:29).

You see, the Lord does not first ask us to learn from Him prayerfulness, diligence, patience, and other virtues. First and foremost, He calls us to learn meekness and humility of heart. We have already spoken a little about humility. Now, let us consider what meekness is and what great number of negative qualities in our souls stand in opposition to this virtue. Meekness is such a disposition of the spirit, combined with caution, so that one does not irritate others nor be irritated (St. Filaret of Moscow, Catechism).

Here is another definition of meekness: it is an unchanging disposition of the mind, by which a person remains the same in honor and dishonor, and sincerely prays for the one who wrongs them (St. John Climacus, The Ladder of Divine Ascent).

The Apostle Peter refers to the imperishable beauty of a meek and quiet spirit as one of the most hidden treasures of the human heart, precious in the sight of God (1 Peter 3:4).

Let us examine ourselves: what can we say to You, Lord, regarding our adherence to this commandment? Alas, in our souls, instead of meekness, there is almost constant irritability. Everything and everyone irritates us; our hearts are literally charged with irritability. We wake up in the morning, and instead of saying, “Glory to You, Lord, thank You that You did not destroy me with my iniquities but granted me another day of life,” we rise with irritation and displeasure, complaining about lack of sleep. We become irritable towards remarks from our loved ones, even our parents, or we irritate others with our own behavior. We scold our children and overly criticize everyone around us: we are upset by someone’s slowness or, on the contrary, by their haste. Once we leave the house, everything irritates us: the weather, the transportation. And on the street, in the store, and even in church–where we come to pray–our irritability persists. We complain about being jostled, even when approaching the Holy Chalice. At work, we get upset by even the smallest comment from a colleague or boss, if it is something we dislike. And thus, the entire day is spent in tension, irritability, and frustration with others.

Our irritability is like a store of flammable gas. A small spark–like a match–is enough to make our irritability erupt into anger.

And what does anger not give birth to? Anger is literally a temporary madness! It is terrifying to look at us when we are angry. Not only do we lose our Christian image, but even our humanity is stripped away. No wonder people say that someone filled with anger has «become a beast.» And what torrents of sinful words do we utter in anger? We insult others in various ways and curse with foul language. Some, in their depravity, even blaspheme the name of Satan. We devise sharp and hurtful phrases. But that is not enough; we continue to nurture our malice, regretting that we didn’t say more, that we didn’t say something more hurtful.

Perhaps some of you have completely unleashed your furious temper and resorted to stomping your feet, pounding your fists, shouting wildly, slamming doors, breaking things in your rage, or even injuring or brutally beating people or animals. Repent before the Lord with tears.

The problem is that we almost always consider our anger to be justified. We think we are fighting for the truth, completely forgetting the words of Scripture: “For the anger of man does not produce the righteousness of God” (James 1:20). See how our reason has become darkened by sin: we call the greatest evil «good.» Some justify themselves by saying, “I may be hot-tempered, but it passes quickly.” But listen to what the great teacher of piety and asceticism, St. John Climacus, says about this: “...sometimes during anger, the wicked demons leave us quickly with the goal of making us neglect the great passions and... making our disease incurable” (The Ladder of Divine Ascent, Step 8, 9). In other words, if we do not learn to curb our temper, it becomes a passion of wrath and is very difficult to uproot, like any evil habit.

Lord! In anger and irritability, we destroy the good name of our neighbors with our words. In our fury, we reveal secrets of our friends and shame them. We act like traitors, exposing what was entrusted to us in trust and friendship.

But when we do this, we don’t even think about repentance. The meek person does not argue or cry out, and no one hears his voice (Matthew 12:19).

Yet even here, there may be much hidden sin. Not everyone who remains silent is truly meek. One can remain silent but be angry, hateful, or disdainful in the heart.

Who among us recognizes their “self” in these words? If you do, repent before the Lord, because if, by the nature of your secretive, quiet character, you manage to conceal your irritation and anger from others, the Lord looks directly into the heart and judges us according to it.

If anger, which is expressed outwardly, is already a clear sign of the sinner, it is even more difficult for the hidden person to admit that they lack meekness. St. John Climacus considers such people to be «the most wretched of the reckless.» How absurd and unnatural is malice and rage! Look at the face of the meek–how beautiful, clear, calm, and serene it is! What spiritual fragrance emanates from the meek soul... But look at the face of an angry person–how restless, gloomy, and ugly it is. Furthermore, when the soul is meek, it is easy to perform any task; when it is irritable or angry, everything becomes difficult, and prayer with anger towards others becomes sin and condemnation.

We experience all of this ourselves, Lord, and see the benefit and beauty of meekness in others, but we fail to master our own hearts and easily fall into sin.

Most often, irritability arises from impatience. It is the source of many of our sins!

1. In relation to God, who sends or allows us to face various trials, we sin through:

– hopelessness;

– murmuring;

– even blasphemy against God, accusing Him of sending what we perceive as “unfair” or “unbearable” crosses.

Perhaps some of you have said or agreed with the words of others, or thought in your hearts that if God were good, there would be no wars, no suffering children, no illnesses, no sudden deaths in the prime of life, etc. Maybe some of you have even come to deny the existence of God or His Providence. Repent before the Lord!

How foolish we are to judge Your Providence with our limited understanding and make mad conclusions from what is beyond our comprehension!

2. In relation to others, impatience leads us to consider them the perpetrators of evil. From this arises countless unjust suspicions, accusations, which in turn lead to quarrels, enmity, complaints, and mutual insults. We callously drown in this sinful abyss, as if we were not preparing for death or do not believe in life after death, in the Final Judgment, or in the existence of hell and heaven.

3. In relation to ourselves, impatience produces:

· A rebellion of the spirit;

· Darkening of the mind, leading us to lose clear judgment and not find ways to combat evil;

· A prolonged sorrow in the heart, which leads to despondency–another sin that weakens both our spiritual and physical strength to the point of total cessation of any useful activity («everything is falling apart»).

We fall into faintheartedness, and some even descend into despair, this mortal sin, that is, the death of the soul.

All of this happens instead of practicing patience, trusting in You, and Your wise, fatherly guidance, and entrusting to You, Lord, “the management of our destinies” to save us. Against this virtue stands the evil, irrational stubbornness in us, the desire to insist on our own way, and how often, for the most trivial reasons, we lose all peace. “I will not yield for anything, not at all!”–this is the slogan of our obstinacy and hardheartedness, with which we live: we will not give up a tiny piece of land in the communal garden, nor a small corner of the shared kitchen, nor even our “own” place in the church, angrily pushing aside someone who dares to take our “spot,” or resenting them if we cannot drive them out, instead of praying. We will not give up our place in the choir, nor yield to another if we are reading during the service, nor give up in an argument, even when we clearly understand that we are wrong.

We even reach the point of going to court in our unwillingness to yield, in our excessive attachment to everything earthly, to our litigiousness, forgetting and even not knowing the commandments of the Savior because we do not read the Gospel. «If anyone wants to sue you and take your tunic, let him have your cloak as well» (Matthew 5:40).

Lord! How far we are from this commandment! Forgive our senseless and evil stubbornness!

Have you ever wondered why we have become so touchy? All this happens because of the lack of meekness and humility in our hearts! Sensitivity arises from «self-worth,» because each of us thinks we are “something” and “something significant,” and when someone dares not to show us the proper respect, we boil over with anger and offense, to the point of tears, quarrels, and plotting revenge (St. Theophan the Recluse). This «self-worth,» this «something,» needs to be destroyed and thrown out the window, as Bishop Theophan says, so that the foundation of inner peace might form in the spirit. We thought we were offended because we are exceptionally sensitive, delicate beings, while those around us are thoughtless, malicious, and rude.

There is yet another characteristic of meekness that is beyond our comprehension–this is the sincere goodwill towards our enemies, flowing from the heart, as commanded by the Savior: “Love your enemies, bless those who curse you… and pray for those who spitefully use you” (Matthew 5:44). Are these feelings present in your hearts? No, Lord, it seems entirely impossible for us. We might somehow manage to bear with those who love us and do good to us, but that is a purely human trait, “for even sinners love those who love them” (Luke 6:32).

But the Christian virtue is not just to not hate our enemies, but even to love them, to do good to them, to pray for them to God–that is, to see in them our neighbor, the same as each of us, called to salvation but spiritually ill, and therefore needing our help and even our service.

In hatred and irritation, we wish misfortunes upon those around us, secretly or openly rejoicing when our enemies and offenders suffer some calamity. We even dare to think and speak that they deserve even worse misfortunes, or perhaps some even wish for the death of their foes, or, what is even more terrifying, rejoice at the death of their enemies and the grief of their relatives.

This is how we must treat those we consider our tormentors and enemies. Listen to what St. John Chrysostom says: “If anyone rises up against us, we will be humble; if anyone acts arrogantly, we will be serviceable; if anyone insults us with mockery and abuse, we will not reply in kind, so that we do not destroy ourselves by avenging ourselves.”

In the estimation of people, the meek are the most defenseless, persecuted. However, the Lord promises those who have acquired meekness that “they shall inherit the earth” (Matthew 5:5)! And this has been tested throughout the centuries! In the first centuries of Christianity, it seemed that Christians would be destroyed by the fury of the pagans, yet they inherited the land that was once held by their persecutors. And in the settlements of the righteous, the meek receive grace from the Lord «in the land of the living» (Psalm 114:8).

Lord, make us worthy to repent before our end, to offer You, as a worthy fruit of repentance, a meek and humble heart, and to receive the spiritual inheritance in the dwellings of the righteous.

What is hunger and thirst for righteousness?

God created man righteous, sinless, and holy. The spiritual food for man was righteousness, or the ever-present Source of righteousness – God Himself. In union with God, man did not know what it meant to hunger and thirst for righteousness because he was abundantly nourished by it. Hunger and thirst were known to man only when, through sin, he lost his righteousness and separated himself from the Source of righteousness – God, in whom he could find eternal satisfaction. The soul, having lost through sin its natural element – righteousness, began to feel deprivation, hunger, and thirst, sorrow and distress from the lack of the food that was suited to it.

Who among us is righteous and does not suffer from spiritual hunger?

Yet, tormented by this hunger, we do not hurry to be satisfied. The sense of this spiritual hunger has dulled in us, just as the sense of bodily hunger is dulled in the sick. We are gravely ill with sin, blinded by our reasoning, and consumed by our sinful, lustful, indulgent, and selfish life; constantly oppressing and, in the end, completely silencing our conscience. This insensible state of the soul is the sinful death of man, which, from temporary, can turn into eternal.

We are dead to righteousness and, unfortunately, alive to darkness! We are cold to the matter of saving our souls, strengthening our saving faith, while the commandment of the Savior calls us to hunger and thirst for righteousness, that is, to have a strong desire to be righteous before God through faith in the Lord Jesus Christ as the Redeemer of the world. Do we have a desire for righteous living? Do we strive with all the strength of our soul to direct our will toward good?

We are gravely, mortally ill in spirit, but we do not seek means for healing. We do not accept even what our loving Mother the Church offers, wishing to nourish us with the healing grace of God!

How we care for our physical health!

If we see a book about medicinal herbs or hear some recipe, we hurry to read it, write it down, memorize it, and even advise others. But when it comes to looking for a recipe in spiritual books to heal the soul from the incurable disease we suffer from, it never even occurs to us!

We ask priests and elders about everything! But how many of us have ever thought about seeking advice on how to get rid of the evil habit or sinful skill that torments us? You might say that there are no spiritual books or experienced elders around, but almost everyone of us has the most important book at home – the Gospel (and if someone does not have this Book, this is also a sign of extreme neglect; even unbelievers nowadays try to acquire the Gospel and the Bible). This Book contains exhaustive answers to all the queries of the soul, for all the ages of life! How much do we read this Book of Truth? We leave it unopened for months, even years! The Church offers us salvific readings almost at every service. Do we listen to them reverently and attentively? No!

We are more likely to consider this moment of the service as a break in the prayer and fill the time either with conversation or by walking back and forth, disturbing those who are listening to the reading, or stretching to adjust the lamps and candles. And if we stand outwardly reverently, our minds wander who knows where!

Who cares about the beauty of their body, who strives for results in the currently fashionable sport, look at them, they will do anything, not sparing neither strength nor time!

They exercise for hours, restricting themselves in food, even inventing a new method of healing and renewing the body through prolonged fasting! And all of this is done for physical health, for the fleeting short period of earthly life!

But we, Christians, redeemed from eternal death by the suffering of our Lord Jesus Christ, do not care about the health of our soul, which will live forever, either in paradise with God or in hell with Satan!

The way to God is prayer.

If the soul is healing from sin, it longs for prayer, it strives for unity with God in it. But we pray very little! We rarely go to church, and our home prayer rule has become an unbearable burden. We find time for everything except prayer!

The Church offers us saving fasts to heal our spirit, to refine our spiritual perception. But we are burdened by fasting, we reject them because of our love of pleasure and indulgence. We come up with all sorts of reasons to justify our violations of the fasts! But St. Seraphim of Sarov said that “no one has ever complained about bread and water.” And no one has ever died from them. Yet, we come up with various excuses and justifications concerning abstaining from food.

And who among us still remembers the spiritual fast, which consists of restraining passions, of intensified self-sacrifice and doing good deeds?

We have none of this.

Lord, forgive us, sinners!

And grant, O Lord, hunger and thirst for righteousness here, so that through sincere repentance we may reject all falsehood and prevent Your terrible and righteous judgment! For “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness” (Matt. 5:6).

In a cursory manner, having briefly examined our conscience in light of the previous four Beatitudes, it seems we already understand how sinful we are before God! How much we need His mercy!

Because it is impossible even to list our sins, by which we continue to torment and crucify the Lord!

Thus, the fifth Beatitude explains to us how we can incline God to show mercy to us, the sinners. Let us examine our conscience–do we live in such a way that, by showing mercy to others, we can boldly and with hope ask the Lord for mercy?

The Lord said: “Therefore, whatever you want men to do to you, do also to them” (Matt. 7:12).

Who among us does not need a kind word, someone to share in our troubles during difficult times? How happy we are to see a virtuous and compassionate person nearby! Each of us is glad when we have good, kind neighbors, or conscientious colleagues at work. A compassionate, kind-hearted person carries within them the initial traits of mercy. For everyone, such a person is welcome, close, and needed. And who among us does not want the Lord to be merciful to us during times of sorrow, sickness, and trials, to look upon our afflictions and sighs with His loving, fatherly gaze?

This is the path of mercy.

The Word of God says: “Blessed is he who considers the poor; the Lord will deliver him in the day of trouble. The Lord will preserve him and keep him alive… The Lord will strengthen him on his bed of illness” (Psalm 41:2–4).

Let us examine our conscience–are we on the path of mercy? There are works of mercy that address physical needs, and there are works of mercy that serve spiritual needs.

Main works of corporal mercy:

· To feed the hungry;

· To give drink to the thirsty;

· To clothe the naked or those in need of decent clothing.

Let us pause for now on these three types of virtue. Do we always perform these acts of mercy with love and willingness? No! We are greedy and stingy, we never seem to have enough money, our possessions always feel insufficient, and when we do manage to part with even a small portion for the sake of mercy, we feel excessively proud, considering ourselves as having fulfilled this commandment.

In moments of enthusiasm, we might be ready to make any sacrifice, but consistently, unflinchingly performing acts of mercy in our everyday life–amid constant small irritations, feeling misunderstood, unjustly judged, rejected by all, meeting silent unfriendliness, receiving no response, and being completely alone–this we consider an impossible feat! Because we are always pampering ourselves, we fear burdening ourselves in any way, restricting ourselves in any way, and are terrified to sacrifice our comforts for the sake of others. From this comes the incurable sin of hardness of heart and lack of mercy.

We do not seek out the unfortunate who need help. Even if someone points out the poverty of another, we begin to calculate their income, discuss their life, looking for any excuse to justify our greed.

Sometimes a good thought will arise in our hearts–to give away the excess accumulated in the cupboard or chest–but when we start looking, a cunning thought emerges: «This dress might be useful for some occasion, these clothes will be good for another situation, these things can be sold,» and by the end of the process, only a tiny heap of unwanted junk is left for charity, with the bitter-sounding saying: “To You, O Lord, what is not fitting for us!” Or perhaps, someone has secretly saved money and items for a “rainy day,” even hiding them from close family members, and often, because of this passion, they refused to help others in their time of need, simply to preserve their savings, rejoicing when their wealth increased, and sorrowing when they had to part with it–thus committing the sin of placing trust in possessions, not in Christ. St. Simeon the New Theologian speaks very harshly: “... he who hides money cannot believe or hope in God” (Word 21, p. 2).

So, if any of you suffer from this passion, release your soul, give away the hidden money, donate to a poor church, offer alms for the soul of yourself and your loved ones.

There is another type of sin–it is when relatives and loved ones hide the true condition of the dying person from them, comforting them with false hope–this instead of preparing the dying person to receive the Sacraments of Anointing, Confession, and Holy Communion.

Repent to the Lord if, through your fault, any of your loved ones or acquaintances passed into eternity without receiving these saving Sacraments, either due to extreme inattentiveness to their situation at their deathbed or out of a false fear of frightening them with death. Such actions are typical only of those who do not believe in life after death. It is very serious if such a sin of extreme cruelty to the neighbor lies on your conscience.

We find it so difficult to part with our wealth, so hard to detach ourselves from possessions and money, that if we lose it all for some reason, we are not happy with life. Lord, open our hearts to give away even that without which we can easily do, deliver us from the passion of self-love and teach us to stop placing our hope in wealth, which is so fleeting and transient!

Next, works of mercy include:

· Visiting someone in prison;

· Visiting the sick, serving them, and helping them either recover or prepare for a Christian death;

· Welcoming the stranger into our home and giving them rest.

Do we devote even a little of our time to these works of mercy? We all have someone among our acquaintances who is sick, weak, or infirm–do we help them? No!

We have no time or strength for this! We even say to their relatives when we meet: “I’m sorry, I don’t have a minute to spare!” Yet, for gossip, for trivial conversations, for entertainment, for reading useless books, and other empty and harmful pastimes, we have plenty of time! We don’t value time in these cases! And sometimes, greed overcomes us–after all, the sick person will need something to be brought to them, and we feel sorry for spending money on such a purchase, so we console ourselves that we don’t have time to visit the sick.

Do we always welcome and give rest to strangers with joy, with an open heart and soul? Have we ever extorted gifts or money from them? Forgetting that these are not rich people coming, but people with incomes just like ours, who are spending considerable amounts for their journey. Can it be that even this good deed is marred by greed? How blessed it is to provide shelter to someone who has come to pray to God, and if our means allow, to serve them, give them rest, feed and water them with what God provides!

Here is the example of St. Philaret the Merciful. He lived in Asia Minor in the 8th century and was wealthy. He loved the poor and generously gave to them. After a raid by bandits on his village, he was left with two oxen, a horse, a cow, and a small plot of land. Like the righteous Job, he did not complain, but surrendered himself to God’s will and did not stop helping the poor with what remained. He first gave one ox, then another, to a neighbor whose own oxen had perished in the fields. He also gave a calf to the needy...

If anyone has not yet repented, but is guilty of this sin, they should especially confess it to the priest when receiving the absolution prayer. And this does not only apply to those who lived in a starving city; it applies to all of us if we have not shown a drop of mercy to the hungry, the barefoot, the naked, or those without shelter (how many of them there were!). Perhaps someone even died due to our indifference and hard-heartedness? And we have not repented and have completely forgotten about it! If this burdens your conscience, if something from those years weighs heavily on your conscience, repent before the Lord!

Works of mercy are pleasing to the Lord when they are done with what we own, acquired through honest labor, and not through theft, deceit, or lies. To give sufficient alms, one must limit one’s own expenses–for example, not buying excessively expensive things that are easily dispensable, for this is theft from the poor, since our excess belongs only to them. This is how the holy fathers think.

We steal so often!

Many may find such an accusation strange and offensive. But check your conscience–who among you has not taken something from work? Even the smallest item–we justify it by saying we can’t buy everything, but it is not ours, so we steal!

Who among you works honestly, completing all the required hours without distraction, giving full effort, knowledge, and patience? This especially applies to those who are not paid by output. Yet we receive our full salary! Whether we worked honestly or dishonestly, it is again money obtained by dishonest means.

We don’t even consider this a sin, although in reality we deceive the state and steal time and money from society. Some of you might think, “But everyone does this, only a few people work particularly honestly.” Christians, however, are obligated to work honestly above all, to treat every task as though it has been entrusted by the Lord Himself, who watches how diligently, honestly, and conscientiously we work.

In the morning prayers we read: “…I strive for Your deeds through Your mercy…” What are these deeds, Lord? Well, all those deeds–homes for the family, work duties, obedience in the monastery for monks–deeds that fall within the scope of our responsibilities, these are the very deeds the Lord has set us to in the present moment, for which we are primarily responsible before Him for their honesty and conscientious execution. Many of us have never even thought about this! We worked carelessly, just to get through the day, to earn more money, to work less, to make it easier!

If someone works in the field and brings something home in their pocket or under their coat, it is all stolen. And then the person might think, “Oh, these tomatoes, cucumbers, apples are nice; I’ll take them to the sick neighbor; how sad that the poor person is ill, let them eat!” We rejoice, as though we are doing a good deed, but such a gift in God’s eyes is vile. This is how a deceitful conscience distorts our concept of good!

There is also a condition under which our almsgiving will have any value. Saint John Chrysostom says, “Almsgiving is not about giving money, but about giving with a Christian feeling of mercy.” This means that charity must be given voluntarily, willingly, warmly, with respect and genuine love for the poor, with gratitude to the recipient, remembering that “it is more blessed to give than to receive” (Acts 20:35). We must strive to help without humiliating or offending the person we want to help. And further, Saint John Chrysostom says: “If someone gives without this disposition, it is better not to give, for this is not almsgiving, but a waste…”

Let us examine our lives and our conscience–do we give charity with joy? The great master of human souls, Saint Bishop Theophan the Recluse, said, as if speaking about himself, in rebuke to his spiritual companions: “I am a very greedy person because everything I give to others, I give ‘through reluctance.’” These words are also a rebuke for us! And we are the same. Either we don’t give at all, or we give “through reluctance.”

Finally, almsgiving should always be done in secret! We should help not out of vanity and self-love, not from a desire for gratitude or reward from God, but out of sincere love for our neighbor! And if we start “blowing our own trumpet” about our good deeds, vanity will be added to hypocrisy. And then, what is seen as good by others will become open evil for you.

So beware! When doing good, it’s better not even to know about your good deeds, that is, to forget them immediately. Move on to other good deeds. Then the right hand won’t even know what the left is doing. And God, who sees in secret, will reward you openly.

As long as we are still at peace with those to whom we give a little charity, we almost never remember our small services and kindnesses, but as soon as a quarrel or enmity arises, we immediately begin to enumerate our good deeds to the current “enemy” and complain about their ingratitude. And that is when we discover the vanity of our acts of mercy!

Lord, forgive us sinners, and teach us to do good deeds in a Christian way, in the name of love and for Your glory!

We have already talked a lot about the virtue of mercy toward others; due to lack of time, it seems we should move on to the second, spiritual side of this virtue. But how can we not repent for our attitude toward our closest ones–our parents? Do we not consider it a great burden to feed them, clothe them, and provide for their old age? Are they provided with everything they need? Have any of us ever pushed our mother or father out of the house? Such things do happen among us Christians, though it is hard to admit! Maybe it wasn’t done harshly, but cleverly and slyly–we sent our mother or father to live with other children or to a nursing home? Perhaps we refused to take our seriously ill parents from the hospital, tired of caring for those who raised us, who didn’t sleep at our cradle at night, who sacrificed everything to raise us?

Or maybe, on the contrary, we brought them into our home not out of sincere love and a desire to serve them, but for more living space or a separate apartment, or so that our mother would become a free nanny and housemaid in our family. As grandchildren grew up, mom became older, weaker, and started to become a burden, she began to irritate us!

If any of you, repenting before the Lord, have such a terrible sin before God, hurry to change everything while your parents are still alive, and if it is already too late, then weep and repent, ask forgiveness from them and from the Lord, pray for your deceased parents, and give alms for them!

There are also spiritual deeds of mercy:

– To lead the lost to the path of truth, i.e., to turn a sinner through admonition. For example, to be able to turn a drunkard, a fornicator, a prodigal, an unbeliever away from sin. Such an act brings grace to the soul of the one who shows mercy. “He who turns a sinner from the error of his ways will save his soul from death and will cover a multitude of sins” (James 5:20).

You may think that such deeds of mercy are completely unattainable. However, in the history of the Church, there are many examples of this. When holy ascetics, moved by a compassionate heart, went into immoral cities and, with the power of their spirit, led great sinners to places of repentance, and they became saints.

Even in secular literature, there are examples of this–those who have read Victor Hugo’s Les Misérables know how great simplicity, extreme selflessness, and holy trust in a person, shown by the village priest, turned the heart of a hardened criminal in an instant, making him a Christian, who from that blessed moment on lived only for the work of charity.

We, who call ourselves Christians, have no right to treat the unfortunate, those perishing in sin, with indifference, irritation, or malice. It is not by harsh reproaches that vices are eradicated, but by great pity, patience, and sometimes even just silence.

And the main help for such unfortunate ones is prayer for them! Not a single, brief sigh, but continuous prayer with tears and faith that what is impossible for us is possible for God! We do not know how to do this kind of charity, Lord!

Rather, we will push a drunkard into sin, paying him with alcohol for his work. We entertain an adulterer in our home who has abandoned his family. We commit disgusting acts in front of our children, corrupting their souls. When we lack patience in a difficult and sorrowful time, we begin to openly criticize God, slander the Christian faith, and sow seeds of doubt in the hearts of those who are not very strong in their faith.

Never forget that words instruct, but examples lead! And evil is never eradicated by evil! Sometimes it is easier to do a good deed, to offer substantial help to someone in need, than to constantly pay attention, avoid confrontation, or refrain from making a sharp remark or saying something that can offend someone. And here lies a whole field for spiritual good deeds:

– To comfort the sorrowful;

– To give good advice to someone in difficulty or danger they do not see;

– Not to repay evil with evil, not to take revenge, not to be troublesome;

– To forgive offenses from the heart.

Are we always inclined to carry out these acts of mercy? No, Lord! Rather the opposite!

We feel uncomfortable and uneasy with the sorrowful, we try not to spoil our mood by interacting with them, we even get irritated if the person remains in a depressed state for too long.

We see someone in trouble or learn that they are in danger, and at best we pass by, or worse, we gloat, saying cruel words, that they deserve what is happening, and that they should suffer a bit more.

We cannot tolerate even the slightest wrong done to us, especially if it is someone we love. We feel a burning desire to get revenge. And if in practice we fear causing open harm–not because we fear God, but because of the greater trouble it may bring us, such as with the police or the court–we imagine all kinds of revenge and wish all sorts of evil, even eternal torment for our offenders! But the Lord sees our hearts and judges us by the state of our soul.

Lord, forgive our hard-heartedness! And plant in our cold hearts a spark of love and compassion for people! Always remember that there are many people in the world wishing to insult and harm, and we must learn to at least begin by feeling sorry for everyone, striving daily to relieve even a little bit of the enormous mountain of human suffering and add to the small hill of human joy.

Here is the next step toward God – the spiritual ladder to Heaven. «Above all else, guard your heart, for it is the wellspring of life» (Proverbs 4:23). The source of holy and pure life is the fruit of a pure heart, while sinful and corrupt life is the fruit of an impure heart.

The Lord, who knows the heart, says: «For from within, out of the heart of men, proceed evil thoughts, adulteries, fornications, murders, thefts, covetousness, wickedness, deceit, lasciviousness, an evil eye, blasphemy, pride, foolishness» (Mark 7:21–22). This is what impurity of the heart consists of! And this is where we must repent with great tears, continuous weeping, and soul-crushing sorrow, as the psalmist David said: «Create in me a clean heart, O God!» (Psalm 50:12).

Where does the sinful impurity of the heart come from, when we are created in God's image, and God is Pure and Most Holy? It comes from the devil, who is most often called an unclean spirit in Scripture, and in church prayers – a foreign, unclean, and loathsome spirit. This unclean spirit, after his fall from God, became a vessel of every impurity and sin, and from the beginning, with his unclean breath, he contaminated the hearts of the first humans. By deeply infecting their entire being with the impurity of sin, soul and body, he passed this impurity as an inherited corruption to all their descendants, even to us. And this sinful impurity is so great, it has become so deeply embedded in the human heart, and it is so difficult to rid oneself of it, that even the saints, who kept watch over every movement and thought of their hearts, at times experienced an onslaught or storm of evil, impure, and blasphemous thoughts. It is so great that some, who had ascended to the heights of purity and holiness, fell swiftly into the sin of impurity. So great that, despite our frequent prayers, the grace of the Sacraments, and the wisdom we gain from the Word of God, despite all the punishments God sends us for our sinful impurity, it still remains within us and will live with us until the grave. And in some, to the shame of humanity, it manifests with particular audacity and shamelessness (Righteous John of Kronstadt).

The most dangerous enemy of a pure heart is the thought, especially sinful and blasphemous thoughts. These are those thoughts that arise in our consciousness without our will, in the form of images, ideas, desires, memories, and so on.

Thoughts come in different forms: some spring from God's grace, planted in every Orthodox Christian through Holy Baptism, while others are inflicted by fallen spirits. «In the thoughts and sensations of fallen nature, good is mixed with evil, while in demonic thoughts, good is often disguised as evil, though sometimes evil manifests openly» (St. Ignatius Brianchaninov).

We are almost always slaves to our thoughts. They invade our consciousness, polluting it with useless, empty, and even harmful, corrupting images, memories, and ideas. Our mental flow is disrupted by irrelevant thoughts and memories that impede our ability to think clearly, such as memories of yesterday’s meeting, an unpleasant conversation, future plans, or news reports. This cluttered thinking especially hinders us when we try to pray or enter God’s house. It's as if, intentionally, a torrent of distracting thoughts floods our mind, with concerns, plans, worries, irritations, and the urge to complete tasks quickly. And so, your prayer begins to falter, and you hurry through it, wanting to finish so you can move on to something else.

Why does this happen? Certainly, it is primarily due to the undisciplined nature of our consciousness, our habit of not keeping it focused on its appointed task. But not only that! In our enlightened 20th century, especially among more educated people, we are often hesitant to think seriously about the external demonic force that seeks to clutter, defile, and pollute our hearts and minds in order to enslave us, rob us of clarity, and separate us from God. And we often, without realizing it, become the playthings of this external evil force.

The Holy Fathers and the Orthodox Church offer us a tested and sure way to purify our hearts and minds from the pollution of sinful thoughts. However, we have lived to old age, without even realizing the need to struggle with our thoughts. We are so attached to our worldly worries, physical concerns, and so distant from spiritual life, that we do not even recognize this army of thoughts that rob us of the grace of God when we approach the Sacraments! But we must detach ourselves from the endless cycle of worldly distractions, reflect on the immortality of the soul, and care for the purification of our hearts. For a pure heart is the wedding garment about which the Lord spoke in His parable, and only in this garment can we partake of the Heavenly banquet in eternal life! (Metropolitan Nikolai of Krutitsy).

Fasting is usually a grace-filled time for us, if we can even slightly reduce our frantic concern for earthly well-being, and instead devote some portion of our attention and energy to our poor, neglected, hungry, and cold souls, trying to look into our hearts and understand what is happening there, what lives within. Therefore, despite the lack of time, let us take a few minutes to reflect on the teachings of the Holy Fathers regarding the battle with thoughts.

The increasing strength of thoughts capturing our soul is depicted by the Holy Fathers as follows:

1. The first stage is called the prilog. This term refers to any simple thought, image, or idea that comes to mind. As such, the prilog is considered neutral, neither praiseworthy nor blameworthy, until we respond to it.

2. The second stage occurs when we begin to notice the thought or image and start to consider it. As the Holy Fathers express it, we begin to «converse» with it, either passionately or indifferently. At this stage, we do not reject the thought but allow it to stay with us, though not accepting it. This is called sochitenie (considering). The Fathers view this as not necessarily sinful, but it can be praiseworthy if it leads to rejecting the thought and recognizing its sinful nature.

3. The third stage happens when we begin to incline towards the thought, sympathize with it, and are ready to act upon it. This is called slozhenie (agreement with the thought). But here, two outcomes are possible:

· After a brief inclination towards the thought, we can come to our senses, repent, and overcome it.

· Alternatively, as St. Gregory of Sinai says, «When one consciously accepts the thoughts sent by the enemy and, agreeing with them, is defeated, and if he does not act on them, it is only because of external constraints or lack of time.»

4. The fourth stage is when the thought takes hold of our heart, blending with it, as if becoming one with our life. This is called plenenie (captivity). But even at this stage, the mind, with God’s help, can be freed from this captivity.

5. The final and most extreme stage is passion (strast’). This occurs when the sinful thought, long settled in the soul, becomes its habitual character. At this point, the person has willingly allowed the thought to take root, and it becomes the driving force of his life, shaping his character and habits. The only way to escape this state is through repentance; otherwise, the person faces eternal suffering.

As St. John Chrysostom says, we must guard the door of our hearts throughout our lives and protect them from the pollution of thoughts that separate us from God. Our main problem is precisely the disorder, neglect, and abandonment of our hearts.

Lord, forgive our utter negligence in the salvation of our souls!

We live as though we will never die. Let us, with today’s repentance, resolve to cleanse our hearts, to accept every hardship as a healing remedy sent by Divine Providence, for we are all gravely spiritually ill!

«Afflictions cleanse the heart from spiritual indulgence and uproot the deeply embedded roots of sin» (St. Philaret of Moscow).

We must labor tirelessly and without weakening throughout our lives to acquire the purity of heart, so that–God forbid!–we do not die in the sinful impurity of our hearts, for the Lord's word is terrifying: «I will judge you as I find you!»

Those who desire to attain eternal bliss must be peacemakers. This means, first and foremost, to restore peace that has been disturbed, to try to end any disagreements that arise. But a peacemaker can only be someone who has attained peace in their own heart. Only someone who has achieved inner peace can also pour peace onto others. Therefore, as Christians, we must strive with all our might to preserve inner peace.

What disrupts the peace of the heart? The passions disturb the peace of the heart! The first among them are anger and fury. We have already discussed these when we repented for lacking meekness and humility.

However, let us repeat: in order to preserve inner peace, we must bring ourselves to a state where our spirit is not disturbed by anything. We must be like a dead person or completely deaf and blind to all sorrows, slanders, reproaches, and deprivations, which inevitably come to all those who wish to walk the saving path of Christ.

If it is impossible not to be disturbed, then at least we must restrain our tongues, as the psalmist says: «I was troubled and I did not speak» (Psalm 76:5). To preserve inner peace, we must drive away despair and try to maintain a joyful spirit, as the wise son of Sirach says: «For much sorrow kills, and there is no benefit in it» (Sirach 30:25).

To preserve inner peace, we must avoid condemning others in every way. Through forbearance and silence, inner peace is preserved.

Perhaps some of you, who have a fiery temperament, like the Apostle Peter who immediately, out of hot-headedness, drew his sword and cut off the ear of the servant, may think that such an attitude resembles indifference! No! Indifference is coldness of heart and mind, it is the manifestation of extreme selfishness, and it is a sin against the commandment to love one’s neighbor. True, blessed peace and calmness of heart are the fruit of fervent and pure love, the crown of all efforts and struggles against the passions! Those who have attained true inner peace forgive offenses not out of indifference, but for the sake of Christ. They are not disturbed when enduring slanders and reproaches because they have attained true humility. There is no other way to enter the peaceful arrangement of the heart. «My brother, if you love the peace of your heart, strive to enter it through the door of humility. There is no other way into it except humility» (St. Nikodemos of the Holy Mountain).

In the writings of the same elder, St. Nikodemos of the Holy Mountain, there is a whole system of virtues for attaining inner peace: humility, a sense of conscience, abstinence from passions, patience, love, and others. And we, standing here today at confession and bringing our repentance, what can we say to the Lord? Have we strived to strengthen and preserve our hearts from chaotic turmoil with these virtues? No!

We haven’t even thought about this. We live as we are driven by the impulses of our unbridled nature, by the commands of evil forces, and we justify ourselves by saying that we have such a character, such a temperament, that we cannot help it, that’s just who we are. We haven't even for a moment considered the miserable fate of our souls, we haven't stopped to think about the Apostlés words: «Without peace, no one will see the Lord» (Hebrews 12:14). For those of us who lead a disordered life, these are terrible words! The Holy Fathers, who guided their lives toward salvation and, out of great love for their neighbors, desired to lead them on the saving path, commanded us to make the preservation of inner peace a continuous struggle throughout our lives. Lord, we are so indifferent, so careless in the matter of saving our souls! Forgive us, Lord! Help us begin our spiritual life!

How frightening these words sound if life has already come to an end, and so much precious time has been lived carelessly!

Forgive us, sinners, Lord! At the eleventh hour, we come to You, not having borne good fruits with the years we lived, and now we can only bring repentance.

While calming ourselves, we must also be peacemakers with our neighbors. The division within a person, the division and estrangement from one another, hostility, suspicion – all these are the results of the disruption of the blessed peaceful relationship with God due to the fall of our first parents, Adam and Eve. Without the restoration of this relationship, without reconciliation with God, salvation became impossible. This is what the Apostle Paul says: «For it pleased the Father... that through Him [His Son] to reconcile all things to Himself, making peace through the blood of His cross, by Him, whether things on earth or things in heaven» (Colossians 1:19–20).

If we turn to our time, it is particularly characterized by estrangement between people, a loss of heartfelt connection, mutual trust, and sincere, benevolent affection towards one another. Even among family members, there is a noticeable desire to separate, to isolate themselves with partitions, to have their own special corner. This happens because there is no inner harmony in each member of the family, and thus, based on this inner peace, they do not seek to create peace with their loved ones or with all other people. Only when inner peace is restored in a person's heart through Jesus Christ, can the connection between that heart and its neighbors be restored. This connection is expressed in the unity of word, spirit, and thought. «Now I beseech you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that you all speak the same thing, and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be perfectly joined together in the same mind and in the same judgment» (1Corinthians 1:10).

How do we disrupt peace and agreement? We are stubborn and willful, exceedingly persistent in our opinions and desires, unwilling to yield in disputes, even when we know we are wrong, just so our word is the last one. We are vain and glory-seeking, thinking ourselves smarter and better than others, unwilling to yield in anything, showing no signs of humility, envious of everything: wealth, happiness, health, talents, and the successes of others in life. From this, we try in every way to belittle others' merits, or even slander or defame our neighbors. How can this be called peacemaking?

Lord, forgive us, sinners!

Another cause of discord and lack of peace is the desire to dominate, to teach others. Who among us is not afflicted with this sinful desire in our circle? And what strife, irritation, even hatred does this lead to in our relationships!

Now, no one wants to obey, yield, or listen to others... This applies to children with their parents, and subordinates with their superiors. Everywhere we show our stubbornness and deliberate pride.

Another enemy of peace is selfishness, that is, preferring one’s own interests over those of others. Who among us can say that, for the sake of preserving peace, in the name of brotherly love, they are willing to sacrifice their comforts and advantages? We are ready, as they say, to «cut the throat» of anyone who dares to inconvenience us in any way.

If peace is disturbed in any way, brotherly love demands that the spark of discord be extinguished as soon as possible. If we ourselves have given cause for someone to be offended, we must quickly and calmly explain our intention and the actions they misunderstood. If someone has truly suffered from us, we must humbly ask for forgiveness and make restitution for the harm done. And if we ourselves have been offended or wronged by others, we must be ready for reconciliation: when those who have wronged us ask for forgiveness, we must immediately be ready to forgive, and sometimes for the mutual good, it is beneficial for the offended person to seek reconciliation, when the one who offended is not concerned about it because of their hardened character. Do we act this way in our relationships with others? No!

We are constantly offending someone, constantly sulking at someone, being angry, quarreling without reconciliation. Look at yourselves – always fighting, quarreling, distrusting one another! Isn’t this the portrait described by St. Gregory of Nyssa: «They meet grimly and always scorn one another: their mouths are silent, their glances turned away, and the ear of one is closed to the words of the other. Everything that pleases one of them is hated by the other, and vice versa, what one dislikes, the other likes.»

It is shameful and embarrassing to look at ourselves from the outside. We don’t even notice that by constantly being in disagreement and conflict, in quarrels and enmity with others, we are becoming colder, more insensitive, cruel, savage, ferocious, and no longer human or Christian. This applies to us the solemn warning of the Apostle: «But if you bite and devour one another, take heed that you be not consumed one of another» (Galatians 5:15). Watch out! One day the fruits of our earthly hostility will be revealed to us, and we will be horrified! God wants peacemakers, but we are fighting! God wants builders of peace, but we are destroying it even where it exists, with our gossip, malicious slander, and distortions of the truth.

“The Lord completely destroys and eradicates everything unnatural and foreign to goodness. He commands each one who calls themselves a Christian to do the same. Each of us must extinguish hatred, cease enmity, vengeance, eliminate quarrels, cast out hypocrisy, and extinguish resentment in the heart, replacing it with everything opposite: love, joy, peace, kindness, generosity, in short, the entire collection of virtues…”

“That is why the Lord calls the peacemaker a son of God, for one who brings such peace to human society becomes an imitator of the True God.” (St. Gregory of Nyssa)

If bitterness and unpeacefulness manifest among those who believe in Christ, if people treat each other with bitterness and unfriendliness for any reason, or due to the narrowness of their views, what a disgrace we bring upon the name of Christ! How often, among non-believers, such conversations arise: 'What’s the point of their belief in God, their fasting, and their constant attendance at church, if you look at how they live: quarreling, judging, slandering, and warring with each other? And they don’t even consider us human!'

Lord, forgive us, sinners! Calm our lives, Lord, soften our hardness, give us love that conquers all that rises against us. May obedience to this command – seek peace and pursue it – triumph over all the disputes that poison our lives and hearts.

«Let peace be with you, and the God of love and peace will be with you.» (2Corinthians 13:11)

By truth in this commandment, we mean the Christian faith and living according to Christ's commandments. Therefore, blessed are those who are persecuted for their faith and piety, for their good deeds, for their perseverance and steadfastness in faith.

But why does the world persecute the true faith, piety, and truth, which are so beneficial for people, as they bring unity, mutual love, good morals, peace, silence, and order to human society?

It is because the world lies in evil, and people have loved wickedness more than goodness.

The Savior, in His Sermon on the Mount, pointed out two paths of life: the broad (spacious) path and the narrow (tight) one. The broad path – the «wide gates» – leads to destruction, and many walk this way, while the narrow one leads to life, meaning it grants salvation. The narrow path, or «tight gates,» requires a feat, a constant spiritual struggle against sin and all obstacles on this path. Against this path rises our flesh, our corrupt nature, tainted by original sin, which finds it burdensome to care for the purity of body and heart. The enemy of the human race rises against it, as he opposes peoplés care for their salvation. People around also rise, for the virtuous life of believers seems to them as an indictment, a reproach for their own lives.

All this rebellion, especially from people who are hostile to the faithful, is directed against God's very truth. Evil, corrupted people have always hated the righteous, persecuted them, and will continue to hate and persecute them. History remembers many of these persecutors. The first of them was Cain, who killed Abel for his piety. The wicked Esau persecuted his gentle brother Jacob. The children of Jacob persecuted their brother Joseph and sold him into Egypt because his good nature was a blot in their eyes. The meek David was pursued to the death by the unfortunate Saul. The Jews persecuted and beat their prophets, who rebuked their lawless lives, and finally, they persecuted and killed the greatest of the Righteous, the Fulfillment of the Law and the Prophets, the Sun of Righteousness – our Lord Jesus Christ. After the ascension of the Savior, a long period of terrible persecutions against the followers of Jesus Christ began. All these persecutions occurred and continue to occur, as the Lord Himself points out, for the sake of truth. Not for truth in general – worldly, professional, or social – but for the most essential truth for mankind: the truth of Christ. Only this truth answers the main demands of the human spirit, and only it helps to truly resolve all other demands (or truths) of human life: domestic, professional, and social.

Persecution for truth takes on many forms. From incredible, brutal tortures that Christian martyrs endured for confessing Christ in the early centuries of Christianity, to mockery, condemnation, insults, and contempt for believers, who are seen as backward, outdated, and even harmful. At the core of this hostility lies a misanthropic dislike, not only for people but, as we have already mentioned, for the very truth of God.

What requirements does this commandment impose upon us?

1. Love for truth, or for the truth. Do we truly love God's truth? Our Christian faith and life according to Christ’s commandments? No!

Lord, forgive us, sinners!

If we loved God’s truth, our Christian faith, and living according to God’s commandments, we would cherish every moment of our lives, using them for instruction in God’s Law, for prayer, for doing good deeds, and for rooting out the evil inclinations of our nature.

But we have dissolved ourselves in love for the world and «the things of the world.» We have dissolved so much that the only distinction we have from other unbelievers is perhaps our attendance at church and the grudging observance of a few church rules and external rituals, or our overtly peculiar manner of dressing. Maybe someone here has worn special black clothes, wrapped their head in black cloth up to the tip of their nose, or worn beads on their hands – all of these forms of dress, which are out of place for your calling and therefore look absurd, even a mockery to the unbelievers – and thought that by doing this, they are pleasing God with their outward appearance? Repent before the Lord!

For even to the scribes and Pharisees, who loved to distinguish themselves from others by their outwardly pious appearance, the Lord said: «Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are like whitewashed tombs, which indeed appear beautiful outwardly, but inside are full of dead men's bones and all uncleanness. Even so, you also outwardly appear righteous to men, but inside you are full of hypocrisy and lawlessness» (Matt. 23:27–28). Lord, forgive us, sinners, for this.

Perhaps some of you did not nurture religiousness, love for the temple, or faith in the Sacraments of the Church in your children, and now you have forced them to come to church, to receive Communion, or to get married? And they, to get rid of your insistent requests, approached the Sacraments without faith, perhaps even with blasphemy in their hearts, and you even rejoiced at their supposed conversion to faith.

Repent before the Lord, for through this, you have personally desecrated the sanctity!

Forgive us, Lord, for foolishly trying to correct the mistakes of many years of our careless life, when we neither thought of God ourselves, nor instilled anything religious in our children.

Perhaps some of you have doubted the truth of the Church to which you belong by baptism? Have sympathized with sectarians and those who have separated themselves from the Church, tearing the seamless robe of Christ? And even disturbed others with your judgments and condemnations, which are definitely far from the truth, for one must know a great deal, feel much, and understand much to have the right not only to condemn but even to speak about the Church.

Lord, forgive us, sinners, for losing all fear and, in our daring, going so far that we dared to judge the fate of the Church!

Lord, we are all nearly illiterate or semi-illiterate in matters of doctrine, church rules, church canons, and the Church’s statutes. We have no responsibility before the Lord except for the salvation of our own souls and no moral right to constantly criticize the clergy, even reaching the point of judging bishops and even the Patriarch. Repent!

There are unreasonable children of the Church, both in their position as faithful and in their spiritual understanding, who have no idea of the depth of the difficulties and the great responsibility before God of those to whom the Lord has entrusted the care of His sheep. Our sacred duty is to support them with our prayers, not to throw stones of judgment at them. And without you, there will be crowds of people wishing to stone the servants of Christ’s Church.

Lord, forgive us, sinners!

We curse and condemn those whom the unbelieving world despises and hates without our help. We repeat the sin of Ham, who did not cover the nakedness of his father – this happens when we condemn clergymen for ordinary human weaknesses and shortcomings, condemning them with incredible bias, as though the priest by his physical nature is not the same as all of us. And has anyone of you, fierce and merciless judges, thought about the dishonor among the world to which a man who accepts the priesthood is now subjected, so that liturgies may be celebrated in churches, where you partake of the Holy Mysteries of Christ, to baptize, anoint, bury, and forgive your sins, which, except by the priest, no one can absolve? For this alone, the service of God through these individuals who accept the priesthood as a voluntary martyrdom, leave off the wicked judgment.

Saint John Chrysostom says: «If an insult to the servants of the earthly king, who execute his will, brings great punishment upon those who offend the royal servants, then what punishment will those Christians deserve who not only do not respect but even insult the servants of the Heavenly King!» Always remember – where there is no respect for the priesthood, there is no respect for religion. Immoral people of all times have cared for nothing so much as to weaken, through slander and evil-speaking, the respect for the sacred priesthood. And this is who we help when we condemn and speak ill of the servants of the Church! And we imagine that we are defending the truth!

Lord, forgive our blindness and extreme foolishness!

And maybe among you are terrible blasphemers who, hiding behind visible attendance at church, approach the Sacraments of the Church, especially the Sacrament of Communion of the Holy Body and Blood of the Lord, while being secret sectarians or infected with all sorts of philosophical delusions? Do not dare to continue testing God’s long-suffering. Remember, God is not mocked; be careful not to burn from the touch of the Holy Mysteries, which are fire, burning those unworthy. You must, at last, come to your senses, repent sincerely, and personally confess to a priest, who after your repentance, should prayerfully rejoin you to the Church, from which such persons have long been invisibly separated by God. If any of you know such people personally, avoid their company, as it is a very contagious disease.

From the life of the preacher of love, who gently and lovingly related to all sinners, who ran into the mountains to stop a robber from sinning, the Apostle John the Theologian, there is a story. Upon meeting a heretic in a bathhouse, he hurriedly said to his disciple: “Let’s run away from here, the bathhouse may catch fire because this unfortunate sinner is here!”

Why, O Orthodox Christian, do you desire to learn about false teachings and associate with those infected by sectarianism?

“Do you want to be saved?” says John Chrysostom, “stay in the Church, and it will not betray you. The Church is your fence. If you are within this fence, the wolf will not touch you; if you go outside, you will be captured by the beast. Do not depart from the Church. There is nothing in the world stronger than it. It is your hope, and in it is your happiness!”

Perhaps among us, there are no secret sectarians and heretics, and we truly consider ourselves Orthodox Christians, that is, people with the true, correct faith in Christ. But is this truly the case? Do we often replace true faith with superstitions, with vain, false beliefs? Perhaps some of you, not believing in the good Providence of God over us, have resorted to sorcerers, fortune tellers, and soothsayers? Repent before the Lord, for this is a great sin!

God Himself, through the prophet Jeremiah, says: “Do not listen to your false prophets, who speak to you in your dreams and who charm you… for they prophesy lies to you...” (Jeremiah 27:9–10). According to the rules of the Holy Church, those who turn to sorcerers, fortune tellers, and soothsayers should be excommunicated from Holy Communion for six years. Repent before the Lord!

Lord, forgive us our unbelief!

Perhaps some of you have gone to charm away diseases by visiting fortune tellers, whisperers, and old women, justifying it by saying they read prayers and bless the sick area. But isn’t the Sacrament of Anointing, established by the Church for the healing of the sick, through the grace of the Holy Spirit, less effective in bringing healing? Why, you who call yourselves Orthodox Christians, do you advise your loved ones to visit a “healer” to charm away a disease, but not recommend participating in the Sacrament of Unction? It seems you believe in charms more than in the Sacraments of the Church.

Lord, have mercy on us, sinners!

We have mixed true faith with superstition, believing in all kinds of powers, omens, divination, and witchcraft. This is the heritage of our pagan past. A thousand years have passed since the Baptism of Russia, and yet we are still unable to cast off superstitions and be true Orthodox Christians!

2. The second thing that the eighth commandment of the Beatitudes requires from us is courage and steadfastness when we must bear witness to the truth or defend it.

Perhaps some of you have betrayed Christ by weakly agreeing with those who mockingly ridicule the holy teachings, Sacraments, and rituals of the Church. Repent before the Lord!

Lord, forgive us, sinners!

Perhaps some of you, in the company of non-believers at work or in a shared flat, kitchen, or courtyard, have been ashamed of your religiousness, afraid of being seen as backward or inferior, fearing mockery. Repent before the Lord!

Lord, forgive us, sinners, cowardly and fainthearted!

Part of this fear arises because it is embarrassing to admit being a Christian, since our behavior with colleagues or in the workplace may dishonor Christianity. Perhaps some of you, in your own home, have been embarrassed or afraid to openly hang icons. It’s all due to a lack of faith in God's Providence that guards and directs our lives. What if unbelieving colleagues visit and cause trouble at work? What if neighbors see the icons and use our religiousness as a weapon against us? But if our behavior is impeccable, our confession will be in our courageous endurance of mere verbal ridicule. No one will evict us from our home, village, or city for our faith–so what are we afraid of?

Lord, forgive us, faint-hearted and full of fear!

Perhaps some of you are afraid to wear your cross. Afraid to go to a doctor or a bathhouse with the cross on? Ask the Merciful God for forgiveness for not having the courage to openly confess His name, but never go without a cross! Even if hidden, always wear the cross placed on you by the priest during the Sacrament of Baptism! As one of the hymns of the Octoechos sings:

«Those who are fenced by the Cross, we oppose the enemy, not fearing his treachery and traps!»

How can a believer be without a cross on their chest?

Lord, forgive us, sinners!

We fear not only the unbelievers, but some of us are even ashamed to make the sign of the cross before meals in a home where everyone knows we are believers, where no one will mock us. Even though there are icons hanging, the hand is as if weighed down with lead, unable to make the sign of the cross–ashamed of our religiosity, ashamed of our prayerful appeal to God! This is how unfaithful we are to You, Lord! Forgive us, sinners!

Perhaps some of you have renounced Christ in some other way? Be sure to repent of this when receiving the absolution prayer. For how terrifying are the words of the Lord, spoken unconditionally to all: “Whoever is ashamed of Me and My words, the Son of Man will be ashamed of him when He comes in His glory and with the glory of the Father and the holy angels” (Luke 9:26). Who among us can claim ignorance of this serious warning of the Lord?

Lord, forgive us, sinners, for our fear, shame, and confusion–these are clear signs of our little faith! Increase our faith and instill in our hearts courage and firmness!

Just think about it, what are we ashamed of? The highest, most honorable title in the world–Christian! That is, we are disciples of Christ, people whose whole life serves the highest truth.

3. And finally, we are obliged to patiently endure all persecutions for the truth, combining patience with firm hope in God.

How does the law of Christ obligate us to treat those who persecute the truth? We must respond to hostility and enmity with calmness and kindness. But how do we treat those who come with idle curiosity, often simply out of a lack of proper education, and disturb our prayers? Do we get irritated with them? If given the chance, would we throw them out and even beat them? And who would we have pleased this way? Only our enemy, who feeds on hatred, malice, and animosity, and we will attract no one to the faith in Christ. And the unbelievers will spread the word: «There, in the Monastery, the people are a bunch of angry old men and women.» If any of you have committed a tactless or malicious act against any person in God's temple, repent before the Lord!

Lord, forgive us, sinners!

To lies and slander, we must respond with patience, silence, or calm and serious explanation of the truth, if we have the knowledge and understanding, and if circumstances allow us to speak. To hostile outbursts, a Christian must respond by following the rule: «Depart from evil and do good.» We must firmly remember that evil is never overcome by evil. The Apostle Paul instructs: «Repay no one evil for evil, but give thought to do what is honorable in the sight of all» (Romans 12:17). It is better to experience pain and humiliation ourselves than to inflict them on our persecutors by striking back.

We should not enter into arguments or debates about faith, nor wish that thunder and lightning should strike our persecutors and oppressors, those stubborn, blasphemous atheists who cause us incredible pain by mocking the faith. Instead, we should pray for them and feel pity for them, for they are the most miserable people on earth, since earthly life is short, but eternal life is forever. Right now, they stubbornly oppose the truth, and some openly persecute it. But when their earthly eyes close and their spiritual eyes open, how terrifying will their revelation be! Do we not feel sorry for these people? Can a Christian heart desire eternal destruction and hell for anyone? If anyone is capable of wishing such irreversible harm upon anyone, repent before the Lord!

Lord, forgive us for our non-Christian attitude toward the unbelievers, who suffer from the terrible disease of the soul–unbelief!

Accept our prayer, Lord, for them, our Russian people, our fellow citizens, who are perishing in disbelief in You as the God and Creator of the world! Open their eyes so that the veil might fall from their eyes even in this earthly life, so that they may realize whom they are persecuting and whose evil will they are fulfilling! They do not know what they are doing! Lord, forgive both them and us, especially since this current generation is our children and grandchildren, whom we failed to raise in faith and love for You!

Here is the promise of a great reward for the patient!

Look at our life, how we all suffer so heavily under the yoke of spiritual sorrows! “All our life on earth is full of pain and sorrow, full of slander, harassment, reproach, and many other diverse misfortunes and troubles!” “Troubles from enemies, troubles from relatives, troubles from false brethren, enduring them all.” “The body is weak, the spirit is fainting.” So we cry out prayerfully in the Akathist before the icon of the Mother of God, called “Joy of All Who Sorrow.” The spiritual pains are especially heavy when our most elevated spiritual aspirations are misunderstood, that is, precisely what the Lord spoke of when He said, “for My sake they will lie about you.”

Here you are, seeing the misfortune of your loved ones (children, husband, relatives), you rush to the church, knowing that only prayer can help them, but those for whom you have just prayed with tears meet you at home with streams of reproach, angry glances, and irritated tones, simply because you took a few hours away from the endless flow of worldly tasks around the house. How painful and bitter it is to the heart!

Or a person lives far from the church, the years have bent him to the ground, and the distance seems overwhelming. But the desire to be in the church, to pray, to offer a prayer request, to attend a moleben, to take holy water overcomes all! And so this person hurries, as best as he can, to the church at night, traveling by a bad road, overcoming incredible difficulties with transportation, and finally enters the church, as an intercessor for his whole village, for those who wanted to but could no longer make it, and for those who have completely forgotten the church. And they shower him with reproaches and mockery: “You’re still dragging yourself to church? You should be at home praying. You might die somewhere on the road!” or, “Clearly, you didn’t have to work hard enough, that’s why you’re wandering so far.”

How painful to the heart is such misunderstanding! The misunderstanding that love for the church overcomes what seems to be insurmountable!

You cherish the small sanctuary in your home: an icon, a blessing, the Gospel, holy water – and what words can convey the soul’s torment when, one day, you return home to see the complete ruin of your cherished corner – your sanctuary desecrated by those who are closest to you!

You selflessly, out of compassion and sympathy, for the sake of Christ, helped someone with your labor, and they slandered you, accusing you ruthlessly of selfishness, dishonesty, and suspecting you of some filthy deed... How hard it is to bear such slander!

You strive to serve in the church or monastery, doing so wholeheartedly, with great love, putting all your talents, all your abilities, and physical strength into your service, and yet they persistently refuse to understand you, drive you away, slander you, and humiliate you in every way possible. And the humiliation is not only moral but sometimes even physical – they beat you, shove you, kick you, or drop something on you. How much courage it takes not to give up on your work, not to become cold, not to despair, and most importantly, not to hate your persecutors! And how many more misunderstandings, false assumptions, and unimaginable accusations exist, causing unbearable spiritual suffering, those malicious torments that surpass even the suffering of the martyrs and exceed the greatest feats of the Christian ascetics of the first centuries.

* * *

Thus, we have come to the end of our confession today, which we have built upon the fulfillment of the commandments of the Beatitudes.

And probably, each of you who has sincerely repented has understood that you are «empty and naked» in spiritual virtues. It might seem that we are doomed to despair: what are we, great sinners, supposed to do? We are incapable of anything, O Lord! We have no humility, no meekness, no purity of heart, no love, not even tears for our sins!

And in response to such a despairing question, one of the ascetics of piety replies: «If you cannot bring the Lord anything else, then bring to Him your life’s cross and your sufferings.» Much can be said about the benefit of suffering for us. And since we are now in the sacrament of confession, a spiritual examination – a cleansing bath that washes away the impurity of our hearts – we must sincerely admit before the Lord that we do not know how to patiently, in a Christian manner, bear offenses, troubles, and injustices. We are all the greatest murmurers!

Who among us accepts sorrows with joy, as a purifying medicine from the Lord Himself, and sees in the offender his friend and healer?

Forgive us, Lord, for we are so faint-hearted!

We complain excessively, even to the point of ruining our health; we are offended by our offenders, we harden our hearts, and become impatient with people, because we greedily pursue life, happiness – fleeting, empty, and short-lived, like a dream. We place it above everything else, above the Church, God, love for Christ, and the misfortune that suddenly befalls us catches us off guard, embittering and hardening us! We shed tears, sweat, and blood – we lose our health, but, alas, O Lord! The sweat pours out with inner resistance, anger, and curses. The tears flow from offense, bitterness, vexation, and the inability to take vengeance. The blood (illness) flows without faith, and therefore our soul acquires nothing good.

Meanwhile, how we endure suffering in our hearts and souls is the test of our spiritual growth. «Courage before them, readiness for them – this is the sign of the 'right soul.' Courageous souls instinctively seek sacrifice, suffering, and grow spiritually in trials. 'For this slight momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison' (2Cor. 4:17). And not only the suffering that comes from outside, but every spiritual effort, every voluntary deprivation, every refusal, every sacrifice is immediately exchanged for spiritual wealth within us.» (Priest Alexander Elchaninov)

Lord, forgive us, weak in spirit!

Perhaps some of you, unable to bear the weight of sorrow, have thought of ending your life, considering suicide as a way to end your suffering, thinking that in doing so, you would also cause grief to your offenders! Repent before the Lord!

And, in particular, as you approach the absolution prayer, personally confess this sin to the priest, for it is a grave sin that leads to perdition.

Lord, forgive us, sinners!

We still somehow endure that which we ourselves bring upon ourselves through our inattentive life. But up there, in Heaven, the true evaluation of us begins only when we innocently endure something, and endure it with all humility, without complaint, as God's allowance and trial. (Bishop Varlaam Ryashentsev)

Here we are, to our great sorrow, all living in worldly distractions, aching in our souls from various troubles and misfortunes. We all wait for peaceful, quiet earthly prosperity; then comes sorrow, and we become faint-hearted! But the Apostle Paul, revealing the great meaning of the Christian’s suffering, says: «For it has been granted to you on behalf of Christ not only to believe in Him, but also to suffer for Him» (Phil. 1:29). Do you hear? It is granted to suffer for the Lord, as a great mercy; it is given to believe and suffer! As St. Isaac the Syrian says: «More precious than any prayer or sacrifice before the Lord are the sufferings for His sake, and more fragrant than all perfumes is the scent of their sweat.»

The Apostle also writes: «Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery trial that has come upon you to test you, as though something strange were happening to you, but rejoice insofar as you share Christ’s sufferings, that you may also rejoice and be glad when His glory is revealed» (1Pet. 4:12–13). Have you ever pondered these words of the Holy Scripture?

No, Lord, many of us are hearing them consciously for the first time, despite our gray hairs. Forgive us, sinners! Yet, this is available to all of us, and it is all in the same Book – the Gospel, which gathers dust on our shelves!

What we are striving for is too high, and what we leave behind is too insignificant. In this world, all our virtues are insignificant, all our understanding of truth is insignificant. And therefore, there is no greater beauty on earth than the suffering for the sake of truth, no greater radiance than the radiance of innocent suffering. (Archbishop John Shakhovsky) This is how the great, courageous Christian souls think and speak!

Lord, forgive us, sinners!

How far we are from such understanding of the Christian life!

Yet each of us desires salvation. According to St. John Chrysostom, there are three conditions for a Christian’s salvation:

1. Do not sin;

2. If you sin, repent;

3. If one does not repent earnestly, then he must endure the afflictions that come.

And who can say that he repents earnestly enough? Therefore, the path to deliverance from suffering for our sins is repentance. The strength of repentance must correspond to the degree of sin. But if there is not enough awareness of sin, not enough strength to bear deep and active repentance, then one must humbly accept the sufferings sent by God and thank Him for them, as a mercy, as a sign of God's care for us.

Lord, forgive us, sinners!

Our sins are innumerable, our understanding of spiritual life and the Christian worldview is extremely small. But the pharmacy of spiritual remedies against our sinful ailments is inexhaustibly rich in the spiritual healing center of the Holy Church!

We could speak for much longer and more extensively for the benefit of the soul, but time has long since passed.

Lord, accept our repentance!

Now each must show before You, Lord, a firm resolve to renounce sin, to hate sin, to change his life... And by confirming this resolve with an oath, to kiss the Cross and the Gospel. To promise in this resolve to correct his life.

Lord, I sincerely want this! And I pray to You, help me keep my vow!

Lord, accept our prayer!

Lord, my Lord!

I am an abyss of sin: wherever I look within myself, everything is bad; whatever I remember, it is all done wrongly, said improperly, thought wickedly... And my intentions and dispositions of soul – everything is an offense to You, my Creator, my Benefactor!

Have mercy on me, Lord Jesus Christ, our God! I, as a worthless person, have sinned, but You, as a generous God, have mercy on me!

Accept me in repentance! Give me time to bring forth the fruits of repentance. I do not want to sin anymore, I do not want to offend You, Lord! Allow me to partake in the Holy Mysteries, that Your grace may descend upon me through them! Root out the sin that lives in me! Live in me, Immortal Lord, so that neither life nor death can separate me from You!

By Your will – as You wish, as You know – only save me, poor sinner! And I will bless and glorify Your Most Honorable Name forever. Amen!

Someone asked the great ones: how will Christians of the last centuries be saved, for there is no longer the arena of open martyrdom, when confessors of the Christian faith were beaten in stocks, thrown into prisons, crucified on crosses, thrown to wild beasts, tortured on the wheel, had their hands or limbs severed, pierced with spears, scalded with boiling lead or oil, thrown into boiling cauldrons, burned on scorching griddles? For no one is capable of enduring the sufferings and feats of repentance and purification that the ascetics of the early centuries of Christianity underwent, about which tales have come down to us, which seem almost unbelievable to our consciousness.

And the answer was: they will be saved through the patience of their inner sorrows! And those who endure these inner sorrows courageously and patiently will receive greater crowns than those who slept on the earth, ate once a week, stood on a pillar in a lifelong prayer struggle.

Old Testament

Deut. – Deuteronomy

Psalms – Psalms

Prov. – Proverbs of Solomon

Sir. – The Book of Wisdom of Jesus, son of Sirach

Jer. – The Book of the Prophet Jeremiah

New Testament

Gospel:

Matt. – according to Matthew

Mark. – according to Mark

Luke. – according to Luke

John. – according to John

The Catholic Epistles of the Apostles:

James. – The Epistle of the Apostle James

1 Pet. – The First Epistle of the Apostle Peter

1 John. – The First Epistle of the Apostle John

The Epistles of the Apostle Paul:

Rom. – The Epistle to the Romans

1 Cor. – The First Epistle to the Corinthians

2 Cor. – The Second Epistle to the Corinthians

Gal. – The Epistle to the Galatians

Phil. – The Epistle to the Philippians

Col. – The Epistle to the Colossians

2 Thess. – The Second Epistle to the Thessalonians

Heb. – The Epistle to the Hebrews

Antony, Archbishop of Kazan. Sins Against the Ten Commandments of God / Afonian Leaflet, No. 76, 1904.

Bukharev I., Priest. The Pastor’s Word to Those Who Are to Receive Holy Communion During the Great Fast / Kormchiy, 1892.

Dyachenko G., Priest. Lessons and Examples of Christian Love. Moscow, 1889.

The Penitent Sinner: [Collection]. St. Petersburg, 1901.

Materials from the Archive of Priest Boris Nikolaevsky.

Stratilatov K., Priest. Collection of Church Teachings for the Common People. St. Petersburg, 1890.