The
Characteristics of Acceptable Repentance
Bishop Moussa
Dear brother,
You are doubtless aware
that repentance is the key to the kingdom, the proof being that the Lord says:
"Unless you all repent, you will all likewise perish" (Lk. 13: 3). It is also the movement of the heart
towards the loving God, a remorseful turning back from the past, a looking
forward to a share in the eternal
glory. The Fathers have praised it profusely; St. John Saba said:
‘O Repentance, You have created virgins out of adulterers!’
However,
man is sometimes confused and does not know whether he is on the right path to
repentance or not. If he stumbles, he thinks he is not a son. If he
goes through a period of dryness, he imagines that he has fallen back.
‘What exactly is expected of me?’; this is the
question asked by those who are perplexed about this matter.
What are the characteristics of an acceptable repentance? Our
repentance has to be:
1. Arrow-like
Just as one flees from
imminent danger, or a stifling atmosphere, or a burning fire, so must our
repentance be. It is a quick and arrow-like escape from the land of sin
and a quick and arrow-like running to the bosom of God.
Just as launching a rocket with astounding speed is the
only way it can get away from the force of gravity and conquer space, so is the
launching of the soul towards the bosom of Christ, with speed, and without
hesitation or bargaining, the only way to get rid of the
attraction of sin and the flesh.
The speed at which a rocket is launched is our repentance: "I will
arise and go to my father ......... amd he arose and
came to his father’s house" (Lk. 15: 18).
"Follow me.... and he left all, rose, and followed Him
" (Lk. 5: 27, 28). As for those who
look behind or hesitate to forsake the death of sin, their repentance will be
difficult until they have a firm intention and are totally persuaded to forsake
sin completely.
2. Comprehensive
Just as repentance has
to be quick, "redeeming the time for the days are evil" (Eph. 5:16),
so should it be comprehensive, embracing all the human being.
I have to offer my thoughts and all the
attitudes in my life to Christ, withholding nothing from Him.
I must put before Him my habits so He sanctifies them and replaces them
with better ones.
I must offer Him my emotions also, giving up any that may hinder my
spiritual growth and forsaking any evil tendency, envy, or jealousy..
Above all, I should give Him my senses and my ‘self’ on the altar of
consecration where He completes its sacrifice, for it is the most deceitful of
all and is capable of changing color like the chameleon, so that it appears
holy, while in reality it is centered around itself and is hatefully egoistic.
Would that I would now pray:
‘O Lord Jesus Christ, here is my life which I lay before You as an open
page, full of many tendencies, habits, emotions, and wrong attitudes. My heart
cries, O Lord, here is my life which I now consecrate to You.
Work in it, in all its corners; I will not withhold anything in it from You."
3. Continuous
Repentance in the
Orthodox concept, is life accompanied by strong,
spiritual, and serious emotions and an awakening of the conscious to sin.
It is a way of life and a constant, profound, and continuous attitude.
The apostle said: "My little children, these things I write to you, that you may
not sin (this is the intention of the children of God and the goal of their
daily struggle). And if anyone should sin, we have an advocate with the
father" (this is evidence of the continuity of repentance and renewal by
putting off the old and putting on the new) (1 Jn. 2: 1).
Two fundamental pivots
in the life of repentance are:
a. The intention
not to commit sin and a serious fight to
achieve this aim.
b. A speedy rising after any fall and
transforming it into an occasion for prayer, humility, and for experiencing
God’s glorious action.
Therefore, it is necessary to overcome our weaknesses daily and move
forward. The most dangerous thing a person may fall into is to stop wrestling
with sin, and the best thing he should do is to always move forward "forgetting those things which are behind, and
reaching forward to those things which are ahead" (Phil. 3: 13).
Repentance is not a human device to worship an idol called ‘self’, but it
is the continuous gift from a heart that has the humility of the poor to
Christ who is able to save to the utttermost (Heb.
7:25).
Hence, the concentration of young people on themselves and on their
weaknesses and constant morbid groaning at sin does not serve the cause of
repentance as much as fleeing to Christ in love, to the Bible in fulfillment,
and to the Church in incorporation. The
negatives are superseded by the positives.
4. Fruitful
This is the last characteristic of acceptable
repentance. Its fruitfulness is in a life of holiness, and in love and
service to others. It is impossible to claim that our repentance is true
if it is still barren and an outcome of selfishness and a prisoner of the
‘self’. The soul’s knowledge of Christ will drive it quickly forward
towards other souls: "Come, see a man who
told me all things that I ever did. Could this be the
Christ:" (Jn. 4: 29).
True repentance is fruitful and effective with others, and is able to
attract souls to the fold in three ways:
a. an example that is not a stumbling block
b. intercessory prayer
c. a spiritual and rational call
These are the ways of service that we should practice.
Dear fathers and
mothers,
You are
responsible for your children in a society that is quick to change for the
worst. Your bowing heads before
the priests and your prayers at home are the best
guidance to your sons.
And you, dear young man,
You are
responsible for your younger brothers and sisters, for they will behave exactly as you do. You will
have to give an account of them. Do not stray in the path of sin for your
siblings will follow in your footsteps without your being aware of it and you
will bear the burden of their sin on the day of judgment.
Dearly beloved, let us repent from all our hearts, quickly,
comprehensively, and continuously, so that are repentance may be effective in
attracting souls to Christ.
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