Lots of sins to do. I have such big sins that you can’t pray. What is a general confession

Question. I have had a lot of "dirt" in my life and, in principle, I am very ashamed to go to the mosque, because there is a feeling that I am not worthy of it! I just didn't have a choice! It really is! In addition, everything was in the past and remained there! I probably needed to go through this to become who I am today. I had no parents, life taught me everything. But the Almighty helps me! Therefore, I am very happy. One often wants to come to His House in order to be soaked through with His grace, in order to be pure in His eyes. But I'm afraid!!! I am afraid that I am not worthy to be in His House next to pure people. What to do? Psychoanalysts are psychoanalysts, but for me it is your opinion and your advice that is very important to me, can I do what my soul and heart aspire to?! I suffer a lot, and it all gnaws at me, but since my past is a secret for others, there is no one to support me morally. And for me it is a psychological burden. It's hard for me. Anisa.

Answer.As long as a person is alive, the gates of the mercy of the Supreme Creator and His forgiveness are open for him, they can open.

(1) The Quran says a lot about this:

"Ask forgiveness from Allah! Verily, He is Forgiving, Accepting repentance and Merciful" (see, Holy Quran, 4:106);

"Be grateful to your Lord and ask forgiveness from Him. Verily, He is Forgiving"(see, Holy Quran, 110:3);

"Whoever commits a sin [in relation to another] or oppresses himself [that is, he harms only himself with a committed sin], but then repents, he will see, feel that the Almighty is Forgiving and Merciful" (see, Holy Quran, 4: 110);

"God does not punish people when they repent and ask for His forgiveness"(see, Holy Quran, 8:33);

"[The pious are also those who] if they commit a major sin or a minor sin [after all, they are people, not angels, and can stumble], then [immediately] remember the Almighty and repent, ask for forgiveness. And who can forgive sins, if not Almighty Allah?! [But it is very important for the Almighty to accept repentance] that they (those who stumble) are not persistent in [repeatedly] committing this sin, knowing this [knowing that this is precisely a sin]" (see, St. Quran, 3:135).

(2) The Messenger of the Most High reported the following words of the Lord of the worlds:

The Creator said: "O man! As long as you beg Me and ask Me [for forgiveness with sincere and strong desire], I will forgive you no matter what! O descendant of Adam! Even if your sins, by their multiplicity, rise to heaven, but you still repent and ask Me for forgiveness, then I will forgive you, no matter what! O son of Adam, even if you come to Me with as many mistakes as can fill this entire Earth, but you appear before Me as a follower of Monotheism, then I will give you the same amount of My forgiveness [that is, according to the number of your mistakes and sins]!" (Hadith from Anas; St. Kh. at-Tirmizi. See: Nuzha al-muttakin. Sharh riad as-salihin. T. 2, p. 486, hadith No. 1880; at-Tirmizi M. Sunan at-tirmizi. C 979, hadith no. 3549.)

(3) Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "[In timeless space] Satan shouted, "By Your might, O Lord! I will lead people astray [righteousness and obedience to You, plunge them into the abyss of doubt and error], and I will not leave them alone until the souls leave the body! [Until the last moment of their lives!]" The Lord of the worlds (limited neither by place nor time, controlling everything and everything) said: "I swear by My might and majesty! As long as people ask Me for forgiveness [and repent of their wrongdoings, correcting what can be corrected], I will forgive them!" (St. h. Ahmad and al-Hakim. See: al-Khamsy M. Tafsir va bayan. S. 180.)

(4) Any truly pious person feels, notices his mistakes and errors. Therefore, his lips with heartfelt confirmation and intellectual aspiration to God pronounce the words: "Astaghfirullah, astagfirullah (Forgive me, Lord! Forgive me!)". These words awaken worldly vigilance, build bridges to a prosperous eternity, and open for a believer the gates of worldly prosperity. Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: “Whoever is constant in asking for forgiveness (“istigfar”), the Almighty will provide a way out of a [seemingly] hopeless situation (takes him out of a state of depression, constraint, poverty and lack), removes concern (anxiety, anxiety) from a person and gives the believer a lot from there where he does not expect it."(Hadith from Ibn 'Abbas; St. H. Abu Daud. See: Nuzha al-muttakin. Sharh riad as-salihin. T. 2, p. 484, hadith No. 1875; Abu Daud S. Sunan abi Daud (Cairo: al-Hadith), v. 1, part 2, p. 86, hadith No. 1518.)

(5) You, Anisa, can safely enter the mosque and pray. No need to feel any discomfort. All people tend to make mistakes, to sin somewhere. The main thing is whether they are aware of their sinfulness? Can they sincerely repent of their deeds and unequivocally intend not to repeat the misconduct or committed sin?

It is useful to recall the words uttered at one time by the wife of the Prophet Muhammad, ‘Aisha, in response to the question of when does a person become a sinner? It is clear that those who asked were well aware of major and minor sins, many of which are naturally felt by the human heart. They asked about something more subtle, not visible to everyone, not always tangible, barely perceptible, which may be known to the wife of the Prophet. ‘Aisha replied: "(A person becomes a sinner) when he begins to think that he is righteous." (See: Harun ‘A. Tahzib Ihya ‘ulum al-din, p. 396.) Amazing words, aren’t they? It is the righteous who can understand their depth and wisdom.

Xenia writes: I sinned a lot ... fornication, foul language, envy, jealousy, resentment, offended people, attached, used, was not sincere, participated in gossip, masturbated, did not believe, stole, humiliated, lied, fell nowhere lower ... .but now I want to atone for all these sins ..and get on the true path ... I want to ..live right ... and it's very hard for me ... but there is no stronger goal in me than to become a good person. I want to ask for advice ...How can I become stronger? How can I not live a dirty life anymore?

Peace be with you, Xenia!

If you still have the desire to become a new person, then I could give the following advice:

1) Give up the idea of ​​"atonement for sins", since atonement implies payment or ransom for sins, but this ransom has already been paid for you. This is the life of the Son of God, which He voluntarily gave up for you, so that, according to the unchanging divine law, you would not be punished for your sins. Punishment for all of the above you befell Jesus. He served time for you. Now law and justice can be satisfied. But on the condition that you confess before God in prayer your consent so that your sins will be credited to Jesus. Your consent is needed.
This replacement is called "gospel", that is, "good news", if translated from the original language.

3) Start living a new life with God, because as you already understood, it is impossible to live a new life without sin on your own. It is impossible to enslave your flesh on your own, because all your life it was the other way around - it commanded you. But the Creator, who created us, has the power and power to enslave the flesh (not in the sense of the body itself, but in the sense of our sinful desires and inclinations). If you let God into your heart and believe that you have died to sin, but live a new life with God in your heart, then Jesus, who lives in your heart, will overcome and humble your flesh, since He is the Creator (). This is called sanctification. Read more about this in our section, as well as in this answer, which I remember writing on this topic:

4) Read the Bible 1-2 chapters every day, since God can only be allowed into your heart if you trust Him. Who will let someone inside you whom you do not trust? And that this someone also directed and taught you. You need to trust strongly, like your best friend, like your mother. It's called faith.
But how to cultivate such trust in the One about whom you know little? How to get faith?
The Bible gives the answer: "So faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God." The Bible is the word of God.
By reading the Bible every day, you will learn about the works and ways of God, about His wisdom, love for a person, that He never makes mistakes (including when He lives in you), that He can do all the bad circumstances in a person’s life turn it into good, in general, that you can trust God and trust your life.

5) Pray every day for at least 5-10 minutes. Prayer is a private conversation with God (although there are also public prayers, say, at divine services). Tell God about your desires, problems, successes and difficulties in trying to become better, and just in everyday life. Tell Him what you think of Him after reading this or that Bible story. If it seems to you that God in the Bible acted unfairly - tell him about it, or maybe you will like how He acted. God is not partial, It is not difficult for Him to listen to our reproaches and accusations. He will not swear, be offended or annoyed after that. God is not a man.

That's all for a start. As you can see, nothing complicated.

Try it and you will surely succeed!

Sincerely,
Alexander

Read more on the topic "Consecration":

Tell me, what sins are mortal and how can they be expiated?

Hieromonk Job (Gumerov) answers:

First of all, it is necessary to distinguish between passions (persistent sinful habits, which are dangerous ailments of the soul) and sins (any transgressions of God's commandments). According to the words of St. John of the Ladder, “passion is already called the vice itself, which from a long time has nested in the soul, and through habit has become, as it were, its natural property, so that the soul already voluntarily and by itself strives for it” (Ladder, 15:75). Most of the holy ascetic fathers speak of eight destructive passions. St. John Cassian the Roman, calling them vices, lists them in the following order: gluttony, fornication, love of money, anger, sadness, despondency, vanity, pride. The latter is the most dangerous passion. It can banish any virtue from a person. Some, speaking of the seven deadly sins, combine despondency and sadness. They are called mortal because they can (if they completely take possession of a person) disrupt spiritual life, deprive them of salvation and lead to eternal death. According to the teachings of the holy fathers, behind every passion there is a certain demon, dependence on which makes a person a prisoner of one or another vice. When they talk about the eight passions, they find confirmation in the holy Gospel: “When an unclean spirit comes out of a person, he walks through dry places, looking for rest, and, not finding it, says: I will return to my house from where I came out; and, having come, he finds it swept and cleaned; then he goes and takes with him seven other spirits more evil than himself, and, having entered, dwell there, and the last for that man is worse than the first" (Luke 11:24-26). Unites their belonging to a single kingdom of darkness.

St. Isaac the Syrian says that a feat is needed to overcome passion: and thus, in fact, you will be able to ascend to the level of martyrdom in the struggle with each passion and you will not suffer any harm from what will meet you inside this limit, if you endure to the end and do not relax ”(Ascetic Words. Word 38). Most people have passions in them. Many of them devote their lives to the satisfaction of these passions and do not think about the fact that they are preparing themselves for hell. Those who are conscious, most often in the struggle with passion do not resort to achievement and therefore do not have results. We must always remember that the will of man is free.

St. Nikita Stifat, speaking about the difference between sin and passion, writes: “passion moves in the soul, but the sinful deed is visibly performed by the body. So - voluptuousness, love of money and love of glory are pernicious passions of the soul, and fornication, covetousness and unrighteousness are sinful deeds ”(Philokalia, vol. 5, p. 92).

The expression "mortal sin" has its basis in the words of St. Apostle John the Theologian: “If anyone sees his brother sinning with sin not unto death, then let him pray, and [God] will give him life, [that is] sinning [sin] not unto death. There is a sin unto death: I do not say that he should pray. Every unrighteousness is sin; but there is sin not unto death” (1 John 5:16-17). The Greek text is pros fanaton- a sin that leads to death. By death is meant spiritual death, which deprives a person of eternal bliss in the Kingdom of Heaven. What are these sins? St. Apostle John the Theologian does not specifically name these sins. At St. The Apostle Paul lists the following sins: “Do you not know that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor malakia, nor sodomites, nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor predators - shall inherit the Kingdom of God” (1 Corinthians 6:9-10). The list of mortal sins can be expanded by referring to another Epistle of the Primate Apostle: “so that they are full of all unrighteousness, fornication, deceit, covetousness, malice, full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, malevolence, blasphemers, slanderers, haters of God, offenders, self-praise, proud, inventive for evil, disobedient to parents, reckless, treacherous, unloving, implacable, unmerciful. They know the righteous [judgment] of God, that those who do such [deeds] are worthy of death; yet not only [them] are made, but even those who do are approved” (Rom. 1:29-32). At first glance, it may surprise you that this list contains such vices as dislike, intransigence, and disfavor. We are talking about those people in whose moral nature these moral properties dominate.

There is only one way to liberation from sins - sincere repentance and determination to improve. The earlier the better. The longer a person leads a sinful life, the more the soul is injured. “Sins under the influence of the permission of the spiritual father are immediately forgiven. But their trace remains in the soul - and it torments. As one strives to resist the sinful urges, these traces are blotted out, and at the same time, the languor is diminished. When the traces are completely erased, then the languor will end. The soul will be in the assurance of remission of sins. For this reason - a broken spirit, a contrite and humble heart - form the basis of the feelings of the current path of salvation ”(St. Theophan the Recluse. Collection of letters, issue 3, letter 499). When it comes to mortal sins, it is necessary to distinguish between the forgiveness of sins and the healing of the soul. In the sacrament of repentance, a person receives the forgiveness of sins immediately, but the soul does not become healthy soon. You can draw an analogy with the body. There are diseases that are harmless. They are easily treated and do not leave any trace in the body. But there are diseases that are severe and life-threatening. By the grace of God and the art of doctors, the person recovered, but the body is already returning to its previous state of health. So the soul, having tasted the poison of mortal sin (fornication, occultism, etc.), seriously undermines spiritual health. Priests who have long pastoral experience know how difficult it is for people who have been in mortal sins for a long time to build a full-fledged spiritual life on solid foundations and bear fruit. However, no one should lose heart and despair, but resort to the Gracious Physician of our soul and body: Bless the Lord, my soul, and do not forget all His blessings. He forgives all your iniquities, heals all your diseases; redeems your life from the grave, crowns you with mercy and bounty(Ps. 102:2-4).

Number of entries: 35

Father, hello! This is probably a very painful question! Please tell me how to be. There is such a situation, you walk down the street and meet a person from the distant past, it seems that this person did nothing to you, but you don’t feel like saying hello to him at all, since it reminds you of the past (negative memories), and nothing connects you with this person, there is no such desire to maintain contact with him! Tell me, please, is it considered a sin when you pass by without saying hello? In general, I am a friendly and kind person. Thanks in advance for your reply.

Hope

Dear Nadezhda, you are a lady, and you are not obliged to greet the first, except with the older ones. And since the memories are negative (unless, of course, you are to blame for this negativity), you can recognize the relationship as broken and ignore the greeting. Another question is that these memories are a burden on the soul, burden. To solve this problem, turn to the Lord God for help. It is good to name something that burdens you at confession in church. If you keep a grudge or malice towards the offender, it is good to pray the Jesus Prayer: "Lord, Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner," replacing "me, a sinner" with "us, sinners." We are all brothers and sisters in Adam, we are all human, we all make mistakes. "Forgive, Lord, both me, who was offended, and him, who offended," - such will be the content of your prayer. This will help you get rid of the burden of past relationships. May God help you.

Priest Sergiy Osipov

Hello, father. I ask for your advice on how I can repent of my sins for my entire life, how to be humble and love everyone. I go to church (on Saturdays and Sundays, because I work). I confess and take communion. I try to live according to the commandments, but it doesn’t always work out (both irritation and pride, “and put every sin into my soul”).

Ludmila

Lyudmila, repent of what you remember, and try not to commit new sins - that's the whole path of repentance. What else? It is impossible to jump above human nature. And do not "wind" yourself unnecessarily in this matter: the Lord will not ask you beyond human strength. And love for people will come after a deep awareness of one's sinfulness.

hegumen Nikon (Golovko)

In my youth, I committed a big sin - I swore as a child in front of the icons in the church that I was supposedly innocent before my husband, but the circumstances were such that I had to lie and make this oath. The marriage was saved (my husband passed away for two years), I am now in adulthood, but this sinful act has tormented me all my life! Help! Tell me how to remove the stone from the soul? Yes, and with my daughter I have long been at odds (as she was replaced - no respect for me, no sympathy, no affection). Maybe it all comes from this?

Irina

There is only one answer - go to the temple for confession. Pray for the repose of your husband and for health, mutual love with your daughter. Let this reconcile you with your own conscience.

Archpriest Maxim Khyzhiy

Hello, father. Is it possible to say that a mortal sin is that sin, an ordinary sin (common), which all people do, and do not consider it a sin out of ignorance? I am writing, the sinful servant of God Alex.

Alex.

Mortal sin is that sin, the presence of which is incompatible with spiritual life. There are seven deadly sins: 1) pride; 2) envy; 3) anger; 4) laziness and idleness and despondency associated with it; 5) greed; 6) gluttony; 7) voluptuousness.

hegumen Nikon (Golovko)

Hello, father! A few months ago, I turned to a clairvoyant and parapsychologists with a request to improve my personal life, as well as in a financial matter, since there are huge debts. Little by little, they pulled out 50,000 rubles from me, conducted several sessions with all sorts of objects, including religious ones, but life never got better. Then I found out that this is a big sin, we confessed in our church, but we only have a general confession, and this question still worries me, maybe I should have confessed to the priest in detail, suddenly God didn’t forgive me for this and I still have this grave sin? I just wanted to improve my personal life. Thanks in advance.

Vyacheslav

God is not offended, and therefore does not "forgive" in our understanding of the word. It's just that a person can sin and fall away from God, and then repent and return to Him. If you sincerely repent of this sin, it means that this sin no longer burdens your soul. However, it is better to confess sins of such severity individually, and not in a general confession.

Deacon Ilya Kokin

Hello. I have this question. I got pregnant from my future husband even before the painting in the registry office. after the onset of pregnancy, we got married and married. We really wanted a child, and I prayed for him. Only now I understand that it was wrong, because I prayed to God for a child, living in sin. And now I heard that it is impossible to beg for children, that later there will be many problems with them. Is it so? And every time with a threat and some fears, I pray. But is it right? After all, it turns out that I do not rely on God, but I want everything to be my way. I repent that, living in fornication, I prayed for a child. How to be now? Before the wedding, I went to confession. And now I go to the temple, but the thought that children are not begging does not leave me.

Olga

And here are your sins! A mother should pray for her child! Repent of your sins, and pray for your children!

Archpriest Maxim Khyzhiy

Tell me, please, I have a question. Here, my partner and I have been living for 14 years, we are not registered, the age difference between us is 21 years, we have a joint child, a girl of 11 years old, a wonderful child. In the family we have complete harmony and understanding. Is it really because of the missing stamp that we commit a sin, living without painting, but in love for God and neighbor?

Natalia

Natasha, and you read the article on “civil marriage” in the heading “My fortress”. That's when we'll talk about the stamp. "Stamp" is a favorite excuse of fans of "love without obligations". But I have met few women who like such relationships. You don’t say it in your own language, you repeat it ...

Archpriest Maxim Khyzhiy

Hello! Thank you for answering questions, you really help people, take time for everyone! I also want to ask: how to strengthen my faith, not to despair and not to be discouraged? What should I do if I want to forgive, but I can’t, it turns out that I confess this sin, knowing that I will “repeat” it later, remembering old grievances?

Hello Nina. We must keep ready the memory of several of our sins, the most painful and, without going into details, poke our nose into them every time condemnation and resentment begin to emerge. And, of course, always ask the Lord for mercy.

Priest Alexander Beloslyudov

Hello, tell me, father, is it considered a sin to go to healers, fortune-tellers and others, despite the fact that I am baptized?

Anton

This is not only a sin, but also, so to speak, a slow spiritual suicide! A person, of course, can go to "fortune tellers" and "healers", and will even receive temporary help or something like "healings", but in fact, through communication with such people, he will come into direct contact with evil spirits and hurt your soul the most. If you continue to turn to the services of sorcerers, then, in the end, things can even come to obsession or open madness. If there is no desire to end up in such a state, and for temporary "healings" to get a permanent dependence on a demon, then all these walks in the "grandmothers" must be stopped immediately.

hegumen Nikon (Golovko)

Hello! My name is Konstantin. When I was 18, I smashed a tombstone in a cemetery in a drunken state, now I can’t remember where and what the name of this person was, sometimes it really torments me, I am very sorry and repent of this. I understand that this cannot be fixed, but please help, what can be done in this case? So that both the deceased and the Lord forgive me, I understood a lot. Thank you in advance.

Konstantin

First of all, you need to confess, Konstantin. And after that, the soul will tell you what else needs to be done in order to finally find peace from this sin: maybe some kind of good deed or alms, or help, for example, by caring for gravestones in a cemetery. Consult on this issue with the priest to whom you will confess, and listen to your soul.

hegumen Nikon (Golovko)

Dear fathers! Please clarify my doubts for me. I am a believer, even though I was recently churched, I am 36 years old, I have been divorced for 10 years. My husband cheated on me. I have been raising my son alone all this time. Recently they began to live with a man together without painting, I know that this is a great sin, and my unwillingness to be alone does not serve as an excuse for me. And I was alone for quite a long time. He is not against painting, but he is waiting for something, and he is a believer, but somehow in his own way. As soon as we sign, I will definitely confess my sin, but I am also worried that somewhere in the Bible it is written that some rich man loved to give alms, but he also loved fornication, and this almsgiving was not imputed to him as mercy . Is it possible, despite the prodigal cohabitation, to do good deeds? Will they be pleasing to God from me? Every day I ask God for forgiveness for all my sins, but I can’t speed up the event with the painting ... Many thanks for the answer and for all your work. Save us all Lord!

Julia

Julia, the fact that you understand everything inspires hope for a speedy resolution of your problem. Don't be discouraged. Pray to God, pray in the temple. Do not leave good deeds! Live like a Christian. Only, of course, good deeds should not be a bargaining chip ... We must solve your problem, try! Ask God for time and strength, moral strength. Read the material on civil marriage in the “My Fortress” section. I hope you find it useful.

Archpriest Maxim Khyzhiy

Hello! Please tell me, is work in a bank related to attracting customers considered sinful?

Svetlana

Svetlana, if deception is necessary to attract customers, then it is considered. I hope this is not about your work. Help God!

Priest Sergiy Osipov

Hello sir, I have a few questions. I heard that if the parents are not married, then in the next world they will not be able to meet each other and with their children. I have a lot of sins, I had alcohol, drugs, abortions in my life, I did a lot of terrible things ... I am 21, now I have completely changed for the better, I have a little daughter, I live without a husband. I really want to be cleansed of all my sins, is it possible? To become, how to say, pure before God?

Hello Julia. We are called to holiness, but we must realize that the Lord alone is holy. We must force ourselves to implement holiness in our lives, this is the purpose for which man was created. There is no time to accomplish this goal, so God gives man eternity. And so that we can enter into eternity, He gives Himself. He did not come to save the righteous, but to call sinners to repentance. A penitent sinner, struggling with his passions, forcing himself to live according to the Gospel - this is the one who, by the grace of God, enters the Kingdom of Heaven. Follow the Orthodox Church, be guided by its teachings, and do not lose hope. In the "other world" we will meet everyone, and relatives, and those who have been offended, we will not go anywhere. But there will be no continuation of marriage unions in eternal life. One should not imagine that life in any way, it is unimaginable. In our earthly experience there are no corresponding words or concepts to express and understand it. Let's leave it. God help you.

Priest Alexander Beloslyudov

Hello, when is it justified for a Christian to kill other people? In the Middle Ages, the kings executed the villains, and the clergy supported them. Where is that edge? When is it acceptable and unacceptable to kill people?

Oleg

Killing people is a sin! Even enemies of the country, even criminals. Therefore, after the war, the soldiers did not come to communion for quite a long time, they prayed both for the dead brothers and for the enemies. According to Metropolitan Philaret (Drozdov), one must fight the enemies of the Fatherland, enemies of the faith, abhor, forgive one's (personal) enemies.

Archpriest Maxim Khyzhiy

Hello! I have been sinning for many years, first I met a married man, then he got divorced, he has two adult children. When he was married, I gave birth to a child. This situation really torments me, like a stone in my soul, I suffer from this, I go to church, and at home too, and I always ask God to forgive me for this grave sin. I feel guilty that his family broke up, although he claims that I had nothing to do with it, he just fell in love with me and lived for a long time for the sake of the children, waiting for them to grow up to get a divorce. This depresses me, I ask you to register our marriage, since he is now a free man, in order to then get married so that God forgives and blesses our family. But my man doesn’t want to register now, he says that it’s not time yet, although we want more children, and I tell him that I don’t want to give birth again in sin. For many years he asked me to wait for him and I faithfully waited for him when he divorced, what can now interfere ?! He says that love is not a sin, but that we are together, it means that God wants it that way, and therefore he does not consider it important to register a marriage, but I cannot convince him and continue to sin. The priest in the church said in confession that when I correct the sin, then I can come and confess in order to take communion, and until I correct the sin, I do not need to confess and constantly ask for forgiveness before God for my sin. Will God not forgive me for meddling with someone else's family? How to be?

How to behave after a fall. – When the devil wants to draw someone into a major sin, on the one hand, he belittles the importance of sin, and on the other hand, he assures that God is merciful, will forgive every sin, therefore it is not at all dangerous to experience the pleasure of sin, and after several experiences you can repent. And when the enemy manages to draw him into sin, he does the opposite, that is, on the one hand, increases the severity of sin, and on the other hand, he presents God to be excessively strict, unmerciful, in order to plunge the sinner into despair, which is spiritual suicide, often accompanied by bodily suicide. suicide and leads to eternal death.

The Holy Ladder says that the invisible representative of fornication, this inhuman enemy, suggests that God is philanthropic and that He grants generous forgiveness to this passion as natural. But if we begin to observe the deceit of demons, we will find that after committing a sin, they present God to us as a righteous Judge and unforgiving. First they make such a suggestion in order to draw us into sin, and then they suggest another one in order to plunge us into despair. When sadness and despair intensify in us, then we can neither reproach ourselves nor take revenge on ourselves for the sin by repentance. And when grief and despair have died away, then again this tormentor of souls begins to teach us the doctrine of God's mercy, so that we might fall again. By the assurance of God's mercy and the promise of forgiveness, the devil carries away from one sinful fall to another with the aim that from frequent sinful falls the conscience would be muffled, the soul hardened, the heart hardened, made insensible, incapable of contrition and repentance, so that the more faithfully bring to hardening in sins and to utter despair.

Therefore, one must be afraid to remain careless after the fall and, in the false hope of God's mercy and the forgiveness of sins, pass from one sin to another, so as not to reach insensitivity, hardness and become incapable of repentance.

Not then will we grieve, says St. Isaac the Syrian, when we crawl in something, but when we stagnate in the same, because creeping often happens with perfect ones, and to stagnate in the same is perfect mortification. The sadness that we feel during our encroachments is imputed to us by grace instead of pure deed. Whoever, in the hope of repentance, crawls a second time, acts craftily with God; Unknowingly, death attacks him, and he does not reach the time in which he hoped to fulfill the deeds of virtue. But after unintentional sins, made out of darkening and entrainment from passions, one should not indulge in despair, into which the devil tries to plunge in order to finally destroy the sinner, but one must encourage oneself with the hope of God's mercy.

Saint Isaac the Syrian says that whoever obviously belongs to the number of sinners, when he falls, let him not forget the love of his Heavenly Father; but if he happens to fall into various sins, let him not cease to care about good, let him not stop in his course, but let him who is defeated again rise up to fight with his opponents and daily begin to lay the foundation for a destroyed building, until his very departure from the world having in his mouth the word of the prophet: “Do not rejoice in me, my adversary, that I have fallen, for I will rise again. If I sit in darkness, the Lord will illuminate me” (see Micah 7:8). And in no way let him stop fighting until his death; and as long as there is breath in him, let him not betray his soul to be overcome, even during the very defeat. But if every day his boat is broken and the whole cargo is wrecked, let him not cease to care, stock up, even borrow, go to other ships and sail with hope, until the Lord, having looked down on his feat and having mercy on his contriteness, will send him His mercy and will not give him strong motives to meet and endure the kindled arrows of the enemy. Such is the wisdom given from God; such is the wise patient who does not lose his hope. It is better for us to be condemned for some works, and not for leaving everything.

If every day we constantly accept thousands of blows from demons, then let us not be cowardly and let us not stop in the course in the field, because in one unimportant case we can capture victory and receive a crown. Therefore, let not a single person remain in despair. Let's not just neglect prayer and let's not be too lazy to ask the Lord for help. One monk, at the slander of the enemy, fell into carnal sin, and after the fall, the enemy tried to plunge him into despair, to remove him from the deserted cell into the world. But the monk, as skilled in spiritual warfare, said to the enemy: "I have not sinned, I tell you, I have not sinned." He returned to his cell and through the labors of repentance, sorrow and humility atoned for his sin. The Holy Ladder says that one should not despair, even if one falls daily. Since despair comes from a multitude of sins, and sometimes from pride,10 in order not to reach despair, immediately after the fall one must rise, repent, clear one's conscience by confession before a priest, and in the latter case, one must humble oneself and not condemn anyone. The Holy Ladder says that even if someone has fallen into all the pits of sin, but if he humbles himself, then let him be in good spirits11. In times of despair, the thought of God's mercy is also useful. Driven to despair in sorrow over sins, let us not stop remembering that the Lord commanded the Apostle Peter to forgive the sinner seventy times a week (see Matt. 18:22), and whoever betrayed such a commandment to another, he Himself, without a doubt, will do incomparably more .

Weep, says Saint Isaac the Syrian, and shed tears, and fall down at the memory of your sins during the time of indulgence, so that you can get rid of your sins and gain humility through that. However, do not despair, and in thoughts of humility, by propitiation, make your sins venial. Humility and idleness makes many sins forgivable. On the contrary, without humility, deeds are useless, they even prepare a lot of evil for us (namely: they can lead to conceit, vanity, followed by a fall). What salt is to every meal, so is humility to every virtue; it can break the fortress of many sins. To acquire it, it is necessary to be constantly saddened by thought with humiliation and reasonable sadness. And if we acquire it, it will make us sons of God and present us to God without good deeds, because without humility all our deeds, all virtues and all deeds are in vain. Finally, God wants a change in thought. Thought makes us both better and obscene. She alone is enough to put us helpless before God, and she speaks for us. The enemy attacks a person especially strongly before death, the memory of the sins committed during life tries to lead into confusion, despondency and despair. At this time, with all the strength of faith, one must take hold of God, with humility, repentance, heartfelt contrition for sins, beg God for forgiveness and encourage oneself with the hope of God's immeasurable mercy, according to which God forgave the greatest sinners without any merit of them; according to the expression of church prayers (see the fourth and seventh prayers for communion), there is no sin that overcomes the mercy of God. God Himself even with an oath assures that He does not want the death of a sinner. You say this: "Our transgressions and our sins are upon us, and we melt away in them: how can we live?" Tell them: I live, that is, I swear by My life, says the Lord God: I do not want the death of the sinner, but that the sinner turn from his way and live (Ezek. 33:10-11; see also Ezek. 18:23; Jer. 8, 4). The impious Jewish king Manasseh forgot his God, with his abominations and atrocities surpassed even the pagans. But when he came to his senses in captivity in Babylon, humbled himself, turned to God with contrition of heart, and began to beg His mercy, God forgave him without any merits and delivered him from captivity (see: 2 Chronicles 33, 12-13)15. The publican is justified only because he recognized himself as a sinner, repented of his sins and humbly asked God for mercy (see Luke 18:13). The thief, captured in a crime and crucified on the cross with the Savior, received forgiveness without any merit and entered paradise only because, hanging on the cross, humbled himself, recognized himself worthy of punishment, lamented over sins and asked for mercy from the Son of God (see . OK. 23:40-43).

The prodigal son, voluntarily moving away from his father, having squandered all his possessions and having reached the extreme degree of evil from debauchery, did nothing good to make amends for his guilt, but only, coming to his senses, humbled himself, began to repent of his sins, decided to leave a depraved life, to return to his father's house and asked for forgiveness. But the loving father, without waiting for him to come to the house, went out to meet him, rejoiced at his return, received him in the arms of his love, returned to him the rights of his son and heir, even made a sumptuous feast for the joy of his salvation (see Lk. 15 , 11-24). So God, with the angels in heaven, rejoices at the conversion of every sinner and does not want anyone to perish (see Matt. 18:14).

God most clearly demonstrated His love for people and desire for their salvation by sending His beloved Son into the world to save people, and not only sent, but also handed over to death to redeem them instead of punishing the people themselves, and, moreover, then, when they not only did not deserve the favor of God, but, according to the apostle, they were sinners and enemies of God, worthy of punishment. Of the people, says the apostle, hardly anyone will agree to sacrifice his life for salvation and the righteous - an honest man, perhaps for a benefactor, maybe someone will dare to die. But God proves His love for us by the fact that Christ died for us while we were still sinners. Much more therefore, now, being justified by His blood, let us be saved by Him from wrath. For if, being enemies, we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, much more, being reconciled, we shall be saved by His life (Rom. 5:6-10). If God did not spare His Son, but gave Him up for us all, how will He not give us everything with Him? Who will blame the elect of God? God justifies them. Who condemns? Christ Jesus died, but also rose again: He is also at the right hand of God, He intercedes for us, for all sinners (Rom. 8:32-34). God, in the words of St. Isaac the Syrian, requires from us only a change of thoughts and all spiritual dispositions for the better, which is accomplished with the assistance of grace by humility - the consciousness of one’s sinfulness, repentance, contrition of the heart, regret for the admission of sins, a resolute aversion from everything sinful and the conversion of all souls with love for God. Humility, by its very nature, destroys every passion in the soul, opens the entrance of grace into it, which completes the work of converting and saving the sinner. If, according to the words of Saint Ladder, pride alone cast Satan out of heaven and destroyed him, then there is no reason to doubt that humility alone can save a penitent sinner. God is an infinite sea of ​​goodness. Whoever plunges into this sea has only to open his mouth to drink the water of grace, wash all spiritual impurities with it and quench the thirst of the soul - to satisfy all spiritual needs. And the entrance of grace into the soul opens only humility, without which there can be no acceptability of grace - without it, a person dies spiritually.

This is confirmed by many examples of repentant sinners who are pardoned by God for only one humble repentance. One virgin in the Thessalonica Monastery could not endure the demonic temptation, left the monastery for the world, and indulged in debauchery for several years. Then, having come to her senses, repenting, she decided to leave the vicious life and return to the monastery for the deeds of repentance. But as soon as she reached the gates of the monastery, she suddenly fell and died. God revealed to one bishop about her death, and he saw that the holy angels came, took her soul, and the demons followed them and argued with them. The holy angels said that for so many years she served us, our soul. And the demons said that she entered the monastery with laziness, how do you say that she repented? The angels answered that God saw how she bowed to the good with all her thoughts and heart, and therefore accepted her repentance. Repentance depended on her good will, and God owns life. The demons departed in shame. The maiden Paisia, left an orphan, through poverty reached the point where she began to trade in debauchery. The fathers, the ascetics of the Egyptian desert, who had previously found shelter in her house, having heard about her poor life, sent Elder John Kolov to save her. At the conviction of the holy elder, Paisia ​​decided to leave her vicious life and her home, and asked to be taken somewhere to repent. When they came to the desert, it was evening. Abba made a small head of sand for the maiden and, having crossed it, said to her: "Sleep here." At a short distance from her, and for himself, he made the same head and, having finished his prayers, fell asleep. Waking up at midnight, he sees a bright path that stretches from heaven to the maiden herself, and sees the angels who lifted up her soul. Getting up, he went up to the girl and, having learned that she had died, fell face down on the ground and prayed to God. And there was a voice to him that one hour of her repentance was accepted better than the repentance of many who repent for a long time, but do not show such ardor in repentance.

When a sinner decides to leave his vices, hates sins and clings to God with his whole soul, then God forgives him his former sins. Someone was asked, says St. Isaac the Syrian, when does a person know that he has received the remission of his sins? The questioner replied that when he felt in his soul that he completely, with all his heart hated sins, and when he clearly gave himself a direction opposite to the previous one; such a one hopes that he has received from God the forgiveness of the falls, as having already hated sin, according to the testimony of his conscience; an uncondemned conscience is its own witness. Saint Barsanuphius the Great says that the sign of the forgiveness of sins is to hate them and do no more. And when a person thinks about them and his heart delights in them, or he commits them in practice, then this is a sign that his sins have not yet been forgiven him, but he is still accused of them. And although to whom sinful sweetness comes to mind, but who does not allow sweet actions, but contradicts and strives against it, former sins are forgiven. However, although the former sins are forgiven, the battle against them continues, for a person needs a feat.

Saint Peter of Damascus says that one should not despair, although many people sin. It is bad that you, man, have sinned; but there is no need to despair. Why do you anger God by foolishly believing Him to be weak? Can't he who made the world you see save your soul? But if you say that this, as His condescension, will serve more to your condemnation, then repent, and He will accept your repentance as a prodigal and a harlot. If, however, you cannot do this, but by habit you sin in what you would not want, then have humility, like a publican (see Luke 18:13), and it is enough for you to be saved. For whoever sins unrepentantly (not corrected) and does not despair, he involuntarily considers himself the worst of all creation and does not dare to condemn or reproach any person, but, on the contrary, marvels at the love of God (that God endures, does not destroy him for sins, but also gives him everything he needs for life and salvation), is grateful for that to God and can have other good feelings. In sin, although he submitted to the devil, but out of the fear of God he again resists the enemy, forcing him to despair. And therefore he is a part of God, having prudence, thanksgiving, patience, the fear of God, he does not condemn anyone, for that he himself will not be condemned. If you have fallen, rise; if you fall again, rise again and do not despair of your salvation; whatever happens to you, do not voluntarily surrender to the enemy, and this patience of yours with self-reproach will be enough for you to save yourself. Do not despair, not knowing the help of God, because He can do anything He wants. Trust in Him, and He will do what will either arrange your correction with some temptations, or accept your patience and humility instead of ascetic struggles, or in another way, as He Himself knows, will lead you to salvation. To despair is much worse than to sin. I have sinned against the Lord, the once blessed humility cried out to God, after being convicted of adultery and murder, and immediately heard: the Lord has taken away your sin (2 Kings 12:13)27. So we will not give in to despair, but in the hope of priceless merits and the intercession of the Savior for us, let us cry out to God from the depths of a contrite soul with humility and self-pity: “Lord, have mercy on me, for I am weak; heal my soul, as you healed the money-loving soul of Zacchaeus the publican, cleanse my sins, as you cleansed the sins of a harlot. My joy! Deliver me from the evils that surround me (see Ps. 31, 7); do not hide your face from your servant, for I mourn; hear me soon; draw near to my soul, deliver it (Ps. 68, 18-19). Although I am a sinner, I am not Your enemy, but a weak creature and Your servant; have mercy on me, God!”

Pointing the way to salvation
Bishop Peter.