Metropolitan Epiphaniy of Kyiv and All Ukraine shared a profound spiritual reflection on repentance in a recent post on social media, drawing on the teaching of Saint John Chrysostom and the Gospel message of Christ.
Quoting Saint John Chrysostom, the Metropolitan emphasized that human weakness and falls are known to God: “When we stumble and fall, the Lord, knowing the weakness of our nature, asks only that we do not fall into despair, but abandon sin and hasten to confession.” He explained that while all people sin and fall at times, the gravest danger lies not so much in committing a sin as in remaining unrepentant, allowing sin to bind the human will and prevent a person from rising again through repentance.
Reflecting on Christ’s first call in His public ministry — “Repent, for the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand” (Matthew 4:17) — Metropolitan Epiphaniy stressed that repentance is central to Christian life. It is not merely regret or verbal confession, but a deep transformation: a change of mind, heart, actions, and ultimately one’s entire way of life. True repentance, he noted, requires rejecting sin decisively, “as one uproots and destroys harmful weeds, in order to cleanse and prepare space for good and fruitful growth.”
The Metropolitan underlined that the human soul naturally longs to restore communion with God and return to the Heavenly Father. To do so, however, one must first recognize the destructive nature of life without God. When this awareness arises, God grants the opportunity for renewal, purification, and return — but human effort and spiritual struggle are also required. Genuine repentance, he said, is always accompanied by concrete actions aimed at correcting what sin has distorted.
He also highlighted the Sacrament of Repentance as one of the seven Mysteries of the Church, carried out in God’s presence and sanctified by divine grace. Confession, he explained, is the outward expression of inner repentance, prompted by conscience and the desire for reconciliation with God and with others. Repentance is not a single act, but the lifelong work of the Christian, since sins — conscious and unconscious — accompany human life continuously.
Addressing the question of how often one should confess, Metropolitan Epiphaniy recalled the analogy used by the Holy Fathers: entering a dark room, a person initially sees nothing, but gradually begins to discern shapes as the eyes adjust. In the same way, from confession to confession, a person gains spiritual clarity, learning to recognize even subtle sins. Each confession becomes a step toward the next, as God gradually reveals the truth about one’s life.
Concluding his message, Metropolitan Epiphaniy called the faithful to care diligently for a life of repentance and struggle against sin, always with God’s help. “Without God we are weak and powerless, but with God we can do all things,” he affirmed, encouraging believers to glorify God through continual victories over sin and evil.
