The mystery of repentance makes us cry for our sins.
If the man in his confession does not feel devastated, can his sins be forgiven?
They can. They are forgiven. They are certainly forgiven.
But to say, “I am a sinner,” to agree that a sin is a “sin,” and to admit that “I have sinned,” even only once, does not mean that I have merited to see my sins.
Confession of sin is the beginning. Devastation is the end. The distance between the two is great.
Our minds easily understand that what we did was nonsense. And my conscience makes it clear that I am a sinner. By saying it, we do not befool anyone. For, indeed, what we did, we consider it a sin.
Our conscience does not torture us though. Our heart does not feel either devastation or shame for what we did. Who can “take” from us the sin we have committed, yet we cannot sense it?
Only the Church. Nobody else. Only a priest who has received this authorization.
The enemies of Orthodoxy say: If man feels devastated about his sins, can’t the Lord forgive him without the intervention of a priest? What do we need confession for?
Right! The Lord is the One who forgives the repentants. But who will ever dare to say that someone’s repentance is correct and complete? Who will dare to say that he merited to see his sins?
So, if he does not dare to say that, how will he dare to say that he has been forgiven, without the intervention of the Church?
We are weak in our lives too! And that’s why we sin.
We are weak in repentance too. That’s why we have a duty to confess to the Church. And then, when the priest sees us admitting that we are sinners, despite all the poverty of our repentance, he forgives us for our sins.
And therefore, our sins do not cut off our salvation. With the power given to him, the priest “takes away”, that is, extinguishes our sin. He allows us to reach the Holy Grail. He links and unites us with the holy Church.
You came to the infirmary! You must not leave uncured!
The Church waits. But it also urges the sinner to rush to pay his debts, because this payment increases his repentance. It does not deprive those who have a weak repentance from the grace and the power of Divine Communion, which eradicates the thorns and weeds of our sins. And it takes responsibility for our future growth and maturity before the Lord.
So, in the mystery of Confession and the mystery of the Divine Communion, he who struggles by praying, understands that he must dispose of his self-righteousness that has been created by our passions and is their consequence.
Protoiereus Valentin Svenciski
*The article was originally published in Greek in ikivotos.gr
