Sep 30 Tue
How can I begin again?
With the five paths of repentance.
Shall I list them for you? There are certainly many of them, and all of them may lead you to heaven. But begin with these:
(a) The first path is the path of rejection of sins. As Isaiah says, Tell your sins, and you will be forgiven. And the Psalmist adds: I said, 'I will accuse myself before the Lord, and you forgave the guilt of my sin.’ So, too, you must discard the sins you have committed. Get rid of them, and you will be excused in front of the Lord, since whoever repents of the sins he has committed will be slower to commit them next time. Stir up your conscience to be your accuser – so that when you come before the judgment-seat of the Lord, no one will rise to accuse you.
(b) The second path is in no way inferior in excellence. It is to forget the harm done to us by our enemies, to control our anger, and to forgive the sins of those who are slaves together with us. If we do this, our sins against the Lord will be forgiven. Thus, the second path is contrition for our sins. As the Lord says, ‘Yes, if you forgive others their failings, your heavenly Father will forgive you yours.’
(c) The third path of repentance is prayer: intense, sincere, and focused prayer, prayer coming from the depths of your heart.
(d) The fourth path, I will tell you: it is sacrifice and little mortifications. They have great power.
(e) And finally, act always with modesty and humility; make them part of your personality. This path is very effective in depriving sin of its central part: pride. Look at the publican, who had no good deeds to speak of. In place of good deeds, he offered humility, and the huge burden of his sins fell away.
So, now you have the five paths of repentance. First, getting rid of your sins. Second, forgiving the sins of those near you. Third, prayer. Fourth, sacrifices. Fifth, humility.
Do not be lazy, but advance along all these paths every day. They are not hard roads to follow. Poverty is no excuse for not setting out on the journey. Even if you are penniless, you can do all these things: put aside anger, carry humility in front of you, pray hard, and get rid of your sins.
Here you have learnt the right way to heal your wounds; apply these remedies. Recover true health and confidently receive the strength of Holy Communion. Thus, you may enter, filled with glory, to the glory of Christ’s kingdom, and receive its eternal joys through the grace, mercy, and kindness of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Excerpts from St John Chrysostom