Category: SIN

  • For whithersoever the soul of man turns itself, unless toward Thee, it is riveted upon sorrows, yea though it is riveted on things beautiful. 

    Confessions
    St. Augustine

  • If remembrance, however, brings sin back to us, we should refrain from it. Remember what we say in the Divine Liturgy, “The remembrance of evil entailing death.” According to the teachings of the fathers, it is better for us to avoid the remembrance of lustful and provocative sins, because this remembrance brings back the wars of sin.

    —H.H. Pope Shenouda III, The Life of Repentance and Purity

  • Each of us, then, should be cautious. If you have repented, then listen to this advice: It is not enough to come out of Sodom, if you do not continue to Zoar. Lot’s wife came out of Sodom, with her hand in the hand of the angel. She was not burned with the burning city. She did not, however, continue walking with God, but looked back (Genesis 19.16). She perished by one look. How terrifying!

    Be cautious, then, about looking behind you. Think no longer about the world you left for the sake of the Lord. Do not try to remember the pleasures of sin from which you repented. Do not in any way look back, but rather “stretch forward.” Try to grow in your repentance without returning to sin.

    —H.H. Pope Shenouda III, The Life of Repentance and Purity

  • It is amazing that they were embarrassed before their father confessor, but not embarrassed before God. In the same way, man is embarrassed by committing sin in front of other people, but is not embarrassed by committing it before God.

    —H.H. Pope Shenouda III, The Life of Repentance and Purity

  • But if you love God, then you will be unable to sin, and the wicked one cannot touch you (1 John 3.9, 5.18).

    Then the commandments will not be burdensome. Instead, the sin will be burdensome. The sin will be difficult, for no matter how the enemy tries to pressure your will, you resist and refuse to sin, and you say with all your heart: “How then can I do this great wickedness, and sin against God?” (Genesis 39.9). You will find the Lord’s commandments joyful and luminous, enlightening the eyes (Psalm 18.9). Repentance becomes easy for you, and from it you obtain purity of heart.

    —H.H. Pope Shenouda III, The Life of Repentance and Purity

  • Without the love of God within you, you cannot repent. Without the love of God, you would not leave sin because of purity of heart, but merely as the outer proceedings of a formal reconciliation with God, because of fear of His anger and punishment. A person who fears God’s punishment and fears that sin might lead him into hell becomes religious. He calls this piety, that is, the fear of God and His anger. With this fear, he avoids practicing sin, but the sin does not stay away from his heart.

    The heart continues swinging to the right and to the left, and will not settle except with love toward God.

    —H.H. Pope Shenouda III, The Life of Repentance and Purity

  • A lawyer or an accountant might lie and place that under the heading of necessities for the profession, although the profession is respectable and this is not actually part of its necessities. Sin does not like to be called by its true name, because this troubles a person.

    —H.H. Pope Shenouda III, The Life of Repentance and Purity

  • Another little fox—self-righteousness—entered into Job. Job’s problem was that he was a blameless, upright man, and he knew himself to be blameless and upright. For this reason he fell into self-righteousness. He was, as the Bible says, “righteous in his own eyes” (Job 32.1). God kept purifying him through temptation until he said: “I have uttered what I did not understand, things too wonderful for me, which I did not know” (Job 42.3). It is very easy for a small weak point to drag us to many problems.

    —H.H. Pope Shenouda III, The Life of Repentance and Purity

  • Previously, David’s life was different. He was pursued by Saul, escaping from one desert to the other. He lived in caves, fought by himself, and slept on the ground; he did not sin at that time. Later, however, he lived in luxury, in palaces with servants, attendants and slaves. He sent the army to fight, while he stayed in his house on his bed. He stood on the roof and looked at the people. He lacked the desire to be with his fighting army.

    —H.H. Pope Shenouda III, The Life of Repentance and Purity

  • But as for you, if grace visits you, do not be content merely with being convinced. For what benefit do you receive from being convinced your way is sinful, unless you overcome and change this way in practice? Do not let the visitation of grace work in your mind alone, or in your heart only; it must work in your will also, so that you will arise and act accordingly.

    —H.H. Pope Shenouda III, The Life of Repentance and Purity