You may ask, “Is it possible for me to live the rest of my life away from sin, even though my heart loves it? If I were to repent of it, I would return to it.” The error in despair is that the devil makes us think that we will live in repentance with the same heart that loves sin. On the contrary, the Lord will give you a new heart (Ezekiel 36.26). He will remove from you the love of sin, and you will not think about returning to it. On the contrary, God will make you hate sin in your repentance and be disgusted by it. Your present feelings will change.
—H.H. Pope Shenouda III, The Life of Repentance and Purity
Category: SIN
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This reminds us of the saying of Saint Bishoy: “I do not remember that the devil has tempted me into the same sin twice.” It is possible that the first sin was as a result of ignorance, negligence, weakness, or lack of awareness of the tricks of the devil, or lack of cautiousness. But after repentance and awakening, there is strictness in living and a caution of sin. The person who discards sin and then returns to it—therefore sometimes leaving it, and sometimes returning—has not yet repented. This is only an attempt toward repentance. Every time the sinner arises from his sin, sin drags him lower.
Repentance is a cry from the conscience and a revolt against the past. It is repulsion from sin, great regret, and rejection of the old state with embarrassment and shame.
—H.H. Pope Shenouda III, The Life of Repentance and Purity -
When we see a person who has committed vicious sins and crimes escaping with impunity, we react with indignation. We want to see that person called to account and punished, and feel angry that this has not happened. But at such moments we should reflect on our own actions; indeed we should turn that sense of indignation inward against ourselves. Each of us should ask: “How many sins have I committed against others, when I have escaped with impunity?” There are, no doubt, many examples in all our cases. Recognizing this fact will cause our anger against others to melt away. More importantly, it will make us turn to God and ask forgiveness of these sins. Yet there is perhaps a difference between our own sins and the sins which we notice in others. Our own sins are probably quite subtle and inconspicuous, whereas the sins of others are obvious and gross. Should we, therefore, regard our own sins as less important or die? On the contrary, we should realize that subtle sins are frequently the most harmful. Obvious sins, such as robber and violence, are easily recognized, and so can often be guarded against by physical means. The more subtle sins, such as lying and slander and power-mongering are frequently hard to spot, and so difficult to prevent.
On Living Simply
St. John Chrysostom -
It is remarkable how easily and insensibly we fall into a particular route, and make a beaten track for ourselves. I had not lived there a week before my feet wore a path from my door to the pond-side; and though it is five or six years since I trod it, it is still quite distinct.
Walden
by Henry David Thoreau
SO GOOD QUOTES 