Conversation about repentance

In the essay “Conversation on Repentance” St. Maximus the Confessor reveals the concept of repentance as a central element of Christian life and spiritual experience. Repentance is not just regret for sins, but a deep change in a person’s inner state, which implies a sincere intention to correct one’s mistakes and restore lost unity with God. It is impossible without the help of God, who calls everyone to renewal and healing. Repentance is an ongoing process that should be given attention throughout life. St. Maxim says that true repentance leads to healing the soul and spiritual growth, and only a sincere repentant can achieve holiness and please God: “The fruit of repentance is dispassion of the soul, and dispassion is the cleansing of sins.” Brothers! Why do we strive for destruction? Let us cleanse our hands, sinners! Let us cleanse our hearts, double-mindedness. Let us recognize our misfortune, let us be touched, weep over our sins, put aside lewdness, believe the promises of the Lord, fear His rebuke, let us love each other with all our hearts, let us say: you are our brothers! Let us say even to those who hate us and turn away from us, that the name of the Lord may be glorified. Let us give each other mutual forgiveness, as we tempt each other and suffer attacks from a common enemy. Let us resist our thoughts, calling upon God for help, and drive away evil and unclean spirits from ourselves; let us subordinate the flesh to the spirit, oppressing it with labor and all kinds of hardships and enslaving it; “let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit,” and let us encourage ourselves to love and good deeds. Let us not envy each other, nor become irritated when others envy us; Moreover, let us show mercy and forbearance and, through mutual humility, heal our sins. Let us not blaspheme our neighbors with slander and ridicule, for “we are pleased with one another.” Let us cast out negligence and laziness, and let us courageously begin to fight against the spirits of wickedness, and let us have as an intercessor before the Father Jesus Christ the righteous, who is “the cleansing of our sins.” Let us pray to Him with all our souls, and He will forgive us our sins; “For the Lord is near to all who call on Him in truth, He will do the will of those who fear Him, and I will hear their prayer and save them” (Psalm 144:18–19). And therefore he says: “devour a sacrifice of praise to God, and render your prayers to the Most High, and call me in the day of your tribulation, and I will deliver you” (Psalm 49:14–15). Isaiah also says: “Lower the debts of the violent scriptures, set the contrite free, and tear apart every unrighteous scripture. Break your bread for the hungry, and bring the bloodless beggars into your house: if you see a naked person, clothe him, and do not despise those belonging to your tribe. Then your light will open early, and your healing will soon shine forth. And your righteousness will come before you, and the glory of God will embrace you. Then you will cry, and the Lord will hear you, and while I am still speaking to you, He will say: Behold, I have come. Then your light will shine in the darkness, and your darkness will be like the noonday, and your God will be with you always: and you will be satisfied as your soul desires” (Isaiah 58:6-11). You see that when we free our hearts from every union of untruth and from the tangle of insults perceived in memory, in order to do good to our neighbor with all our souls, then we will be enlightened by the light of divine knowledge, we will get rid of vile disturbances, we will be filled with all virtue, we will shine with the glory of God and we will be freed from all foolishness; in prayer we will soon be heard, we will constantly have God with us, and every desire of ours will be heard by Him. Let us love one another and be loved by God; Let us show our patience to our neighbors, and God will show His for our sins. Let us not repay evil for evil, and we will not accept retribution for our sins: for we find forgiveness of our sins in the forgiveness of our brothers, and God’s mercy towards us is hidden in our mercy towards our neighbors. Therefore, the Lord said: “forgive, and it will be forgiven to you” (Luke 6:37), “and if you forgive men their sins, your heavenly Father will also forgive you” (Matthew 6:14). And again: “Blesseds of mercy, for there will be mercy; "When you measure, it will be measured back to you" (Matthew 5:7, 7:2). “So the Lord gave us the image of accomplishing salvation, and gave us the area to be a child of God, so that after this our salvation is already laid down in our very will. And so let us surrender ourselves completely to the Lord, in order to mutually accept Him Himself completely. And we will be deified through Him; for He became man, being by nature God and Lord. We will hear His word, and He will easily defeat our enemies. “If my people,” He said, “had listened to me, if Israel had walked on my journey, he would have humbled his enemies for nothing, and laid my hand on those who insulted them” (Psalm 80:14-15). “Let us place all our trust in Him alone, and we will cast all our sorrow upon Him, and He will deliver us from all sorrow and will nourish us throughout our entire lives.” We will love all people from the heart, and we will not rely on any of the people: for as long as the Lord protects us, our friends all love us and our enemies all lose the power to harm us. If the Lord leaves us soon, then there are no friends for us who would not harm us, and all enemies arm themselves against us and act. And truly, he who trusts in himself falls terribly; “Fear the Lord, he will be exalted.” And therefore David said: “I do not trust in my bow, and my sword will not save me; For thou hast saved us from those who oppress us, and thou hast put to shame those who hate us” (Psalm 43:7–8). We will not tolerate thoughts that diminish our sins and soothe us with the remission of sins. As long as our mind is outraged by sin, we cannot hope for forgiveness, for we have not yet produced fruits worthy of repentance. The fruit of repentance is dispassion of the soul, and dispassion is the cleansing of sins. You might be interested in: