Two books about repentance

In two books “On Repentance” (388) St. Ambrose of Milan expounds church teaching on repentance and forgiveness of sins. The Novatians understood the Church as a society exclusively of saints and did not allow leniency towards human weaknesses. The saint refutes their opinion that there is no forgiveness for especially serious sins, and proves that eternal life is promised not only to those who always keep the commandments of the Lord, “but also whoever, after the fall, will also keep them.” St. Ambrose gives pastoral and ecclesiological arguments against this approach to the sacrament of repentance, basing his polemics on the texts of Holy Scripture: 1. Hereditary sin is transmitted from parents to children in the very act of human conception: “For we are all born under sin, and our very birth is in sin, as David says: I was conceived in iniquity, and in sin my mother gave birth to me” (Book 1, chapter 3). 2. Although Christ took on our human flesh, His flesh had no blemish, otherwise He could not have saved other people from sin. The Savior, born of the Immaculate Virgin, was not involved in original sin, which, according to the saint, is transmitted through the act of conception (Book 1, chapter 3; Book 2, chapter 2). St. Ambrose says that the Lord offers Himself to the devil as a ransom for all people who, since the Fall, have become his debtors. 3. The Church founded by Christ Himself is a single meeting of all believers, both saints and sinners, striving for repentance and healing (Book 1, Chapter 7). The Church is the Body of Christ. Just as a body consists of different members and at the same time remains a single organism, so in the church body each of the members, no matter how small and insignificant it may be, is necessary for the entire church organism. By accepting the fallen through the sacrament of Repentance, the Church does not become defiled, but empathizes and prays for sinners. 4. Priests have the power to forgive sins, since the priestly office is a gift of the Holy Spirit, and “he who received the Holy Spirit received the power to forgive and forgive sins.” Heretics, not having a legal hierarchy, do not have the same right, as well as the right to perform the sacraments in general (Book 1, Chapter 2). 5. A person’s salvation depends not so much on his merits, but is accomplished freely, by virtue of Divine predestination. In addition to faith, God requires the believer to be diligent in matters of repentance and mercy (Book 2, chapter 9). There is no sin that God cannot forgive, but varying severity of sins requires varying degrees of repentance. St. Ambrose urges not to put off repentance: “The Lord himself exhorted those who put off repentance, saying: Repent, for the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand. We don’t know at what hour the thief will come, we don’t know whether our soul will be plucked out that night” (Book 2, Chapter 11). *The title of the work in Latin is De paenitentia. Contents Book 1 Chapter 1. Praise of moderation Chapter 2. That the Novatians excommunicate the fallen is not in accordance with either Scripture or their own teaching Chapter 3. The holy teacher refutes the opinion of the Novatians, who claim that serious criminals should not be forgiven Chapter 4. Proves by the Gospel word that Divine mercy is greater than His wrath. And those who renounced Christ before men should not be revered as all one, which is explained by the example of the fighters Chapter 5. Answers the assertion of the heretics, based on the fact that God is unchangeable Chapter 6. Since the Novatians do not allow sinners to the Supper of Christ, they are imitators not of the pious Samaritan, but of the proud lawyer Chapter 7. Proves that the Novatians cannot take part in the Supper of Christ Chapter 8. The Novatians convict themselves by laying on hands and performing baptism: for sins are forgiven equally in baptism as in repentance Chapter 9. Explains the following words of Holy Scripture: if a person sins against the Lord, who will intercede for him? And, citing other places, he proves that these words do not mean that no one should pray for such a sinner, but one must only look for a worthy prayer book, such as Moses and Jeremiah were, for the sake of whose prayers God forgave the people of Israel Chapter 10. Shows that Saint John does not completely prohibit praying for those who have committed a mortal sin Chapter 11. The mentioned words of John are explained by his other testimony, by which salvation is promised to those who believe in Christ Chapter 11. 12. Proves in the words of the Evangelist John that life is promised not only to those who always keep the commandments of the Lord, but who, even after the fall, will also keep them Chapter 13. Proves in the words of the Apostle Paul that those who have committed any mortal sin should not be abandoned, but given over to repentance Chapter 14. The serpent eats the flesh handed over to Satan for torture when the soul is alien to carnal passions Chapter 15. Explains what it means to come with a club or with a spirit of meekness Chapter 16. The Novatians place themselves on an equal footing with the apostle, and how well the word of the Lord suits them: You do not know what kind of spirit you are Chapter 17. Severity must be softened by piety: as the Apostle Paul acted in Corinth Book 2 Chapter 1. Saint Ambrose urges to bring repentance in advance Chapter 2. Explains the apostolic words proposed by heretics as an objection to repentance Chapter 3. Saint Ambrose confirms his first decision with the Gospel parable of the Prodigal Son Chapter 4. Another objection, taken from blasphemy against the Holy Spirit, is addressed against the Novatians themselves and proves that behind such blasphemy it is necessary to recognize the wrong faith Chapter 5. The objection of opponents is refuted that the Apostle Peter did not directly promise forgiveness to Simon the Magus Chapter 6. Calls for repentance to those who have abandoned faith and integrity and teaches what they should expect from God and what they themselves should do Chapter 7. Calls for mourning and confession of sins, assuring that Christ is the tears of a sinner and the Church is encouraged to forgive, which is proven by the example of the resurrected Lazarus Chapter 8. First he calls for confession and tears, and then turns his speech to himself Chapter 9. In what sense is faith needed for repentance, and what is needed for this? Chapter 10. Explains how to repent. Chapter 11. Convinces not to delay repentance. Chapter 1. Praise of Temperance How necessary this virtue is is best demonstrated by the example of the love and meekness of the Lord. But since the Novatians abandoned this virtue, they cannot be called disciples of Christ: which is why their pride and unmercifulness are aggravated. When the purpose of virtues is primarily to see the benefit of many, then moderation is considered the most graceful of all virtues: for it does not cause offense to those whom it condemns and makes those condemned worthy of forgiveness. She alone spread the Church, redeemed by the blood of Christ, establishing the saving goal of redemption so that it would be bearable to human ears, pleasing to thoughts and not disgusting to hearts. For whoever tries to correct the vices of human weakness must hold this very weakness on his own shoulders and, as it were, weigh it, and not reject it. For we read that the Gospel shepherd laid the lost sheep on his shoulders and did not abandon it. And Solomon says: Do not be too strict, because truth must be softened by moderation. Will someone whom you hate and who thinks that the doctor will neglect him rather than regret him, trust you to treat himself? Why did the Lord Jesus have compassion on us - let him not frighten us, but call us to Himself. He came meek and humble. Come,” he says, “to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.” So, the Lord Jesus reassures, and does not expel and reject: and he rightly chose such disciples who, preaching the will of the Lord, would gather the people of God, and would not reject. Therefore, we should not consider as disciples of Christ those who, instead of meekness, breathe cruelty and instead of humility are clothed with pride, and themselves, seeking Divine mercy for themselves, deny it for others, like the Novatian teachers who call themselves pure. What could be prouder than these, if the Scripture says: Who will be born clean from an unclean? None. If the days are determined for him. And David exclaims: Blot out my iniquities? Or are they holier than David, from whose line Christ chose to be incarnate in the Virgin’s womb? What cruelty is that, while commanding repentance, they do not want to make it easier! For it is not for the sake of forgiveness that the incentive to repentance is taken away. Because no one can repent unless he is sure of mercy and forgiveness. Chapter 2. That the Novatians excommunicate the fallen is not in accordance with either Scripture or their own teaching. But the Novatians argue that those who have fallen into sin should not be accepted into the community of the Church. If they excluded one sacrilege and did not give forgiveness for that, then although this is merciless and contrary to Divine intention, however, there would be no contradiction in their evidence. For the Lord, not excluding any sin, forgives everything. When they and the Stoics consider all sins to be one thing: and whoever kills a rooster or strangles his father is, in their opinion, equally unworthy of the heavenly sacraments - then how can they accept this, when they themselves cannot help but admit that it is unfair for the execution of the few to be extended to the many. But we pay respect to God, they say, by giving Him alone the power to forgive sins. However, on the contrary, no one offends Him so much as those who want to destroy His commands and not fulfill the assigned office. For the Lord himself said in the Gospel: Receive the Holy Spirit. Whose sins you forgive, they will be forgiven; On whomever you leave it, it will stay on it. So, who shows more honor to God - the one who obeys His commandments or the one who resists? In both cases, the Church remains obedient: for it both forsakes sin and forgives it. Heresy, on the contrary, is unmerciful in one way, and disobedient in another: it wants to leave what it does not let go; does not want to let go of what she left, for which she condemns herself with her own judgment. For the Lord equally allowed both to forgive sins and to forgive: why does he who does not have the power to forgive not have the power to forgive. Since, on the contrary, according to the word of the Lord, he who has the power to forgive also has the power to forgive, the Novatians refute themselves: for by denying the power of forgiveness, they must also deny the power of forsaking. How can one be permissible and the other not? To whom both possibilities are given, either both are permissible, or both are impermissible. Both are allowed to the Church, but heresies are not allowed, neither one nor the other: for this right is given only to priests. Why does the Church, which has true priests, rightly appropriate this to itself, but heresy, not having priests of God, cannot appropriate this to itself? From this it is clear that she, not having priests, should not assign to herself the priestly right. And so they are forced to confess with shame in their shameless stubbornness. We must also take into consideration the fact that he who received the Holy Spirit also received the power to forgive and forgive sins. For it is written: Receive the Holy Spirit. Whose sins you forgive, they will be forgiven; On whomever you leave it, it will stay on it. Why does he who cannot forgive sins not have the Holy Spirit; the gift of the Holy Spirit is a priestly office, but the right of the Holy Spirit is to forgive and forgive sins; so why do they arrogate to themselves the position of one whose power they doubt? The Spirit of God is more inclined to mercy than to cruelty; but in their fury they do not want what the latter wants; and what, on the contrary, they don’t want, they do; for to take revenge is the work of a judge, but to let go is the work of one filled with mercy. Therefore, O Novatian, it would be better for you to let go than to bind: for you would do one thing as if not allowing you to sin, and the other out of regret. Chapter 3. The Holy Teacher refutes the opinion of the Novatians, who claim that serious criminals should not be forgiven But, they say, excluding grave sins, we give forgiveness. The culprit of your error - Novatian - taught, on the contrary, that no one should be given forgiveness: for what he himself cannot solve, he cannot unite, so that the union does not give hope for a solution. Why do you condemn your boss with your own opinion: for, distinguishing between sins, you determine which ones can be solved and which ones cannot. But God does not make divisions, Who promised His mercy to everyone and gave His priests, without any exception, the power to forgive sins. But only the one who has sinned a lot should also increase his repentance: for great crimes are washed away with great tears. So, Novatian is not praised, because he denies forgiveness for everyone; you, his imitators and blasphemers, are also unpraiseworthy; for you reduce the desire for repentance where it should increase: because, according to the teaching of Christ, the gravest sins must be supported by the strongest support. How great is the corruption in the fact that you appropriate to yourself such sins that can be forgiven, but leave to God what is impossible! This is nothing more than choosing your own reasons for forgiveness, while leaving God the opportunity for rage and cruelty. But you have forgotten the apostolic words: God is faithful, but every man is a liar, as it is written: You are righteous in your words and you will be victorious in your judgment. So, let us recognize a God inclined more towards mercy than towards cruelty, as He says about Himself: I want mercy, not sacrifice. Can your sacrifice be acceptable to God if you deny mercy, and He Himself says: I do not want the death of a dying person, says the Lord God; but turn and live! The Apostle, interpreting these words, says: God sent His Son in the likeness of sinful flesh as a sacrifice for sin, and condemned sin in the flesh, so that the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us. Here the Apostle does not speak about the likeness of flesh, for Christ took on true flesh, nor does he speak about the likeness of sin, for he did not create sin, but sin was upon us: but he came in the likeness of sin, that is, he accepted the likeness of sinful flesh: likeness, for it is written: The heart is deceitful above all things and desperately wicked; who recognizes him? Man was in the flesh and knowable by humanity; Our flesh has a power higher than man and is unknowable, but does not have its vices. For not as a simple man, he was born not from a mixture of male and female, but from the Holy Spirit, and from the Virgin he received most pure flesh. For we are all born under sin, and our very birth is in sin, as David says: I was conceived in iniquity, and in sin my mother gave birth to me. Why was Pavlov’s flesh the body of death, as he himself says: who will deliver me from this body of death? Christ’s flesh condemned sin, which He did not feel at birth, but nailed it to the cross through death, so that in our flesh there would be justification through grace, where previously there was sin through crime. What can we say to this except these apostolic words: If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare His own Son, but gave him up for us all, how will He not with Him also freely give us all things? Who will accuse God's elect? God justifies them. Who is judging? Christ Jesus died, but also rose again: He is also at the right hand of God, and He intercedes for us. And so, for whom Christ intercedes, those Novatian accuses. Those whom Christ redeemed for salvation, Novatian condemns to death. To whom Christ says: Take My yoke upon you, and learn from Me: for I am meek, Novatian, on the contrary, shouts: I am not meek. To whom Christ says: And you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light; on those Novatian imposes a heavy burden and a cruel yoke. Chapter 4. Proves by the Gospel word that Divine mercy is greater than His wrath. And those who renounce Christ before people should not be revered as all one, which explains the example of fighters Although this is enough to prove how merciful the Lord Jesus is, let Him Himself teach you, saying: And do not be afraid of those who kill the body but are not able to kill the soul; but fear more than that, who can destroy both soul and body in Gehenna. And below: Whoever confesses Me before men, him will I also confess before My Father in heaven; But whoever denies Me before men, him will I also deny before My Father in heaven. Where he confesses, he confesses and accepts everyone; where he denies - he does not deny everyone, as it is written: Whoever confesses Me, him I will also confess, that is, everyone: everyone; why it was necessary to say: whoever denies Me before people, I will also deny him. From this it is clear that God promises His grace to everyone, but does not threaten everyone with execution and His mercy increases, but His vengeance decreases. And this is written not only in Matthew, but also in Luke, so that you know that this is not mentioned in vain. “Everyone,” he says, “who confesses Me, that is, whoever confesses Me, no matter what his life and no matter his condition, will have Me as a rewarder for his confession. When it says everyone, then no one who confesses is excluded from retribution. But not in the same way, everyone who rejects will be rejected, for it may happen that another, being overcome by torment, rejects God in word, but worships Him in his heart. Or is it all the same whether someone voluntarily rejects God or does it driven by torment and not by will? If people can distinguish between deeds, then can’t God? For it often happens in the exploits of this century that the vanquished are crowned by the people together with the victors, when their exploits were already known before, and especially when they see them not having achieved victory because of deceit and flattery: will Christ then leave without forgiveness, seeing His ascetics somewhat succumbing to torment? Chapter 5. Replies to the Heretics' Claim that God is Unchangeable This, they say, we affirm in order not to make God subject to change if He forgives those who have angered Him. For this purpose, will we reject the Divine sayings and follow their opinions? We must reason about God according to His own sayings, and not according to others. Thus we read in the prophet Hosea that God is lenient towards those whom He previously threatened in anger. What, he writes, will I do to you, Ephraim? What can I do to you, Judas? Your piety is like the morning mist and like the dew that quickly disappears. And below: What will I do with you, Ephraim? How can I betray you, Israel? Will I do to you as I did to Adam, will I do to you what I did to him? In the very anger of our fathers we are motivated by love, as if he doubts how to put the lost one to death: although the Jew is worthy of it, God still reasons with Himself. Will I do to you as I did to Adam, will I do to you what I did to him? - two cities that were close to Sodom were equally subject to destruction. “My heart has turned,” he says, “in me, all my pity has kindled.” According to the fury of My wrath I will not destroy Ephraim. Do we not see that the Lord Jesus is angry with us who sin, in order to convert us through the fear of His anger? Therefore, His anger is more an act of decision than of execution of vengeance, as the Lord himself says: by remaining in place and at rest, you would be saved. He waits for our temporary groans in order to deliver us from the eternal ones: he waits for our tears in order to pour out His mercy. So in the Gospel, prompted by the tears of a certain widow, he raised her son. He is waiting for our conversion, so that He Himself may turn from anger to the giving of grace, which would always remain in us if we had not fallen. But since we bring wrath upon ourselves by our sins, it grieves us so that we humble ourselves and, by humbling ourselves, become worthy of pardon rather than execution. Let the prophet Jeremiah teach you by saying: For the Lord does not leave forever. But He sent grief, and He will have mercy according to His great goodness. For it is not according to the will of His heart that He punishes and grieves the sons of men. From this and other places we see that the Lord humbles under His feet all those bound to the earth, so that we may escape His judgment. But He who raises the poor from the dust and raises the needy from clay does not humble the sinner with all his heart. If he does not humble every sinner with all his heart, then much less does he not with all his heart punish him who also has not sinned with all his heart. For as it was said about the Jews: this people draws near to Me with their lips, and honors Me with their lips; but their heart is far from Me, then perhaps they will say about some of the fallen: these have rejected Me with their lips, but with Me in their hearts; for although they were overcome by torment, they did not bow to unbelief. Therefore, it is in vain that some do not forgive those whose faith is known to the persecutor himself, so that he tries to destroy it with torture. Such people were rejected once, but they confess every day: they were rejected in word, but they confess with groans, crying and tears, they confess with a free, unconstrained voice. Although they gave in to the devil’s temptation for a while, the devil himself later retreated from them, not having the power to appropriate them to himself; I gave in to their crying, I gave in to repentance. This is similar to when someone leads a captive people: they lead a captive, but under duress; goes to a foreign land out of need, but internally carries the fatherland with him and seeks a way to return. When such a captive returns, then who will not receive him? Of course, everyone, although with less honor, but with great zeal, so that the enemy does not have the opportunity to abuse him in any way. If you are lenient towards an armed man who could fight, then why don’t you forgive him in whom the same faith fought? If we examine the thoughts of the devil himself about such fallen ones, then, of course, we will find that he says the same about them: these people honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me. For he who has not departed from Christ cannot be with me: in vain do those who keep the teaching of Christ pretend to honor me. In fact, Christ is more glorified in such people when he accepts their return. All the angels rejoice, for in heaven there will be more joy over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous people who do not need to repent. Christ loses nothing when someone turns to the Church with zeal. Chapter 6. Since the Novatians do not admit sinners to Christ's Supper, they are imitators not of the pious Samaritan, but of the proud lawyer Do you Novatians exclude such people? But what does it mean to exclude, if not to take away the hope of forgiveness? The Samaritan did not pass by the half-dead man left by the robbers: but he poured oil and wine on his wounds and put him on his cattle, on which he carried all his sins. The shepherd also did not neglect the lost sheep. You say: don't touch me. And, wanting to justify yourself, say: this is not our neighbor. And thereby you show yourself to be prouder than this lawyer, who, wanting to tempt Christ, said: who is my neighbor? The lawyer asks, you, like this priest descending and the Levite passing by, reject those whom you should have received into the inn and whom Christ commands you to treat as neighbors with mercy. For they are your neighbors and are united to you by a similar nature and compassion. But you are alienated from them through your pride, puffed up by the spirit of the flesh, and do not use your reason: for if you used your reason, you would find that every body grows by union rather than by separation; then they would see that it is not right to abandon the one for whom Christ died. When you take away all the fruit of repentance, what else do you say except the following: let none of the sick enter our inn; no one comes to our Church? We don’t treat patients; we are healthy, we have no need of a doctor: It is not the healthy who need the doctor, but the sick. Chapter 7. Proves that the Novatians cannot take part in the Supper of Christ I, Lord Jesus, have come entirely to Thy Church, while Novatian refuses. Novatian says: I bought five pairs of oxen. He does not accept the good yoke of Christ and imposes on himself a heavy and unbearable burden. Novatian detained and killed Your servants, from whom He was called, and desecrated them with a second baptism. So, go to the crossroads and gather the good and the evil; Bring into Your Church the weak and the blind and the lame, so that Your house may be filled: Bring everyone to Your Supper: for he who is called by You and who obeys will be worthy; he is rejected who does not have the wedding garment, that is, the garment of love and the covering of grace. Your Church does not refuse Your Supper; only Novatian refuses. Your chosen race does not say: I am healthy, I do not require a doctor; but he cries: Heal me, Lord, and I will be healed; save me, and I will be saved. Your Church is represented in that woman who came up from behind and touched the hem of Your robe, saying to herself: If I only touch His robe, I will be healed. This Church acknowledges its wounds and desires to be healed. You, Lord, want to heal everyone, but not everyone wants to be healed. Novatian, who considers himself healthy, does not want this. You, Lord, call Yourself sick and feel our weakness, exclaiming: I was sick, and you visited Me. Novatian does not want to visit the low and vile one in whom you wish to be visited. You say to Peter, who is apologizing for washing his feet: If I do not wash you, you have no honor with Me. However, what relation can those who do not accept the keys of the Kingdom have to You, claiming that they should not be absolved of their sins? And rightly they say this about themselves: for those who do not have the throne of Peter and wickedly tear it apart do not have the inheritance of Petrov. But they are not excusable in that even in the Church they do not allow forgiveness of sins; for it was said to Peter: And I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven; and whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven; and whatever you permit on earth will be permitted in heaven. The vessel chosen by God also says: And whomsoever ye forgive in any way, I also forgive: for I also. If I forgave anyone for anything, I forgave it for you on behalf of Christ. For why do they read Paul when they attribute to him the error of taking upon himself the right of his Lord? But Paul appropriated to himself what he received, and what did not belong to him he did not use. Chapter 8. The Novatians convict themselves by laying on hands and performing baptism: for sins are remitted equally in baptism as in repentance The Lord wants His disciples to be powerful, He wants His servants to do in His name what He Himself did while on earth. Gave them the power to raise the dead. He Himself could have restored Saul’s sight, but He sent him to Ananias, His disciple, so that Saul’s eyes could see with his blessing. He commanded Peter to walk with Him on the sea, and when Peter doubted, he immediately reprimanded him that he had diminished the gift of grace by his lack of faith. He also granted to the disciples that they might be the light of the world through grace, although He Himself was the light of the world. And since he came down from heaven and ascended into heaven, he took Elijah into heaven, whom he would return to earth again in due time. Having carried out the baptism with the Holy Spirit and fire, through John he introduced the sacrament of baptism. He gave everything to His disciples, saying: In My name they will cast out demons; they will speak in new tongues; they will take snakes; and if they drink anything deadly, it will not harm them; They will lay hands on the sick, and they will recover. And so he gave them everything, but it was not human power that acted, but God’s grace. Why do you lay hands and count it as an act of blessing if a sick person happens to recover? Why do you think it is possible for someone to be cleansed from the devil’s filth through you? Why do you baptize if sins cannot be forgiven through a person? In baptism, forgiveness of all sins is granted: then what difference does it make whether through repentance or through baptism priests appropriate this right to themselves? In both cases, one thing is a sacrament. But you say that in baptism, mysterious grace acts. What about repentance? Isn’t it the same name of God that works? You appropriate God's grace to yourself wherever you want and reject it wherever you want. But it is a matter of pride, and not holy fear, that you reject those who want to repent. Of course, you cannot bear the tears of those who cry; It’s unbearable for your proud eyes to look at the rags and scabs; you indignantly refuse, saying: do not touch me, for I am pure. Although the Lord said to Mary Magdalene: do not touch me: but he did not say, for I am pure, although I was the purest. But you, Novatian, dare to call yourself pure, who, even if you were pure in your deeds, would become unclean with this single word. Isaiah says: Woe is me! I'm dead! For I am a man of unclean lips, and I live among a people also of unclean lips. You call yourself clean, although, according to Scripture, even a single day a baby is unclean. David says: cleanse me from my sin, although the grace of the Lord has often justified it as merciful. Are you pure when you are so unjust that you show no mercy and, seeing the speck in your brother’s eye, do not consider the beam? For everyone who is wicked is unclean before God. What could be more unfair than the fact that you wish for remission of sins for yourself, but do not grant it to the one who asks? What could be more unfair than that you justify yourself in what you condemn others for, although you act truly? Lord Jesus to the words of John: I need to be baptized by You, and are You coming to me? answered; leave it now: for thus it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness. The Lord came to the sinner without having any sin; wanted to be baptized, which does not require cleansing: so who can tolerate you, who consider it unnecessary to cleanse yourself through repentance? When you, in your opinion, are cleansed through grace, is it as if it is no longer possible for you to sin? Chapter 9. Explains the following words of Holy Scripture: if a person sins against the Lord, then who will intercede for him? And, citing other passages, he proves that these words do not mean that no one should pray for such a sinner, but one must only look for a worthy prayer book, such as Moses and Jeremiah were, for the sake of whose prayers God forgave the people of Israel But say, it is written: If man sins against man, they will pray to God for him; If a person sins against the Lord, then who will intercede for him? I would have tolerated this opposition of yours in some way if you had not relaxed repentance for only serious criminals; However, in response I will tell you: what doubt does this question raise in you? For it is not written: no one will pray for him, but who will pray: that is, the question is asked who in this case can pray. The psalmist exclaims: Lord, who can dwell in Your habitation? who can dwell on Your holy mountain? However, from these words it cannot be concluded that no one will dwell: the pious and chosen will dwell. To prove this justice, David exclaims in another psalm: who can dwell in Your dwelling? who can dwell on Your holy mountain? that is, not an ordinary person from the people, but of special merit and excellent honesty. And so that you know that this word who does not mean no one, then David said: who will ascend to the mountain of the Lord? He immediately adds: he who walks blamelessly, and does righteousness, and speaks the truth in his heart. And in another place it is written: who is wise to understand this? However, this does not mean that no one will understand this. The Gospel also says: who is the faithful and prudent steward whom the master has appointed over his servants to distribute to them a measure of bread in due season? And after this it is immediately added: blessed is that servant whom his master, when he comes, finds doing so. In a similar sense, we must take the following words: who will intercede for him? that is, of course, to have an excellent life, a person must pray to the Lord for those who have sinned. The bigger the crime, the more help is required. For not just anyone, but Moses prayed for the Jewish people when he, having forgotten faith, worshiped the calf. Did Moses make a mistake in this? Of course, he did not sin, for his request was fulfilled. And what could Moses’ zeal not ask for when, interceding for the people, he cried out to God: Forgive them their sin. But if not, then blot me out from Your book in which You have written. You see that Moses is not afraid to irritate God (which Novatian fears), but, as if forgetting himself and remembering only the people, he asked for their deliverance. So, it is rightly written: who will intercede for him? Such as Moses was, who interceded for those who sinned; what was Jeremiah, to whom, although it was said from God: do not ask for this people, and do not offer prayers and petitions for them, and do not intercede before Me, yet he prayed and asked for forgiveness. The Lord bowed down thanks to the request of such a great prophet and to the pardon of Jerusalem; for this city also brought repentance for its sins, exclaiming: Lord Almighty, God of Israel! the oppressed soul and the despondent spirit cry out to You: hear, O Lord, and have mercy. God, hearing this prayer, mercifully says: Jerusalem! take off the garment of your weeping and bitterness, and put on the splendor of glory from God forever. Chapter 10. Shows that Saint John does not completely prohibit praying for those who have committed a mortal sin Such prayer books are needed in case of great sins: for not every simple person’s prayer will be heard. It doesn’t matter the opposition that you make from the following words of John: If anyone sees his brother sinning a sin that does not lead to death, let him pray, and God will give him life, that is, he who sins a sin that does not lead to death. There is a sin leading to death: I’m not talking about praying. All untruth is sin; but there is a sin that does not lead to death. For John did not say this to Moses and Jeremiah, but to the people who had to use another prayer book for their sins, for whom it is enough to pray to God for the lightest crimes, and leave the gravest ones to the prayers of the righteous. John knew that even in the case of serious crimes, the prayers of Moses and Jeremiah were heard. And how could he say that one should not pray for mortal sin, when he himself ordered the opposite in the Apocalypse to the Angel of the Church of Pergamon: But I have a few things against you: because you have there those who hold the teachings of Balaam, who taught Balak to lead the children of Israel into temptation, so that they would eat things sacrificed to idols and commit fornication. So you also have those who hold the doctrine of the Nicolaitans, which I hate. Repent; and if not so, I will soon come to you and fight with them with the sword of My mouth. You see that God, who demands repentance, also promises forgiveness. for he cries: He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches: To him who overcomes I will give to eat of the tree of life. Didn’t John know that Saint Stephen prayed for his persecutors, who could not tolerate the name of Christ, and for those very ones who stoned him, he cried out to God: Lord, do not impute this sin to them. We see the effect of this prayer on the Apostle Paul himself: who kept the clothes of those beating Stephen, immediately afterwards, through the grace of Christ, became an apostle, having previously been a persecutor. Chapter 11. The mentioned words of John are explained by his other testimony, which promises salvation to those who believe in Christ Speaking about the conciliar letter of John, we will examine whether what he wrote in the Gospel is similar to your interpretation. Thus, he writes, God loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, so that whoever believes in Him should not perish, but have eternal life. When you want to restore the fallen, then, of course, you exhort him to believe, and not not to believe. But the believer, according to the Lord, will have eternal life. So, how do you forbid praying for someone who has eternal life? Faith is a gift of God's grace, as the Apostle teaches, saying: to another faith is by the same Spirit; and the disciples cry to the Lord: increase our faith. So whoever has faith has life; and whoever has life is not excluded from forgiveness. Everyone, he says, who believes in Him will not perish. Thanks to this word: everyone - no one is excluded: therefore, the fallen is not excluded, if only he believes. It is known that many corrected themselves after their fall and suffered for the name of God: is it possible to exclude them from the number of martyrs when the Lord Himself did not exclude them? Do we dare to say that life was not given to them when Christ himself crowned them? Just as after the fall many receive a crown back for suffering, so for faith faith is returned, which is the gift of God, as it is written: because it has been given to you for Christ’s sake not only to believe in Him, but also to suffer for Him. But whoever has the gift of God, can he not have forgiveness? But grace is twofold: grace to believe and grace to suffer for the Lord Jesus. Therefore the believer has his grace; He also has another if his faith is crowned with suffering. For Peter, before he suffered, was not without grace, but after suffering he acquired another. And many who did not have the grace to suffer for Jesus, however, had the grace to believe in Him. And for this it is written: whoever believes in Him will not perish. Anyone, that is, no matter what state he may be and no matter what fall he may be subject to, but if he believes, let him not fear destruction. For it may happen that this evangelical Samaritan, the guardian of our souls (for the Samaritan is interpreted as a guardian) will find him descending from Jerusalem to Jericho, that is, having abandoned the martyrdom and clinging again to the sweets of the age, those who suffered from robbers or from persecutors and were left half dead, and, having shown mercy to him, will heal him. The Samaritan does not pass him by, perhaps because he recognizes in him some capacity for life. Isn't the fallen half-dead if faith in him promises life? For whoever has denied God with all his heart is dead. Whoever for the sake of torment denied Him for a while is half dead. But when he is dead, why do you order him to repent if he can no longer be cured? If someone is half dead, then pour on oil and wine, so that together they soften and strengthen. Place him on your cattle, entrust him to the innkeeper, give him two pieces of silver to heal him, be his neighbor. You cannot be a neighbor if you do not show mercy: because a neighbor is someone who heals and does not kill. If you want to be called your neighbor, Christ tells you: go and do the same. Chapter 12. Proves in the words of the Evangelist John that life is promised not only to those who always keep the commandments of the Lord, but who, even after the fall, will also keep them Let us take into our consideration other similar words of John: “He who believes in the Son has eternal life; but he who does not believe in the Son will not see life, but the wrath of God remains on him”: and what remains, then, of course, has already begun and began from any sin, due to previous unbelief. But as soon as someone believes, the wrath of God recedes, and life takes its place. Therefore, to believe in Christ is to gain life: for he who believes in the Son will not be condemned. But he who believes in Christ, they say, must keep His words; for the Lord says: I have come as light into the world, so that whoever believes in Me should not remain in darkness. And if anyone hears My words and does not believe, I do not judge him. Christ does not judge, but you judge. He says: so that everyone who believes in me does not remain in darkness, that is, even if he was in darkness, let him not remain in it, let him correct his sin and keep My commandments. For I said: I do not want the death of the sinner, but that the sinner should turn from his way and live. I said: He who believes in Me is not condemned: for God did not send Me to judge the world, but may the world be saved by Me. I forgive willingly, I quickly bow to mercy; for I want mercy, not sacrifice: sacrifice brings praise to the righteous, but mercy redeems the sinner. For I came not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance. Sacrifice is in the law, but in the Gospel there is mercy: the law was given through Moses, and through Me grace. He says: He who rejects Me and does not accept My words has a judge for himself. But does one who does not correct himself accept the words of Christ? Of course he doesn't accept it. So, he who corrects himself accepts His word; for His word is, that every one should forsake his sins. Therefore, you must either forget these words or accept them. But the commandments of the Lord must also be kept by those who have stopped sinning. So, you should apply these words not to the one who always keeps the commandments, but who, having heard the words of the Lord, corrects himself and keeps them. How unjust it is to put someone to eternal punishment who does not immediately keep the commandments of the Lord, let him teach you not to take away forgiveness even from those who do not keep his commandments, as we read in the psalms: if they violate my statutes and do not keep my commandments, I will strike their iniquity with a rod, and their iniquity with blows; But I will not take My mercy away from him, and I will not change My truth. So, mercy is promised to everyone. But this mercy is not without some meaning: there is a difference between those who always obey heavenly commands and those who once fell, either by mistake or by necessity. But lest you think that we are giving you our own evidence, listen to the reasoning of Christ Himself, who says: That servant who knew the will of his master, and was not ready, and did not do according to his will, will be beaten a lot. But whoever did not know and did something worthy of punishment will receive less punishment. So both will be accepted if they only believe. For the Lord punishes whomever he loves; he beats every son whom he receives. He does not put to death whomever he punishes; for it is written: The Lord punished me severely, but did not put me to death. Chapter 13. Proves in the words of the Apostle Paul that those who have committed any mortal sin should not be abandoned, but given over to repentance Saint Paul teaches that one should not abandon those who have committed any mortal sin, but even more so hold them with the bread of tears, so that, moreover, the sorrow will be moderate; for this means: he watered them with tears, in great measure: so that the repentant from excessive sadness would not fall into despair, as the same apostle says in another place: what do you want? Will I come to you with a club, or with love and a spirit of meekness? But not even the club is painful, for it is written: you will punish him with a rod, and you will save his soul from hell. What does it mean to come with a club, the apostle teaches this, angry at adultery, condemning incest and pride, which were filled with those for whom it was especially fitting to cry; also condemning the guilty person so that he would be cast out from society and handed over to Satan for the destruction of the flesh and not the spirit. Just as the Lord did not give the devil power over the soul of Saint Job, but only over his flesh, so he surrenders to Satan for the destruction of the flesh; they will lick the dust like a snake, but will not harm the soul. So, let our flesh die by its passions and lusts, let it be overcome, and not resist the law of our mind, just as Paul killed and enslaved his body, so that his preaching would be more useful if the law of the flesh agreed with the law of the mind. For the flesh is mortified when its wisdom passes into the spirit, when we think not in a carnal way, but in a spiritual way. Oh, would that the strength of my flesh would weaken and would not drag me as a captive to the law of sin! Oh, that I would not live in the flesh, but in the faith of Christ! And for this reason there is greater grace in the weakness of the flesh than in salvation. Although God loved Paul very much, he did not want to deliver him from the weakness of the flesh, and answered him when he asked: My grace is sufficient for you; for My power is made perfect in weakness. And Paul himself was more pleased about his weaknesses, saying: when I am weak, then I am strong: for the strength of the soul is made perfect by the weakness of the flesh. Having explained Paul's opinion, let us consider his words, in what sense he said: hand over to Satan for the destruction of the flesh; for our tempter is the devil, who inflicts weakness on every member and arouses sorrow throughout the whole body. He struck Saint Job with fierce pus from his feet even to his head, for the power was given to him from the Lord to exhaust his flesh: behold, he is in your hand, it is said, just save his soul. The Apostle Paul explained this in almost the same words, commanding such a person to be handed over to Satan for the destruction of the flesh, so that the spirit would be saved in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ. Great is this power, great is the grace that commands the devil to put himself to shame. For he disgraces himself when from a weak person he makes strong the one whom he tried to tempt: for, by weakening the flesh, he strengthens the spirit. Sorrow of the flesh drives away sin, but luxury multiplies it. So, the devil is deceived when he wounds himself with his torment, and whom he intended to bring into weakness he arms against himself. So Saint Job, when wounded, armed himself more: for being completely covered with scabs, although he suffered the devil’s torment, he did not feel the poison. Therefore it is beautifully said: Will you play with him like a bird, and tie him for your girls? You see how Paul dishonors the devil: how that prophetic youth lays his hand on his caves, and the serpent does not harm him: he snatches him out of his bed and from his poison makes a protective medicine: the poison serves to weaken the flesh, but the medicine serves to save the spirit: for what harms the body, benefits the spirit. So, let the serpent eat my dust, let him gnaw my flesh, let him crush my body, and let the Lord announce about me: behold, he is in your hand, just save his soul. The power of Christ is so great that it commands the devil himself, who always wants to harm, to protect man. Let us try to appease the Lord Jesus: the devil who commands Him himself becomes the guardian of his prey and, under compulsion, obeys heavenly commands; although filled with rage, he does not disobey a meek command. But why do I praise his obedience? May he be angry, and may God alone always be good, who turns his anger into grace for us. He wants to harm, but cannot, who opposes Christ, he wounds the flesh, but saves the soul; devours the dust, but leaves the spirit, as it is written in Isaiah: Then the wolf will live with the lamb, and the leopard will lie down with the kid; and the calf, and the young lion, and the ox will be together; and a little child will lead them; They will not do evil or harm in all My holy mountain. For the serpent is condemned to this: you will eat dust all the days of your life. What kind of land? Of course, the one about whom it is said: for dust you are, and to dust you will return. Chapter 14. The serpent eats the flesh, given over to Satan for torture, when the soul is alien to carnal passions The serpent eats the dust when the Lord Jesus shows us that mercy that the soul does not participate in bodily weakness, is not kindled by carnal lust. It is better to get married than to be kindled, for there is a flame that devours the insides. Therefore, let us not spread this fire in the depths of our spirit, let us not burn the clothing of the inner man, and let us not consume this outer garment of our soul and the veil of the flame of lust, but let us pass through the fire. Embraced by the flame of love, let him pass and disappear, let him not bind adulterous lust with the bonds of thoughts, let him not heed the beauty of a harlot’s wife, and let not even a maiden look at the face of a young man. If she catches it with a casual glance, she will be even more wounded if she looks at it with an attentive glance. Let the custom itself teach us: a wife covers her head for this purpose, so that her chastity will be preserved in public: let her face not meet the eyes of a young man, let her be covered with a wedding veil, so that even by chance meeting she will not hurt herself or another, but both are her ulcers. When he covers his head, let him not appear indiscriminately and let him not look without judgment; all the more should she cover herself with a veil of modesty. Although he sees with his eye, let him not listen with desire. There is no sin in seeing, but one must warn oneself, so that one does not become the beginning and the case for another. The carnal eye sees, but let the eyes of the heart close, so that the chastity of the spirit may remain unharmed. The Lord Himself shows condescension and teaches us, although the prophet calls: do not listen to a flattering woman; however, the Lord said: whoever looks at a woman with lust has already committed adultery with her in his heart. He did not say: whoever watches has already committed adultery; but: who looks at a woman with lust; why it is not the view that is forbidden, but the desire. However, modesty is also commendable, which, as it were, closes the eyes of the body, so that we often do not see what we are looking at. For although it seems that we see everything that we encounter, if there is no attention of the spirit, our vision is not real: why do we see more with the spirit than with the body. Although the flesh will receive fire, let it not transmit it to the hidden depths of our spirit. Let us not attach this fire to our bones, let us not impose bonds on ourselves; Let there be no such thing between our words from where the fire of adultery would ignite. The words of a maiden are bonds for a boy, and the words of a boy are bonds of love. Joseph saw this fire when the lustful wife was talking to him, wanted to catch him with a word, and sent a snare of her mouth; but she could not entangle a chaste husband. Women's bonds were broken by the voice of modesty and significance, broken by precaution, fidelity and chastity. Since the shameless wife could not catch him with her nets, she used her hand and grabbed him by the clothes in order to seduce him all the more conveniently. The conversation of an insolent wife is a net of lust, her hands are a knot of love; but the chaste spirit was not caught in the net, nor was it caught in a knot. The clothes are thrown, the knot is untied; Since he did not let fire into the depths of his thoughts, he did not burn his body. You see that our soul is the author of sin; why the flesh is innocent, but for the most part follows him; and for this purpose, let not the lust of kindness overcome you (Kindness is beauty (Church Slavic) - ed. "The ABCs of Faith"). Many snares are set by the devil. The eye of a harlot is the snare of a lover. And our own eyes are the same for us as some snares, and that is why it is written: let not you be caught by your eyes. So, we set nets for ourselves and, when we get entangled, we are caught. We bind ourselves with chains; for each binds himself with the bonds of sins. So, let us pass through the fire of youth, let us pass through the water, let us not remain in it, let us not be imprisoned by deep rivers. Let us move on even more so that we can say about ourselves: stormy waters would pass over our soul. For he who crosses is saved, as the Lord himself says: Whether you pass through the waters, I am with you; whether through the rivers, they will not drown you, and the prophet says: I saw the terrible wicked man, expanding like a rooted many-branched tree; but he passed, and behold, he was no more. Test the works of this age and see the fallen heights of the wicked. Moses also, crossing the rivers of this age, saw a great vision, saying: I will go and see this great vision. If Moses had been blinded by voluptuousness, he would not have been worthy to witness such sacraments. Therefore, we too will pass through this fire of lust, which St. Paul feared in his discussion of us. Having killed his body, he no longer had any fear in himself, which is why he tells us: Flee fornication. We must diligently observe that, when running away from it, we do not carry it within ourselves; for although sometimes we want to run away, if we do not completely drive him out of our thoughts, then in this case we feed him more than we leave him. Therefore let us pass, lest it be said to us: go into the flame of your fire, and the arrows that you have heated! For, as Solomon says: Can anyone take fire into his bosom, lest his robe be burned? Can anyone walk on burning coals without having their feet burned? Fire is unbearable and therefore let us not feed it with luxury. Lust is nourished by feasting and sweets, aroused by wine, and inflamed by drunkenness. More unbearable than that is the pressure of words, and it fills the spirit with some kind of wine from Sodom. However, let us also beware of excess wine; for when the flesh is intoxicated, then the spirit wavers and the heart is agitated. And therefore, in both cases, the admonition given to Timothy is useful: drink a little wine, for the sake of your stomach and your frequent ailments. The body emits steam when it is hot; when you become cold from the cold of illness, then your soul becomes cold; when your body is sick, at that time your thought is sad, but this sadness will change to joy. Therefore, do not be afraid when your flesh is destroyed, for your soul is not devoured. And for this reason, David, with a fearless spirit, looked at the fact that his flesh, and not his soul, was being destroyed by his enemies, as we read in the psalms: If evildoers, my adversaries and enemies come upon me to devour my flesh, then they themselves will stumble and fall. So, the serpent creates his own destruction and fall; and for this reason he who is exhausted from the world gives himself over to the serpent, so that he may restore the overthrown, and the fall of the serpent will be a restoration to man. Scripture shows that Satan is the cause of the weariness of the flesh, as Paul says: A thorn was given to me in the flesh, an angel of Satan to buffet me, so that I would not become arrogant. In this way Paul learned to heal, just as he himself was healed. Chapter 15 Explains what it means to come with a club or a spirit of meekness A good teacher, promising one of two things, fulfills both promises. He came with a club, because he had excommunicated the culprit from holy communion. He who separates himself from the body of Christ is rightly called devoted to Satan. He also came with love and a spirit of meekness; for he handed him over to Satan in order to save his spirit and, after excommunication, on the other hand, make him a communicant of the sacraments. And, of course, one who has fallen in grave sin should be excommunicated so that a little kvass does not damage the entire mixture; The old leaven must be cleansed and the old man must be stripped of his deeds. It is necessary, I say, to be purified, and not completely rejected; for what is purified is not considered useless, because for this purpose it is purified, in order to separate the useful from the unprofitable; what is thrown away or rejected is something in which nothing useful is recognized. The Apostle decided to introduce the fallen to the heavenly sacraments only when he wants to cleanse himself. And he said beautifully - cleanse; for such a one is purified as if by certain deeds of the whole people, washed with tears and public prayers, redeemed from sin, and renewed in the inner man. For Christ pleased that the Church should redeem one through all. He will take into consideration the apostolic words themselves: purify the old leaven, so that it may be a new lump for you, since you are unleavened. The entire Church accepts the burden of the sinner, with whom it considers it its duty to sympathize with weeping, prayer and condolences; irrigates himself all over, as if with kvass, so that he may be purified through the general mixing of all. As the evangelical wife, foreshadowing the Church, teaches us, hiding kvass in sateh three flours until everything ferments - so that everything clean will be taken. And the Lord himself in the Gospel teaches that there is kvass, saying: Do you not understand that I did not tell you about bread: “Beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and Sadducees.” Then they realized that he was telling them not to beware of the leaven of bread, but of the teachings of the Pharisees and Sadducees. This leaven, that is, the teaching of the Pharisees and the disputes of the Sadducees, hides the Church in the sateh of its torment; when the intolerable commands moderate them, confirm the truth of the sacraments and strengthen the hope of resurrection, preaching Divine mercy. This comparison does not seem inappropriate to this place. For the Kingdom of Heaven is the redemption of the sinner; and therefore let us all be irrigated with the torment of the Church, good and bad, so that we may all be a new confusion. But so that bad kvass does not damage the entire mixture, for this purpose he said: be a new dough for you, since you are unleavened, that is, mixing will make you what your integrity was. So, when we show mercy, we do not defile ourselves with the sin of others, but gain redemption for our neighbor, and for this it is added: for our Pascha, Christ, was sacrificed for you, that is, the suffering of the Lord was intended for everyone and granted redemption to repentant sinners. So, bringing repentance and rejoicing in redemption, let us eat good food, for there is no sweeter poverty than food of good will: let envy not interfere with our joy, lest we be excommunicated from our father’s house, like that envious brother mentioned in the Gospel, who was sorry for the return of his brother and wished to be banished to him forever. You Novatians do likewise; for, as you say, this is why you are not going to the Church, so that the fallen would be encouraged by conversion through repentance. But this is covered up in some way. Novatian, regretting the loss of his bishopric, formed a new sect. Did not the apostle prophesy about you, saying: And you became proud, instead of weeping, so that he who had done such a thing might be taken out from among you? You see that the Apostle does not order excommunication from the Church, but cleansing. Chapter 16 When the Apostle forgave sins, by what authority do you deny their forgiveness? Who is more honored by Christ: Novatian or Paul? But Paul knew that the Lord is merciful; knew that He was irritated by the cruelty of the disciples more than by the mercy. When James and John demanded fire from heaven to burn those who did not want to receive the Lord, then Jesus, to shame their lack of mercy, said: You do not know what kind of spirit you are; for the Son of Man came not to destroy the souls of men, but to save. Christ said to these two apostles: You do not know what kind of spirit you are, although they were His spirit; and he calls to you thus: you are not of My spirit, who, not having My mercy, deny it, do not allow repentance, which I was pleased to preach in My name through the apostles. It is in vain that you say that you are preaching repentance when you refute its fruits. For people are stimulated to every task either by fruits or by reward; every matter, being postponed, remains without movement. And therefore, the Lord, in order to reward the zeal of the apostles with real fruit, said that if anyone, leaving everything, follows Him, he will receive sevenfold here and in the next century. Firstly, I promised here to take away the boredom of slowness; I added, and in the next century, so that you would know that even after death a reward awaits you. So, the present reward is the proof of the future. Whoever, being filled with secret sins, brings zealous repentance for Christ, let him not despair of receiving forgiveness, let him ask for it with tears and groans, and let him ask for it with the cries of all the people. If she is not accepted the second and third time, let him increase his petition and tears, let him kiss his feet, and let him not cease, so that the Lord will say about him too: her many sins are forgiven because she loved much. Some, as I know, in repentance wet their faces with tears, hand over their bodies to be trampled upon by everyone, and have such fasting lips that it is as if they are already carrying death in their body. Chapter 17. Severity must be softened by piety: as the Apostle Paul did in Corinth Are those who inflict death on themselves worthy of forgiveness? For such a one, says the Apostle, this punishment from many is enough, so it is better for you to forgive him and comfort him, so that he is not consumed by excessive sadness. But when a prohibition from many is sufficient for condemnation, then the request of many is sufficient for remission of sin. Paul, the teacher of moral teaching, who knows our weakness and what piety consists of, deigns to forgive sins, deigns to use consolation so that the repentant does not become a victim of sorrow, being in boring anticipation. And for this reason, the apostle forgave the guilty man, and not only forgave him, but also deigned to confirm his love for him. Love is not hard-hearted, but meek. And he not only forgave himself, but commanded everyone to forgive, saying: And whomever you forgive for anything, I also forgive him; for if I have forgiven anyone for anything, I have forgiven you on behalf of Christ, so that Satan would not harm us; for we are not ignorant of his plans. One can warn oneself against the serpent to one who comprehends his cunning and tricks in damage. He wants to harm and deceive in order to cause death; but we must be careful that our defense does not become his victory, for we are deceived by him when, through excessive sorrow, one of us perishes who can be freed through forgiveness. The Apostle, speaking about the baptized, added: I wrote to you in the letter - do not communicate with fornicators; however, not in general with the fornicators of this world, and below that he added: But I wrote to you not to associate with anyone who, while calling himself a brother, remains a fornicator, or a covetous person, or an idolater. You see that the apostle, condemning to execution, also encourages forgiveness. “You can’t even eat with someone like that,” he says. He is strict for the hard-hearted and stubborn, but merciful and forgiving for those who ask. But can anyone doubt these apostolic words: hand over to Satan for the destruction of the flesh, and say: how can one whose whole flesh is worn out be forgiven? For it is known that neither a soul without a body, nor a body without a soul, for their close union, can be either punished or rewarded. To this we respond that exhaustion does not mean complete destruction of the flesh, but only punishment. For just as he who died to sin lives with God, so let the flesh die by its passions and live for purity and other good deeds. Let us take the earth as an example: when it is not plowed, then it appears empty; it seems that it dies with its fruits: however, it does not lose its own juice, like a certain soul. When it is cultivated again and seeds are sown on it, it becomes more fruitful. So, it is not surprising that our flesh, as it is said, is exhausted. For this exhaustion is all the more taming, and not destruction. Chapter 1. Saint Ambrose urges to repent in advance Although in the first book there is much that can induce repentance, but since many more proofs can be added to this, we will continue what we started. It is appropriate to bring repentance not only with all diligence, but also in advance, so that the owner of the Gospel, who planted a fig tree in his vineyard, does not come and, not finding fruit on it, say to the vinedresser: cut it down; Why does she occupy the land? But this vinedresser said in defense: Lord, leave it this year too, until I dig it up and cover it with manure: will it bear fruit? if not, then next year you will cut it down. So, let us also till our land with manure, imitating the hardworking farmers who are not ashamed to fatten the earth with fatty manure and sprinkle unclean dust in order to thereby reap the most abundant fruits. And the apostle teaches how to process it, saying: I count everything as rubbish in order to gain Christ. He knew that Abraham, by his humility and humiliation, found grace before God. He knew that Job, sitting in the dung, received everything he had lost. I remembered David’s words that God raises the poor from the dust, and raises the needy from clay. Let us not be ashamed to confess our sins to the Lord. It is a shame to reveal your crimes; but this shame makes the earth fat, destroys the thorns, brings back the fruits that were considered dead; imitate the one who, cultivating his land well, sought eternal fruits: They slander us, we bless; they persecute us, we endure; they blaspheme us, we pray; We are like rubbish for the world, like dust trampled upon by everyone to this day. When you cultivate your land in this way and sow spiritual things, then cultivate it in such a way as to remove sin and acquire fruit. The apostle acted in such a way that he destroyed within himself the desire for persecution. What could Christ do that would be more useful for our correction than to give us a mentor and teacher instead of a persecutor? Chapter 2. Explains the apostolic words proposed by heretics as an objection to repentance Having been exposed by such a clear example of the behavior of the Apostle himself and his writings, they are still trying to prove that the Apostle agrees with their opinion, and cite his words spoken to the Jews: it is impossible - those who were once enlightened, and have tasted the gift of heaven, and have become partakers of the Holy Spirit, and have tasted the good word of God and the powers of the next age, and those who have fallen away will again be renewed with repentance, when they again crucify the Son within themselves. God, and they swear at him. But could Paul preach the opposite of what he did? He absolved sin through repentance to the Corinthians, how could he condemn his own decision? When he could not refute what he had arranged, he did not say the opposite, but only something different. For the contrary refutes itself, and the different is taken in a different sense. But it is not contradictory for one thing to be in agreement with the other; for, preaching about repentance, he should have mentioned those who allow the repetition of baptism; He should have led us out of doubt that even after baptism those who have sinned can be forgiven their sins, so that we, having no hope of forgiveness, would not think in vain about repeating baptism. What is said about baptism is proven by the very words of the apostles: it is impossible to renew those who have fallen away again with repentance. For through baptism we are renewed and reborn, as Paul himself says: We were therefore buried with Him through baptism into death, so that just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, so we too might walk in newness of life. And in another place: be renewed in the spirit of your mind and put on the new man created according to God; and in another place: your youth is renewed like an eagle. For we, being dead in sin, are born in God through the sacrament of baptism. So, the apostle teaches one baptism: one, he says, faith, one baptism. It is also known that in the baptized person the Son of God is crucified, for our flesh could not get rid of sin if it were not crucified in Christ Jesus, as it is written: all of us who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into His death; and below: For if we are united with Him by the likeness of His death, then we must be united by the likeness of the Resurrection, knowing that our old man was crucified with Him; and he says to the Colossians: having been buried with Him in baptism, you were also resurrected in Him. This is written so that we may believe that Christ is crucified in us, through Him our iniquities are cleansed, and He nails our precepts to the cross as the only One who can forgive sins. He conquers the principalities and powers in us, for it is written about Him: Having taken away the strength of the principalities and powers, He powerfully brought them to shame. Therefore, these apostolic words: it is impossible to renew those who have fallen away again to repentance when they again crucify the Son of God, should be attributed to baptism, in which the Son of God is crucified in us, and we in some way become conquerors when we accept the likeness of the death of Him who on His cross conquered the principalities and powers, so that in the likeness of His death we too might overcome them. But once Christ was crucified, once he died to sin, and therefore there is only one baptism. Since there was more than one baptism in the law, it rightly condemns those who, leaving what was perfect, strive for the beginning of the word. Teaches us that all forms of legal baptism have been abandoned and one is baptism in the sacraments of the Church; admonishes that, leaving the beginning of the word, we strive for the perfect. And this, he says, we will do, if God allows; for no one can be perfect without the favor of God. To those who claim that this is said about repentance, one can present the following judgment: what is impossible with people is possible with God; The Lord is able to forgive us even those sins that we consider unforgivable. It seemed impossible that water could wash away sin. Naaman the Syrian did not believe that his leprosy could be cleansed with water, but the Lord, who gave us such grace, made this impossible possible. Likewise, it seemed impossible for sins to be forgiven through repentance, but Christ allowed this to the apostles, and from the apostles it passed to the priests. So, what seemed impossible became possible. Chapter 3. Saint Ambrose confirms his first decision with the Gospel parable of the Prodigal Son The Holy Apostle could not write against the clear teaching of Christ the Savior, Who equates the repentant sinner with the prodigal son, who, having gone to a distant country, squandered all the property taken from his father and then coveted his parents’ bread, for he was already eating the squeezes of olive fruits that were fed to pigs; and, upon his return, he received from his father clothes, a ring, boots, and a calf was slain for him, whose slaughter depicts the passion of the Lord, through which the heavenly sacrament is given to us. It is wisely noted: having gone to a distant country, excommunicated from the holy altar - for this means being separated from this heavenly Jerusalem and deprived of cohabitation with the saints. Why does the apostle say: So you are no longer strangers and foreigners, but fellow citizens with the saints and members of God’s household. And there, it is written, he squandered his property. And, of course, he squandered his property whose deeds do not agree with faith; for faith is the substance of things hoped for and the evidence of things not seen. Good possessions are faith, in which we find the inheritance of our hope. It is not surprising that he perished from hunger without Divine food, having desired it, he cried out: I will get up, go to my father, and say to him: Father! I have sinned against heaven and before you. Don’t you see that Christ exhorts us to prayer so that we are worthy of the sacrament, and you want to take away that for which repentance is offered? Take away from the helmsman the hope of crossing, and he, being in the unknown among the waves, will get lost. Take away the crown from a wrestler, and he will lie prostrate in the ring. Take away the hope of catching fish from a fisherman, and he will stop throwing nets. So, how can someone suffering from spiritual hunger carefully pray to God if he despairs of tasting holy food? “I sinned,” he says, “against heaven and before you.” With such words he confesses a mortal sin, so that you do not reject every repentant criminal when the sinner is accepted into heaven - (which is a mortal sin - one who has sinned before God, to whom alone David says: I have sinned to You alone, and have done what is evil in Your sight. The penitent deserves forgiveness so quickly that his father meets him from afar and kisses him, which is a sign of sacred peace; commands that the first garment be brought out to him, that is, the wedding garment, the one who does not have it will be expelled from the wedding supper; gives a ring to his hand, which is a pledge of faith and the seal of the Holy Spirit: he orders to bring boots, for he who celebrates the Passover of the Lord and eats a lamb must have his feet covered against all attacks and spiritual beasts and also the bites of the serpent: he orders the slaughter of the calf; for our Passover, Christ, was sacrificed for you. For when we accept the blood of the Lord, then we proclaim His death. And since He once suffered for everyone, our sins are forgiven when we accept the sacrament of His body. So, the Lord himself commanded every criminal who repents from the heart and confesses his sins not to be deprived of the grace of the heavenly sacrament. What will you say now as your apology? Chapter 4. Another objection, taken from blasphemy against the Holy Spirit, turns against the Novatians themselves and proves that such blasphemy must be recognized as an incorrect faith We heard that you still object to such Gospel words: all sin and blasphemy will be forgiven to people; and blasphemy against the Spirit will not be forgiven to men. If anyone speaks a word against the Son of Man, it will be forgiven him; if anyone speaks against the Holy Spirit. will not be forgiven him either in this age or in the future. This example destroys all your evidence, for it is written: every sin and blasphemy will be forgiven to men. Therefore, why don't you let go? Why do you impose bonds that you do not remove? Why do you weave knots that you do not loosen? Forgive others and do not forgive only those who sin against the Holy Spirit, about whom you think that, by the power of the Gospel, they are forever bound by sin. But whom Christ binds, let us take this into consideration, repeating the first words for the clearest concept. The Jews said about Christ: He casts out demons only by the power of Beelzebub, the prince of demons. Jesus answered them: Every kingdom divided against itself will be desolate; and every city and house divided against itself cannot stand. And if Satan casts out Satan, then he is divided with himself; How will his kingdom stand? And if I cast out demons by the power of Beelzebub, by whose power do your sons cast them out? From this we clearly see that it was said about those who thought that the Lord Jesus cast out demons by the power of Beelzebub, and in response He said that the satanic heritage abides in those who compare the Savior of all with Satan and place the grace of Christ in the kingdom of the devil. And what is said about such blasphemy is proven by the following words: Generations of vipers! how can you say good things when you are evil? So, that only denies forgiveness. Saint Peter said to Simon, who, being infected with magical science, thought that with the help of money he would receive the grace of Christ, given through the laying on of hands: You have no part or lot in this; for your heart is not right before God. So repent of this thy sin, and pray to God; Perhaps the thoughts of your heart will be forgiven you. For I see you filled with bitter gall and in the bonds of unrighteousness. You see that Peter is Simon the sorcerer, speaking blasphemy against the Holy Spirit; condemns by apostolic authority mainly because he did not have a pure knowledge of the faith; however, he did not take away his hope for forgiveness, for he called him to repentance. And so the Lord answered the blasphemy of the Pharisees, for whom He denies His grace because they called His heavenly power devilish. Therefore, those who share the Church of the Lord are led by the spirit of the devil, including apostates of all times, for whom Christ denies forgiveness; for every sin is committed against everyone separately, but this one is committed against everyone together. For they alone wish to destroy the grace of Christ; They alone are tearing apart the members of the Church, for which the Lord Jesus suffered and for which the Holy Spirit was given to us. What is said about the libertines is proven by the following words: He who is not with Me is against Me; and whoever does not gather with Me scatters. And so that we would know what was said about such people, he immediately added: therefore I say to you: every sin and blasphemy will be forgiven to men; and blasphemy against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven to people. When he says: For this reason I am telling you, doesn’t he encourage us to pay special attention to these words? And it was not in vain that he added: So every good tree bears good fruit; but a bad tree bears bad fruit. For an evil congregation cannot bring forth good fruit. So, a tree is a gathering, and the fruits of a good tree are the children of the Church. So, you who have fallen away, turn to the Church! For all who turn are promised forgiveness. And it will be, it is written, that everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved. The Jewish people themselves, who spoke about Jesus: He has Beelzebub in Himself and who casts out demons by the power of the demonic prince and who crucified Him, are called to baptism by the Sermon of Peter, so that they may be cleansed from their iniquities. But is it surprising that you deny salvation for others when you also deny your own? I believe that Judas himself would not have been deprived of Divine mercy if he had brought repentance not to the Jews, but to Christ: I have sinned by betraying innocent blood. And the Jews answered: What is that to us? See for yourself. Isn’t that what you respond to when someone confesses even the slightest sin to you? Isn’t that what you answer: what do we care about that? See for yourself. These words entail bonds with a more bitter punishment, the lesser the sin. But if these do not convert, then at least you, who have fallen from the wonderful heights of purity and faith, convert! Our Lord is good, wanting to forgive everyone and crying through the prophet: I, I myself, blot out your crimes for Myself, and I will not remember your sins. Remember Me; Let's go to court! Chapter 5. The objection of opponents is refuted, as if the Apostle Peter did not directly promise forgiveness to Simon the Magus From these words of the Apostle Peter, spoken to Simon the sorcerer: perhaps the thought of your heart will be forgiven you, they conclude that Peter did not approve of the remission of sins to the repentant. But let them take into consideration that the apostle speaks of Simon, who did not believe, but thought evil. The Lord Himself, seeing the imperfect zeal of the scribe, said to him: Teacher! I will follow you, he answered: foxes have holes. When Christ, before baptism, did not command to follow him whose wickedness he foresaw, then why are you surprised that the apostle does not forgive the sinner after baptism, seeing him remaining in wickedness? But this will be in response to opponents. And I do not claim that Peter allegedly doubted; Moreover, I do not argue that it is good to refute a great matter with one word. When, in their opinion, Peter doubted, then, of course, God also doubted, saying to Jeremiah the prophet: Stand in the courtyard of the house of the Lord, and speak to all the cities of Judea that come to worship at the house of the Lord, all those words that I command you to say to them; don't mince a word. Perhaps they will listen, and each one will turn from his evil way. From these words can one conclude that God himself does not foresee the future? So, this word does not explain any ignorance, but it is simply often used in Holy Scripture, as the Lord says to Ezekiel: Son of man! I am sending you to the children of Israel, to a rebellious people who rebelled against Me; They and their fathers have been traitors to Me to this very day. And you will tell them: “Thus says the Lord God!” Whether they listen or not, let them know. But didn’t the Lord know whether they could or could not convert? When Peter used such words that God himself uttered without prejudice in relation to his omniscience, then why doubt that Peter also uttered them not in condemnation of his faith? For he could not doubt the gift of Christ, who gave him the power to forgive sins, and, moreover, he should not have left room for the cunning of heretics who want to take away hope from people, so that it would be more convenient to encourage those in despair to repeat baptism. The apostles, following the instructions of Christ, taught repentance, promised forgiveness and forgave sins, as David says: Blessed is he whose iniquities are forgiven, and whose sins are covered! Blessed is the man to whom the Lord does not impute sin. The Prophet also calls blessed the one whose iniquity is abandoned through baptism and whose sins are covered by good deeds. For the repentant must not only wash away his sins with tears, but also, as it were, cover them up with good deeds, so that the Lord does not impute sin to him. So, let us cover our crimes with subsequent deeds, let us cleanse them with weeping, so that the Lord God will hear us groaning, as He heard Ephraim weeping, about whom He Himself says: I hear Ephraim weeping. And he explained the very words of the crying Ephraim, saying: You punished me, and I am punished like an indomitable calf. And for this, bringing repentance, he exclaims: convert me, and I will be converted, for You are the Lord my God; and when he was admonished, he struck himself on the thighs; I was ashamed, I was embarrassed; because I bore the disgrace of my youth. They saw how one should bring repentance, with what words and with what crying: that is, in order to remember then the day of sin and the day of dishonor; for it is dishonor when we deny Christ. And for this, let us submit ourselves to God, and not to sin: and, remembering our sins, let us not boast about them, but moreover, let us be ashamed of them as some kind of reproach. May our conversion be so great that we preach God to others from us who did not know Him before, and so that the Lord, prompted by our conversion, calls out to us: Is not my son Ephraim dear? Isn't it a beloved child? For, as soon as I talk about him, I always remember him with love; My inward parts are indignant for him; I will have mercy on him, says the Lord. What kind of mercy he promises us, he does not even show it, saying: I will give water to the weary soul and satisfy every sorrowing soul. At this I awoke and looked, and my sleep was pleasant to me. From this we see that the Lord promises His sacraments to those who sin; therefore let us all turn to the Lord. Chapter 6. Calls to repentance those who have abandoned faith and integrity and teaches what they should expect from God and what they themselves should do But if these do not convert, then at least you, who have fallen in different ways from the wonderful heights of faith and integrity, should convert. We have a good God, who wants to forgive everyone and who through the prophet calls to you: I, I myself, blot out your crimes for my own sake, and I will not remember your sins. Remember Me; Let's go to court. I won’t remember, he says, but you remember; that is, I do not remember those of your crimes that I forgave you, they are covered with some kind of oblivion, but you remember; I will not remember for grace, but you remember, so that you know that your sin is forgiven, and so that you do not boast as innocent, and so that, by justifying yourself, you do not burden yourself any more: but on the contrary, if you want to be justified, confess your sin. For confession of sins breaks the bonds of iniquity. Do you see what your God requires of you? So that you remember the grace that you received, and do not boast as if you did not receive it. You see how this promise encourages you to confess. Beware that, by opposing the heavenly commands, you do not fall into the wickedness of the Jews, to whom the Lord Jesus says: We played the flute for you, and you did not dance; we sang songs of lamentation to you, and you did not cry. This word is vile, but the sacrament is not vile. And therefore we must be wary lest someone, being seduced by the simple interpretation of the word, think that we are being ordered to perform comedic dances and games; for this is not commendable even in youth. It is commanded to dance as David danced before the ark of the Lord. For everything done for piety is decent; why should we not be ashamed of everything that can serve to honor Christ. So, what is being preached here is not some kind of voluptuous dance, but one in which everyone should wake up from laziness and prepare their limbs for pious movements; Paul danced spiritually as he, forgetting what was behind, stretched forward in honor of the Most High. Likewise, when you approach baptism, you are advised to lift up your hands and have swift feet to ascend to eternity. This kind of dancing in accordance with faith is the companion of grace. This is the sacrament: we played the flute for you, and you did not dance, that is, you did not raise your soul to spiritual grace. We sang lamentable songs to you, and you did not cry, that is, you did not repent. And therefore the Jewish people were abandoned because they did not repent and rejected grace; through John - repentance, and through Christ - grace. This latter is bestowed as the Lord, and the former is preached as a slave. The Church preserves both gifts, so that she may find grace and not reject repentance; for grace is a gift, but repentance is healing for a sinner. Jeremiah knew that repentance is a great healing, and for this reason in his Lamentation he speaks about repentant Jerusalem: He weeps bitterly at night, and his tears are on his cheeks. He has no comforter among all those who loved him. And further he added: my eye pours out water; for the Comforter is far from me. From this we see that Jeremiah considered it an unbearable evil when there is no comforter in sorrow. So, why do you take away consolation when you do not want to weaken your repentance? But let those who repent listen to how they should repent, with what zeal, intention, contrition of heart and conversion of spirit. Look, Lord, for I am cramped, my insides are agitated, my heart is turned over within me. Now you know the intention, know the faith and the state of the body. The elders of the daughter of Zion are sitting, he says, silently on the ground, they have sprinkled ashes on their heads, they have girded themselves with sackcloth; The virgins of Jerusalem lowered their heads to the ground. My eyes are exhausted from tears, my insides are agitated, my sadness is poured out onto the earth. The people of Nineveh also wept and thereby escaped the destruction announced to the entire city; for repentance is such a powerful means that it seems that God himself changes his definition for it. So, it is your will to receive forgiveness. The Lord wants people to ask for Him and trust in Him. You, being a man, want to be asked for forgiveness, but you think that God will forgive you for not asking. The Lord Himself wept for Jerusalem so that it would be forgiven for the sake of His tears, when He himself did not want to cry. He Himself wants us to cry for our redemption, as it is written in the Gospel: daughters of Jerusalem! do not weep for Me, but weep for yourself. David wept, and through this he asked that Divine mercy would avert the death of the perishing people; when three executions were offered to him, then he chose from them the one in which he could experience greater mercy of the Lord. Why are you ashamed to mourn your sins when God commands the prophets themselves to weep for the nations? Ezekiel was ordered to weep over Jerusalem, which is why he accepted the book, at the beginning of which it is written: weeping, and groaning, and grief. In this case, two things are sad and one is joyful; for in the next age the one who sheds many tears in this age will be saved, for the heart of the wise is in the house of mourning, and the heart of fools is in the house of joy, and the Lord himself says: Blessed are those who mourn now, for you will laugh. Chapter 7. Calls for mourning and confession of sins, assuring that Christ is prompted to forgiveness by the tears of the sinner and the Church, which is proven by the example of the risen Lazarus Verily, we weep for a while, so that we may rejoice forever. Let us fear the Lord, let us warn Him by confessing our sins; Let us begin to correct our mistakes, so that it will not be said about us: There are no more merciful on earth, no more truthful among people. Why are you afraid to confess your wickedness before the good God? You speak, it was said to justify yourself. The guilty person is also offered an excuse; for he who voluntarily admits his wrongdoing will be justified. The righteous one himself is a verbiator in the first word. The Lord knows everything, but awaits your voice, not for punishment, but for forgiveness; He doesn’t want the devil to scold you, and will convict you of hiding your sins. Warn your accuser; when you judge yourself, you will not have an accuser; If you plead guilty to yourself, then even if you were dead, you will come to life. Christ will come to your tomb and if he sees the well-serving Martha weeping for you, sees Mary weeping, diligently listening to the word of God and, like the holy Church, choosing the good part, then he will be moved by mercy, seeing the tears of many flowing for your death, and will say: where did you lay him? That is, between what kind of criminals, in what rank of repentants? I will see whom you are mourning, so that he himself touches Me with his tears. The people will answer him: Come and see, what does it mean: come? That is, may the remission of sins come, may the life of the dead come, may the resurrection of the dead come, may Your Kingdom come for this sinner. He will come and order the stone placed on the sinner’s shoulder to be rolled away. He could roll away the stone with a single word; for the most insensitive creatures obey Christ’s command; He, in whose suffering, the stones suddenly moved and many coffins of the dead were opened, could with hidden strength move the stone of the coffin; but he ordered the people to roll away the stone, truly so that the unbelievers would believe and see the dead risen; in the prototype through this he allowed us to lift the weight of sins. We must take away the burden, and He must resurrect and bring the dead out of their graves. Seeing the heavy burden of the sinner, the Lord Jesus sheds tears and does not allow the Church alone to cry. He sympathizes with His beloved and calls out to the deceased: come out, - that is, he who lies in the darkness of conscience and in the filth of sin, as if from some prison, must come out and reveal his sin, so that he may be justified: with his lips he confesses to salvation. By your confession, all bonds will be destroyed and all fetters will be broken, even if there was a heavy stench from the damaged body. The body of the four-day-old Lazarus stank in the tomb, but his flesh, untouched by corruption, remained in the tomb for three days, because it was not involved in the vices inherent in the flesh, consisting of four elements. So, whatever the stench of the dead, it all disappears with sacred anointing; the dead is raised, the bonds of those still in sin are loosed, the veil, which foreshadowed the truth of grace, is removed from his face. Since forgiveness has been given to him, he is ordered to open his face, for there is nothing to be ashamed of for someone who has been forgiven a sin. With the inexhaustible grace of the Lord, with such miracles, instead of rejoicing at everyone, the wicked were indignant and gathered a crowd against Christ; they wanted to kill Lazarus himself. Shouldn't you be named their heirs when you share in their hardness of heart? For you too are indignant and gather a crowd against the Church, because you see in the Church the dead resurrected when their sins are forgiven. You, breathing malice and envy, want to put the resurrected ones to death again. But Jesus does not return His benefits, but multiplies them with His generosity: He visited the resurrected one and for the celebration of the resurrection joyfully came to the Supper, at which the resurrected one was one of those reclining with Christ. Then everyone was surprised, seeing with the pure sight of the spirit, who were not involved in any envy, for the Church has such children. They were surprised, I say, how the one who lay in the tomb yesterday and the day before reclines with the Lord Jesus. Mary herself pours oil on Jesus' feet; on his feet, I say, perhaps because one of the lesser ones has been taken from the hands of death; We are all the body of Christ, but others are his most excellent members. Thus, the mouth of Christ was the Apostle Paul, who says: You are looking for evidence as to whether Christ speaks in me. His lips were prophets, through whom he foretold the future. Oh, that I too would be worthy to be His foot, and that Mary would pour her precious oil on me and, anointing me, would cleanse my sins! What we read about Lazarus, we must also believe about every converted sinner, who, although he stinks, is cleansed with the precious oil of faith; for faith has such great grace that where the dead day stinks, the whole house is filled with a fragrance. The house of Corinth stank when it was written about it: There is a true rumor that fornication has appeared among you, such as is not heard even among the pagans. There was a stench, because the kvass was too small to leaven the whole mixture. On the contrary, it began to smell fragrant when it was said: And whomever you forgive for anything, I also forgive him; for if I have forgiven anyone for anything, I have forgiven you on behalf of Christ. So, after the sinner was delivered, there was great joy and fragrance in that house. Why does the apostle, realizing that he has poured out the oil of apostolic remission on everyone, says: For we are the aroma of Christ to God among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing. Everyone rejoices at the outpouring of this world, only Judas contradicts. Why does the criminal and traitor still condemn this? but Christ condemns the one who does not know how healing the death of the Lord is, and how great the mystery of His burial is. For the Lord suffered and died to redeem us from death. His death is precious, for through it the sinner is forgiven and accepted into new grace; may everyone come and be amazed at how he reclines with Christ and, glorifying God, may they say: Let us eat and have fun! For this son of mine was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found. If someone who is unfaithful says, “Why does he eat with tax collectors and sinners,” then we answer him: It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. Chapter 8. First calls for confession and tears, and then turns the speech to himself Show your wound to the doctor so you can get well. He knows, even if you don’t show it; but wants to hear your voice from you, cleanse your wounds with tears. So that woman in the Gospel cleansed sin and washed away filth, resolved guilt when she washed Jesus’ feet with her tears. Oh, that You, Jesus, would leave me the dust of Your feet! Oh, if only You would let me wipe them off! But where will I get living water with which I could wash Your feet? I have no water, but I have tears, with which, washing Your feet, I will wash myself. Why will You tell me: His many sins are forgiven because he loved much. I admit that I owed more and was forgiven more; I was called to the priesthood from judicial and public affairs; and therefore I fear that I might be ungrateful if I love less than I was forgiven. But not everyone can be equal to the wife who was preferred to Simon, who prepared dinner for Jesus; She set an example for everyone who wanted to earn forgiveness, kissing Christ’s feet, washing them with tears, wiping them with her hair and anointing them with myrrh. Kissing is a sign of love, and for this the Lord Jesus says: Let him kiss me with the kiss of his lips. The hair means nothing more than that you must, leaving all your dignity, ask for forgiveness, throw yourself to the ground and be moved through the mercy of God; through the myrrh the fragrance of good treatment is signified. David, being a king, said: Every night I wash my bed, I wet my bed with my tears. And therefore he deserved such great grace that the Virgin was chosen from his family to give birth to Christ. This is why this wife is glorified in the Gospel. We cannot compare with her, but the Lord Jesus can help the weak; if there is no one to prepare dinner, no one to bring peace and living water, then the Lord himself will come to the tomb. Oh, that You, Jesus, would deign to come to this tomb of mine and wash me with Your tears! For my eyes do not have so many tears that I can wash away my sins. If you shed tears for me, I will be saved; If I am worthy of Your tears, I will wash away the filth of my iniquities, and You will call me from the grave of this body and say: Come out, so that my thoughts are not confined in this cramped body, but may they come out to Christ, may they be turned into the light, may I not think about the works of darkness, but about the works of light. For whoever thinks about sin imprisons himself inside his conscience. So, call Thy servant out, although my feet and hands are bound by sinful bonds and buried in dead thoughts and deeds; but whoever calls upon You, I will go out free and be one of those who recline at Your Supper, and my house will be filled with fragrance. They will say about me that I was not brought up among the spiritual ranks, but was taken away from judicial affairs; however, being removed from the vanities of the world, I remain in the priesthood not by my own power, but by the grace of Christ and recline among those who partake of the Heavenly Supper. Save, Lord, Thy gift given to me who did not want it. For I knew that I was unworthy to be called a bishop as one who cleaves to this age, but by Thy grace I exist, if I exist. And although I am the least of all the bishops and the lowest in merit, yet since I have also taken some care of Your holy Church, protect this fruit; and although You called me, corrupted, to the priesthood, do not allow me to perish, already being a priest. And first of all, help me to diligently sympathize with everyone who sins: for this is a great virtue, as it is written: one should not rejoice over the sons of Judah in the day of their destruction and enlarge one’s mouth in the day of disaster. Help me to have compassion when I hear about someone’s fall, so that I don’t reprimand with pride, but weep about it myself and, weeping about someone else, mourn for myself, saying: Tamar is more righteous than me. She may have sinned in her younger years, being seduced by chance, but we also sin when we are old. The law of the flesh opposes the law of our mind in us and, like captives, leads us to sin, to do what we do not want. She is old enough to have an apology, but I have none; she must learn, and we must teach. Why is Tamar more to the right than I am? When we accuse someone of the love of money, then let us remember whether we also did something similar, and if we did, then since the love of money is the root of all evil and, like underground, creeps secretly in our body, let each of us say: Tamar is more right than me. As for anger and grief, a commoner is less to blame for this than a bishop when he does something in the heat of the moment. In this case, let us think to ourselves, saying: this one who is accused in anger will be justified better than me. Thus, let us not be afraid that the Lord or any of His disciples will say to us: You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your own eye, and then you will see to take the speck out of your brother’s eye. Yes, we are more ashamed to apologize for our guilt than we want to condemn anyone for anything. Judah, denouncing Tamar and remembering his guilt, said: Tamar is more right than me. There is great mystery and moral teaching in these words. Therefore, he was not charged with guilt because he accused himself before he was condemned by others. Let us not rejoice over the crime of another, but rather let us sympathize, for it is written: Do not rejoice for my sake, my enemy! Although I have fallen, I will rise; although I am in darkness, the Lord is light to me. I will bear the wrath of the Lord, because I have sinned before Him, until He decides my case and brings judgment on me; then He will bring me into the light, and I will see His righteousness. And my enemy will see this, and shame will cover her, who said to me: “Where is the Lord your God?” My eyes will see enough of her, how she will be trampled underfoot like dirt in the streets. And this is fair, for he who rejoices in the fall of another rejoices in the devil’s victory. And for this reason, let us sympathize more when we hear about the death of a person for whom Christ died, not despising even a straw in the harvest. It is desirable that at the harvest this straw, that is, the incorporeal branch, the Lord does not despise, but gathers, as it is written: Woe is me! For with me now it is as if I were gathering summer fruits, as if I were harvesting grapes. Let him eat at least the first fruits of his grace, if the latter are not pleasing to him. Chapter 9. In what sense is faith needed for repentance, and what is needed for this? So, we must convince ourselves that we need to repent and give forgiveness; however, we must hope for forgiveness out of faith, and not out of duty, for it is one thing to deserve, and another to consider oneself to have deserved it. Faith asks, as it were, according to what is written; arrogance is more characteristic of the proud than of the one who asks. First pay what is due, so that you may be worthy of receiving what you want. Pay for the diligence of a good debtor, so that you yourself do not have to borrow to pay off debts, but so that growth will be given to you for your fidelity. He who owes to God has more means to pay than he who owes to man. For man demands money for money, but God demands zeal, which is in your will. None of those who owe God are poor unless they make themselves poor; although he has nothing to sell, he has something to pay. Prayers, tears, fasting - this is the property of a good debtor, and the property is much greater than when someone, without faith, gives money from his patrimony. Ananias was poor when, having sold the village, he brought money to the apostles, with which he did not redeem himself, but destroyed him. On the contrary, the rich widow is the one who put two mites into the treasury and about whom it is said: this poor widow put in more than anyone else. Because God requires faith, not money. It is indisputable that giving to the poor can reduce sin, but only when it is combined with faith. For what is wealth possible without love? Many, out of sheer boasting, want to be known as generous and want to earn praise from people by leaving nothing for themselves, but in seeking the bribe of this age, they lose the future reward and, having received their bribe, cannot hope for another. Many, having given their property to the Church without reasoning, wanted to return it again; such did not receive the first reward, nor did they receive the second, for the first had no reasoning, and the second was associated with sacrilege. Others regretted that they gave away their property to the poor; but the penitents must fear only that they should not repent of the repentance itself. For many, realizing their sins and fearing future execution, desire repentance, and then abandon their intention, ashamed of public prayer. Such people wanted to repent of evil deeds, but they brought repentance for good ones. Others demand repentance in order to be honored with communion again as soon as possible. Such people do not so much want to get rid of sins as to drag in the priest, because with the help of this their conscience is not cleared of guilt, and the priest is accused because he is told: Do not give holy things to dogs and do not throw your pearls before swine: that is, unclean spirits are not worthy of holy communion. Others consider it to be repentance that they abstain from heavenly sacraments. Such people judge themselves strictly because, prescribing punishment for themselves, they leave behind means and help instead of condoling their punishment and the fact that they are deprived of heavenly grace. Others, hoping that they can someday repent, consider sinning to be allowed, although repentance is a healing of sin, and not an incentive to it. For medicine is needed for the wound, not the wound for the medicine; For we seek a medicine for a wound, but we do not desire a wound for a medicine. And the hope that is tested by time is not firm, for every time is not known, and not every hope survives time. Chapter 10 Explains How Repentance Should Be Repented Is it commendable to be ashamed to pray to God when you are not ashamed to ask a person? Are you ashamed to pray to God, from Whom nothing is hidden, but are you not ashamed to confess your sins to a person who does not know them? Or do you not want to be a witness to prayer, when even to satisfy a person you ask many people to be worthy to intercede for you? Then you bend your knees, kiss the footprints, imagine innocent children as supplicants. But you don’t like to do this in the Church, you don’t like to pray to God and seek the intercession of the saints; you don’t like, I say, to do this where there is nothing to be ashamed of, except one lack of confession, for we are all sinners, where the one who is more humble is more praiseworthy; he is more righteous who is more humble. May your mother Church cry for you and wash away your guilt with tears, may Christ see you weeping and say: Blessed are those who weep now, for you will laugh. For He is pleased that many should pray for one. So in the Gospel, being touched by the tears of a widow, for whom many were crying, he resurrected her son. Therefore, I immediately heard Peter’s request for the resurrection of Tabitha, because the poor were crying over the death of this wife. That is why he immediately absolved Peter himself of his sin because he wept bitterly. If you cry in the same way, Christ will have mercy on you, and your sin will be forgiven; because illness removes luxury and voluptuousness. And thus, when we sympathize with what we have done, then we exclude what we should not do, and, condemning sin, we learn chastity. Let nothing turn you away from repentance; which may you have in common with the saints and may it be like the lamentation of the saints. David ate ashes like bread and mixed his drink with tears: therefore he rejoices much now because he wept much. From my eyes, he said, streams of water flow. John wept a lot and the sacraments of Christ were revealed to him. On the contrary, that woman who, instead of crying over her sins, rejoiced, clothed herself in purple and purple, adorned herself with gold and precious stones, now cries eternal weeping. Those who consider it unnecessary to often bring repentance are justly condemned, for they abuse Christ. And if they had brought true repentance, they would not have thought about repeating it. For just as there is one baptism, so there is one repentance, repentance, that is, public; One should always repent of everyday sins, but these are the lightest sins. You can find more people who maintain integrity than those who repent in a decent manner. Will anyone consider it as repentance that you, out of your ambition, seek merit when you are luxurious and drunk? One must renounce the world: sleep less than nature requires, interrupt sleep with groans and share it with prayer; to live in such a way that we die in this life, deny ourselves and completely change ourselves, as in the fables it is said that a certain young man went to a distant country for the sake of love and, when the love flame went out, returned again and after that met his old mistress, who was surprised that he did not say anything to her and thought that he did not recognize her. But another time, meeting her, he said: I am this; but I'm not me anymore. Therefore, the Lord said beautifully: if anyone wants to come after Me, deny yourself and follow Me. For those who have died and are buried in Christ should not, like those who live, again think about the world: “Thou shalt not touch,” it is said, “Thou shalt not taste;” “Thou shalt not touch” [which all decays from use], according to the commandments and teachings of man. Chapter 11. Convinces not to delay repentance If there were no repentance, everyone would put off the grace of baptism until old age. But it is better to have something to sew than not to have something to wear: and just as what is once sewn is renewed, so often what is sewn is unstitched. The Lord himself admonished those who put off repentance, saying: repent, for the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand. We don’t know at what hour the thief will come, we don’t know whether our soul will be plucked out that night. Upon Adam’s crime, God immediately expelled him from paradise and removed him from sweets so that he would repent; and Adam immediately put on leather clothes, not silk. Why put it off? Or to commit numerous sins? Are you angry because God is good, and do you despise the riches of His goodness and long-suffering? But the goodness of God should all the more prompt you to repentance. And for this, Saint David calls out to everyone: Come! let us bow down and bow our knees before the face of the Lord, our creator. About the sinner who died without repentance, you have him himself crying and saying: My son, Absalom! my son, my son Abishadom. For whoever is completely dead is mourned without any exception. And about those who, wandering from the borders of their fathers, prescribed by the Law of Moses, fell into sins, you hear the crying prophet: By the rivers of Babylon, there we sat and wept when we remembered Zion. With these words the Prophet means that the fallen must repent in the present tense, remembering the example of those who were taken into captivity for sin. Nothing is more painful for a sinner than to remember where his fall came from: for from the beautiful knowledge, that is, the knowledge of God, he has distracted his thoughts to bodily and earthly things. So Adam hid, having recognized the presence of God, and the Lord called to him: [Adam,] where are you?, that is, why are you hiding? Why are you running away from the One you wanted to see? Conscience is so strict that without a judge it punishes itself and wants to hide itself, although it is naked before God. Therefore, let none of the sinners approach the sacraments. David says: We hung our harps on the willow trees in the middle of it. And below: How can we sing the song of the Lord in a foreign land? When the flesh resists the spirit and does not obey the mind, then it is an alien land, which is not softened by the hard work of the worker and therefore cannot bear the fruits of love, patience and peace. So, it is better to abandon your intention if you cannot correct the deeds of repentance, so that in repentance itself something does not happen that will later require repentance. When the flesh resists, then the thought must be strained towards God; and when there are no works, let faith not be abandoned; if either carnal charms or opposing forces resist, let the spirit remain devoted to God. For then we need it all the more when the flesh yields: they are enemies who seek to take away all help from the soul. Why is it written: destroy, destroy it to the ground. David says with regret: Daughter of Babylon, destroyer. She is cursed because she has ceased to be the daughter of God and is the daughter of Babylon. And further he exclaims: Blessed is he who takes and dashes your babies against a stone; that is, blessed is the one who, as it were, breaks his vain thoughts against Christ, who can stop all unreasonable movements; whoever is carried away by the love of an adulteress, let him extinguish the fire and break the connection with her, and try to find Christ. So, we have seen that we should bring repentance and bring it at the time when the flame of sin ceases to burn in us; We saw that during the captivity of sin we must be respectful, and not kidnappers. For when Moses, who wants to come closer to gain knowledge of the heavenly mystery, when, I say, Moses is told: take off your sandals from your feet, then all the more must we free the feet of our soul from the bonds of the body and free our groans from union with the world. You might be interested in: