“You just want to make sure that God loves you – and then with a light heart to go to sin on, but you can’t feel Christ and not correct” – Archimandrite Andrew (Konnos) about repentance and the essence of divine love.
Photo: spbda.ru
- To whom the Lord said, “Repent”?
- Everything you need to know about tomorrow, the Lord said
- The reason you get up and go to Church though so I want to sleep longer
- The Lord said, “Everything you think is wrong. God is not so”
- “You tell me, I’m” – how people try to make God some kind of “abacus”
Archimandrite Andrew Konnos
What is repentance?
– Excuse me!
I forgive you. Again and again forgive.
Okay. Then I with a light heart go to do all the same.
But I’m sorry: you apologize? You just want to make sure that God loves you – and then with a light heart to go to sin on. So, you do not yet know what we’re talking about. As long as you continue to sleep soundly. And if, feeling the love of Christ, you relax, lull themselves and are Samovodene (and Samovodene in the spiritual life is extremely dangerous!), no change for the better can not be.
You just found yourself an alibi
One person once told me: “I go to the priest, with whom I have full understanding.” But what is rapport? This is a pretty broad term. If the Confessor knows, feels, is good. Everyone wants this communication with the Confessor, when there is intimacy and unanimity. Then fine, no problem.
But if your idea of understanding is when you no one scolds, and Vice versa: “Nothing, my child, no sin here!” something is wrong.
And you very well understand all this. Even if all the priests in the world will gather and will tell you that it is not a sin, your heart will still tell the truth. You just found yourself an alibi, found condescending and “convenient” the priest who spoils you, but you’re not helping.
When I talk about the love of God, don’t mean anything like that. I mean the simplicity and naturalness. Not some beast that makes you tremble with horror, and the Source of beneficial assistance that promote spiritual growth.
“Set your hearts on things heavenly and not earthly things” (Col. 3:2). “Be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind” (ROM.12:2). In other words, our mind needs renewal, that we might become new people.
“The old has gone; the new has come” (2 Cor.5:17).
It’s time to change! And when that happens – that means that our relationship with God full of grace, strong and fruitful.
You need to be calm and not inert; on the one hand, without complexes, without any desire to suppress, imposing their will, and on the other to grow spiritually.
In other words, if a person this year as well angry as in the past; if this year also swears, as in the past; if the same is stealing and cheating, and in the Church, he is comfortable with, is alarming.
Well, don’t do anything if you don’t want
You can’t really feel Christ and not corrected. People will certainly become better – and automatic. At least some changes, but they are – without a doubt.
It is important that your feat was led by love for Christ; to all the effort that you believe, based on glubochaishie, not selfish thoughts, now that you have a right to salvation.
No matter what you do, the Lord saved you not because of your feats, and just like that – a gift, free of charge. Absolutely for free! “Then why contend? Why should you do this, if I can be saved?”
Well, don’t do anything if you don’t want. Unless someone makes? No, you do it all from ljubicaste, out of gratitude and joy. “May I, too, will do anything for You, Lord, you say. – May I will also participate, will make some effort”.
Here is an example. I remember once you sent me from Cyprus book? And wrote on the envelope: “For the priest that leads the conversation on the radio”. Why did you do that? “I love you, father.” – I will say in response. I know I love. But even if you didn’t get me anything, you still loved me, right? Isn’t that right? “Yes, but I wanted to do something nice for you”. Well, here is the answer.
And the rest. For example, when I want to please a wife, to show how you love her, give her a bouquet of flowers or something. And it doesn’t mean that gifts don’t you love your wife – just such a gesture, the act confirms your feelings.
That’s what I mean.
The Lord is silent, because he knows that the time is not yet
Some people say, “I love God, but on Sundays I can’t get up for the Liturgy”. What is love? God loves you and in His time He showed you. When? When you were at Calvary. For you. God tells you: “My Child, I love you to death! Do you love Me?” “Yes, I love You.” “Then where are you? When I Sakalas, sacrifice in the Liturgy, when the Holy see – My Body, My Blood, you know I’m there?” – asks the Christ. “Yes, I see.” – “What?” “Well, I can’t come because I want to sleep”.
Photo: tatmitropolia.ru
Now these things I say, not the Lord. The Lord is silent, because he knows that the time is not yet. But if you know what the Liturgy over His Body and Blood, saying: “I don’t care, I want to sleep, I’m tired. You all are right, father, but I have my own life…” – well, in that case it only remains to wish you all the best and goodbye. One of my friends, Athos, the elder says, when he sees that further conversation is useless: “Well, good-bye! Goodbye. We each other do not understand.”
So, for this man has not yet come to understand what an incredible sacrifice was brought by the Lord.
It is important to feel during the Liturgy of Christ. And if I feel it, you are in the temple, not formally, not for the fact that the year was successful, and not because I am Greek by nationality and live here in our beautiful Greece, where all of the traditionally Orthodox.
By the way, if to speak about traditions, initially, we had paganism, and witchcraft, and many other sins, but at the time we rejected all bad. So the tradition here is a conditional notion. If a tradition means something sinful, we need to abandon this tradition. We do anyway not because it’s a tradition, a pious custom, but because our actions carry a certain meaning and content.