Time for Confession?

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Lent, the traditional season of penance, is drawing to a close. As we enter Holy Week I thought it might be helpful if I shared some of the prayers from the Byzantine Rite. These prayers are prayed by the priest as you stand before the icon of Christ prior to confessing:

God our Savior, through your prophet Nathan You granted the repentant David the forgiveness of his sins.  You also accepted Manasseh’s prayer of repentance.  In your love now receive your servants here present who repent for the sins they have committed. 

O Lord, Who forgive offenses and pass over transgressions, overlook all that they have done.  As You have said “I do not desire the death of a sinner, but that he should turn from his wickedness and live” and, another time, that sins should be forgiven even to “seventy-times-seven.”  How incomparable is your goodness and how limitless your mercy; for if You were to take notice of iniquities, who should be able to stand?  You are the God of the repentant and we glorify You, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, now and ever and forever.

Behold my spiritual child, Christ stands here invisibly and receives your confession.  Therefore, be not afraid or ashamed and conceal nothing from your confessor, but tell without hesitation all that you have done so you shall have pardon from our Lord Jesus Christ.  Behold his holy image is before us and I am but a witness bearing testimony before Him of the things which you have to say, but if you shall conceal anything you shall have the greater sin. Take heed, therefore, lest having come to the Physician, you depart unhealed

Confession

Might it be time to go to the Sacrament of Confession?

Healing Medicine

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Scripture

Silvanus…acted like a skilled physician and put on his [brother’s] soul a poultice made of texts from Scripture, showing him that repentance is available for all who in truth and in charity turn to God.

– De vitis Patrum, Sive Verba Seniorum, Liber V

Vengeance Is Mine

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monks

A brother who was hurt by another brother went to the Theban Sisois and said, “I want to get back at a brother who has hurt me.”

The hermit begged him, “Don’t do that, my son, leave vengeance in the hands of God.”

But he said, “I can’t rest till I get my own back.”

The hermit said, “My brother, let us pray.” He stood and said, “O God, we have no further need of your, for we can take vengeance by ourselves.”

The brother heard it and fell at the hermit’s feet, saying, “I won’t quarrel with my brother any longer; I beg you to forgive me.”

– De vitis Patrum, Sive Verba Seniorum, Liber V

Uncouth Shepherding

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shepherd-in-wilderness

Some brothers came to a holy hermit who lived in the desert and outside the hermitage they found a boy tending the sheep and using uncouth words.

After they had told the hermit their thoughts and profited from his reply, they said, “Abba, why do you allow those boys to be here, and why don’t you order them to stop hurling abuse at each other?”

He said “Indeed, my brothers, there are days when I want to order them to stop it, but I hold myself back, saying, if I can’t put up with this little thing, how shall I put up with a serious temptation, if God ever lets me be so tempted? So I say nothing to them, and try to get into the habit of bearing whatever happens.”.

– De vitis Patrum, Sive Verba Seniorum, Liber V

Sharing the light

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Sharing the light

There was a hermit in Scetis who lived in a satisfactory way, but he was not good at remembering what he heard. So he went to John the Short to ask him about his forgetfulness. He listened to John, went back to his cell and forget what he had been told.

He came a second time and asked him the same question, listened, went back, and forgot what he had heard the moment he reached his cell. Many times he went backwards and forwards, but could never remember. He happened to meet John and said, “Do you know, abba, I’ve forgotten all you told me? I don’t wan to disturb you, so I didn’t come again.”

John said to him, “Go and light a lamp,” and he lit it. John said, “Bring more lamps and light them from the first,” and he did so.

John said to him, “Was the first lamp harmed, because you used it to light others?” He said, “No.”

“In the same way,” he replied, “John would not be harmed. If all the monks of Scetis should come to me, it would not keep me from God’s love. So come to me whenever you want, and don’t hesitate.”

So, by patience on both sides, God cured the forgetfulness of the hermit. This was the work of the hermits of Scetis, to strengthen those who were attacked by passion; their experience in conflict with themselves meant that they were able to help others along the way.

– De vitis Patrum, Sive Verba Seniorum, Liber V

Sheep and Goats

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22.4.2010: Sant'Apollinare Nuovo, Ravenna

Some people once came to a hermit in the Thebaid to ask him to cure a demoniac whom they brought with them.

After the hermit had been asked to do this for some time, he said to the demon, “Go out of God’s creature.”

The demon answered, “I will, but first let me ask you a question; tell me, who are the goats and who are the sheep?”

The hermit said, “The goats are people like myself; who the sheep are, God alone knows.”

The demon shouted aloud at the words, crying, “Look here, I am going out because of your humility” and he went out at that moment.

– De vitis Patrum, Sive Verba Seniorum, Liber V

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