Dear Brothers and Sisters,

Congratulations with the feast of the Resurrection of the Lord!

Two weeks ago, we began to talk about the Mystery of Repentance. We noted that the Lord Jesus Christ Himself established this rite, and that there are direct instructions regarding this in Holy Scripture. Last week we remembered that sin is not simply the breaking of this or that commandment or church rule, but any action that draws us away from our goal, that is from Christ. Of course, the best method to cleanse our souls from sins is to try not to blemish them in the first place, not to sin. This is truly a difficult task, but if we understand the process by which we fall into sin, perhaps it will become at least somewhat easier.

St. John, the Abbott of Sinai, in his book The Ladder of Divine Ascent, succinctly and understandably explains this process; therefore let’s follow his teaching in this. He writes that there are six steps or phases through which a person progresses on his way to sin. In the beginning a person sees an image, a word, or an idea in his or her mind. In other words, the idea to sin is born. This thought is not necessarily created by the person himself, but is often brought on by one’s surroundings. Temptations from the devil, pictures on the internet, a passerby, careless talk, smells, can all bring about an idea to commit a sin. John of the Ladder calls this the assault. The fact that an idea to commit a sin came into someone’s head or heart is not in itself a sin.

The second phase St. John calls converse. This happens when we accept that idea which came to us and begin, as it were, to converse with it, to think about it and to ponder it. The third step, consent, is when we begin to think that it would be good or pleasant to commit that sin. Consequently, captivity comes along, when the heart, willingly or unwillingly, returns continually to the idea of committing the sin. Following that, a struggle begins in which a person can defeat his already sinful thoughts, or to capitulate and fall into sin. Finally, if a person has surrendered to sin, that sin can become not just a simple one-time event, but a passion, when the nature of the soul is changed and that sin becomes a natural part of the soul. The person begins to seek out opportunities to sin without any struggle to resist.

Probably, if we diligently analyze any one of our sins, we will see that we did indeed follow the above-mentioned process. It can be very quick, even instantaneous, or can be quite drawn out. When we accept this or that sinful thought, when we begin to converse with it and fantasize about it, it is very difficult to stop the process. Therefore, the Holy Father John suggests that as soon as a thought that is leading us towards sin appears, we should throw it aside, not accept it, not delight in it. In such a way, future problems do not even have an opportunity to be born.

I will add from myself the following:

The Ladder was written for monastics who left the world and all those many temptations that can serve as a reason for an assault (that first thought that pushes us towards sin) to occur. The monastics do this so as to struggle with their thoughts, i. e. to live not only an outwardly holy life, but so that the heart and mind can also be free of sinful thoughts. They dedicate their whole life to this fight. For people living in the world, this type of life is practically impossible. Each day, whether we want it or not, we are met with hundreds (if not thousands) of assaults which push us towards sin. A distracted driver on the road, an indecently dressed passerby, a rude cashier at the store, a pleasant smell of tasty food, disobedient children, any news on the television or internet, the telephone, can all become an assault that can lead us to sin. It must be said that it is impossible to cut all of this off, but this does not mean that we cannot and should not struggle. On the contrary, if we analyze our spiritual life we will probably see that there are particular moments or situations that are especially dangerous for us. If we understand these triggers, we can begin the fight. If we know that the news will depress us, ruin our mood, or worse, make us angry, it would be better not to read or watch the news. If we know that smells or the sight of tasty food will lead us to gluttony or to us breaking the fast, it’s better to prepare simpler food and not to eat out at restaurants. If we know that there is a good chance of us spending the whole evening on our phones, missing our prayers, and wasting hours of time, we can turn off the phone, put it away, and do whatever else is necessary to lessen its pull.

Perhaps in such a manner, that is, through careful attention to the state of our soul and through practical actions, we can begin to struggle with our sins and cleanse ourselves not only of sinful actions, but also of at least some of our sinful thoughts. May our merciful Lord help us in this.

priest Alexis