Vol: 8 Issue: 8
Misra 1730 / August 2014
St Antony’s vision concerning the forgiveness of his sins For once, when about to eat, having risen up to pray about the ninth hour, he perceived that he was caught up in the spirit, and, wonderful to tell, he stood and saw himself, as it were, from outside himself, and that he was led in the air by certain ones. Next certain bitter and terrible beings stood in the air and wished to hinder him from passing through. But when his conductors opposed them, they demanded whether he was not accountable to them. And when they wished to sum up the account from his birth, Antony’s conductors stopped them, saying, ‘The Lord has wiped out the sins from his birth, but from the time he became a monk, and devoted himself to God, it is permitted you to make a reckoning.’ Then when they accused him and could not convict him, his way was free and unhindered. And immediately he saw himself, as it were, coming and standing by himself, and again he was Antony as before. Then forgetful of eating, he remained the rest of the day and through the whole of the night groaning and praying. For he was astonished when he saw against what mighty opponents our wrestling is, and by what labours we have to pass through the air. And he remembered that this is what the Apostle said, ‘according to the prince of the power of the air [Ephesians 2:2.]‘ For in it the enemy has power to fight and to attempt to hinder those who pass through. Wherefore most earnestly he exhorted, ‘Take up the whole armour of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day [Ephesians 6:13],’ that the enemy, ‘having no evil thing to say against us, may be ashamed [Titus 2:8].’ And we who have learned this, let us be mindful of the Apostle when he says, ‘whether in the body I know not, or whether out of the body I know not; God knows [2 Corinthians 12:2].’ But Paul was caught up unto the third heaven, and having heard things unspeakable he came down; while Antony saw that he had come to the air, and contended until he was free.
Years 10 & 11 classes from St Mark’s Church during a bush walk
Fr Pavlos El Anba Bishoy and some of the Sydney youth
St Abanoub Church youth Fr Pavlos with some of the Youth
Fr Pavlos with some of the Youth
St Barbra youth during a retreat
Preparing for Confession By: Late Bishop Youanis A Self Account: Proper confession accompanied with repentance and regret needs preparation; which is called self account. Be strict and accurate with yourself. Compare God’s kind and good dealings with your denial and harshness towards Him. Compare your life with the lifes of saints. Remember St. Peter’s words, “If the righteous one is scarcely saved, where will the ungodly and the sinner appear?” (1 Pet 4: 18). Always remind yourself that you are a sinner. All of these feelings will give you the spirit of contrition and you will feel the deep need for God’s grace.
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This is the case if you are aware of your sins but sometimes we forget our sins; either because we do not give a proper self account and neglect confession for long periods of time or because we are so reluctant with our spiritual life that we lose our spiritual sensitivity, thus we sin without feeling it. In this case, we have to pray a lot so that the Lord might clarify our sins. Plead to the Holy spirit to help you and enlighten you with His Grace, saying with St. Augustine: "My God, let me know who You are and who am I." Our God is merciful and if you ask Him, He will grant you to remember your sins and acknowledge them. Mar Ephraim said about the Lord: “He is thirsty for the tears of a repentant person.” If you suffer from forgetting incidents, write them down regularly so you do not forget them during confession. For more privacy, you can just write symbols to remind yourself, as you are not writing details but just reminders. After confession, tear up this paper as your sins have been wiped away. Talk to God: When you feel the burden of your sins and you suffer from low self-esteem, close the door of your room and talk to Jesus. Spend your night in prayers, pleadings and tears, offering repentance. Have a proper detailed confession. God knows about your sins before you have committed them, but in confession you are announcing your iniquity and feeling guilty. David the Prophet said: “When I kept silent, my bones grew old through my groaning all the day long. For day and night Your hand was heavy upon me; My vitality was turned into the drought of summer. I acknowledged my sin to You and my iniquity I have not hidden. I said, “I will confess my transgressions to the Lord;” And You forgave the iniquity of my sin.” (Ps 32: 3-5). In your prayer to God, talk about yourself in detail, do not just talk in plural form. This will give you a deep feeling of guilt, instead of blaming others for your sins. So, when you pray for forgiveness, you do not say; "Forgive us O Lord and remit our sins, You know O Lord that we are weak" but rather say: "Forgive me My Lord and remit my sins, You know I am a weak sinner and frequently fall." How sweet and acceptable before God is the second statement. It also offers plenty of comfort and peace to the heart who prays it! Page 3
The Forgotten Medicine By: Archimandrite Seraphim Aleksiev Go show yourselves to the priests Luke 17: 14 The holy sacrament of confession can rightly be called “the Forgotten Medicine.” The whole world is lying in evil. Every one of us is infected with the deadly disease of sin, and one can be cured from this disease! The medicine is provided, and it is miraculous at that. You are healed the moment you take it. But we do not reach for it, to be healed and to lighten our conscience. Why? Because we have forgotten and neglected it. Why will ye die, O house of Israel? Cries with sorrow the holy prophet Ezekiel. “Why will you die in your sins, Christians?” our Redeemer Jesus Christ calls to us with even greater sorrow. “Is there not deliverance from death for you? Why should you gladden the enemy of your salvation-Satan? Did I not establish all-powerful repentance in My Church?” I desire not the death of the ungodly, but that the ungodly should turn from his way and live: turn ye heartily from your way (Ezek. 33: 11). Repentance, this infinitely good gift, is given to you “at any time of life, and it works with the same power for any sin: it cleanses every sin, saves everyone who turns to God, be it even in the last minutes before death.” There are earthly medicines for earthly diseases and there is an Omnipotent Heavenly Doctor and heavenly medicines for the most terrible disease called sin. This Doctor is Jesus Christ because every sin is a transgression of God's holy law, only God can forgive sins with His wondrous omnipotence. He can blot out sins as if they had never existed. Though your sins be as purple, I will make them white as snow; though they be as scarlet, I will make them white as wool (Is. 1: 18), He promises but for this to happen, there is one requirement for us to repent truly. The omnipotence of the Lord can forgive human sins. Look how unfathomable is God's mercy! God has given His power of forgiving the sins of men to the Apostles and their successors in the persons of the bishops and priests. Why has God done so? To make repentance, and therefore the forgiveness of sin, even closer, more accessible, and more certain. Receive ye the Holy Spirit, said Jesus Christ to His holy Apostles. Whosesoever sins ye remit, they are remitted unto them; and whosesoever sins ye retain, they are retained (John 20:22-23). Whatsoever ye shall bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever ye shall loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven (Matt. 18: 18). How does the forgiving of sins occur? Through the Sacrament of Confession. The Christian burdened with sins goes to the priest with deep repentance in his soul and with a sincere desire to change and reveals to him in a detailed, frank, and full confession the secrets of his heart and conscience. The priest, convinced of the sincere repentance of the Christian and after the suitable introductory prayers, Page 4
reads to him the sacramental prayer: “May our Lord and God Jesus Christ, according to the grace and kindness of His love for man, forgive you, child [name], all your transgressions; and I, the unworthy priest, through the power given to me by Him, forgive you and free you of all your sins, in the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen.� In that moment, whatever the priest is forgiving on earth is also being forgiven in heaven! Is there a greater mercy than this? We could not have believed that this is possible, if it had not been told us by the One Who never spoke an empty word or a lie (1 Peter 2:22). If we ignore such a mercy of God, how many more punishments we will deserve, because we have not done for our salvation even that small thing which is given to us to do and which is so easy. The Holy Bible tells us that the commander of the Syrian army, Naaman, was suffering from leprosy. When he heard that in the land of Israel there was a certain prophet of God Elisha who could heal him, he went with many servants and gifts to him and stopped before his gates. The holy prophet did not come out to meet him but sent people to tell him: Go and wash seven times in the Jordan, and thy flesh shall return to thee, and thou shalt be cleansed (IV Kings 5: 10). Naaman got angry when he heard these words and said: I said within myself, he will surely come out to me and stand and call on the name of the Lord his God and lay his hand upon the place and recover the leper. But he sends me to wash in the Jordan! Are not the rivers of Damascus better than all the waters of Israel? .. And he turned and went away in a rage. And his servants came near and said to him, Suppose the prophet had spoken a great thing to thee, wouldst thou not perform it? Yet he has but said to thee, Wash and be cleansed (IV Kings 5:11-13). Naaman took the advice of his servants, immersed himself in the Jordan seven times, and his body was cleansed and renewed, so that it became like the body of a small child. It was sin that took down from heaven the first angel, the Morning Star. It was sin that drove Adam and Eve out of Paradise. It was sin that caused the flood of the world. This sin is also threatening to separate us forever from God and to send us eternally into the abysses of hell. Even if God were to require that we give all our possessions to the poor, if He were to require from us that we fast all our lives or give up once and for all, all earthly joys and comforts in order to atone for our sins and save ourselves from their ominous consequences, we should agree to anything, only to save ourselves from eternal torment in hell, to which our sin is dragging us but look what a simple salvation God has established for us: Go show yourselves to the priests (Luke 17: 14). Confess your sins before them. Repent with all your heart, and you will free yourselves from the chains of evil. Page 5
St Shenouda Feast Celebrations 12 & 13 of July 2014 th
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H.G. Bishop Daniel, Bishop Markos, Bishop Angelos, and Bishop Estafanous
Priests and Congregation during the procession around the monastery Ground
Bishop Serapion and Fr John Paul praying the Liturgy at the Monastery
Year 9 boys spending a retreat at the monastery
Fr Pavlos El Anba Bishoy and some of the Sydney youth