Metanoia
Everywhere we see that the fervor of Christians has cooled and faith has been
exchanged for mere opinion. Christians pray, attend church, sometimes fast a
little, spend money on religious externals, etc. but rarely if ever do we see
repentance, real conversion, or even frequent prostrations, all of which the
single Greek word "METANOIA" signifies.
People have no sense of sin. Everyone is sinning every day, and repenting not
at all. When we do religious acts, we are lukewarm, because we have no
compunction for our sinfulness. We should all be weeping without ceasing for our
sinful, hard hearts; for those around us who are sinking into Hell, often
because of our bad example, but we do not weep, and we do not worry. This small
article, has only one theme, Metanoia, because we cannot recall it often enough.
Our spiritual ancestors sought and received the gift of tears. We never even
think of such a thing.
Women who should be examples of repentance to their families, think far more
about how they look, never seeking to show repentance for their evil gossip and
idle words, their vainglory, their love of ease and especially their self-will.
Rather, they appear shamelessly, ignoring everything the Sacred Scriptures
instruct them to do - with painted faces, dyed and artificially styled hair, in
immodest clothing and almost never even covering their heads, yet empty-headedly
thinking themselves to be good Christians, because they are not fornicating, as
if pride, vainglory, sloth and willfulness are not all Worse.
Men are concerned also with how they look and how they smell. Where is one
who spends as much time everyday on the confession of his soul as on the
beautification of his body? Everyday of our lives is full of sin in word,
thought and action, but who thinks about his sins even once a day to repent of
them? It is exactly as if someone cleaned house only a few times a year ...
We have all gone so far astray that our spiritual fathers fear to correct us,
lest we break with the Church completely. Orthodox now usually confess and
communicate like papists, as if we received indulgences and were excused from
works of repentance. Every sin, every bad example scandalizes someone else,
especially the young, and at judgment they will accuse us.
Today few bishops or priests know or care anything about canons or tradition,
not even Apostolic Canons and Apostolic Tradition, especially in America, and
people who follow such clergy will get what they deserve. Each should look to
his spiritual father and ask, "Is this man daily repenting of his sins, and
can he lead me to repenting of my sins, without which no one can be saved."
God forbid that we should imagine, like some fantastic Protestant cults, that to
repent once is enough, since as long as man lives he sins. Of course, the
Protestant cults have the lowest standards and rarely if ever examine themselves
for vanity, pride, idle talk, putting to death "our own fleshly
desires" by self-denial.
First, we must realize our sinfulness. Then we must repent --metanoia was
inseparable from all Christianity for its first eleven centuries. The papal idea
of indulgences altered this.
The second meaning of metanoia… prostration, is inseparable from the first.
Even, in English, repent is only another form of "re-bend": bows to
the floor, praying like Christ, with our faces to the earth. The only portrait
of a king of Israel is in this position and we can be sure it was universal in
the Mideast before David and Solomon. It should be part of every Christian's
devotion, and formerly was, both of the East and West.
Nothing has changed more over the centuries than the practice of confession.
Even now there is considerable variation between churches. Everyone agrees, if
asked, that no absolution has any value unless the penitent truly is - penitent.
Unfortunately through the centuries standards have sunk lower and lower. Latin
influence in the Ukraine, Ukrainian domination of the Russian Church, and
Russian domination of Orthodoxy have had some Strange and unfortunate results.
To assert that the way things are is the "way things should be" defies
the canons; the texts of the service books themselves; and all the writings of
the fathers, as well as the advice of great elders of the past and present.
The result of the adaptation of Roman Catholic practice, which is based
squarely on the doctrine of papal indulgence freeing penitents from penitence is
soul destroying. All the sermons on the penance required of sinners have been
scrapped entirely with results that would shock our fathers and should shock us,
if we had not become hardened in our hearts. Habitual adulterers and other such
sinners can practice their sins up to the day of their confession, confess, be
Sure of absolution from the priest, receive the Mysteries at once, and within
days return to the same sins without remorse or fear of God. This is soul
destroying for the one who confesses (who is misled to believe that he is
forgiven, but of course is not), and is the greatest condemnation to the priests
who have deceived or allowed people to deceive themselves. We ca n do no better
than to quote a famous Romanian elder of this century, Father Vincent of Secu.
"It is true that the Saviour gave to His holy Apostles power to bind and
release sins - and through them to hierarchs and priests - but with the
condition that they be expiated through fasting, prayer, penance, tears, and
putting an end to them." "Well, now, today people look for spiritual
fathers among those who more easily give forgiveness, and still they ask them
not to give them a big penance. Moreover, they would even seek a definite parole
(i.e. before serving their sentence). Some don't neglect to ask immediately even
for permission to have Communion, indifferent to the gravity of their sins. They
do this so people will believe they are worthy. Oh what madness without cure!
The canons were made by the Apostles and other saints, and Must be applied to
all, according to the person, time and circumstance. Christ labored, fasted and
prayed and wept for us. "Oh, hard hearted and blind men. Holy Communion is
a fire that burns the unworthy!" (from Orthodox Word).
Daily repentance and the narrow way is the necessary and only way that leads
to salvation. It is not just for monasteries. Sts... John Chrysostom, Gregory
Palamas, and John of Kronstadt were not preaching to monastics, but insist that
Christ's admonitions, "for every idle word you shall give account,
"Matt. 12:36) and "Pray without ceasing" Luke 18:1 ) ( I Thess.
5:17) are for any and one who hopes to be saved. St. John the Almsgiver, St.
Bridget and a host of others combined the responsibilities with which they found
themselves in the world with total dedication to Christ and His teaching. we can
scarcely do better than conclude with this word, from St. Isaac of Niniveh which
applies to me, dear reader, and to you., We would all do well to frame it on our
walls and read it every day ... "Whence have you this idea of treading the
Way of God in comfort? Learn from this that you are not on the Way of God; but
turning aside from it; that you do not wish to follow in the footsteps of the
saints; that you intend to create a special way for yourself to be followed
without suffering... The Way of God is a daily Cross. No one has ascended to
heaven through the easy life. We know where the easy way leads." (from
Early Fathers from the Philocalia)