introduction

The desperate Tadros (Theodore).

Thadros was a friend of Saints John Chrysostom and Basil in the ascetic life, but he was seduced by the beauty of a beautiful young woman named Hermoine, so he fell in love with her and wanted to marry her.

The hermit Thadros fell in love with this woman, but his major fall was centered in his despair of God’s acceptance of him and the possibility of him returning to his first ascetic life, especially since he was a colleague and friend of one of the greatest saints of the church.

Prayers were offered for him, efforts were made, and finally Saint John Chrysostom sent him two letters that recorded for us the most wonderful treatment that the desperate soul needs... They revealed to us the unlimited mercies of God, His embrace that is always open to accept sinners and prostitutes, no matter how great their sins, and the prohibition from the most heinous devil. He is the devil of despair.

These two letters bore fruit, and Tadros repented and was even ordained a priest when he was thirty-three years old in the year 383 AD, and bishop of Mopsuestia in the year 392 AD, and he departed in the year 428 AD.

Message for you

These are excerpts from the first letter, recorded for us by an experienced patriarch to a sad, broken soul, who felt its sins and was ashamed to return to our Lord Jesus, its beloved and redeemer…. Satan took advantage of the opportunity to deprive her of her source of life.

I tried to tabulate the message, put side headings, and dispense with some expressions for simplicity. I hope that the message will not lose its entity as a single unit that talks about one topic, which is “lack of despair” or “hope.”

The following are the most important points contained in this booklet:

First: Don't despair.

Second: Do not despair, for God is loving in His discipline.

Third: Do not despair, saying: Will the repentance of a fallen believer be accepted?!

Fourth: Do not despair while God seeks your beauty.

Fifth: Do not despair, why do you give up?!

Sixth: Do not despair of the power of repentance.

You will come back with greater strength

A message from Saint John Chrysostom

To a desperate loser

Theodore (Thadros) urged after his fall

Translated from

The Writings of Nicene & Post – Nicene Fathers Series 2- Vol. 11

Father Tadros Yacoub Malti

This book is translated by the Coptic Church: This means that we do not agree with everything that was stated in the comments of the translator or the preparer, and sometimes we disagree with it. Please alert us if there is anything like this or something that is not understood... To read the full text of the message in English, please click here

Message text

Do not give up!

Know your self worth

“Oh that my head were water, and my eyes a spring of tears” (Jeremiah 1:9).

It is the right time for me to utter these words now. Yes, more than the Prophet had in his days. Although I do not weep over the devastation of many cities, and even all cities, I weep for the soul that is equal to all these, and even more so...

I do not grieve over the destruction of a city or its capture by evil people, but rather I grieve over the destruction of your holy spirit... and the destruction and annihilation of the temple that carries the Lord Christ...

This temple is holier than that (the Temple of the Old Testament), for it does not shine with gold and silver, but with the grace of the Holy Spirit, and instead of the Ark of the Covenant and the two Cherubim statues, there is in the heart Jesus Christ, his Father, and the Paraclete...

But now, after your fall, everything has changed. The temple is ruined, its beauty and splendor gone, and it is no longer adorned with divine adornments that are not spoken of. Rather, it has become lacking in all protection and immunity. He no longer had a door or a barricade, but rather became open to every self-destructive behavior and every defective thought. If a thought of love of appearance, adultery, love of money, or more of these impure thoughts wants to enter into it, then there is nothing to prevent it. Before the fall, the soul was in the protection of heaven, to which none of this could enter.

Jesus is able to raise you up

It may seem as if I am uttering things that those who have witnessed your dissolution and ruin would not believe, and on this side I am weeping and wailing, and I will not stop until I see you standing in your former splendor again. Although this seems impossible for humans, all things are possible with God. He is “the poor resident of the dust; “He lifts up the wretched from the dunghill to sit him with the nobles of his people” (Psalm 113:7-8). He “dwells the barren in the house of the mother of his children” (Psalm 113:9).

So do not despair of your complete change.

If Satan has this ability, to cast you to the ground of lofty heights and sublime virtue, to the furthest limits of evil; How much more will God be able to raise you to the previous confidence, and make you not only the same as you were, but happier than before.

Do not give up

Do not despair, do not abandon good hope, and do not fall into what atheists fall into. It is not the abundance of sins that leads to despair, but rather the lack of piety of the soul. There is a certain group that follows the path of despair when they enter the path of evil, unable to bear to look up, or rise above what they have fallen to.

This impure thought (despair) weighs heavily on the soul's neck like a yoke, forcing it to bend, preventing it from looking at God. Therefore, the courageous and excellent work of man is to definitely break this yoke and remove every weight that is placed on him, speaking the words of the prophet: “As the eyes of a female servant are toward the hands of her mistress, so are our eyes toward the Lord our God, that he may be gracious to us; Have mercy on us, O Lord, have mercy on us, for we have often been filled with contempt” (Psalm 123:2-3).

He says: “We are filled with contempt,” and that we are under countless hardships, yet we will not stop looking to God, nor refrain from praying to Him, until He answers our request. Because the sign of a noble soul is that it does not bend due to the many disasters that pressure it, or is frightened by them, and it does not retreat from prayer after many times... but rather it perseveres until God has mercy on it, as the blessed David said previously.

Hold on to hope

Satan drags us into thoughts of despair, until he cuts off our hope in God. Hope is the anchor of safety, the source of our life, our guide on the path that leads to heaven, and the salvation of lost souls... It has been said: “For it was through hope that we were saved” (Romans 8:24).

Hope is certainly like a strong rope hanging from heaven, sustaining our souls, lifting those who hold it firmly above this world and the evil temptations of this life. If a person is weak and leaves this sacred anchor, he will immediately fall and suffocate in the abyss of evil.

The devil knows this, so when he realizes that we are upset because of our evil deeds, he decides to impose on us an additional burden heavier than lead, which is anxiety arising from despair. If we accept it, it will inevitably follow that we will fall down because of the weight, abandoning that rope, falling into the depth of misery in which you are now, forgetting the commandments of the meek and humble God, anticipating the warnings of the cruel tyrant and the enemy of our salvation who does not sleep, breaking the easy yoke and throwing away the light burden, so that we may put instead They had an iron collar, heavy grinding stones hanging around our necks...

Don't close the door... make me happy with you

The woman who found the one dirham invited her neighbors to share in her joy, saying: “Rejoice with me.” As for me, I summon all our friends - you and me - for a different purpose, not saying to them: “Rejoice with me,” but rather “Cry with me,” because a worse thing has happened to me. Loss. It is not weights of gold, or huge quantities of precious stones that fell from my hands. Rather, what is more precious than all of this is the one who was sailing with me in the same sea and on the same boat. I do not know how he slipped from the deck of the ship and fell into the abyss of destruction...!

We just have to not despair, and not develop within us the fear of returning, because whoever is like that, even if he gains unlimited power and zeal, it will become useless...!

Don't stop fighting

Whoever closes the door of repentance to himself and refrains from entering the field of racing, how can he achieve a good thing, be it small or large, while he is outside being tied down?!

The evil one uses all the tricks to implant in us the thought of despair. If he succeeds in doing so, he no longer needs struggle or fatigue in his struggle against us, as long as we are prostrate, fallen, and unwilling to resist...

Whoever is able to get rid of this chain, regain his strength, and not stop resisting Satan until his last breath, even if he falls countless times, such a person will rise up and strike his enemy. As for someone who is in bondage to thoughts of despair... how can he be able to prevail when he does not resist, but rather flees from before his enemy?!

Do not despair, for God is loving in His discipline

The concept of God's wrath

God's wrath is not an emotion, otherwise man would have the right to despair due to his inability to extinguish the flame of God's wrath burning because of his (i.e. man's) evil deeds. But God, by nature, is devoid of emotion. Even if he punishes or takes revenge, he does not do so out of anger, but rather out of concern for us, which includes great tenderness and forgiveness. This prompts us to have great and righteous courage, and to trust in the power of repentance.

Why is he being disciplined?

Those who sinned, even against Him, He does not wish to punish them as revenge for Himself, because His divinity does not cause any harm. Rather, He does so for our benefit, in order to prevent our deviation, which is increasing due to our recklessness and indifference to Him.

Just as the one who stays outside, far from the light, does not harm the light in any way, but rather the greatest loss falls on him by being in the dark, so he who is accustomed to despising the powerful force does not harm the force, but rather harms himself as much as possible.

This is why God threatens us with punishments, and may even inflict them upon us, not as revenge for Himself, but as a means of drawing us to Him.

Example

I ask: Who among the people was more corrupt than the king of Babylon (Nebuchadnezzar), who experienced the power of God abundantly, until he submitted to the prophet of God (Daniel), and was ordered to offer offerings and incense to God, but he returned again to his previous pride by being thrown into the furnace (with the three young men). ) Who did not glorify him more than God?!

Despite all this, God called this cruel, impious man, who is rather a predatory animal than a human creature, to repent, giving him many opportunities to do so (to repent).

The first opportunity is the miracle that took place in the fiery furnace (i.e. the appearance of the Son of God with the three young men in the midst of the fire - Dan. 3).

The second opportunity is the visions that appeared to him, and which Daniel explained to him. These visions are capable of crushing any stony heart (Daniel 4).

And after that, the advice of the Prophet himself, who said to him: “O King, let my counsel be acceptable to you, and disperse your sins with righteousness, and your transgressions with mercy toward the poor, that perhaps your reassurance may prolong” (Daniel 4:7...). What do you say, O wise man (Daniel), blessed?! Could he have a chance to return to God after this great fall?!

Will his health return after an illness like this?!

Is it possible for him to regain his sanity after such complete madness?!…

Despite all this, God did not punish him, but rather continued to be patient with him, advising him sometimes through visions and other times through the tongue of his Prophet. But since no good occurred to him, in any of these ways, God finally poured punishment on him, “He was cast out from among men, and his heart was made like an animal, and his dwelling was with wild asses, and they fed him grass like oxen, and his body was wet with the dew of heaven” (Daniel 5:21). This punishment was not to take revenge on him for what he had previously done, but rather to cut off the causes of future sin, and to prevent him from continuing in evil.

The Lord did not punish him forever, but after disciplining him for a few years, He returned him again to his first position without suffering any loss due to the punishment. On the contrary, he benefited as much as possible as he gained firm faith in God and repentance for his evil deeds.

I am waiting for your repentance

This is the compassion of God that He will not turn His face away from sincere repentance. Even if a person has been pushed to the extremes of evil, when he returns to the path of virtue, God accepts him, welcomes him, and does everything with him until He returns him to his original state.

God works to the utmost limits of mercy, even if a person does not show complete repentance. He does not ignore a small or trivial matter, but rather gives a great reward for this. This is evident from the words of the Prophet Isaiah: “Because of the iniquity of his gain, I was angry and I struck him. I hid myself and became angry, and he went on rebellious in the way of his heart. I have seen his ways, and I will heal him, and I will lead him, and I will restore comfort to him and to his mourners” (Isaiah 57:17-18).

We will quote another example, which is the most ungrateful of kings, who sinned under the influence of his wife, but as soon as he regretted it, put on sackcloth, and condemned his mistakes, he won God’s mercies for himself... God said to Elijah: “Have you seen how Ahab humbled himself before me? Because he humbled himself before me, do not I will bring evil in his days” (1 Kings 21:29).

Not only what happened with these people, but the words of the Prophet testify to God’s annihilation of thoughts of despair, as he said: “Today if you hear his voice. Do not harden your hearts as at Meribah” (Psalm 95:7-8). The word “today” here means any moment in life, even if you are old, if you like. Repentance is not calculated by the number of days, but by the state of the soul. The people of Nineveh did not need many days to remove their sins. Rather, a small part of a day was enough to crush their evils. The thief also did not need a long period of time to enter Paradise, but in that short moment that endured with one word, his sins that he had committed all the days of his life were washed away. He received the reward given to him by God before the apostles received it. We see the martyrs receiving crowns of glory, not after several years, but rather after a few days, and it was often done in one day (that is, some of them accepted Christianity and were martyred on the same day).

Therefore, we need zeal in every direction, and a great readiness of thought. If we prepare the conscience to hate our past evils and choose the other path more actively, according to God’s will and commandments, we will attain much good in a short period of time, for many were others, but they preceded the first.

Do not despair, saying: Will the repentance of a fallen believer be accepted?!

Return is normal

Falling in itself is not dangerous, but the danger lies in remaining prone after falling, and not getting up again. Cowardice, that is, fear and laziness, hide the intention of moral weakness under the pretext of “despair.”

To them also the Prophet speaks in confusion, saying: “Do they fall and not rise, or does someone backslide and not return”?! (Jer. 8:4).

If you ask me for examples of people who fell after believing, then everything written in the Holy Bible concerns these people, because what falls is previously attributed to those who are still standing, and not to those who are still cast out, because how can any of those who are cast out fall?!

Examples

1. The sheep that was separated from the ninety-nine and came back again (Luke 15:4-5) represents to us nothing but a fall and then a return to faith. Because it was not a sheep from a strange flock, but rather it belonged to the same flock of believers, and it was shepherded by the same shepherd, and it did not stray in a public place, but rather it got lost between the mountains in the valley, that is, on a long journey, very far from the straight path...

The shepherd brought him back without kicking him out or hitting him, but rather carrying him on his shoulders!

Just as doctors undertake to care for those who have been greatly ill, not only using the laws and arts of medicine but sometimes giving them gifts, so God leads those who have fallen very far, not with great severity, but gently and gradually, and helps them from every side, so that their separation does not increase or their errors multiply.

2. The same truth applies to the parable of the prodigal son. He too was not a stranger, but rather a son and brother of a son whose father was very pleased with him, and who had sunk into a strange vice and gone to a very far land, that is, the land of sin.

The rich, free, polite son fell into the most extreme levels of misery, more severe than the slaves, strangers, and hired hands! However, he was restored to his original state, and his former dignity was restored to him. If he despaired of this life and became distressed by what he had fallen into, he would have remained in the foreign land and not enjoyed what he had achieved, and would have perished from hunger and fallen into a pitiful death. But when he repented and did not despair, he saved what had perished greatly, and came back in the same position as he was before, wearing the beautiful robe, and enjoying the great honors that his brother who had not fallen did not attain...

Great is the power of repentance!

3. Fallen Youth: Now hear some of what happened in real-life examples. A well-known person from the Corinthians committed a sin that is not called (it does not occur) among the nations. This person was a believer and belonged to the house of Jesus Christ, and some say that he was a priest at that time.

So what? Did the Apostle Paul cut him off from fellowship with those on the path to salvation? both. The Apostle Paul, who rebuked the Corinthians many times because they did not give him an opportunity to repent, wanted to prove to us that there is no sin without a remedy. He said about that man whose sin was too heinous for the Gentiles to commit: “That such a man should be given over to Satan for the destruction of the body.” That the soul may be saved on the day of the Lord Jesus” (1 Corinthians 5:5). But after he repented, he said: “For such a man is the punishment that comes from most” (2 Corinthians 2:6), advising them in his second letter to accept that person again and welcome his repentance so that Satan does not destroy him...

Hell is no longer ours

I wish we could return to God, beloved, and fulfill His will. He created us and created us to be partners in eternal life, not to throw us into hell or deliver us to hellfire. Because hell belongs to Satan and is not ours, but as for us, the kingdom was prepared for us a long time ago.

In explaining these facts, the Lord said to those on the right: “Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world” (Matthew 25:40). As for those on the left, He says to them: “Depart from me, you cursed, into everlasting fire,” and here he did not say: “prepared for you,” but rather “prepared for the devil and his angels” (Matthew 25:41).

I wish we did not deprive ourselves of entering the bridal chamber. As long as we are in this world, no matter how countless our sins are, they can be washed away by sincere repentance for what we have committed.

But when we depart to the other world, the deepest repentance will not benefit us, even if we grit our teeth, beat our chests, and utter all the expressions of distress. For neither a drop of water nor the tip of his finger will cool our burning bodies, and we will only hear those words that were said in the parable of the rich man: “Between us and you there is a great gulf” (Luke 16:26).

Therefore, I ask you to heal your senses so that you may know God as He should be known. Because hope only dissipates into the abyss, where treatment becomes useless... But here, whenever we use it, even if we are elderly, it brings us great strength.

This is why Satan uses all methods to sow seeds of despair in us, because he knows that if we repent, even a little, we will receive a reward. Just as someone who offers a cup of cold water does not lose his reward. Likewise, whoever repents for the evils he has committed, even if they are not as great as his evils require, will not lose his reward. A just ruler never neglects anything good, no matter how small. Because if on the Day of Judgment He scrutinizes our sins, so that He holds us accountable for every word and every thought, then much more He will scrutinize our good deeds, whether they be great or small...

You just have to come forward to work and open the door to enter the place of jihad, and the more you delay outside, the work will seem difficult and impractical to you.

Before doing the work, simple and easy things seem to us, according to their appearance, to be very difficult for us. But when we start working, the risks disappear, confidence takes the place of suspicion and despair, fear decreases, the ease of work increases, and our good hope strengthens...

If I were really asking you to ascend to your first state all at once, it would be natural for you to complain that this is difficult, but all I am asking of you is to prepare and return to the opposite direction, so why do you hesitate, tremble, and retreat?!

Remember the Day of Judgment

Visit the cemeteries

Didn't you see those who died in their luxury, drunkenness, playing, and other foolish things of this life?!

Where are those people now who used to strut proudly in the markets while their followers gathered around them?! Who wore silk, were perfumed with scents, whose tables were filled in the evenings, and who watched theaters without interruption?! What happened to everything they showed?!…

To go to the coffin (the coffin of the dead) and contemplate the dust, the ashes, and the worms, think of the place where the soul recovers; He sighed bitterly.

Mention the end of the wicked

I wish the punishment would stop at the limit of ashes! Now let your thoughts move from the ark, and from that worm to the worm that never dies, and the fire that cannot be quenched, and the gnashing of teeth, and the outer darkness, and sorrow and distress, move your thoughts to the parable of Lazarus and the rich man. Who, despite his wealth and purple clothing, was unable to obtain even a drop of water.

When you hear about fire, do not think it is like the fire of this world. Because the fire of this world burns and destroys what it has kindled, but this fire always burns those whom it has caught and does not cease to do so, so it is called “inextinguishable.” Because those who sinned will always remain in it, not for glory, but rather it will become a permanent material for them to receive the punishment that will work in them forever.

What a terrifying thing! Languages cannot express it! Our teeth will grind because of our unbearable deeds and pain, and there is no one to save us!

Yes. We will sigh mightily as the fire strikes us cruelly, and there is no savior among those who are being punished with us in great devastation!

How can anyone describe the horror of darkness?! Just as fire has no power to destroy, it also has no power to illuminate, otherwise there would be no darkness...

What luxury (in this world) and how much time do you think is equivalent to this punishment and this revenge? Do you think a hundred years or two hundred is equivalent to that? What is this time worth next to unlimited time?!

Enjoying temporal things when compared to our condition in the world to come is nothing but a dream of one day in the midst of all life. Who among us would accept eternal punishment for having a good dream?!

Remember the happiness of the righteous

I ask you to contemplate the afterlife, how difficult it is to contemplate it!

No language can express it, but we try to take a picture of it, even if it is not clear, using what we have been told, as if through holes...

What a blessed life is this? There can be neither fear nor poverty nor disease. It is impossible to find a person who is harmed or harmed by anyone, who rebukes or rebukes, who is angry or envious, or who is burned by any shameful desire, or who worries about obtaining the necessities of life, or who laments the loss of dignity or authority, because all suffering is suppressed and goes away, and everyone becomes in peace, happiness, and joy. And all things go on calmly, and there is a permanent day with light and light not like this light that is in the world... so there is no sunset night, no cold or heat, and no succession of seasons...

As for what is greater than all of this, it is the constant joy in communion with the Lord Christ, in the company of angels, archangels, and the heavenly powers...

Indeed, most of those who do not have a sound and reasonable goal struggle to escape from Hell, but I say that the most severe punishment from Hell is depriving us of the glories of the world to come. I think that whoever fails to achieve it should not be saddened by what he suffers in hell as much as he is saddened by his expulsion from heaven. Because this in itself is the harshest punishment...

Why despair when God seeks your beauty!

introduction (1)

God is the Creator... He created the human soul in His image and likeness, and this creation was not by the will of man, as it was nothingness. But after He was created, He had free will because He was like God... But with this free will, the soul spoiled its beauty and needed the Creator’s hand to work on it, but He will not work unless the soul wants, because it has absolute freedom.

And through the cross, the human soul could ask - if it wanted - for the hand of the Creator to restore it to its first beauty... And in that, it grows day by day, and the features of the image of God appear in it until the Day of Judgment comes, so that we have a complete image of Him, so we share in His glory... We are now in the world in a role. Genesis: Either we ask for the hand of God so that the new man who has the image of God grows and overcomes the old man, or we reject His work in us, so we loose the bonds of the old man, that is, the distorted image in us, and we will have no share with the Redeemer.

St. John Chrysostom compared the creation of man while he was in the womb, and the creation of the new man (his growth every day) in this world... He saw that both of them were frowning in a narrow world full of troubles, and that in both of them the features were becoming apparent day by day... and that if one of them was born before the date, he would descend. From distress to greater distress.

However, there is a huge difference between the two. A human being is created in his mother’s womb against his will, and no opinion is taken into account regarding his color, the beauty of his face, his height, etc. As for the human soul, it has the right to hold the Redeemer’s hand to create for it the image it seeks, if it longs for features of divine love, features of peace, gentleness, self-control, or righteousness... All of this is drawn by the hand of God in the heart. God resides in him and is ready to work, because “he wants all to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth,” but he is waiting for the acceptance of the human soul.

We are in the role of creation

In this world, we are like a fetus in the womb. We live in this narrow world and are unable here to attain the glory and freedom of the afterlife (no matter what we do). But when the time for our departure comes, the day this world throws man into the Day of Judgment (just as the womb throws the fetus). For those whom the world aborted (i.e., they were miscarriages and did not fully develop). They come out of darkness into darker darkness, and from sadness to even greater sadness?

As for those who have been fully formed (i.e. born alive) and have the features of the royal image, they are presented to the king and perform the service that angels and archangels have toward the God of all.

Therefore, I ask you, friend, not to remove those features (marks) completely, but rather correct them quickly, and stamp them on yourself with the greatest perfection.

You can shape your soul

Indeed, God has fixed physical beauty within the limits of nature (i.e., man is not able to shape his body), but the grace of the soul is freed from confinement and slavery, rising from this state, inasmuch as it is far above any physical harmony, and for this it depends on us (i.e., our will). And by the grace of God.

Our Master, being merciful, honored our race in this special way, leaving nature to shape the little things (the body) that do not contribute much to our benefit. In its power are unimportant matters, but we have been made artists with regard to the matters that are truly important (that is, by our will we submit to God’s grace to shape and beautify the soul).

If God had left us to shape our bodies, we would have become increasingly anxious, wasting all our time on useless things, and thus we would have neglected the spirit too much.

Despite what we are, and not being given this authority (to choose and shape our bodies), we make tremendous efforts, and since we are unable to obtain true physical beauty, we cleverly contrive many imitations, using powders and dyes, adorning ourselves with wigs, jewelry, and using eyebrow pencils... And a lot of tricks. If we were given the ability to truly shape the body, would we have the time to devote to the soul and serious matters?!

If we assumed that this was our work, we would have no other work, but rather we would spend all our time in it, adorning the slave girl (the body) with countless decorations, leaving her master (the soul) in a distorted and neglected state. For this reason, God exempted us from useless work, placing in us the power of work in the noble element (the soul).

He who cannot change his ugly body into a beautiful form can elevate the soul, even if it has descended to the extremes of ugliness, to bring it to the peak of beauty. Not only does it make her loved and desired by the righteous, but also by God Himself, the Lord and God of all, so much so that when the psalmist spoke about this beauty, he said: “Then the king will desire your beauty” (Psalm 45:11).

God accepts adulterers

Don't you see that even in the houses of prostitutes, the winners of wrestling and the escaped slaves hardly accept ugly-looking women?!

If one of the beautiful women, of good origin, and meek, fell due to bad circumstances, wouldn’t any great person be ashamed to marry her?!

Just as some very compassionate and glorified men free women from their slavery, who were without dignity in the homes of prostitutes, and accept them as their wives, so God does even more of this with those souls who were raped by Satan, who fell from their first noble state and became an adulteress in this. life.

The books of the prophets were filled with examples of this kind, when they addressed Jerusalem, which had fallen into adultery... As Ezekiel says: “To all the harlots they give a gift, but you have given your gifts to all your lovers, and you bribed them to come to you from every direction to commit adultery with you” (Ezekiel 16:23). Another said: “I sat in the streets like a Bedouin in the wilderness” (Jeremiah 3:2). And this person (Jerusalem), who committed adultery in this way, was called by God again, and even when He allowed her to be captured, it was not to take revenge on her as much as to reform her...

If God did not abandon the repentance of this woman who committed adultery many times, how much more will he accept your soul that fell for the first time?!

Look at the introduction of Jeremiah and the books of the prophets, when the people despised the Lord and vilified him, how he quickly rushed to them and sought the friendship of those who abandoned him.

This is also what he clearly showed in the Gospels, saying: “O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, you who kill the prophets and stone those who are sent to you, how often have I wanted to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, and you would not” (Matthew 23:37). As the Apostle Paul wrote to the people of Corinth, saying: “God was in Christ, reconciling the world to Himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and placing in us the word of reconciliation, as we seek as ambassadors for Christ, as if God were preaching through us.” We ask you on behalf of Christ to be reconciled to God” (2 Corinthians 5:19-20).

Consider, for this was said for our sake.

Body beauty

I know you now admire Hermione's grace (2) Hermoine

She judged that there was no one in the world who could match her beauty.

My friend... if you want, you yourself can rival her in her beauty and beauty, just as you rival those golden statues made of clay. Because if the beauty of the body enchants and excites the minds of men, how beautiful and beautiful is the soul when it shines?!

What is the source of this physical beauty, other than saliva, blood, bile, and chewed food...?!

If you look inside the beautiful eyes, the straight nose, the mouth, and the cheeks, you will find that these beautiful organs are nothing but bleached graves filled with filth inside.

Imagine that you saw a rag with a little saliva on it, but would you refrain from touching it, even with your fingertips?! No, you can't even bear to look at it, and yet you are deceived by the sad effect of these things?!

The beauty of the soul

As for your beauty, it is not of this kind. Rather, it exceeds her beauty, just as the sky is higher than the earth. Rather, it is more than that and more beautiful...

Although no one has ever seen a soul in itself separated from the body, nevertheless, I will try to present to you the beauty of the soul in another way, I mean the state of the great heavenly powers.

Listen, the beauty of these forces terrified Daniel, the beloved man. Even though they (the angels) did not appear to him in their original nature as they are, but rather in darkness and in a dark way, they shone with such great brilliance. How much more will the attributes of their nature be when they are freed from this veil?!

To some extent, this shows a picture of the beauty of the spirit “for they are like the angels of God” (Luke 20:36)...

Why do you give up?!

Don't stand still

All I ask of you is to free yourself from your evil slavery and regain the old freedom, taking into account the punishment resulting from your immorality and the glory that you had in your first life. For non-believers do not care about the Resurrection and do not fear judgment, and this is not surprising... As for us who have walked steadfastly after the world to come more than temporal matters, if we spend our lives in the path of sad misery and are not affected at all by the mention of heavenly matters, but rather fall into excessive stagnation, then this will be Absolutely ridiculous. Because if we believers do what non-believers do, and sometimes we are even worse than them, because among them are those who walk in virtue, then what comfort do we have, and what excuse can we offer?

Indeed, many of the merchants whose ships sank did not surrender, but rather continued their journeys. This happens when the loss is caused not by negligence but by strong winds. Is it appropriate for us, who have reason to be confident about our end, certain that if we do not want it, no loss will befall our ship, and no accident resulting in loss will happen to us, not to return? We return to work and continue our jihad as we did in the past, or do we become lazy and stop working?!

If only our hands would stop, but we would use them against ourselves as if they were in complete madness! Because if any boxer left his head in his opponent's hands, wouldn't that be considered crazy?!

Satan knocked us down and threw us down, but we must rise up and not fall again without throwing ourselves down to add other blows to his blows.

David did not give up

Blessed David had a fall like the one you fell into, and other falls followed. I mean by that, he was a murderer.

So what? Did he remain exposed?

Did he not immediately rise again with strength and stand up to fight the enemy?

Indeed, he wrestled with him courageously, until he became the keeper of his lineage after his death. Because when Solomon committed a great sin, he deserved many deaths. But God told him that He would leave him the kingdom without division: “For I will tear the kingdom from you to pieces and give it to your servant. However, I will not do it in your days for the sake of your father David, but I will tear it off by the hand of your son” (1 Kings 11:11-12).

And again, when Hezekiah was about to fall into great danger despite being a righteous person, God saved him for this saint’s sake, “and I will defend this city to save it for my own sake and for my servant David’s sake” (2 Kings 19:34).

How great is the power of repentance! ...If David had repeated to himself, as you are doing now, saying to himself: God has given me great honor, given me a place among the prophets, entrusted me with the government of the city, and saved me from many calamities, how can I gain His favor after I disobeyed Him and committed the most heinous crimes, despite His blessings? Too much for me?! If David had thought like this, he would not have done what he did next. Rather, he would have added other burdens to the weight of his sins.

Do not give up because of spiritual wounds

Not only physical wounds, but wounds of the soul lead to death if neglected.

We have reached such a low point in stupidity that we pay attention to physical wounds and ignore others. Although some physical wounds are often difficult to heal, our hope for their healing will not go away. Even if we hear doctors testify that it is impossible to treat them with medications, we are determined to seek advice, even if it is to alleviate them. As for the soul, since there is no disease in it that is impossible to cure, since it is not subject to the law of nature, we neglect and despair as if they were incurable weaknesses.

Where the nature of corruption requires us to despair, we accept suffering as if there were a great hope of returning to health, while where there is room for hope, we do not stop striving and do not hesitate!!…

We care much more about the body than the spirit, and that is why we cannot even save the body. Because whoever disdains the element of leadership and focuses his attention on small matters will destroy both... As for whoever cares about the element that carries out leadership, even if he neglects the secondary element, he preserves the first element...

And if you surrender...I have hope in you

If you despair of yourself ten thousand times, I will not despair of your salvation. I will not commit this sin for which I rebuke others. However, a person's hope in himself is different from his hope in another. Because whoever doubts about another may have an excuse, but whoever doubts his own hope is without excuse.

Why do I pray?... Because I have no power to control the jealousy and repentance of others, as a person can only control his own jealousy and repentance. However, I do not despair of your salvation, even if you have taken the path of despair many times.

The internationalists did not surrender!

When the people of Nineveh heard the prophet Jonah declaring in a harsh tone and sternly threatening: “After forty days, Nineveh will be overthrown,” their hearts were not deceived, even though they had no confidence that they could remove God’s wrath.

The opposite was expected, because God’s message through Jonah’s mouth was clear and nothing was mentioned in it about their acceptance if they returned, but they declared repentance, saying: “Perhaps God will return and repent and turn from his fierce anger so that we will not perish.” And when God saw their deeds, that they had turned from their evil way, God repented of the evil which he had said he would do to them, and he did not do it” (Jonah 3:9-10).

If the ignorant Gentiles were able to realize this, how much more should we who have been trained in the divine teachings and have seen many examples of this kind in history and in our current experiences?!…

If we accept into our homes slaves who had previously declared their disobedience against us, by simply promising them that they would become better than they were, and we return them to their first positions, and sometimes grant them more freedom to speak than they had before, then God will do more to us than this. Because if God had created us to punish us, you would have the right to despair and question your possibility of salvation. But if He only created us according to His good will, and intends to provide us with eternal blessings, arranging everything to achieve this goal, from the first day until our present time, then how can doubt creep into you?!

Your surrender is worse than your sins

Have we angered God with cruelty that no one has ever committed before? Rather, this causes us to stop our past actions, repent of what is past, and show great transformation. Because the evils we have committed do not displease God as much as our unwillingness to change. Because whoever sins has fallen into human weakness, and as for whoever continues in the same sin, he nullifies his humanity and becomes a devil.

See how God blames the second action more than the first through the mouth of His Prophet: “Then I said, after I had done all these things, ‘Return to me,’ but she did not return” (Jer. 3:7).

The power of repentance

You will come back with greater strength

Those who showed excessive violence in their evils show the same zeal when they return to a good life, because they feel the weight of the great debt they owe. This is what Jesus Christ announced when he spoke to Simon about the sinful woman: “Look at this woman. I entered your house and you were not given water for my feet. As for her, she washed my feet with tears and wiped them with her hair. A kiss you did not kiss me. As for her, ever since she came in, she has not stopped kissing my feet. You did not anoint my head with oil. But she anointed my feet with ointment. For this reason I say to you, her many sins are forgiven her because she loved greatly. To whom little is forgiven, he loves little” (Luke 7:44-47).

For this reason also, since Satan knows that those who have committed many evils, when they begin to repent, they walk in them with greater zeal, as much as they feel the weight of their sins, that is why he frightens and terrifies them so that they do not begin to work. If they start, they cannot be stopped, but rather they burn like fire under the effectiveness of repentance. Their souls become purer than pure gold, driven by their conscience and their remembrance of their past sins, as if they were driven by a strong storm towards the heaven of virtue.

This is the point from which those who have fallen benefit from those who have not fallen, as they work more actively... But as I said, if they are able to begin, the difficulty and cruelty of the work is in setting foot on the beginning, arriving at the entrance to repentance, and repelling and casting out the enemy, the one who is angry with us and wars with us. . But after entering, Satan does not display his excessive anger after he failed and fell where he was strong. We become more active and run easily in this good race.

I wish we could put our return before us. I wish we could hasten to the city in heaven, where our names were recorded, and we were chosen to find a place there as citizens.

As for our despair of our souls, it does not stop at this evil, which is closing the doors of this city in our faces, dragging us towards dullness and recklessness, but also causing us to fall into satanic recklessness.

The reason why Satan became what he is is that he first fell into complete despair, and from despair he fell into recklessness.

When the soul is deprived of its salvation, it begins to sink downward. Choosing for herself to do and say everything that contradicts her salvation.

Just as when insane people lose their sanity, they are no longer afraid or ashamed of anything, but without fear they dare to do everything, even if it leads to them falling into fire, deep water, or a pit. Those who are seized with the madness of despair from now on cannot be controlled, but are driven towards vice from every side. And if death does not come to them as a final limit to their madness and violence, they will cause themselves immeasurable harm.

Therefore, I beg of you, before you descend deeply into this intoxication, to regain your senses, raise yourself up, and remove this demonic attack from you, and carry out - quietly and gradually - what you could not do at once...

You will receive a double reward

I beg you and ask you to remember your first reputation, and that faith you had. We want to see you again on the tower of virtue, and in your first perseverance.

Remember those who stumble because of you, those who fall, become increasingly hesitant, and despair of the path of virtue.

Sadness has descended upon your group of good-natured friends, while joy and gladness have descended among the groups of unbelievers and those who are neglectful of youth. But if you return again to your previous integrity, the result will be reversed. So our shame is transferred to them, while we rejoice in your great faith, seeing you crowned and winning victory in a more glorious image than you were. Such victory brings greater fame and greater happiness.

You will not only receive the reward for your reform, but also for the advice and comfort you will provide to others, by becoming an example for those who fall like you, so they will be encouraged and rise up, and their souls will be healed.

So do not neglect this profitable opportunity, and do not drag ourselves into the abyss in which we were, in sadness, but rather let us breathe freedom again, and the cloud of despair that surrounds us regarding you will disappear from us.

Now, leaving aside the matter of our troubles, we grieve over the misfortunes that befall you, but if you want to come to your senses, see clearly, and walk in the angelic crowd, you will free us from sorrow and remove from us the greater share of sin.

Biblical testimony

As for the fact that those who return after repentance shine twice as brightly as those who did not fall, this I came from the Holy Scriptures. At least those tax collectors and prostitutes inherited the kingdom before many of the rest...

Repentance and confession without hope

I know for a fact that you confess your sins, and call yourself infinitely miserable. But this is not all I ask of you. Rather, I long for you to be certain that you are justified. Because as long as you make this confession without feeling its benefit, even if you condemn yourself, you will not get rid of future sins. For no one can practice anything zealously and in a beneficial way unless he is first convinced of its benefit.

After the farmer sows the grain, he will not reap anything unless he waits for the harvest. Because who would accept to tire himself in vain, as long as he will not gain anything from his labor?! Thus, whoever sows words, tears, and confession, if he does not do this with good hope, he will not be able to get rid of being wrong, as he is still sinning with the sin of despair...

Do not stop at accusing yourself of your sins, but rather be like someone who wants to be justified through repentance. Because in this way you can shame your confessing self so that you will no longer fall into sins again. Because man violently accusing himself and admitting that he is a sinner is common even among non-believers as well.

Many of those who work in theatres, both men and women, who are accustomed to doing shameful work, call themselves miserable, but they do not say this with a useful intention. I do not call this a confession, because their declaration of their sins was not accompanied by remorse of conscience, nor warm tears, nor a change in behavior. Rather, some offer this confession simply to gain fame from the listeners for their frankness in speaking...

Those who are under the influence of despair have fallen into a state of insensitivity, and they underestimate how their friends view them, revealing their evil deeds to them as if they were talking about the sins of others...

What are the roots and origins of despair?

He's lax.

We should not only call indolence the root of despair, but it is its nurse and mother... Indolence leads to despair, and at the same time it increases despair. And each of them strengthens the other in a vicious exchange... If we cut one into parts, we can easily control the other.

On the one hand, we find that a person who is not lax will not fall into despair.

On the other hand, we see that he who is strengthened by good hope and does not despair of himself will not be able to fall into complacency...

(1) This introduction was created by the translator to simplify the idea of Saint Chrysostom.

(2) The woman he loved.