GO TO CONFESSION, PRAY, GIVE ALMS

[Monomakhos 1849]

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GO TO CONFESSION, PRAY, GIVE ALMS

 

Scribed by

FR. SERAPHIM OF LEORA

 

TOBIAS’S BOUNTY

1773

 

An icon in the Akrito-Raev style depicting St. Jude.

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“People complain that we Judites say the same thing, over and over again. ‘Go to Confession, pray, give alms.’ If we say them always, it is only because they are always true!” (Maxims 5:22)

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Section I - Go to Confession

Section II - Pray

Section III – Give Alms

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| Section I |

 

O Lord, Theós, our God, existing before all ages and remaining unto the ages of ages; whose ineffable mercy hath gifted us salvation in Your Kingdom. We give our thanks unto you for your ineffable and all-glorious mercy. Take our prayers up on high and gift our souls the Grace necessary to act in all the virtues and exalt you for all time. Upon you alone we look, for you alone we have placed our hopes, to you we send glory, now and ever and unto the ages of ages. Amen.

 

“When God is in our heart, we are contented with everything: what has been discomfort to us becomes the greatest comfort, what was bitter to us becomes sweet, poverty becomes wealth, our hunger is satisfied, and our sorrow turns into joy!” (Maxims 4:7)

 

“Go to Confession.” (Maxims 1:11)

 

Let me open with a story of my homeland. Well into the summer months, where the foothills from the Akritan sea gave way to the Magian Highlands and those towering peaks that I call home, there was a village tucked away into the arid mountains. Yet, lying deep in the valleys on the banks of the river known as Vanavros, there was a quiet village - what never stirred for the lives of its people were simple and did not invite chaos. A traveller came from the north, and he was abundant in material wealth. He came with no companions and sought a place to lay his head, and for all his wealth did he have the purpose to reward whomever could give him peace and quiet during his time in this village with his many riches. The first place he came upon was a beautiful place situated on the banks of the river, so he thought to himself it must be a good place to shelter. And so he went and knocked upon the door to receive the graciousness of his benefactors, and when they invited him inside, he reeled away for an ungodly stench permeated the place. These people, despite their otherwise nice home, lived in filth and squalor and so he relieved himself of the place and continued on in pursuit of a more suitable location. And so did he happen upon the second house, and the second was the same in that his hosts were gracious and opened their doors to him. But inside he found disorder, all things were out of placed and covered in dust and cobwebs and all other manner of things. And so did the traveller continue on, but he had become so tired that he determined to stay the night in the next, no matter the state of it. As he went about the town, he wondered to himself how these people who resided in such a beautiful place tucked away into pristine nature could allow themselves such squalor. It was clear it was due to the negligence of their owners, how their internal beauty was diminished so. When he reached the other end of the village, he came by a small shack in which lived a kindly housewife. And he was met with the greatest cordiality and brought into their home. And he immediately noticed that everything was simple, clean and well-ordered. Relief washed over the stranger and he found the peace and quiet he sought, and within did he leave his gifts. 

 

“Go to Confession.” (Maxims 2:8)

 

Let us then replace this traveller with the name of the Lord; then we come to see clear what the true meaning of the parable is, God bringing with him the greatest of all gifts, that is His grace with which He raises us up into His kingdom. And if He sought for himself a shelter within our souls, how could He find a place fit for rest? This heavenly guest comes among us and desires entry beneath the roof of our souls, that he might lodge within our hearts. But how can he? Say that a man beckons him in, calls out and bids open the doors to his heart. But the Lord recoils in disgust, for the stench of spiritual decay is such an overpowering thing. Of all the sins and none of the virtues. How can the Lord enter such a place, where the man and his demons exist beneath the same roof in this spiritual pig’s sty? Then say we have a man whose friends and family bid him to fast and to partake in the sacraments. Yet he does not wish to receive this gift, for he has left himself in disorder and allowed his sinful habits to pile up and draw him from a spiritual life. But who can say that his heart; this home, is full and in order through all things that it might entreat the Holiest of Holies to be welcomed there? It is safe to say that we, as men, are all unworthy of God. But He longs to come into us and to raise us up, because we are created for Him and without, we can never know true peace in our souls. And so does He wish to bring His heavenly gift unto all men. How? How can we as men, sick in sin, become worthy of these gifts? It is so simple, and free to all men who simply ask for it! Through Confession; when it is earnest, when it involves the resentment of one’s self and all the sins they have committed and that true desire to cleanse the heart of all this waste, that is how. By Confession can we cleanse ourselves of all these impure thoughts, chaotic feelings and passions, and adorn the soul with the Grace that is God’s gift to mankind.

 

“We know ourselves too well to see virtue in ourselves; God’s grace alone can save us. The fact that God does not just strike us down to Hades for our misdeeds, but instead gives us a chance to repent, makes us living proof of His mercy.” (Maxims 3:6)

 

“Go to Confession.” (Maxims 3:12)

 

We are fashioned for the Lord, and only through the Lord do we find the solution to this constant emptiness, this persistent and ever-present yearning to be filled. All things fall short of Him, and so do all things fail to cure this disease that is within us besides Him. You might gift unto a person each and every desire, but with time, he will become indifferent to it all, and that same emptiness welling in his stomach and in his heart will overcome. This presents itself as an inextinguishable and never ending hunger for the love, peace and truth that we can only find in God. It torments us and never allows us rest, even if we fill ourselves with these passions and frivolous things meant to make us content. It is this wasting disease that is the absence of the Lord’s love and protection, sin, that is the greatest evil that has been presented to mankind. It is folly that many people would try to seek other answers; to say that the source of this emptiness, this great evil, is something besides sin - a Josephite might tell you it is injustice or a lack of freedom, whereas an Everardine might say that it is a lack of faith in the traditions they uphold. And then some might turn to matters of actual importance. They might name this evil as disease, or as poverty or death. Yet none of these things even amount to a fraction of the evil that is sin, and the power it holds over us. How can poverty be in itself this great and destructive evil, when many of our saints, venerable and blessed were rich in the Lord despite impoverishment in this life. Material wealth cannot compare to the eternal bliss that is the heavenly gift of Grace. And disease cannot hold a candle to the Lord when it can be endured through humility and faith; and in turn, bring us closer to Him. And to think death is evil? Death is the gateway to His kingdom, who has prepared in his infinite love a paradise for all who carry in their heart love for Him. Yet sin presents itself as a far more terrible beast than them all, a foul sickness that plagues the soul and deprives us of both the bliss of this life and of the next, separating us forever from the gift of paradise to bury us in darkness and suffering for eternity. It is the damnation of everything that is bright in our souls and teaches us to embrace passions and forgo virtues in favor of debauchery and waste.

 

“Say: ‘O God, my Lord and Master, why have I loved, why in my whole life have I ever desired, anything but Thee? Why have I wandered for all but Thee? O, spirit of God, love of God, mercy of God, reside in me, and have pity on me, the most wretched sinner!’” (Maxims 3:4)

 

“Go to Confession.” (Maxims 3:22)

 

And as much as pestilence of the flesh might be hidden away from the eyes of men, so too can this sickness of the soul. It becomes a comfort to many that they might hide these blemishes and not be known for their lack of virtues, but they cannot hide these things from the Lord, and it is the Lord who shall judge them when they seek entry into His kingdom. God tells us not to sin, he tells us to live according to His virtues and His laws, for sin is an affront to His laws. And the final goal of sin is to separate us from Him and from eternity. Many of us still are blind to this, we think of sin as a fleeting thing that doesn’t matter, and we have no remorse for our wickedness. If we were to weigh all the sins of mankind against all the holiness in Paradise and on earth and the righteousness of all the saints, blessed, venerable and righteous souls, it would not even be able to raise it up by an inch. It is only in the power of the Lord that we can be free of these sins, and only through repentance can they ever be forgiven. But we mustn’t disparage ourselves and dwell in hopelessness that this weighty burden can never be lifted from our shoulders, for God offers us deliverance. We must weep with tears of repentance, for only they and the cleansing waters of Gamesh alone wash away the mud and grime that is the presence of sin upon our souls. For it is the sacrament of baptism that is the evils and the demons that dwelled within us being washed away, but the sins we partake in after our baptism, we must cleanse with our tears.

 

“Go to Confession.” (Maxims 4:6)

All of creation is taken in evil, it is sickened in this pervasive pestilence that is sin, yet the one cure for this sickness is provided freely and a miraculous gift it is, to be healed the moment you reach for it - that a leper could swallow an herb and all of his blemishes and wounds and rot would vanish in an instant, that is our miracle. But many people neglect it, they do not even think to accept this cure. And it is because they neglect themselves, physically and spiritually. As there are earthly medicines for earthly diseases, there is the Holiest and Almighty Heavenly Healer and His heavenly medicine for sin. But for this medicine to take hold inside of us, there is one prerequisite, and it is to be true, and to repent without hesitation or misgiving. How unfathomable and great is the Lord’s mercy that he has given the power of forgiving the sins of men to Evaristus and Clement and to all their successors after them, the bishops and the priests of our Holy Church? Why would he do this? To open his hands to mankind and make certain the forgiveness of this sickness in us. But how does this occur? It is simple; through the Sacrament of Penance (Ablution/Confession), which is a pillar of our faith, for it when initial powers from Baptism cannot overcome the passions, comes to set them aside and make room for that grace. The Canonist who is weighed down with this spiritual sickness must attend his priest with true and earnest repentance in his heart and with the sincerity of change, to reveal to his spiritual father full confession of the secrets of his heart and conscience. The cleric, if convinced of sincere repentance of the Canonist may then administer the suitable prayers and the sacrament through ablution. In that instance, whatever is forgiven here in our worldly home too is forgiven in the house of the Lord. It is that easy, that simple, and yet so many people are willing to sit by and ignore this. And if we choose willingly to ignore this mercy that the Lord grants us, the punishments that we deserve are tenfold, because we do not have even the dignity to do this for the salvation of our Souls that is so simple and available to us. What reasonable person would ignore penance after all this? We can only save our souls by two paths; that of not erring in sin whatsoever, or by repenting for them. And since the former is an unattainable perfection, if we are to reconcile with the Lord, we must repent and be sincere in our sorrows before Him. Else, we shall never be in His presence, for no impure thing will ever enter into His radiant kingdom.

 

“Confession is a fountain of mercy - an outpouring of love! I beg thee, I entreat thee, and I beseech thee at thy feet to repent now, for God alone knows the hour.” (Maxims 6:22)

 

“Go to Confession.” (Maxims 5:1)

 

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| Section II |

 

“So I am the Most High, and in pursuit of My Virtue, I bid my faithful this: You shall not be idle, nor forget your duties in favor of sloth.” (Virtue 4:8)

 

The mind is the faculty of the soul, for when one strives in all things towards salvation, this mind dwells within itself and within the first mind, that is God. However when we choose to open ourselves to the passions of the world, the mind dissipates upon carnal and earthy faculties that bring unto it sensual pleasures and impassioned thoughts. However where diligence expresses itself, which distinguishes good from evil, becomes the wealth of the mind. We must then endeavor to restrain this faculty of the mind and to steer it towards God for the betterment of our soul, which is the conductor of the mind. If we allow it to fall away from God, we open ourselves to self-indulgence, greed and ambition. Consequently does man’s freedom become an internal thing, for while we might outwardly be free in our lives if we do not train our mind and our faith we are on the inside slaves who do not keep God’s will. Yet, as with the gift of penance made available to us by God, there too is a means to take charge of one’s mind and to guide it towards, in all things, God. The answer is prayer. And I do not speak of the sort of prayer that exalts a Canonist to be open and public in his faith, that he prays to be seen and not to be seen by God. I speak of the sort of prayer that beckons one to turn inwards, to look upon himself, upon his imperfections and to channel his words and thoughts towards Grace that he might illuminate himself and establish a sincere connection with his faith and with God. There are multiple ways of doing this, and I would argue, that there is no single correct way. Though before I go on, I open to wisdom accredited to my contemporary and brother in faith, Fr. Griffith of Gwynon who brings with his writings good insight that will help me to elaborate my point further.

 

“Better is one hour prayed fervently, than all seven mouthed idly!” (Maxims 7:6)

 

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On the St. Lucien Prayer

Authored by Fr. Griffith of Gwynon

 

“For deep is our pain, my beloved, but what phrase may express the sorrow of our souls? What painting reflect the horror we have witnessed and the anguish that lies within us? The Lord knows our hearts better than we know each other’s, so let us pray for the only meaningful thing we may. Let us pray that the Lord have mercy on us and on the child he has taken unto his bosom. Let us pray to the Lord our God.”

High Pontiff St. Lucien to his wife, Lady Julianna Ashford, in reference to her mourning of their son, Carden Ashford, who passed away due to complications with leprosy.

The madness and distractions of this modern world we find ourselves in leaves many with the belief they are unable to sustain a proper prayer rule. Husbands find themselves struggling with many hours and hope to find only comfort and peace in the after hours from their wives and children. Wives toil and slave to raise their children to be proper and refined for this new age the Empire has been ushered into only to find themselves tasked with the duty to prepare the final meal of the day. Even children cannot find rest with many struggling to find meaning in this world after their parents pass into the next life or burdened with obtaining a new trade never before seen in the family.

 

But this is the gravest belief that has plagued throughout the Empire the last century.

 

Without daily and ever-present prayer, our communication with the Lord is severed. The constant relief and joy prayer brings us, is dropped. In favor of what, beloved? For the excuse that the material world’s duties may bring us true relief where the Lord, the creator of the material world and of us, may not? Some may not wish to phrase it that way, but the truth in this statement is undeniable. When we allow society to dedicate our actions by forcing a constant implication of work onto us and allow this as an excuse to not pray, we are spitting at the notion of prayer entirely. We are allowing the material world to take hold of us spiritually like a daemonic snare of sorts, draining us of our relationship with the Lord. High Pontiff St. Lucien, in his piety, easily saw the inner and outward strife the world brought to bear upon the Canonist cause. He participated in the founding of the Order of the White Rose to crush the pagan threat of this world and bring the light of God upon the world at large. And while he did this, he sought innerly, as he was a devout man of God. How could he bring both the subjugation of the earthly world, the management of his Order, and all while offering the praise the Lord deserved, through prayer, he often wondered. The saint toiled with the task of creating a prayer that would offer the feelings and meaning behind the prayer he so desperately searched for, but the Lord revealed to him that no prayer of that magnitude was necessary. Only that he prayed to the Him unto ages of ages. And so St. Lucien wrote what is known as the ‘Prayer to the Lord my God’, as he is referenced to have said:

 

“O Lord God, maker of all, have mercy on me, a sinner.”

 

I have translated the prayer to Common from Flexio and the local dialect of Kaedreni found in Gwynon (through which I have learned the prayer from) and divided it into four sections as St. Lucien intended. The prayer asks the Lord specifically asks the Lord for mercy and allows itself to be prayed during breathing intervals.

 

For example;

 

“O Lord God”, breathe in.

“maker of all”, breathe out.

“have mercy on me”, breathe in.

“a sinner.”, breathe out.

 

The prayer also has an alternative form that is intended for such cases where the individual is amongst others to pray for them.

 

“O Lord God, maker of all, have mercy on us, sinners.”

 

With the pseudo-rhyme structure of the prayer and it’s shortness allows for a repetition within the breast even our body attunes itself to. And thus is the goal. For you shall pray it over and over, this simple prayer, and with the quantity of the prayer, you shall learn of its quality. For as St. Lucien learned, many words are not necessary for there to be strong meaning behind them. This prayer I give pass from St. Lucien unto you. When you toil, whether from a task given to you by the Lord or the children gifted unto you by the Lord, pray this prayer. You shall see the ease and comfort commune with God offers you. The monastics pray for the world and us, so let us do the same. Pray that the world and us may be given mercy for our sins.

 

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“There is not a time in which prayer is not useful.” (Maxims 6:9)

 

We see here offered in the wisdoms of High Pontiff St. Lucien brought to our attention by Fr. Griffith, and this speaks to my earlier words, that there is no single proper way of engaging in prayer and devoting one’s own mind to the Lord. Thus, can the ‘Prayer to the Lord my God’, or what we could even dub the St. Lucien Prayer for its origins be said to be a proper means of formulating prayer. For it speaks to quantity of repetitions in its short and simplistic nature, which allows oneself to become ‘lost’ in prayer, so to speak, to drown out your thoughts and drive out all things before the glory of the Lord. This is what we could call a contemplative prayer, which is popular among monastics because alike to their vocation, it too calls for a retreat from the worldly existence to focus oneself not upon the words they speak or even their own thoughts but on their connection to the Lord, which we call mental ascesis. In contemplative prayer, prayer becomes a practice of the mind entreating the heart, where the conscious is no longer burdened by the presence of images nor temptations and engages into a stillness that is punctuated further by the repetition of their prayer. This tradition is invoked also in the Chaplet of the Ten Virtues (or the Little Rosary), though to a lesser extent where prayer is augmented through the use of beads to allow for the individual to focus their mind upon the prayer itself where through their repetitions where the beads help to further this focus and keep a track, so to speak, upon the contemplations without interruption. Yet, for as beneficial as contemplative prayer is to some, to many we find in our devotions something much simpler - the common laymen will often not seek contemplation and the mysteries of faith through the isolation of the self and the mind from the earthly, and does that make their prayers any less effective? Of course not! God hears them all. For prayer encompasses every aspect of a Canonist’s life and the common and pious layman should entrust himself to the Lord in his own way, just as the Monastics do with their asceticism and contemplations. We can see in Ven. Humbert’s Book of Prayers how all encompassing these devotions are, and I say even to those who indulge in the inward drive towards illumination, to not shun them for they are every bit as worthy. Prayer is, as penance, a pillar of our faith and we must all strive to incorporate it into our being, be it through silent pleas, monastic contemplation or virtuous petitions, for as the Maxims say, “If every Canonist family prayed the Rosary every day together, the entire world would be saved.” (Maxims 4:5)

 

“God and His Saints are with you always: you need only invoke His help and their prayers.” (Maxims 5:3)

 

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| Section III |

 

“Diligence is a virtue, but without Charity, it is nothing. For I have seen men slave themselves to wealth, to drink and to honour, and so make themselves miserable. Remember, therefore, for what you work! (Pointing to the Skies.)” (Maxims 7:7)

 

We find ourselves touching upon the last of these three pillars. Which is the giving of alms, charity, whatever you might call it. We find the foundation of this paramount duty of the faithful to be clear cut within the Scroll of Virtue.

 

“And so I have placed into your hearts the blessings of abundance: the virtuous wealth of the spirit. And as I have given to you this blessing of My Word, you shall also give unto your fellows. For I have placed into your heart a wealth of virtue, and I have created for you a garden of abundance. And you shall give your fellows the abundance of the spirit, which is My Word. For the abundance of the spirit is never divided, but multiplied. So I am the Most High, and in pursuit of my Virtue, I bid my faithful this: You shall not desire the wealth of this world, nor the wealth of others, but the wealth of the spirit.” (Virtue 2:5-10)

 

I do not think there is much to be said on the topic of almsgiving, which is rather self-explanatory. However, I believe that many people would misconstrue almsgiving in that one can only give alms and act in charity through the relinquishing of material wealth unto those who are in need of it. How then can the monastics, who act in poverty and forsake personal possessions in favor of a life given unto the Lord, act in charity when they have no wealth of their own to give? We find, chiefly, two avenues that we may pursue in this regard. Acts of Mercy, which are the means of Grace by which we endeavor in the good works of the Lord and enact justice that is pleasing to God. These are selfless deeds which are a reflection of piety, faith and everlasting belief in the Lord, and we needn’t an abundance of wealth to strive towards such virtue. These can be divided into two halves, which are the corporal works and the spiritual works. The corporal works tend to the physical needs of those who are in need of succor from others; this is to say, that feeding the hungry, giving shelter to those without, tending to the injured and the sick, remaining at their bedside, and to bury the dead are acts of physical mercy and charity from which we receive no reward beyond the good conscience that is derived from our works. And so too are the spiritual works similar in bearing, for they are aimed to drive away spiritual suffering. This is to instruct those who are ignorant in the ways of the Lord, even if they would reject you. To lend counsel to those who doubt and are without hope. To admonish those who are sick with sin and drive them into the arms of the Lord. To act in patient virtue as is the Lord's command. To show love to all, even one’s foes, as is the Lord’s command. And what I would consider most important of these, to pray for all peoples who are in need of it; living or dead. So, let it be known that those who are themselves in poverty can still treat their fellow man to the abundance of their faith, and it is certainly their duty to endeavor in this, just as it is for the wealthy man to offload his riches unto the pauper.

 

“The intention matters. Do a little kindness for the greater glory of God: offer to the stranger a small smile, pray to bless each man you see; tell those around you how much you love them.” (Maxims 2:11)

 

Light of Lights, Holy of Holies, deliver us not into hands of the Evil One but send for us our Holy Mother to cast him away into the depths where he may forever be cursed. Lord of Lords, King of Kings, offer onto us, your humble servants, an immeasurable amount of mercy according to your grace. For while you God are holiness itself, we are nothing more than useless servants, defiling the vessels of our bodies with perverse and wicked things. For while we are wicked, you love us. Thus we proclaim unto ages of ages to the Lord our God; O Lord God, maker of all, have mercy on us, sinners.

 

Lord have mercy, Lord have mercy, Lord have mercy.

Glory to the Lord and may his saints forever be blessed.

 

Through the prayers of our holy Exalted prophets, holy and blessed Mother of Mankind, holy and righteous St. Jude and St. Kristoff, Aeriel the Archaengul, High Pontiff St. Lucien who has blessed us with this eternal prayer, and of all the saints. Amen.
 

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[JoanOfArc 4604]

Fr. Griffith of Gwynon offered a simple nod of his head to Fr. Seraphim and proclaimed, “Perhaps the Lord will let us be blessed with more confessions.”

[thesmellypocket 1859]

7 hours ago, JoanOfArc said:

Fr. Griffith of Gwynon offered a simple nod of his head to Fr. Seraphim and proclaimed, “Perhaps the Lord will let us be blessed with more confessions.”

“That is our task, reverend Fathers.” Says Pius of Sutica gravely.