Fr. Elpidios Vagianakis: Confession is made to Christ Himself

Α Guide to Repentance

Α Guide to Repentance

Α Guide to Repentance

A few words of introduction

Every man, my brother, is made up of:

-the mortal and material body and

-the immaterial, immortal and spiritual soul.

God created man in this way.

However, as the body needs to be cared for, to be cleansed, to be clothed, to be fed, in the same way the immortal soul has its own needs:

- ITS CLEANSING, that is confession, by which it will be cleansed of the various impurities of its sins.

- ITS CLOTHING, not to be naked and freezing, that is, all those works of love which our Christ commands us to do through His Gospel, and

- ITS FOOD, that is, Holy Communion, the all holy Body and Blood of the crucified sweetest Son of God and our Saviour Jesus Christ.

If, however, we look after our material body with such great care, shouldn't we pay more attention to our immortal soul which is, as our beloved teacher Jesus says, more valuable than our body?

“Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul?” (Mark 8:37-38)

In this little booklet, written for you with a lot of love, you will read some simple reflections on the great Sacrament of Repentance and of Confession, since that's why our Christ came to earth, to bring repentance to mankind, because without it no-one can truly love Christ and be saved.

10. Confession of the heart

10. Confession of the heart

It's almost a week since the young medical student Dimitris, visited the wise ascetic elder at the chapel of the Archangels, up on the mountain.

Their discussion on various spiritual topics and especially the sacrament of confession, had captivated him. Throughout the week, he tried to study and discover, as much as it was possible, the errors and passions of his soul and to write them down. He was determined to confess them to the wise elder priest and ask him to guide him on the spiritual path he had already begun.

Now, he is happily going up the path through the forest, which would soon bring him closer to his divinely inspired guide.

The joy of the ascetic elder was obvious, when he saw the young student sitting next to him and asking him to hear his confession.

9. The secret for a proper confession

9. The secret for a proper confession

Under the deep shade of a plane tree and beside the stream of running gurgling water, near the beautiful chapel of the Archangels, high in the mountain, the ascetic elder is sitting with Dimitris, the young student of medicine, and talking to him.

Dimitris is a very modest, sensitive and polite young man. He loves all people, but most of all those who are suffering from various diseases. Besides, this was the reason he decided to study medicine, because he wanted to be among the suffering and serve them with his medical knowledge.

8. The miracle of forgiveness

8. The miracle of forgiveness

It was still very early in the morning, when the rising sun emerged timidly, to challenge the darkness of the night.

Alone, a young man went up the narrow path through the woods, to go to the chapel of the Archangels, where a venerable old priest lived ascetically together with four other brothers. He was the abbot at this small monastery, a spiritual father renowned for the love and compassion which he showed to those who went for confession.

Soon, the young man was kneeling at the feet of this holy spiritual father and opened his heart to confess all his sins.

1. The miracle of repentance

1. The miracle of repentance

Who doesn't want to be happy? No one! We all want joy and peace, that's why we do everything to achieve it. But despite our efforts, it is very difficult to succeed. That's why we are wondering what's really to blame.

The secret is not found in acquiring various material things or in bodily pleasures, but in the most precious thing that a man has, which is his immortal soul.

As we all know, man is not made up only from his material and perishable body but also from the intangible, indestructible and immortal soul. That's how God created us, with a body and a soul.

At birth, the mother gives the baby its body through her blood. However, the soul of man is given to him by God himself, and that's why the true mother and father of the soul is only God.

The soul is only happy when it is in the embrace of its Creator and secretly enjoys, with the grace of the Holy Spirit, the divine motherly love of God its Father.

Every time that a man, who has been led astray by deceitful Satan, wounds his soul with mistakes and sins, it suffers, grieves and hurts, because it sees the grace of God being removed from it together with the affectionate presence of God's motherly love.

12. The Sacrament of Mercy

12. The Sacrament of Mercy

The Spiritual Father

Angela’s mum Sophia is very happy today. Her two older beloved children; her daughter Christina and her fiancé John are with her. They came to tell her that, both of them together before they get married, want to start a new spiritual life under the wise guidance of Father Chrysostom.

Father Chrysostom is a good priest who lives ascetically in a small monastery near their village. Both John and his beloved Christina want to have the same spiritual Father and confessor, to whom they will trust the spiritual path of their souls.

DON’T FEEL ASHAMED TO CONFESS YOUR MISTAKES!

DON’T FEEL ASHAMED TO CONFESS YOUR MISTAKES!

Jesus wants to tell us:

How do you come and take Me as Holy Communion when you ignore My will?

Many times you approach in a showy manner, although you do not accept to repent with humility, or feel ashamed to confess your mistakes.

Have you ever imagined a greater humiliation than the one I suffered when they took off My clothes, when they dishonored Me, when they swore at Me and when they put  Me up on the Cross in the most disrespectful  way? Is there a greater humiliation than this?”

When have you ever suffered such humiliation?