Saturday, November 1, 2014
Holy Righteous John of Kronstadt
Excerpts from St John of Kronstadt’s book “My Life in Christ”. A most beneficial book for Orthodox Christians of our times. Many spiritual fathers recommend this book as daily reading for their spiritual children.
He who is accustomed to give account of his life at confession here will not fear to give an answer at the terrible judgement-seat of Christ. It is for this purpose that the mild tribunal of penitence was here instituted, in order that we, being cleansed and amended through penitence here below, may give an answer without shame at the terrible judgement-seat of Christ. This is the first motive for sincere confession.The longer we remain without confessing, the worse it is for us, the more entangled we become in the bonds of sin, and therefore the more difficult it is to give an account. The second motive is tranquility: The more sincere has been our confession, the more tranquil will the soul be afterwards. Sins are - secret serpents, gnawing at the heart of a man and all his being; they do not let him rest, they continually suck his heart; sins are - prickly thorns, constantly goring the soul; sins are - spiritual darkness…Those who repent must bring forth the fruits of repentance.
In what does the true wealth of a man consist? In his image and likeness to God, and not in lands, nor money; neither in various earthly sciences and arts, nor in property of various kinds, nor in many servants, nor in many clothes, not, in general, in a multitude of earthly blessings, for all these are corruptible and temporal; whilst the soul - the image of God - is eternal, and its riches are - virtue, holiness, humility, gentleness, temperance in all things, faith, hope, and love.
St John of Kronstadt, 19th-early 20th century
Available from St John of Kronstadt Press
