The time of Great Lent grows shorter for Christians day by day. The days pass in their order, bringing us closer to the weeks of the feast of the Resurrection of Christ.
The joy of expectation stirs our feelings; yet at the same time sorrow seizes the soul when the conscience tells the heart that we have spent the time of the fast not as true Christians ought.
However, time has not yet completely passed into eternity. The Gospel and the Church do not cease to preach repentance and to call us to repentance: Repent: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand (Matt. 4:17). These were the first words with which the preaching of Jesus Christ began. Therefore the salvation of the soul and repentance are two truths that cannot be separated from one another. Without repentance there is no salvation.
A person’s first step toward repentance is to turn his thoughts and desires toward the Kingdom of God proclaimed by the Gospel. It is not particularly difficult for a person to examine his soul. During such an examination, conscience and memory will reveal to him his thoughts, feelings, desires, and actions. What remains is for him to arrange the order of his inner life so that good thoughts replace evil ones, good intentions replace coarse designs, and good desires replace sinful and dark longings. His evil, harsh, and stubborn activity must be changed into the path of virtue, holiness, and purity.
In this consists both the beginning and the necessity of repentance. Thus a person’s whole labor lies in one thing: to order his life according to the demands of human dignity. Let us conquer narrow self-love; let us overcome the egoism that corrupts the soul through love. These are the conditions of true repentance.
—Archpriest Valentin Amfiteatrov, Great Lent
On the Virtues
There is nothing on earth with which Christian virtue can be compared in dignity. What did the Savior call the one thing needful? Zeal for the salvation of the soul. But this itself is Christian virtue. What is more important than attaining the final goal? Yet it is achieved only through Christian virtue. What is more blessed than communion with God? Yet this is inseparable from Christian virtue.
Three principles move us toward good: the seeds of good within us by nature, holy powers, and good will. The seeds of nature are seen, for example, when we treat others as we wish them to treat us, or when we see a person in distress and need and naturally show him mercy. Holy powers are when, feeling the impulse toward a good deed, we find within ourselves gracious assistance and succeed in it. Good will is when, discerning good from evil, we choose the good.
Among human actions many are good in themselves, yet may become not good for some reason. For example, fasting, prayer, almsgiving, and hospitality are good deeds in themselves; but when they are done out of vanity, they are no longer good.
Among virtues some are bodily (fasting, manual labor), and others are spiritual (love, magnanimity, meekness). Therefore, if by some necessity or bodily condition, for example illness or some similar reason, we cannot fulfill the bodily virtues mentioned above, we receive compassionate forgiveness from the Lord, who knows the causes. But if we fail to fulfill the virtues of the soul, we shall have no excuse, for they are not subject to such hindrances.
—St. Maximus the Confessor
Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me (Matthew 25:40)
“Thou hast received Me into thy dwelling,” saith the Lord—“and I will receive thee into the Kingdom of My Father. Thou hast delivered Me from hunger—and I will deliver thee from thy sins. Thou didst look upon Me when I was bound—and I will loose thee from thy bonds. Thou didst shelter Me when I was a stranger—and I will make thee a citizen of heaven. Thou gavest Me bread—and I will give thee the Kingdom for thy inheritance and possession. What thou hast done in secret, I will reward openly. What thou hast done I count as mercy; what I give is but My debt. Thou didst look upon Me when I was bound—and thou shalt not see the fire of Gehenna. Thou didst visit Me when I was sick—and thou shalt not experience torments or punishments.”
O truly blessed are the hands that perform works of mercy, having been counted worthy to serve Christ! Easily shall pass through the fire the feet that walked to the sick and to the prisons for Christ’s sake, and they shall not feel the weight of the chains of sin. Thou wast with Him in prison, and thou shalt reign with Him.
Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven (Matt. 7:21).
Virtue Enlightens All
For those who perform good deeds, when these deeds become visible, this may be beneficial; and the Savior said: Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven (Matt. 5:16).
Yet since some people seek in this not the word of the Master but their own glory, the Savior gave this counsel: Take heed that ye do not your alms before men, to be seen of them: otherwise ye have no reward of your Father which is in heaven (Matt. 6:1)
The first saying teaches that virtue and love of good cannot remain hidden even if those who do good should wish it, and the latter words restrain the love of glory. In the first the Lord forbids vice; in the second He forbids doing good merely for display. The latter does not contradict the former, but rather forbids the vices that almost inevitably accompany virtues.
Only virtue that is not performed for display can properly be called virtue and truly be such. If it is carried away by vainglory, it ceases to be genuine virtue. Needless to say, those who give alms for display do not do so out of love of goodness.
And the words let your light shine were not spoken so that we might glorify ourselves, but in the sense that a good deed cannot remain hidden, even if one attempts to conceal it. Just as a lamp in a moonless night draws the gaze of all, so virtue, even against the will of those who possess it, enlightens everyone.
—St. Isidore of Pelusium
From: Readings For Every Day of Great Lent, Ed. N. Shaposhnikova (Moscow: Danilov Monastery, 2025).
