Time for Tears

About Bishop St. Theophane the Recluse

About "old" and "new" calendar

February 25 (March 10)

ICor. 8:8-9:2; Mt 25:31-46

The Terrible Judgment! The Judge is coming in the clouds, surrounded by a countless multitude of heavenly hosts. Trumpets are sounding all over the earth and raising up the dead; they are thronging to a single place, to the throne of the Judge, foreseeing in advance what kind of a sentence will be pronounced over each one of them.

Indeed, they will bear upon them some kind of an inscription of the sum total of their earthly lives, and their countenance will testify to what they are and what they have done. The separation between those on the right hand and those on the left hand will happen as if by itself. At last everything is settled. Deep silence. Yet another moment — and the sentence is proclaimed: “come” to some, “depart” to the others [Mt. 25:32-34.41].

— Have mercy on us, О Lord, have mercy on us! Let Thy mercy, О Lord, be upon us! — but then it will be too late to call for mercy. The time for that is now. Now is the time to care about cleansing the adverse inscriptions from our souls. At the time of the Judgment we would have torrents of tears to wash ourselves — to no avail. So. let us weep now, if not with torrents, then with streams; if not with streams, then at least with raindrops; if we don't have even that, let us find contrition in our hearts, confess our sins before the Lord and beg Him to forgive us, promising Him to henceforth follow His commandments, — and working hard to keep our promise.

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