Question: Why is there so much self-humiliation in the
prayers from prayerbooks: we have to call ourselves “sinful”, “fool”,
“unworthy” and “worthy of conviction and sufferings”... Does God really need
this?
Answer: The
prayers, which we can find in prayerbooks, are contrived by great saints and
this is why these prayers reflect their personal spiritual experience – they
constantly and wholeheartedly mourned their sins. In spiritual life, there is
one very important law: the closer a person is to God spiritually, the clearer
he sees his sins; and vice versa, neglectful attitude towards your sins is the
sign of spiritual numbness. Often evil people and murderers consider themselves
good people, who do not kill others without any reason. On the other hand, a
saint always sees himself a sinner. A person who got lost in a dark cellar can
think that he is wearing a white coat.
Approaching
the way out, he begin to mark dirty spots on this coat; finally, when he come
out he can see that during his wanderings in darkness, he soiled the coat a
lot. However, understanding your sin is never connected with despair or hatred
towards yourself. The more a person humbles himself before God, the more he
ensures that God is merciful and that His grace can wash away and purify any
sin. God is not only the source of spiritual light, but the source of our
spiritual cure, too.
Translated
by The Catalog Of Good Deeds
Source: http://dishupravoslaviem.ru/tri-neudobnyx-voprosa-o-vere/
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