The Shepherd, September 2004
THE NATURE OF SIN, 3
Concerning man’s flesh, there is absolutely no doubt that in many respects it is a den and source of anti-moral predispositions, strivings and inclinations. The ancestral sin - this inclination towards sin, a heritage from the sin of our progenitors and our own sinful experiences - all this added up and each (experience) strengthening the other, creates in our flesh a source of temptations, sinful moods and acts.
More often, though, the source of seduction for us is the world around us, which, according to the Apostle John the Theologian, “is under the power of the evil one” (1 Jn 5:19), and friendship with which, according to another Apostle, is enmity with God. The milieu around us seduces us, the people around us do likewise (especially the wilful, conscious seducers and corrupters of youth about whom the Lord said, “Whosoever causes one of these little ones to stumble and sin, it were better for that man that a millstone were tied around his neck and he be cast into the sea”).
The enticers are also external goods, riches, comforts, immoral dances, dirty literature, shameless attire, etc. - all of this is undoubtedly a fœtid source of sin and seduction.
But the main and root source of sin is, of course, the devil, as the Apostle John the Theologian says: “He who practises sin is of the devil; for the devil has sinned from the beginning.” In struggling with God and His Truth, the devil struggles with people, striving to destroy each of us. He struggles most intensely and with the most malice with the Saints. We, sick and infirm ones, are specially defended by Christ against those fierce temptations to which God’s Saints, strong in spirit, are subjected. Nevertheless, Satan does not ignore us, acting through the enticements of the world and the flesh, making them stronger and more deceptive, and also tempting us by sinful suggestions of all kinds. It is because of this that the Apostle Peter compares Satan with a “raging lion which stalks about seeking whom he might devour” (1 Ptr 5:8).
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A PRAYER OF THE ELDER PARFENY
OF THE KIEVAN CAVES
O LORD, take from me vain thoughts which hinder Thy presence and distract my attention in prayer. And if, when I am praying, my attention is diverted from Thee by my thoughts, help me so that this distraction may not be voluntary, and that in turning away my mind, I may not turn my heart from Thee.
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