Εἰς τὸ ὄνομα τοῦ Πατρὸς καὶ Τοῦ Υἱοῦ καὶ τοῦ Ἁγίου Πνεύματος.

Συνεχίζοντας τὶς σύντομες ὁμιλίες μου μὲ θέμα τὴν έξομολόγση, θὰ ἤθελα νὰ πῶ κατὰ πρώτον ὅτι ἡ Ἐξομολόγηση εἶναι συνάντηση καὶ συμφιλίωση μὲ τὸν Χριστὸ τοῦ ὁποίου ἡ ἀγάπη πρὸς ἐμᾶς εἶναι δίχως ὅρια, ποὺ μᾶς ἔχει ἀγαπήσει μ’ ὅλη Του τὴ ζωὴ καὶ τὸν θάνατο, ποὺ ποτὲ δὲν μᾶς ἀπορρίπτει, ἀλλὰ ἀπὸ Τὸν ὁποῖο, ἴσως συχνά, ἀπομακρυνόμαστε. Εἶναι μιὰ συνάντηση ποὺ μπορεῖ νὰ γίνει πραγματικὴ χαρά, ὅταν στὸ πέρασμα τοῦ χρόνου τίποτα δὲν στάθηκε ἱκανὸ νὰ μᾶς χωρίσει ἀπὸ τὸν Χριστό, ὅταν ἡ φιλία μας ἦταν ἁγνή, ἀκέραιη καὶ δὲν εἶχε διαρραγεῖ ἀπὸ κάποια ἀπιστία. Τότε μποροῦμε νὰ ἔλθουμε μὲ χαρὰ στὸν Κύριο, μποροῦμε νὰ προσέλθουμε στὸ μυστήριο τῆς Ἐξομολογήσεως καὶ νὰ ποῦμε «Κύριε! Σ’ εὐχαριστῶ γιὰ τὴν φιλία Σου, σ’ εὐχαριστῶ γιὰ τὴν ἀγάπη Σου, γιὰ ὅσα εἶσαι, σ’ εὐχαριστῶ ποὺ μοῦ ἐπιτρέπεις νὰ ἔρχομαι κοντά Σου, σ’ εὐχαριστῶ γιὰ ὅλα. Ὦ Χαρά μου, Εὐτυχία μου! Δέξου με καὶ εὐλόγησέ με νὰ δεχτῶ τὰ Ἅγιά Σου μυστήρια». Ποὺ σημαίνει νὰ ἑνωθῶ μαζί Σου σὲ πιὸ τέλειο βαθμὸ γιὰ νὰ εἶναι τέλεια ἡ χαρά μου.»

Ἴσως συμβαίνει συχνὰ, ἴσως ὄχι, ἀλλὰ μερικὲς φορὲς μιὰ τέτοια συνάντηση μπορεῖ νὰ γεμίσει ὁλόκληρη τὴ ζωή μας, νὰ γίνει ἔμπνευση γιὰ ὅλη μας τὴ ζωὴ καὶ νὰ μᾶς δώσει τὴ δύναμη καὶ τὸ κουράγιο νὰ ζήσουμε.

Ἀλλὰ πιὸ συχνὰ ἐρχόμαστε στὸν Χριστὸ μετὰ ἀπὸ κάποια μορφὴ χωρισμοῦ. Κάποιες φορὲς ὁ χωρισμὸς δὲν ἦταν σκληρὸς, ἐχθρικὸς˙μερικὲς φορὲς ὑπῆρχε χωρισμὸς ἐπειδὴ Τὸν εἴχαμε ξεχάσει, ἡ ζωὴ μας εἶχε βουλιάξει, δὲν εἴχαμε χρόνο νὰ Τὸν θυμηθοῦμε, ὑπῆρχαν τόσα ἄλλα πράγματα στὴ ζωή μας. Καὶ ξαφνικὰ θυμόμαστε ὅτι πέρα ἀπὸ τὸ κάθε τι ποὺ ἦταν γιὰ ἐμᾶς ἔμπνευση καὶ χαρὰ για κάποιο διάστημα τῆς ζωῆς μας, ὑπάρχει ὁ Χριστὸς, ὑπάρχει ἕνας τέτοιος φίλος ποὺ ποτὲ δὲν μᾶς ξεχνᾶ καὶ ἀπὸ τὸν ὁποῖο ἀπομακρυνθήκαμε καὶ ποὺ τώρα εἶναι μόνος. Τότε πρέπει νὰ σπεύσουμε πρὸς Αὐτὸν καὶ νὰ ποῦμε˙ «Κύριε, συγχώρησέ με, βούλιαξα στὰ προβλήματα τῆς ζωῆς. Δέξου με πίσω, γνωρίζεις ὅτι αὐτὸς ὁ ἐνθουσιασμὸς εἶναι ἐπιφανειακὸς, ἀλλὰ τὸ ἀληθινὸ στοιχεῖο εἶναι ἡ φιλία μας.» Ἀλλὰ πρὶν ποῦμε αὐτὸ πρέπει νὰ θέσουμε στὸν ἑαυτό μας ἕνα ἐρώτημα: Εἶναι ἀλήθεια ὅτι ἡ φιλία μου μὲ τὸν Θεὸ εἶναι ἀρκετὰ βαθιὰ ὥστε ἡ προσωρινὴ λήθη νὰ μὴν μπορεῖ νὰ τὴν ἐπισκιάσει, ἀκόμα λιγότερο νὰ τὴν καταστρέψει;

Ἀλλὰ τυχαίνει νὰ ἔχουμε ἁμαρτήσει ἐνώπιον τοῦ Θεοῦ, ἁμαρτήσαμε ὄχι σὲ κάτι μικρό, ἀλλὰ σὲ κάτι πολὺ βαθύ. Μπορεῖ νὰ εἶναι μιὰ στιγμὴ ποὺ μᾶς χώρισε ἀπὸ Ἐκεῖνον πολὺ βαθιά. Θυμᾶστε τὶ συνέβη ὅταν ὁ Χριστὸς ἀντιμετώπισε τὸ Ἑβραϊκὸ συνέδριο; Ἕνας ὑπηρέτης ἦλθε στὸν Πέτρο καὶ τοῦ εἶπε˙ «Ἀλλὰ καὶ αὐτὸς ἦταν μαζί Του!». Καὶ ὁ Πέτρος φοβήθηκε. Τρομοκρατήθηκε γιὰ τὸ τὶ θὰ τοῦ κάνανε ἐξαιτίας τοῦ γεγονότος ὅτι ἦταν μὲ τὸν Χριστό˙ καὶ ἄρχισε νὰ ὁρκίζεται, «Ὄχι, δὲν γνωρίζω αὐτὸν τὸν ἄνδρα!». Δὲν μποροῦσε νὰ παραμείνει ἄλλο σ’ αὐτὴ τὴν αὐλὴ καὶ νὰ βλέπει τὸν Χριστὸ νὰ δικάζεται. Κι ἐκείνη τὴ στιγμὴ ὁ Κύριος στράφηκε καὶ κοίταξε τὸν Πὲτρο. Ὁ Παντογνώστης Υἱὸς τοῦ Θεοῦ δὲν ἄκουσε μὲ τ’ αὐτιὰ Του αὐτὰ τὰ λόγια τοῦ Πέτρου, ἀλλὰ τὰ λόγια του πλήγωσαν τὴν ψυχὴ του: ἕνας ἀπὸ τοὺς πιὸ κοντινοὺς μαθητὲς του, ὁμολόγησε ὅτι δὲν Τὸν γνώριζε, δὲν ἤθελε νὰ Τὸν ξέρει, ὅτι προτιμοῦσε τὴ ζωή, τὴν ἠρεμία. Αὐτὴ ἡ ματιὰ πλήγωσε τὴν ψυχὴ τοῦ Πέτρου κατὰ τέτοιο τρόπο ποὺ ἄρχισε νὰ κλαίει καὶ βγῆκε ἔξω.

Ἦταν ἁπλὰ μιὰ στιγμὴ βαθιᾶς, τρομερῆς ἀπιστίας. Καὶ ἀργότερα, ὅταν ἡ Μαρία ἡ Μαγδαληνὴ συνάντησε τὸν Σωτῆρα στὸν κῆπο, μετὰ τὴν Ἀνάστασή Του, τῆς ἔδωσε τὴν ἐντολὴ: «Πήγαινε στοὺς μαθητές Μου καὶ στὸν Πέτρο καὶ πες τους ὅτι ἀναστήθηκα». Ἐπειδὴ ὁ Πέτρος δὲν μποροῦσε νὰ θεωρεῖ πλέον τὸν ἑαυτό του ὡς ἕναν ἀπὸ τοὺς μαθητὲς Του, ἦταν προδότης. Εἶχε προδώσει τὸν Κύριο καὶ γι’ αὐτὸ Ἐκεῖνος τὸν ἀνέφερε ξεχωριστὰ γιὰ νὰ μάθει ὅτι δὲν τὸν εἶχε ἀπορρίψει, ὅτι οἱ μαθητὲς σκόρπισαν ἀπὸ φόβο, ἀλλὰ δίχως νὰ Τὸν ἀπαρνηθοῦν κι ἐκεῖνος ἔφυγε ἀπὸ φόβο καὶ Τὸν πρόδωσε˙ ἀλλὰ ἡ ἀγάπη τοῦ Χριστοῦ τὸν κράτησε σταθερὰ . Μποροῦσε νὰ Τὸν συναντήσει καὶ νὰ Τον κοιτάξει κατὰ πρόσωπο, νὰ πέσει στὰ γόνατα καὶ νὰ ζητήσει συγχώρηση, ἀλλὰ γνωρίζει ὅτι ὁ Κύριος τὸν ἀγαπάει ὅπως τὸν ἀγαποῦσε στὶς πιὸ ἀληθινὲς στιγμὲς.

Καὶ ὑπάρχουν ἐπίσης στιγμὲς ποὺ ἐρχόμαστε στὴν Ἐξομολόγηση –χρησιμοποιῶ τὴ λέξη ἀπρόθυμα, ἀπὸ συνήθεια- ἐπειδὴ θέλουμε νὰ ἀνανεώσουμε τὴν ἐγγύτητα ποὺ ἔχει κλονιστεῖ. Αὐτὲς τὶς στιγμὲς πρέπει νὰ ἔλθουμε στὸν Χριστὸ γνωρίζοντας ὅτι μᾶς ἔχει ἀγαπήσει μὲ ὅλη Του τὴ ζωὴ καὶ τὸ θάνατο, ὅτι γιὰ πάντα μᾶς ἀγάπησε ἕως τὰ βάθη τῆς καρδιᾶς μας˙ ὅτι μποροῦμε νὰ ἔρθουμε στὸ μυστήριο, ἀλλὰ γιὰ νὰ γίνουμε φίλοι ἀπὸ τὴν ἀρχὴ, πρέπει νὰ ἀνοίξουμε τὴν ψυχή μας, νὰ Τοῦ ποῦμε τὰ πάντα ποὺ θέλει νὰ ξέρει ἀπὸ ἐμᾶς, ὅπου ὑπάρχει παράβαση στὴ σχέση μας. Καὶ δὲν θὰ πρέπει νὰ καταφεύγουμε σὲ λίστες ποὺ ἀπαριθμοῦν ἁμαρτίες, ἴσως νὰ μὴν ψάχνουμε κἄν στὴν Ἁγία Γραφὴ γιὰ ἁμαρτίες ποὺ ἴσως ἔχουμε διαπράξει˙ άλλὰ θὰ πρέπει νὰ θέσουμε στὸν ἑαυτό μας ἕνα ἐρώτημα: ποῦ ἔχω προσωπικὰ ἁμαρτήσει ἐνώπιον τοῦ Θεοῦ, ποῦ ἔχω προσωπικὰ φανεῖ ἄπιστος;

Καὶ γιὰ νὰ γίνει αὐτὸ ὑπάρχει ἕνας σύντομος τρόπος˙ πρῶτα ἀπ’ ὅλα νὰ ἐλέγξει κάποιος τὴ συνείδησή του. Τὶ προτίμησα ἀντὶ γιὰ τὸν Χριστὸ; Δὲν θὰ σᾶς δώσω λίστες, ἀλλὰ κάποιος μπορεῖ νὰ πεῖ: ναί, ἀντὶ νὰ κρατηθῶ κοντὰ στὸν Κύριο, προτίμησα αὐτὸ ἤ τὸ ἄλλο – ντροπή! Ἀλλὰ πέρα ἀπὸ αὐτὸ, μποροῦμε νὰ θέσουμε τὸ ἐρώτημα στὸν ἑαυτό μας: Ποιὸς εἶμαι συνεχῶς; Γιὰ νὰ γίνει αὐτὸ θὰ πρέπει νὰ πάρουμε καὶ νὰ διαβάσουμε τὸ Ἅγιο Εὐαγγέλιο καὶ νὰ σημειώσουμε ὄχι τὰ ἐδάφια ποὺ μᾶς κατηγοροῦν, ἀλλὰ πράγματα γιὰ τὰ ὁποῖα μποροῦμε νὰ ποῦμε, καθὼς εἶπαν οἱ μαθητὲς πηγαίνοντας πρὸς τοὺς Ἐμμαοὺς μὲ τὸν Κύριο: δὲν φλεγόταν ἡ καρδιά μας ὅταν μᾶς μιλοῦσε καθὼς προχωρούσαμε μαζὶ στὸ δρόμο;

Λοιπὸν ψάξτε στὸ Εὐαγγέλιο γιὰ τὰ ἐδάφια ποὺ φλόγισαν τὴν καρδιά σας, ἔστω καὶ γιὰ μιὰ στιγμὴ, κείμενα ποὺ ἄγγιξαν τὴν ψυχή σας, κείμενα ποὺ σᾶς ἔκαναν νὰ νοιώσετε ὅτι ἐσεῖς καὶ ὁ Χριστὸς μοιράζεστε τὰ ἴδια συναισθήματα, τὶς ἴδιες σκέψεις,ὅτι εἶστε ἕνα μ’ Ἐκεῖνον, ὅτι ὑπάρχουν κείμενα ὅπου μποροῦμε νὰ ποῦμε ὅτι οἱ σκέψεις Του εἶναι σκέψεις μας, τὰ συναισθήματά Του δικά μας, ὅτι εἴμαστε ἕνα μ’ Ἐκεῖνον, ὅτι ἐκείνη τὴ στιγμὴ εἴμαστε ἕνα μ’ Ἐκεῖνον. Καὶ ὅταν ξαφνικὰ ἀνακαλύπτουμε ὅτι παραβιάσαμε τούτη τὴ στιγμὴ, τὴν ποδοπατήσαμε, ὅτι τὴν ἀποστραφήκαμε, ὅτι εἴμασταν ἕνα μ’ αὐτὸν καὶ ἀποξενωθήκαμε – ποὺ πάει νὰ πεῖ πὼς ἀπαρνηθήκαμε ἴσως τὰ μικρὰ άλλὰ τὰ πιὸ ἅγια πράγματα ποὺ ἔχουμε μέσα μας. Κατὰ μία ἔννοια δὲν ἔχει σημασία ἄν παραβήκαμε κάποιους κανόνες, ἀλλὰ ἐδῶ ἔχουμε παραβεῖ, κατὰ τὸν πιὸ τρομακτικὸ τρόπο, τὴν ἑνότητά μας μὲ τὸν Ἀγαπημένο καὶ τὸν Μόνο ποὺ μᾶς ἀγαπᾶ. Καὶ θὰ ἔπρεπε νὰ ξαναδιαβάσουμε αὐτὰ τὰ κείμενα, νὰ ἐξετάσουμε τοὺς ἑαυτούς μας σὲ σχέση μὲ αὐτά, νὰ μὴν ἀναζητήσουμε ποῦ εἴμαστε ἔνοχοι, ἀλλὰ πῶς χάσαμε τὴν ἀξιοπιστία μας, τὴ φιλία μας, τὴν ἀγάπη μας σὲ αὐτὸ ποὺ εἶναι ὑπαρκτὸ˙ ἐπειδὴ ἐκ μέρους τοῦ Θεοῦ ἡ ἀγάπη Του πρὸς ἐμᾶς εἶναι κάτι ἀναφαίρετο, ἐμεῖς τὴν ἔχουμε ἀπαρνηθεῖ.

Νὰ λοιπὸν τὶ θὰ μπορούσαμε νὰ καταθέσουμε στὴν Ἐξομολόγηση. Καὶ μπορεῖ νὰ εἶναι κάτι πολὺ τρομακτικό, ὅπως εἶναι ἡ προδοσία μας.

Ἔτσι ὅταν ἑτοιμαζόμαστε γιὰ Ἐξομολόγηση, ἄς θέσουμε στὸν ἑαυτό μας μίαν ἐρώτηση: Πρόκειται γιὰ συνάντηση μὲ τὸν πιὸ κοντινὸ μας φίλο, τὸν ἀγαπημένο μας, Ἐκεῖνον ποὺ θέλουμε νὰ γίνουμε ἕνα, ἀχώριστοι, γιὰ πάντα. Καὶ ἔχουμε προδώσει τούτη τη φιλία, ποὺ ἤδη ὑπῆρχε, καθὼς τὸ μαρτυρεῖ ἡ καρδιά μας, ἡ μνήμη μας, ὁ νοῦς μας˙ ὅταν πάντοτε θυμόμαστε ἐκεῖνα τὰ κείμενα ποὺ ἔκαναν τὴν καρδιά μας νὰ φλέγεται, τὸ νοῦ μας νὰ φωτίζεται, τὸ θέλημά μας νὰ τείνει πρὸς τὸ καλό, τὸ σῶμα μας νὰ ἀναπτύσσεται ἥσυχα, ξεχνώντας ὅτι εἶναι ἀπὸ χῶμα καὶ γίνεται σῶμα, ἕνα ἱερὸ πράγμα, ἱερὸ ἐπειδὴ μὲ τὸ Βάπτισμα ἑνώθηκε μὲ τὴν ἀνθρώπινη φύση τοῦ Χριστοῦ, μὲ τὸ Χρῖσμα ἔγινε δοχεῖο τοῦ Ἁγίου Πνεύματος, μὲ τὴν Θεία Κοινωνία ἔγινε Σῶμα τοῦ Χριστοῦ.
Νὰ τὶ θὰ πρέπει νὰ λέμε στὴν Ἐξομολόγησή μας. Μακάρι ὁ Θεὸς νὰ δώσει νὰ ἔλθουμε ἔτσι στὸ μυστήριο, καὶ τότε θὰ εἴμαστε ἕτοιμοι νὰ μετανοήσουμε, νὰ λυπηθοῦμε ὄχι ἐπειδὴ ὑπάρχει κάποια ἁμαρτία σὲ μιὰ λίστα, ἀλλὰ ἐπειδὴ κάτι διέρρηξε τοὺς δεσμοὺς φιλίας στὴν σχέση ἑνότητας μὲ τὸν Χριστό, τὸν Σωτήρα μου, τὸν Φίλο, τὸν Ἀγαπημένο. Ἀμήν.

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Πρωτότυπο κείμενο
 

In the Name of the Father, of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.

Continuing my short sermons on Confession, I would like to say that in the first place Confession is an encounter and a reconciliation. It is our encounter with Christ Whose love to us has no limits, Who loves us with all His life and all His death, Who never turns away from us, but from Whom we sometimes, perhaps even often, walk away. It is an encounter that can be pure joy when during a lapse of time nothing separated us from Christ, when our friendship was pure, was whole, when our friendship wasn’t broken by any unfaithfulness. Then we can come to Christ joyfully, happily. We can come to Confession and say, ‘Lord! Thank You for your friendship. Thank You for your love, thank You for all that You are. Thank You that you allow me to come near you; thank You for everything. O, my Joy! O, my Happiness! Accept me and bless me to commune to Your Holy Mysteries. That is: to unite to You even more perfectly, for my joy to be perfect.’

It may happen. Perhaps it doesn’t happen often. But sometimes such an encounter can fill all our life, be an inspiration for all our life, and give us the strength and power to live.

But more often we come to Christ after some kind of separation. Sometimes the separation was not a cruel one; not inimical; sometimes the separation was because we have forgotten Him, life has submerged us, we didn’t have time to remember Him. There was so much in life. And all of a sudden we remember that apart from all that was our inspiration, our joy for some time, there is Christ, there is such a friend Who never forgets us, from Whom we walked away and Who is now alone. Then we must hurry to Him and say, ‘Lord, forgive – I was submerged by life, I was carried away by this, by that and something else. Accept me back. You know that this enthusiasm is superficial but that the true thing is our friendship.’ But before we can say that, we must ask ourselves a question: is it true that my friendship with Christ is deep enough so that my temporary forgetfulness cannot overshadow, even less destroy it?

But it happens that we have sinned before God. We have sinned by unfaithfulness not in something small but in something very deep. It can be a moment that has separated us in a very deep manner. You remember what happened when Christ was facing the Sanhedrin. A servant came to Peter and said, ‘But this one also was with Him!’ And Peter became afraid. He was frightened by what they would do to him because of the fact that he was with Christ; and he began to swear that, ‘No, I do not know this man!’ He could no longer stay in this yard and see through the window Christ undergoing judgement. And at that moment Christ turned His head and looked at Peter. The All-Knowing Son of God didn’t hear with His ears those words but they hit Him in His soul: one of His nearest disciples had declared that he didn’t know Him, didn’t want to know Him, that he preferred life, that he preferred tranquility. This look hit Peter in his soul in such a manner that he began to weep and went out.

It was just one moment of radical, frightful unfaithfulness. And later on, when Mary Magdalene met the Saviour in the garden after His resurrection, He instructed her, ‘Go to My disciples and Peter and tell them that I am risen,’ – because Peter couldn’t any more consider himself as one of the disciples, he was a traitor. He had renounced Christ, and that is why Christ mentioned him especially for him to know that he was not rejected, that the disciples fled away in fear, but without renouncing, and he fled away and renounced; but the love of Christ held him firmly. He can meet Him face to face. Oh, he can fall down at His feet, he can ask for forgiveness, but he knows that he is loved as he was loved in the most faithful times.

And there are also times when we come to Confession – I use this word reluctantly, as a matter of routine – because we want to renew the closeness that so to speak has been shaken. At those moments we must come to Christ knowing that we are loved by all His life and all His death, that we are loved forever, to the depths of our hearts; and that we can come, but in order to become friends anew we must open our souls, tell Him everything for Him to know from us what is wrong with us, what is the infringement of our friendship. And here we should not have recourse to lists of sins, we should not search even in the Holy Scriptures for the sins we might have committed; but we should ask ourselves a question: in what have I personally sinned before God, in what have I personally revealed myself unfaithful?

And to do this there is a simple means. First of all, look at one’s conscience. What have I preferred to Christ? I will not give you lists, but every one of us can say: yes, to my closeness with Christ I have preferred this or that – shame! But apart from that, we can ask ourselves: what am I constantly, invariably? To do this we can take and read the Holy Gospel and mark in it not the passages that accuse us, but things about which we can say as the disciples said, going with Christ to Emmaeus: didn’t our hearts burn within us when He was talking to us on the road?

So, look in the Gospel for the passages that made your heart burn, even for a moment, passages that touched you in the depths of your soul, passages which made you feel that you and Christ, you and Christ, are sharing the same feelings, the same thoughts, that you are one – yes, we are one with Him, that there are passages of which we can say that His thoughts are our thoughts, His feelings our feelings, that we are one with Him, one with Him at that moment. And when of a sudden we discover that we have transgressed this moment, trampled it under our feet, turned away from it, that we were at one with him and turned away – it means that we renounced the little perhaps, but the most holy that is in us. In a sense it is of no importance that we have transgressed some rules, but here we have transgressed in a most frightful way our unity with the Beloved and the One Who loves us. And we should re-read these passages, check ourselves against them; not seeking in what way we are guilty, but in what way we have lost our faithfulness, our friendship, our love in what exists already; because on the part of Christ it is inalienable, it is we who have renounced it.

So, that is what we should bring to Confession. And it can be something quite frightful, like the renouncing of Him.

So when we prepare for Confession, let us ask ourselves a question: here is the encounter with our closest friend, the beloved one, with the One with Whom we want to be at one, inseparable, forever, completely, in our depths. And we have transgressed this friendship of ours where it already existed as is witnessed by our heart, our memory, our mind, when we remember those passages that made our heart burn, our mind become clear, our will move towards good, our body grow quiet, forgetful that it is flesh and become body, a sacred thing, sacred because through Baptism it has united with the humanity of Christ, through Chrismation it has become a vessel of the Holy Spirit, through our Communion it has become the Body of Christ, however incipiently.

That is what we should bring to Confession. May God give us to come that way, and then we will be able to repent, we will be able to regret not that there is in some list a sin that we have touched in passing, but that something has been broken in my friendship, in my unity with Christ, my Saviour, Friend, Beloved. Amen.