Welcome to Maxim Monday and Fr. Thomas Hopko’s 12th Maxim!
Fr. Thomas said on his podcast: Go to Confession and Holy Communion regularly. Participate in the Church’s sacramental life.
As St. John Chrysostom said sixteen centuries ago in Antioch:
Repentance opens the heavens, takes us to Paradise, overcomes the devil. Have you sinned? Do not despair! If you sin every day, then offer repentance every day! When there are rotten parts in old houses, we replace the parts with new ones, and we do not stop caring for the houses. In the same way, you should reason for yourself: If today you have defiled yourself with sin, immediately cleanse yourself with repentance.
Abba Dorotheos used the image of a wheel to describe the mystery of divine-human communion. God is at the center, the hub of the wheel, and humans are on the spokes. As we move along the spokes towards the center, we simultaneously draw nearer both to God and to one another. Drawing near to others in love is inevitable with this understanding of the spiritual life, and if we are not doing so, it is a sure sign that we are neither drawing nearer to God nor one another.
See, communion and communion within the body of Christ is essential to bring us closer to God. We need God. And we need each other.
Enjoy the printable of the 12th Maxim, just click the image above.
Kindler of Joy! 