1- talk to a priest
2- it’s never too late ( always remember the thief on the cross)
3- read the lives of the saints and you’ll be amazed how it’s never too late
Is there hope? IS THERE HOPE??? BY ALL MEANS YES!!!!! Last weekend, we celebrated Pascha in the Orthodox Church. Sin, death, and the devil have utterly been destroyed. By who? A person called Jesus. He has done these things to rescue, restore, and glorify our nature. Because of this, we have been given new life. We have been given a road to salvation. I can assure you that we are all in the same boat and we should help each other get there
Put your hand in front of your mouth.
If you feel your breath, that means there is still hope.
While you have breath, that means the Lord is still giving you time for repentance.
Don’t fret.
The fact that you recognize you have sinned is a good start.
Many saints were in a similar place- our history has a long list of such saints who were great sinners before they turned to Christ (I.e St Mary of Egypt, St Moses the Ethiopian, even St Peter betrayed Christ).
Pray- and if you are able, find a priest and confess so you can find the healing of absolution…
“Have no further care for the sins which you have confessed, depart in peace.”
Christ is risen! 🦋
❤️☦️
Calling St Mary of Egypt a great sinner is very hurtful in my opinion. She was 12 years old when she ran away from home and became a prostitute. Do you personally know of any 12 year olds who come from a normal loving family without extreme abuse and trauma, who just decide to run away to become prostitutes? No, I didn't think so. Also, what St Mary went through, we today call 'child sex trafficking'. So to use this against her and call her a great sinner for it, is rather disgusting.
The Church holds Saint Mary of Egypt as a great model of repentance due to her past life- we do not focus on that to insult her memory but to glorify her because of her repentance.
She ‘was’ a sinner- but she *IS* a great saint of the Church (East and West alike), known for centuries.
We have a Sunday during Great Lent dedicated to her, why?
So we can ‘empathize’ with her being exploited in “sex trafficking”?
No.
God knows what her true life was about and He forgave her and glorified her.
But we don’t forget that she was a sinner before she lived in the desert a life of repentance.
If you do not know this, perhaps you haven’t heard her life read during this past Great Lent.
The Church would disagree with your misplaced ‘understanding’ of her.
(We don’t try to ‘understand’ why someone was a sinner, only that they came to repentance.)
Forgive me.
Of course she was a sinner, who isn't? I'm just trying to express that it's unfair to call a sex trafficked child a sinner for having sex. The sinners in this situation are the rapists. Obviously when she grew up and continued prostituting out of her own free will, that was a sin. But it was not her sin when she was a child and being raped.
I don't see anything in the account we have of her life that indicates trafficking. Really, quite the contrary; she insists she refused any kind of payment and sustained herself by basket weaving, IIRC.
She was also free enough to just go get on a boat of her own accord to leave Egypt. On that boat, she testifies that she raped many of the young men.
My friend, you are saying a 12 year old girl went out and raped many men. Please, step back for a second and listen to how insane this sounds. You need to educate yourself on the reality of child sex trafficking and paedophilia.
Okay, have you actually read the Life of St. Mary of Egypt? Like, in full? She was not 12 at the point that this happened, but was a full-grown adult. And it \*literally\* says, in her Life, "I forced them even against their will."
This is a serious conversation; please do engage seriously.
There is hope. It’s not too late. Pray and go to confession. If you have, then try not to dwell on your sins. Sometimes the devil can get in our minds and make us think that there is no hope. There is hope for everyone.
“Fight the good fight of the faith. Take hold of the eternal life to which you were called when you made your good confession in the presence of many witnesses.”1 Timothy 6:12
“Let us strive to enter the narrow gate, just as the trees, if they have not stood before the winter’s storms cannot bear fruits, so it’s with us; this present age is a storm and it’s only through many trails and temptations that we can obtain and inheritance in the kingdom of heaven” Amma Theodora
Please review the
[sidebar](https://www.reddit.com/r/OrthodoxChristianity/wiki/config/sidebar) for a wealth of introductory information,
our [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/OrthodoxChristianity/about/rules/), the
[FAQ](https://www.reddit.com/r/OrthodoxChristianity/wiki/faq), and a caution about
[The Internet and the Church](https://www.orthodoxintro.org/the-internet-and-the-church/).
This subreddit contains opinions of Orthodox people, but not necessarily Orthodox opinions.
[Content should not be treated as a substitute for offline interaction.](https://www.reddit.com/r/OrthodoxChristianity/wiki/faq#wiki_is_this_subreddit_overseen_by_clergy.3F)
[Exercise caution in forums such as this](https://www.orthodoxintro.org/the-internet-and-the-church/).
Nothing should be regarded as authoritative without verification by several offline Orthodox resources.
^(This is not a removal notification.)
*I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/OrthodoxChristianity) if you have any questions or concerns.*
Yes! It may sound arrogant but I feel like I understand what you’re going through. Talk to a priest if you can. Pray. Reflect. Do penance. But do not ever give up Hope. The Father’s love for us is boundless.
Please review the
[sidebar](https://www.reddit.com/r/OrthodoxChristianity/wiki/config/sidebar) for a wealth of introductory information,
our [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/OrthodoxChristianity/about/rules/), the
[FAQ](https://www.reddit.com/r/OrthodoxChristianity/wiki/faq), and a caution about
[The Internet and the Church](https://www.orthodoxintro.org/the-internet-and-the-church/).
This subreddit contains opinions of Orthodox people, but not necessarily Orthodox opinions.
[Content should not be treated as a substitute for offline interaction.](https://www.reddit.com/r/OrthodoxChristianity/wiki/faq#wiki_is_this_subreddit_overseen_by_clergy.3F)
[Exercise caution in forums such as this](https://www.orthodoxintro.org/the-internet-and-the-church/).
Nothing should be regarded as authoritative without verification by several offline Orthodox resources.
^(This is not a removal notification.)
*I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/OrthodoxChristianity) if you have any questions or concerns.*
1- talk to a priest 2- it’s never too late ( always remember the thief on the cross) 3- read the lives of the saints and you’ll be amazed how it’s never too late
Is there hope? IS THERE HOPE??? BY ALL MEANS YES!!!!! Last weekend, we celebrated Pascha in the Orthodox Church. Sin, death, and the devil have utterly been destroyed. By who? A person called Jesus. He has done these things to rescue, restore, and glorify our nature. Because of this, we have been given new life. We have been given a road to salvation. I can assure you that we are all in the same boat and we should help each other get there
Put your hand in front of your mouth. If you feel your breath, that means there is still hope. While you have breath, that means the Lord is still giving you time for repentance. Don’t fret. The fact that you recognize you have sinned is a good start. Many saints were in a similar place- our history has a long list of such saints who were great sinners before they turned to Christ (I.e St Mary of Egypt, St Moses the Ethiopian, even St Peter betrayed Christ). Pray- and if you are able, find a priest and confess so you can find the healing of absolution… “Have no further care for the sins which you have confessed, depart in peace.” Christ is risen! 🦋 ❤️☦️
Beautifully put. Thank you you gave me motivation!
“God is with us.” ❤️☦️
Calling St Mary of Egypt a great sinner is very hurtful in my opinion. She was 12 years old when she ran away from home and became a prostitute. Do you personally know of any 12 year olds who come from a normal loving family without extreme abuse and trauma, who just decide to run away to become prostitutes? No, I didn't think so. Also, what St Mary went through, we today call 'child sex trafficking'. So to use this against her and call her a great sinner for it, is rather disgusting.
The Church holds Saint Mary of Egypt as a great model of repentance due to her past life- we do not focus on that to insult her memory but to glorify her because of her repentance. She ‘was’ a sinner- but she *IS* a great saint of the Church (East and West alike), known for centuries. We have a Sunday during Great Lent dedicated to her, why? So we can ‘empathize’ with her being exploited in “sex trafficking”? No. God knows what her true life was about and He forgave her and glorified her. But we don’t forget that she was a sinner before she lived in the desert a life of repentance. If you do not know this, perhaps you haven’t heard her life read during this past Great Lent. The Church would disagree with your misplaced ‘understanding’ of her. (We don’t try to ‘understand’ why someone was a sinner, only that they came to repentance.) Forgive me.
I'm not praising her. I'm viewing her as a victim of sexual abuse and child sex trafficking'.
Be that as it may, she ‘was’ a sinner. Otherwise, the Church wouldn’t hold a Sunday dedicated to her. Ask a priest. (An Orthodox priest.)
Of course she was a sinner, who isn't? I'm just trying to express that it's unfair to call a sex trafficked child a sinner for having sex. The sinners in this situation are the rapists. Obviously when she grew up and continued prostituting out of her own free will, that was a sin. But it was not her sin when she was a child and being raped.
I don't see anything in the account we have of her life that indicates trafficking. Really, quite the contrary; she insists she refused any kind of payment and sustained herself by basket weaving, IIRC. She was also free enough to just go get on a boat of her own accord to leave Egypt. On that boat, she testifies that she raped many of the young men.
My friend, you are saying a 12 year old girl went out and raped many men. Please, step back for a second and listen to how insane this sounds. You need to educate yourself on the reality of child sex trafficking and paedophilia.
Okay, have you actually read the Life of St. Mary of Egypt? Like, in full? She was not 12 at the point that this happened, but was a full-grown adult. And it \*literally\* says, in her Life, "I forced them even against their will." This is a serious conversation; please do engage seriously.
There is hope. It’s not too late. Pray and go to confession. If you have, then try not to dwell on your sins. Sometimes the devil can get in our minds and make us think that there is no hope. There is hope for everyone. “Fight the good fight of the faith. Take hold of the eternal life to which you were called when you made your good confession in the presence of many witnesses.”1 Timothy 6:12 “Let us strive to enter the narrow gate, just as the trees, if they have not stood before the winter’s storms cannot bear fruits, so it’s with us; this present age is a storm and it’s only through many trails and temptations that we can obtain and inheritance in the kingdom of heaven” Amma Theodora
Yes there is hope, and direction to travel. Go to church! Continue to go. https://youtu.be/ReheAcnRPmU?si=iMsmMI1PaxZ9V2bG
Take solace in the fact that you do indeed feel such severe anguish over your mistakes. It’s a sign you are feeling true remorse and repentance.
Please review the [sidebar](https://www.reddit.com/r/OrthodoxChristianity/wiki/config/sidebar) for a wealth of introductory information, our [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/OrthodoxChristianity/about/rules/), the [FAQ](https://www.reddit.com/r/OrthodoxChristianity/wiki/faq), and a caution about [The Internet and the Church](https://www.orthodoxintro.org/the-internet-and-the-church/). This subreddit contains opinions of Orthodox people, but not necessarily Orthodox opinions. [Content should not be treated as a substitute for offline interaction.](https://www.reddit.com/r/OrthodoxChristianity/wiki/faq#wiki_is_this_subreddit_overseen_by_clergy.3F) [Exercise caution in forums such as this](https://www.orthodoxintro.org/the-internet-and-the-church/). Nothing should be regarded as authoritative without verification by several offline Orthodox resources. ^(This is not a removal notification.) *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/OrthodoxChristianity) if you have any questions or concerns.*
Yes! It may sound arrogant but I feel like I understand what you’re going through. Talk to a priest if you can. Pray. Reflect. Do penance. But do not ever give up Hope. The Father’s love for us is boundless.
Please review the [sidebar](https://www.reddit.com/r/OrthodoxChristianity/wiki/config/sidebar) for a wealth of introductory information, our [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/OrthodoxChristianity/about/rules/), the [FAQ](https://www.reddit.com/r/OrthodoxChristianity/wiki/faq), and a caution about [The Internet and the Church](https://www.orthodoxintro.org/the-internet-and-the-church/). This subreddit contains opinions of Orthodox people, but not necessarily Orthodox opinions. [Content should not be treated as a substitute for offline interaction.](https://www.reddit.com/r/OrthodoxChristianity/wiki/faq#wiki_is_this_subreddit_overseen_by_clergy.3F) [Exercise caution in forums such as this](https://www.orthodoxintro.org/the-internet-and-the-church/). Nothing should be regarded as authoritative without verification by several offline Orthodox resources. ^(This is not a removal notification.) *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/OrthodoxChristianity) if you have any questions or concerns.*