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His Holiness Pope Shenouda addressed the topic of sin and its spiritual and practical effects, with a special guidance to begin the new year with a pure life free of sin.

Nature of sin and its effect

He explained that sin is not merely disobedience or rebellion, but a separation from God and the expulsion of God’s spirit from the heart, and a distortion of the image in which God created man. Sin changes the appearance, the self, and the soul, humiliates the conscience, and makes it accustomed to silence before wrongdoing.

Types of sin and their characteristics

He explained that there are simple sins and complex sins in which faults are intertwined (for example, a lie that covers a previous sin or leads to later sins). He pointed out that some people consider sin cleverness or cunning, and this is the worst aspect because it prevents repentance.

Consequences of sin on the individual and others

Sin destroys the humanity within a person, corrupts the soul and body, weakens the conscience, and has social effects: it causes people to lose trust and harms others and steals their rights in various ways (overt or hidden thefts).

Practical examples

He gave practical examples such as tax evasion, forgery, manipulating customs, stealing workers’ rights and monopolizing, and literary theft; and clarified how these acts are sometimes marketed with false names like “wisdom” or “art” or “cleverness.”

Repentance and practical repair

His Holiness urged that repentance should not be only a spiritual decision but a practical action: repair the consequences of sins as much as possible, compensate those harmed, and remove the excuses and justifications that permit continuation in sin.

Plan for starting the new year

He offered three practical steps to begin the new year: 1) abandon negatives and sins, 2) walk positively toward virtue, 3) continuously strive for spiritual growth until reaching the greatest possible perfection. He emphasized that lack of spiritual growth itself is a sin that must be addressed.

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