Encyclopedia of Spiritual Theology

A Year Has Passed…!

Contemplation
A Year Has Passed…!

It is beautiful for us, as we bid farewell to this year, to sit a little with ourselves and hold ourselves accountable: on which path are we walking? And to where does it lead? And which paths should be left or changed in our lives…? And we also hold ourselves accountable for all our mistakes: against ourselves, against people, and against God.
Self-accountability is a great virtue through which the conscience awakens and is stirred, and through which the soul knows its truth, according to how honest and precise it is in its reckoning. But when does a person hold himself accountable?
There is a person who sits with himself for a long time at the end of every year: every Gregorian year, or every Coptic year, or every year of his age, or every year of assuming his work…
And there is one who holds himself accountable before every confession. And there is one who holds himself accountable at the end of every day before he sleeps. And there is one who holds himself accountable after every action he does, and rebukes himself if necessary…
And better than all these is the one who holds himself accountable for the action before he does it: he thinks much before he acts, before he utters a word, and before he makes a decision that affects his life or the life of another…
You can, my brother, blame yourself and rebuke it for every mistake that comes from you, and this is very good. But does this prevent that the mistake has already happened and is done?! The better thing is that you do not err. And if you err, it is good that your conscience awakens quickly and you regret and repent. And if you repent, it is better for you not to return to the mistake again.
Be strict, my brother, with yourself, and firm. And beware all caution from justifying yourself and seeking excuses for it. Whoever rebukes you, take him as a friend for yourself, for he saves your eternity from destruction. And whoever flatters you, keep him away from you. He covers the pits before you with bouquets of roses. And if you fall, he will not be able to save you.

1. An article by His Grace Bishop Shenouda, Bishop of Education – Al-Keraza Magazine, First Year – Issue Ten – December 1965

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