Meditation on the Analysis of the Sunset — Part 3

His Holiness Pope Shenouda III calls for continual repentance with the phrase “Repent, O my soul, as long as you dwell on earth,” stressing that repentance is not a luxury for beginners but a necessity for every person regardless of their spiritual rank.

Core message

Repentance is obligatory for all because sin can destroy a person, and the original cause of sin is the inner human soul being unhealthy, not only external circumstances. It is better that a person calls his soul from within to repentance motivated by love of God and the conscience’s feeling.

Spiritual vigilance and fighting sloth

The exhortation “Arise from the sleep of sloth” urges continuous wakefulness of the senses and the spiritual conscience; for sleepiness and sloth precede sin and lead to laxity in spiritual life, while vigilance and spiritual effort draw the person closer to God.

The value of night vigil and prayer

His Holiness speaks about the saints’ vigils as an important spiritual training, affirming that vigil with God is better than nocturnal amusements, and advising memorization of prayers and psalms so the soul can pray at night without needing a book or revealing oneself to people.

Confronting the world’s night

The discourse calls to reclaim the night’s ownership which the world has occupied with sin and amusement, and to turn our nights into times of prayer and reflection instead of allowing them to be fields of heedlessness and sins.

Practical steps

He encourages self-examination concerning how we spend nights, organizing time for reading, contemplation, and prayer, and fighting the habit of clinging to sin by will, even if it requires compelling oneself to labor for God’s sake.

Spiritual conclusion

Repentance, vigilance, and vigil with God are the way to spiritual renewal, and the Pope urges every person to sit with his soul and say: “Repent, O my soul” while life is still paved for repentance.

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