The Father of Confession
The Father of Confession
- He is the person whom, when you see him, you remember God, your obligations toward God, and God’s commandments for you. You remember your vows before God.
- The father of confession is the person who can change your life for the better, through his deep spiritual influence, his knowledge, his relationship with God, and his good example.
- The father of confession is an oasis in the desert of your life, where you find rest and think about God—not about the oasis, nor about the rest.
- The father of confession is not a bridge that you tread upon in order to reach the other shore, while the bridge remains in its place! Rather, he is an airplane that soars with you above all shores, bringing you to the goal and arriving there with you.
- The father of confession is the person who can make you weep, and you rejoice in your weeping more than in all pleasure and laughter. He may at times be firm with you, or seem to be so, and that “firmness” may be more tenderness and compassion than a softness that would ruin your life.
- The father of confession is not a father who considers you a child all your life, or all his life with you, carrying you on his shoulders and guiding you in every small and great matter. Rather, he is the wise leader who carries you on his shoulders for a time, until you learn wisdom and discernment, and are able to walk on your own feet, and to carry others on your shoulders and teach them wisdom and discernment in turn.
- The true father of confession does not struggle to bind you to his heart, his love, or his obedience; rather, he binds you to the heart of God, the love of God, and the obedience of God. Indeed, he tries to disappear so that God may appear in you. He does not consider himself the owner of the vineyard, but merely a steward sent by God to His vineyard to cleanse and prune it so that it may bear more fruit. The father of confession is not a master who constantly demands obedience, submission, and respect, but a father full of love and compassion. Nor is he a chain around your will, but the one who trains your freedom in the love of God.
- The father of confession is a bearer of sins. He transfers them from your head and places them upon the head of Christ, who bears the sins of the whole world. He is a person who places his hand upon your head and you find rest, feeling that a heavy burden has been lifted. He is a source of peace and a bearer of glad tidings, proclaiming to you God’s forgiveness, explaining His love to you, and opening for you a window of hope that illuminates the darkness of your life.
- The father of confession is the practical model of every virtue in which you walk. You take from his life as you take from his teachings, benefiting from his conduct and not only from his guidance. He is the person whom, whenever you see him, your spiritual fervor and your love for God increase.
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