From The Prologue by St Nikolai of Ochrid & Zicha, for July 29:
God does not desire that any man be lost. He did not create man for death, but for salvation. Is there a gardener who sows vegetables, yet desires that his vegetables dry out & perish? God is wiser & more compassionate than all men. God has only one desire: that all men repent & turn away from evil. How the husbandman rejoices when a withered vine comes back to life, becomes green again, & brings forth fruit! How much more, then, is the joy of God & His angels when the souls of men, withered from sin, turn to Him & become young again with tears of repentance, & bring forth the fruit of repentance!
And:
be careful that you do not maliciously recall the sins of a repentant sinner, but offer thanksgiving to God, and be astonished at how light is made from darkness, and pure water from a stagnant pool.
"be astonished"!
___
I remember a friend who came to the Church after various wanderings in the christian world. He was stunned by the words with which we close every Divine Liturgy: "For He is good & loves mankind." I doubt that there are many christian confessions that would openly disagree with these words, but I think it's meaningful that their full import would reach someone in the Liturgy.
___
IC XC NIKA
IC XC NIKA