Chapter IX: THE TIME OF REPENTANCE
forgiveness; Manasseh, who prayed and humbled himself before God, and God heard his prayer; the publican who acknowledged his sinfulness and departed justified; and the thief who repented on the cross and was promised to be with Jesus in paradise.
Having such remarkable promises made to repentance, no one should refrain from practicing it due to the multitude of their sins.
On the contrary, they should embrace it. When the Pharisees questioned why Jesus dined with tax collectors and sinners, he responded, "Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. I have not come to call the righteous but sinners to repentance." And truly I tell you, tax collectors and prostitutes will enter the kingdom of God before you.
Chapter IX:
THE TIME OF REPENTANCE
The time of repentance is the present moment, without any delay whatsoever. As the Holy Ghost says, "Today, if you will hear his voice." And, "Exhort one another daily, while it is called today, lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin." The reasons for this are as follows:
I. Life is uncertain, as no one knows at what hour or moment, and in what manner they will depart from this world. Therefore, be prepared, for the Son of Man will come at an unexpected hour. This should prompt a person to hasten their repentance, especially because many have died without repenting, despite intending to do so in the future.
II. The longer a person remains in sin, the greater the danger, as sin becomes ingrained and stronger through practice. Custom holds such power that people continue to act and speak as they did in their lifetime even when they are dying. For example, if someone had a debt of three pounds to be paid over three years, when they are dying, they can only think of three years and three pounds.
Furthermore, by delaying repentance, people accumulate divine wrath that will be unleashed on the day of judgment. It is as if a criminal, as part of their punishment, is required to carry a piece of wood to a pile every day for twenty years, only to be burned on that heap later.
III. The longer repentance is postponed, the harder it becomes. Just as the longer a person remains in sickness without medicine, the more difficult it is to recover. And where the devil dwells for a long time, he is unlikely to be driven out. The best way to kill a snake is to crush its head when it is young.
IV. It brings great satisfaction to the devil to see people living in their sins and delaying repentance, while there is great joy among the angels of God in heaven when a sinner repents.
V. Late repentance is seldom or never true repentance. If a person repents only when they are no longer able to sin, such as on their deathbed, it is not that they are leaving sin, but rather that sin is leaving them. Therefore, the repentance that individuals attempt when they are dying may be feared to die with them. It is just that God should scorn those who scorned Him in their lives. Chrysostom says that the wicked person is punished by forgetting themselves in death, who, when they were alive, forgot God.
VI. We are to offer to God the best of what we have, just as Abel offered the fat of his flock in sacrifice. On the contrary, those who postpone repentance until the end do the opposite. Late repenters offer the prime of their youth to the devil, and they bring the maimed and broken sacrifice of their old age to God.