Letter 487

From: Isidore of Pelusium, monk at Pelusium To: Ammonios Date: ~410 AD Context: Isidore on the danger of delaying repentance — the longer sin is left unaddressed, the harder it becomes to address, and the habit of sin becomes a second nature. The longer a wrong goes unaddressed, Ammonios, the harder it becomes to address. This is not merely a matter of psychology, though it is that too — habits of sin become embedded and difficult to uproot the longer they are practiced. It is also a matter of conscience: the conscience that is regularly ignored grows quieter. The voice that once spoke sharply gradually subsides to a murmur. This is why prompt repentance is so important — not because it changes the gravity of what was done, but because it prevents the secondary damage: the hardening of the heart that follows delay. The man who falls and gets up immediately suffers the fall. The man who falls and lies there grows accustomed to lying there. Get up quickly, Ammonios. Do not let the reasonable feeling that you need time to prepare for repentance become an excuse for postponing it indefinitely.

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