20- A Trivial Sin

I experienced this unforgettable true story many years ago. A wealthy lady, who gave generously to the poor, told me shyly once that she struggled with herself for three months on whether to confess a certain trivial sin that she had committed. Upon my encouragement, she stated that throughout her life she had taken great care to avoid committing three sins in particular: lying, regardless of the circumstances; theft, since God had given her much wealth; and adultery. She went on to say that one day while shopping, she placed an item worth about one dollar in her purse, and left without paying for it; however she felt so uneasy about it that she went back and returned the item to its place. The lady nevertheless continued to cry bitterly and to ask herself for the reasons behind doing such a thing despite her lack of need and her generosity towards the poor.

I then asked her, “A re you crying because of your sin, or because of your wounded pride, even though you are the only person who knows about this?”

She replied, “I’m lamenting my own self; I never expected myself to commit such a trivial sin.”

I said, “This is a lesson for all of us; sin should never be taken lightly, especially in view of our weakness. We are only able to conquer it through the richness of God’s grace, regardless of our age, capabilities, social status or degree of purity.”

Indeed, although sin knows no age or gender boundaries, we should not fear it, for He who is with us is greater than he who is against us.

On the other hand, sin should not be taken lightly for, if we are separated from the grace of God, our fall will be unforeseen.

→ English translation of the story here at St-Takla.org: خطية تافهة!

My salvation is through Your support.

I bear witness to the richness of Your great love,

And to the manifestation of Your Holy Spirit in me,

With which I revel in Your righteousness.

I confess my sins to You,

Since without Your grace, I fall, even in the most trivial sin.

I greatly despise my weak self, and I sense the weakness of my will.

Who but You can grant me a strong will?

Who but You can sanctify my senses and feelings?

Who but Your Holy Spirit can carry me to Your heaven?

Let Us Live like Humans

Short Stories (Stories for the Youth) Books by Father Tadros Yacoub Malaty

A Lesson from a Fallen Old Man