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Tuesday, March 18, 2014

We cleanse baptism anew with tears

Venerable John Climacus ~ The Ladder of Divine Ascent
Step 7 ~ On Joy-making Mourning

¶6. Greater than baptism itself is the fountain of tears after baptism, even though it is somewhat audacious to say so. For baptism is the washing away of evils that were in us before, but sins committed after baptism are washed away by tears. As baptism is received in infancy, we have all defiled it, but we cleanse it anew with tears. And if God in His love for mankind had not given us tears, those being saved would be few indeed and hard to find.

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