Who can say he is sinless?” Even Job, the righteous man, despite enduring trials from the devil without losing heart, acknowledged: “No one is clean from sin.” Even if one only exists on this earth for a single day, he is partaking in life, which cannot be separated from existence.
As our physical existence increases and our intellect matures, we begin to comprehend the divine Providence of life. Peter aimed to grasp the keys of the Kingdom of Heaven and the structure of the Church. These keys symbolize the authority to forgive sins. Instead of physical keys, we possess our speech, which has the power to open or close the doors to heaven. It is up to us to declare righteousness or fall into unworthiness; the former occurs when we align with God's words, the latter when we stray from His directives. The one seeking the authority to forgive sins poses the question, “How many times must I forgive my brother? Up to seven times?” Why not inquire about an even or complete number, asking instead about “seven”? It seems he sought to uncover wisdom regarding one who has committed significant transgressions: would one who has sinned seven times be eligible for pardon through Baptism and repentance?
Cain, as the first murderer, faces immense suffering due to his sins tied to the act of murder. He was the pioneer of wrongdoing—the first to take a life, the first to lie to God about his brother’s fate, and the one who brought pain to his parents through his brother’s death. Cain sowed seeds of hatred and jealousy and corrupted the earth with his brother’s blood, inciting its curse. His act of murder epitomized his torment as the divine decree echoed: barren shall the ground become for him and devoid of sustenance, afflicted he shall be throughout his being. It follows that this suffering is fittingly understood in its entirety.
“Cursed be the ground because of you”—this is the initial suffering. “You shall toil the land”—this signifies a second trial. He was burdened by an ineffable compulsion to labor on the earth, without reprieve. Thus, he faced a third torment—laboring without reaping rewards. The grumbling and trembling of the earth brings God's providence to bear in the form of two additional torments: unending lament and restlessness that deters sustenance, preventing even the faintest relief from the toil that killed his brother.
The sixth agony arises from a loss of boldness before God—an exceedingly heavy burden to endure, being turned away by the Divine. In such despair, he yearns for death, believing it to be a release from misery, deeming it preferable to existence devoid of God. He laments, “If You cast me from this earth, preventing me from enjoying its fruits, I will be hidden from Your face; even should I encounter someone who seeks to kill me, it would be better to die than to continue suffering such torments.” In response, the Lord reassured him: “No, I have placed a sign upon you to prevent any harm from befalling you.” This became his seventh anguish—denied the peace of death that would reduce his shame to dust, compelled to live perpetually in torment, marked as the progenitor of evil among humanity. This is undoubtedly the heaviest suffering—shame in the eyes of those endowed with reason.
God's judgment brings forth a sentence, declaring: “These shall rise to everlasting life, and these to disgrace and eternal contempt.” Cain, having introduced seven evils, incurred a fittingly severe penalty. Peter likely understood that the seventh day is designated as the Lord’s day—a day of rest after His creative labors. The significance of the seventh is further acknowledged by the Jewish tradition, where it encompasses rituals of purification and the observance of forgiveness. After six years of cultivation and harvesting, the seventh year is established as a time of restoration, filled with self-sown abundance.
In the same regard, after serving seven years, a slave attains liberty. The Jewish people endured seventy years of captivity in Babylon. The sacredness of the number seven extends to our holy Church. David, the psalmist, proclaimed, “Seven times a day I will praise You.” By speaking of “day,” he refers to the essence of this life, honoring the seven days of creation. Isaiah enumerates seven gifts of the Spirit, while Solomon spoke of “the seven eyes of the Lord,” asserting that in divine Wisdom, a temple stands strong upon seven pillars. Wisdom is identified as Christ in the teachings of Paul, with the house symbolizing both heaven and the Church, and the pillars representing celestial hierarchies. The Apostolic Church includes those such as Stephen and Philip, recognized as the seven deacons.
Another saint articulated, “The righteous man may fall seven times but will rise again,” underscoring the necessity of repentance. Enoch, seventh in the lineage from Adam, did not die but was taken, a sign that we too may transcend death for the immortal life of the Church, shielded from the flood of darkness, akin to Noah, who had Christ steering the vessel. Following Noah, Abraham emerged as the seventh, receiving circumcision as a means to renounce a life of fleshly excess. The seventh from Abraham is Moses, the divine lawgiver: he brings forth a transformation and rejuvenation, instituting a sacred observance of the Sabbath in the seventh year, where land is freed from toil, debts are canceled, and captives are released.
Christ arose as the seventy-seventh from Adam, as affirmed by Luke in his genealogical record. Thus, it is evident that Holy Scriptures ascribe the measure of forgiveness of sins to the sevens, ensuring the continuity of life. The seventh day is a perfected creation. The Seven Weeks cyclically grant remission of sins to those who strive for restoration and divine guidance. While we may grow complacent, let us soon turn from our prideful ways and recommit to virtuous living. Let us cleanse ourselves spiritually and depart from all that sullies us, rising to a life of higher calling. We must incline our ears to God’s edicts, releasing our attachments to worldly matters. May we earn the highest fruits of virtue through love, inscribing God's Law upon our hearts, becoming vessels in the hands of the Divine.
THEOSIS