The past is no more, the future has not come, there is only the present. Only in the present does the divine, free essence of the human soul manifest itself.
Jesus therefore said to them, “Yet a little while the light is with you. Walk while you have the light, that darkness does not overtake you. He who walks in the darkness does not know where he is going.”
— John 12:35
Everyone knows that a habit is formed and strengthened through practice. For example, to become a good walker, you have to walk a lot and often; to become a good runner, you must run a lot; to be able to read well, you must read a lot, and so on. On the other hand, if you stop doing the thing you have grown used to, then the habit itself will begin to gradually disappear. For example, if you spend ten days without getting up, and then start walking again, you will see just how weak your legs have become. This means that if you want to get used to doing something, you must do it a lot and often; and, vice versa, if you want to break a habit, you must stop doing it. The same thing happens to the abilities of our soul: know that whenever you get angry, you are not just acting badly, you are also strengthening in yourself the habit of getting angry—you are throwing firewood onto the flame. If you yield to carnal temptations, do not think that you have sinned only in this and nothing else: no, you have also strengthened your habit towards carnal deeds. Any reasonable person will tell you that this is precisely how our spiritual ailments, our evil thoughts and wishes, grow stronger. And thus, if you do not want to accustom yourself to getting angry, you must try to restrain your anger and not give it a chance to develop. But by what means can we gain such strength in our struggle against our impulses?
It is helpful in your struggle against temptations to seek out the company of people more virtuous than yourself, or to recall and read the teachings of wise people who have lived before you. The one who battles his own evil thoughts is a true warrior. This is a holy struggle and it brings you closer to God. The happiness and tranquility of your life depends on its success. Always remember the following two points in time: one is the present, when, yielding to temptation, you will indulge in sensual pleasures, and the other, when, having sated your desires, you will repent and reproach yourself. Consider also the pleasure you will experience if you restrain yourself. And remember that it will be difficult to restrain yourself if you had already overstepped once. But if you keep yielding to your vices and keep convincing yourself that you will defeat them tomorrow, and tomorrow say the same thing, then by doing this you will make yourself so weak that in future you will even stop noticing your faults, and, even if you do notice them, you will always have a ready excuse for your every vice.
— Epictetus
Remember: if you can do a good deed, you should do it now, because the opportunity will pass and will never return.
All repentance is useful in that it is always a feeling of regret about not using the present in the way that would have been natural to that force which manifests itself in the present. Repentance is a reminder of how one should act in the present.
