One of our chief enemies in our pilgrimage to become like Christ is the bombardment of thoughts we must deal with. All of us, at one time or another, have thoughts that are quite disturbing. We think about physically harming our neighbors, saying things to destroy and tear down others, cheating people out of what is theirs for our own benefit, and even things much worse than these. Such thoughts can quickly become incessant, pernicious, and invasive. We do not know what to do with our thoughts, and much less what to do with ourselves.

Christ and His Church do not leave us alone to deal with such destructive thoughts. Indeed, the Church houses every tool necessary to rid ourselves of such thoughts and replace them with the remembrance of God Himself. Confession is given to allow us to unburden our thoughts within the Church and seek counsel, reconciliation, and forgiveness. We are taught the Jesus prayer in order to bring Christ into our hearts and minds, thus, “bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ.” (2 Corinthians 10:5). We are given the living and eternal memory of Christ’s body and blood, shed for the life and salvation of the world, in the celebration of Holy Communion. We are not left as orphans, but rather adopted as sons.

We further ask not only for our thoughts to be set aright, but also for our memories to be redeemed. We house memories that can likewise consume and destroy us if we are not careful: evil done to us can often become a cause for vengeance, and the evil we have done becomes shame and humiliation for us.

We ask the Mother of God and all the saints to deliver us from such memories. A prayer written to the Theotokos (Greek for, “Mother of God”) expresses precisely this:

O my most holy lady Theotokos, through thy holy and all-powerful prayers, banish from me, thy lowly and wretched servant, despondency, forgetfulness, folly, carelessness, and all filthy, evil, and blasphemous thoughts from my wretched heart and my darkened mind. And quench the flame of my passions, for I am poor and wretched, and deliver me from all their evil effects. For blessed art thou by all generations, and glorified is thy most honourable name unto the ages of ages. Amen. (Jordanville Prayer Book)

May God grant us deliverance from our thoughts, time for repentance, and His abundant mercies unto our salvation.