There are countless reptiles in the sea. What can be said about them? The name alone affects everything. Miserable is the fate of those whom the Word of God has deprived of the name of men, reduced to the name of dumb animals: how much more miserable are those whom it, the All-Holy Word, the Judge of the universe, has sealed with the name of reptiles? Not the deep waters are their constant abode and delight, but the fetid and filthy slime, into which they are brought by the furious wave and in which all impurities are bogged down, into which the corpses of people who have perished from the misadventures of the sea, from the dagger of the pirates of the sea of life, are brought and in which they decay.

My brethren! My friends! I am standing with you on the seashore, looking at the sea, streaked with multi-colored stripes. Beyond the sea is another sea with burning golden domes and spires... Meanwhile, in the temple of God, a majestic and significant song is proclaimed: The sea of life, raised in vain by the storm's misfortunes, has flowed to Thy quiet refuge, crying out to Thee: Raise up my life from corruption, O Most Merciful" [874].

Conscience

Conscience is the feeling of the human spirit, subtle, bright, distinguishing good from evil.

This feeling distinguishes good from evil more clearly than the mind.

It is more difficult to deceive one's conscience than one's mind.

And conscience struggles for a long time with a deceived mind, strengthened by a sin-loving will.

Conscience is a natural law [875].

Conscience guided man before the Written Law. Fallen mankind gradually adopted a wrong way of thinking about God, about good and evil: a falsely named reason communicated its wrongness of conscience. The written Law became a necessity for guidance to the true knowledge of God and to God-pleasing activity.

The teaching of Christ, sealed by Holy Baptism, heals the conscience from the deceit with which sin has infected it [876]. The correct action of conscience returned to us is supported and exalted by following the teaching of Christ.

A sound state and the correct action of conscience are possible only in the bosom of the Orthodox Church, because any wrong thought that is accepted has an impact on the conscience: it deviates it from the right action.

They darken, dull, drown out, lull the conscience to sleep — voluntary sins.

Any sin that is not cleansed by repentance leaves a harmful impression on the conscience.