Nowadays, another common aspect of modern life is the sinful life of young women living with men without the shelter of marriage. Although this is considered by the Church to be a sin and rules of the Church are therefore broken, it is very difficult to refuse confession to such believers. The canons are in this way a means through which advice can be given by priests and ministers to try to bring the believers on a religious path. Even so, the priests and ministers, through the canons, are permitted to transmit the believer that the gravity of the sin cannot be repeated. The canons, as generally accepted rules of behavior from the Church also serve as guiding principles in our society today.
The canons are infallible expressions of the truth at all ages because the rules of the Church and of God have not changed. They can be interpreted and this is the role and scope of each religion. However, the sins, the beliefs and the generally accepted truths of the Church have remained the same. However, what has changed along the years, decades, and centuries is the community in which these rules and set of norms have been applied. From this confrontation, it may be that the Church is no longer keeping the pace with social and community development. At the same time though the role of the Church is not necessarily that of making itself more accessible to the believer by bending the religious concepts; the role of the Church is rather that of guiding the believer on the right path to God and
Therefore, the canons are tools for the Church that uphold the beliefs of the Church and religious interpretations in such a manner as to insure a worthy direction for the believers.
Despite these aspects however, there are certain canons that are applied discretionary by each minister. For instance, the women that have abortion may be denied confession for a certain number of years. In some cases of the Orthodox Church, these women, depending on the number of abortions, may be denied confession for their entire lives. This is not a proper way of managing a crisis of a believer. Indeed, regardless of the reasons for which women have abortions, they commit a sinful act. However, every sinner has the right to confession and redemption of her sins. The discretionary application of such a canon is not only harmful for the tormented soul of the woman but also denies her any means of seeking forgiveness from God. "God will never allow you to be tried and tempted more than He sees fit. Do not despair and do not be afraid. With full submission surrender totally to Him. Have patience and pray. God is our loving father. Even if He permits a person to fall into sin it is only on order to make him realize his own impotence, weakness and nothingness…to teach him never to trust in himself" (Hopko, 1981) Therefore, the Church should be a shelter for all sinners that confess and seek forgiveness, no matter of sins.
Overall, the canons are essential practices for a believer as well as for the Church. It provides the believer the opportunity to repent and seek forgiveness from God. The Church on the other hand has the necessary "tools" to guide the believers that have sinned on the path of redemption. At the same time though, given the challenges facing believers today as well as the Church, some canons may seem as too harsh and not infallible expressions of the truth for all ages.
References
Patsavos, Lewis J. Spiritual Dimensions of the Holy Canons. New York: Holy Cross Orthodox, 2007.
Hopko, Thomas. "The Symbol of Theandric Synthesis" in Orthodox Synthesis: the Unity of Theological Thought (ed) Joseph Allen. New York: Athens Printing Company, 1981.
Viscuso, Patrick. "A Quest for Reform of the Orthodox Church: The 1923 Pan-Orthodox Congress, an Analysis and Translation of Its Acts and Decisions." New York: Inter-Orthodox Press, 2007.
