The Lord receives penitent sinners also
In the days of the Greek emperor Maurice there was in Phrygia a fierce and cruel robber. By no means could they seize him. The blessed emperor, learning of him, sent him his own cross and bade them tell him that he should fear nothing. This meant that his past sins would be forgiven him on condition that he amend his life. The robber did indeed repent, came to the emperor, fell at his feet and confessed his sins. A few days later he fell ill and was laid in the hospital. In his sleep he beheld the Dread Judgement. Waking, he felt that his condition had worsened and that his end drew near. Then the robber began to weep and turned to the Lord with this entreaty: “O Lord, Master Almighty! Before me Thou didst receive a robber like myself; send down upon me Thy greatest mercy: receive upon my deathbed my tears, as Thou didst receive the labourers of the eleventh hour, who had wrought nothing worthy before Thee; so receive also my bitter tears, cleanse me and forgive. After this require nothing more of me; I have no time left, my creditors draw near. Search out my sins no further and try me no more; no good wilt Thou find in me; mine iniquities have overtaken me, I am come near to my end; my evil deeds are without number; and as Thou didst receive the tears of the apostle Peter, so receive mine also, and by the power of Thy loving-kindness blot out my sins.” Thus the robber confessed his sins for several hours, and at last gave up his soul to the Lord.
At the hour of his death the physician saw in sleep: to the robber's bed there came demons with lists in which the robber's many sins were written down. Then two shining youths brought a balance. The demons laid on one side of it the list of the robber's sins, at which the balance sank down on that side, while the other rose up. The holy angels said: have we then nothing at all?
— What can we have, — objected one of them, — when it is but ten days since he left off the slaying of men? But then they resolved to seek out some virtue. One of them found the robber's kerchief, wet with his tears, and said to the other: “This kerchief is indeed wet with his tears; let us lay it on the other side of the balance, and with it the love of God for mankind, and let us see what will come to pass.” As soon as they laid the kerchief on the balance, it straightway outweighed the other and made the two sides even. The angels cried out with one voice: “Truly the love of God for mankind hath prevailed!” They took the robber's soul. The demons wept and fled away in shame.
Waking, the physician hastened to the hospital. When he drew near the robber's bed, his soul had already left the body, which was yet warm. Upon his eyes lay the kerchief, wet with tears. The physician learned from those who had been with him of the robber's confession. He took the kerchief, brought it to the emperor and said: “O sovereign! Let us glorify the Lord, Who in the days of thy reign hath saved a robber.”
