Dangus points up another distinction between Orthodox and Western ideas about sin. As the priest says in confession, our sins are forgiven whether known or unknown. Missing the mark does not require a conscious effort on our part.This is consistent with Orthodox theology on how we are judged at the Final Judgment, not whether we have fasted, done good deeds or failed to fast or committed evil deeds but rather we are scrutinized to determine of we have any similitude to Christ. God loves all of us and his grace falls on the good and the evil alike. But in the end, it is that divine love which scourges those how have rejected God and becomes a torment to them, just as that same love creates Paradise for those who have approached or attained theosis.
"O Lord, blot out my sins
O Master, pardon my iniquities,
O Holy One, visit and heal my infirmities
For Your Name's sake."
To my mind, that addresses three different aspects of sin: the way my sins wound others (please blot the harm I've done to my fellow man), the way they hurt my relationship with God (please forgive me and let me approach You again), and the way they weaken and sick my own heart and make me "infirm" (please heal my inmost heart.)
I also believe that God does NOT simply cover our inner dung-heap with a mantle of snow, but actually gets into us and makes us beautiful. He plants love in us; then when He looks, He finds it blossoming there.
So we can say, not "I am disgusting, but he loves me because he loves disgusting things," but "He sees something lovable in me! He looks at me and is delighted! I am actually lovable!"
I'd like to think that it's not so much of a distinction but a difference in emphasis; in conflicts with heresies, the West has occasionally put too fine a point on certain matters for everyday usefulness; And to the West, therefore, the East represents an undistracted, simple but deeply mysterious truth.