Word of the Week

Third Sunday in Ordinary Time

Repentance: Metanoia (Gk.): meaning “a change of mind”. This word is a derivative of contrition and penance .

The Church echoes the call of St. John the Baptist: “Repent, and believe the good news, the Kingdom of God is at hand” (Mk.1:15) in her own cry for sinners to embrace the Gospel and baptismal vow that “ renounces evil ” to attain salvation (CCC 1427). A repentant soul is one who is contrite for their sins and has a penitent heart. There are two modes of penance: interior and exterior . “ Interior penance is a radical reorientation of our whole life, a return to God with all our heart” (CCC 1431), this often entails genuine contrition for past faults and firm resolve to avoid them in the future. Exterior penance includes fasting, prayer, and almsgiving. These are a manifestation of love for God the Father (CCC 1434).

The word repentance is found 29 times in the Holy Scriptures: 7 references in the Old Testament and 22 in the New Testament. It is often used to speak to the conversion of one's entire life to the Lord. Conversion was the thrust of the mission of John the Baptist: “Repent and believe the good news ” (Mt.3:2). Based upon the OT idea of conversion, repentance involves a twofold movement of the heart: a movement away from sin and towards God (Hahn and Minch , 18 ). “Repentance is inspired by the eternal life offered in Christ (Mk.1:15) and becomes evident in its genuineness to convert for the sake of the Gospel (Gal.5:22 )” (Hahn and Minch , 18). Repentance is the conforming of one's life to Christ over a period of time. “God is patient with sinners struggling to make amends and redirect their lives towards holiness” (Wis.12;10; Rom.2:4; 2 Peter 3:9) (Hahn and Minch , 18). This gradual process of transformation into the likeness of God is the highest call of every Christian sojourning for truth.

Holiness is the goal of repentance as it communicates a life changed for the sake of the gospel. Holiness, in the spirit of constant repentance, is the attitude that opens our eyes to who we are called to become as “children of God ” (1 John 3:1). As ‘children of God', we are dependent upon God for all things in the relation of love! In this relationship toward other, we discover our sin and the need for repentance, by an inward look of how we ought to be more Christ-centered.

“Let conversion be our vocation.”

--Archbishop Fulton Sheen

Primary Texts Consulted

•  Catholic Bible. Suggested trans. Revised Standard Version, Catholic Edition.
•  Catechism of the Catholic Church, 2 nd Edition, 1997.
• Hahn, Scott and Minch , Curtis. Ignatius Catholic Study Bible: The Gospel of Mark , RSV, 2 nd ed. San Francisco : Ignatius Press, 2001.

 

The Catholic Hour Home Page
Comments or Questions?
Contact Webmaster