Dear Parishioners,

Repentance is a notion we hear a great deal of during the season of Lent. While it is certainly true that repentance is one of the great hallmarks of this penitential period of the church year, it is more accurate to claim that it as a hallmark of the entire Christian life. The opening words of Jesus in the Gospel of Mark are; This is the time of fulfillment. The Kingdom of God is at hand. Repent and believe in the gospel. (Mark 1:15) The Greek word for repent is metanoia, and is derived from two words from the same language – meta (after, with, above) and nous (mind).

On its most literal level metanoia can mean to change one’s mind or to get a new mind. On a more spiritual level it can mean to have a transformation of heart. Jesus is calling those who would follow him to acquire a new mind, think a new way and emerge with a transformed heart. What that involves concretely unfolds throughout his ministry.

In the Old Testament, repentance is closely associated to the notion of restoration, both of which are oftentimes reactions to significant crisis. When, for example, the Southern Kingdom of Israel and its temple were destroyed in 586 BC by the Babylonians, both notions of repentance and restoration became the subjects of poetry, prayers and songs of lament. In the Book of Lamentations the author pleads, Restore us to yourself O Lord, that we may be restored; renew our days as of old. (Lam 5:21) With this prayer is the call for the people of Israel to repent. The historical destruction of Israel and its place of worship, one of their most shattering moments, opened their hearts and eyes forcing them to acknowledge the role which they played in this catastrophe on account of their infidelity to God. The need for repentance emerged because the people of Israel recognized the history in which they stood – a history that was at odds with the hopes and plans of God. This was a metanoia moment – a   moment when they received a new mind and a transformed heart thus allowing them to see the possibility of a new reality. Only then could restoration possibly happen.

Lent is the opportunity the church gives us to take an honest look at our own place in history, both personally and globally. It calls us to identify the crises that are sometimes of our own making, and sometimes the results of others who have abused the free will given to them by God. These crises can be shattering moments, like the destruction of Israel, that open humanity’s eyes revealing the need for restoration. All of this is the process we call repentance.

We can hope that the 46 days of this year’s Lent might be characterized by such repentance.  But we also know that grace does not always conform itself to our timetables and pre-conceived hopes. Perhaps the greatest benefit of Lent is that it reminds us that repentance must be a constant in all our lives as well as in the life of the church and of the world. The Second Vatican Council asserted, the church is always in need of reform. As reform and repentance are integral to the whole body of the church, so they are for each of us on a personal level. Perhaps a fitting question we might all ponder in these early days of Lent is, What crisis (crises) am I experiencing currently in my life that demands repentance and that yearns for restoration? May God give us the courage to acquire a new mind and to think a new way so that we might face such crises with hope in the transformative power of Divine Grace.

May all of us have a Lenten Season marked by repentance and restoration.

 

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