At the well of repentence
A certain Pharisee invited Jesus to dine with him, and he entered the Pharisee’s house and reclined at table.
Now there was a sinful woman in the city who learned that he was at table in the house of the Pharisee.
Bringing an alabaster flask of ointment, she stood behind him at his feet weeping and began to bathe his feet with her tears. Then she wiped them with her hair, kissed them, and anointed them with the ointment. When the Pharisee who had invited him saw this he said to himself, “If this man were a prophet, he would know who and what sort of woman this is who is touching him, that she is a sinner.” Jesus said to him in reply, “Simon, I have something to say to you.” “Tell me, teacher,” he said. “Two people were in debt to a certain creditor;
one owed five hundred days’ wages and the other owed fifty. Since they were unable to repay the debt, he forgave it for both. Which of them will love him more?”
Simon said in reply,
“The one, I suppose, whose larger debt was forgiven.”
He said to him, “You have judged rightly.”
Yet I hold this against you: You have forsaken the love you had at first. (Revelation 2:4)
“You can’t have revival without repentance.” This was the kickoff mantra of night two of the Eucharistic Revival. I remember standing in Lucas Oil Stadium with 60,000 fellow Catholics and thinking, “Why do we always have to go to repentance? Why can’t we just hit the high notes? Let’s stay on the mountaintop!” The good news of Jesus isn’t good news unless we recognize where we fall short and need a savior. I have been walking through the Gospel of Mark with my mom this summer. Each week we read a chapter and discuss what stood out to us and what it means in our lives. Mark’s Gospel starts out with John the Baptist, “And so John the Baptist appeared in the wilderness, preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins.” (Mark 1:4). Jesus, embarking on His mission, carried the baton of repentance, “The kingdom of God has come near. Repent and believe the good news!” (Mark 1:15) Many of us become a little squirmy at the word repent. I am going to share some insight from Bishop Barron on the deeper meaning of the greek word used in the Gospels: Metanoia.
Again we consult Jesus’ opening speech in Mark’s Gospel: “Repent.” The word so often and so misleadingly translated as ‘repent’ is metanoeite…the English word ‘repent’ has a moralizing overtone, suggesting a change in behavior or action, whereas Jesus’ term seems to be hinting a change at a far more fundamental level of one’s being. Jesus urges His listeners to change their way of knowing, their way of perceiving, their mode of seeing… But what exactly is the problem with the way we think and see?…we see and perceive with a mind of fear rather than a mind of trust. When we fear, we cling to who we are and what we have…hence when Jesus urges his listeners to believe…He is calling them to find the new center of their lives where He finds His own, in the unconditional love of God…It has everything to do with radical change of life and vision, with the simple and dreadfully complex process of allowing oneself to swim in the divine sea, to find the true self by letting go of the old center. (Bishop Barron, The Word on Fire Bible, A New Way of Seeing)
I just have to repeat the inspired beauty of that last line, “allowing oneself to swim in the divine sea.” When you put repentance in that light, who wouldn’t want that?! As I reflected on these words, Holy Spirit inspired others: [To repent is to let go.] [Repentance is not about shame. It’s not always about sin. Repentance is about learning to leave behind what holds us back from the fire of Christ’s love.] If we want the love of Christ to burn in our hearts, there are things that we will need to let go of. Jesus’ words to St. John in the book of Revelation should pierce our hearts, we have lost our first love. This is what “repentance” is really about: finding Him, seeing Him, and loving Him. I shared two of Jesus’ healings in my short time at the Eucharistic Congress. Each of those required my metanoia, repentance. I had to let go of my anger at the Church and I had to let go of my false perception. Jesus was then able to bring me a new vision and way of seeing that were provided through the lens of my letting go. For healing from my childhood trauma I had to let go of shame, let go of a lie of brokeness, and let go of anger. These moments of metanoia returned Jesus as my first love. At each and every Mass we are invited to metanoia. In the beginning of Mass we repeat, “Lord, have mercey…”. Did you know that in that moment we are invited to lift our broken selves and are able to receive forgiveness for our non-grave sins? (Grave sins require confession) Then again just before Eucharist we recite, “Lamb of God, You take away the sins of the world, have mercy on us.” My whole life I have always interpreted that moment as Jesus taking away my sin, and He is, BUT my eyes were opened to the beauty that Jesus, through His healing, takes away the sins of others that I have suffered! This has profoundly elevated this moment in the Mass. Do you long to feel the flame of Jesus’ love anew? Do you long to let go of fear? Do you long to live this life through the lens of the unwavering love of God? Spend time in prayer asking Jesus what He is asking you to let go of. Seek the revival Jesus seeks to bring to your life through metanoia, and allow yourself to swim in the divine sea.
