Step 5: Penitence

“Repentance is the renewal of baptism and is a contract with God for a fresh start in life. …Repentance is the daughter of hope and the refusal of despair.”

--St. John Climacus

“But now we must celebrate and rejoice, because your brother was dead and has come to life again; he was lost and has been found.”

--Luke 15:32

As many of you know, my wife Pam and I became Catholic in 2003.  One of my favorite experiences in the process of coming into the Church was my first experience of the sacrament of Penance.  I will never forget the feeling of lightness and newness.  Coming away from Confession I felt that there was hope for me; hope in the sense that I was reassured that God still loved me and hope that I could become a better person.

It might seem strange to some to put repentance and hopefulness together, but as St. John reminds us, the possibility of repentance is a sign that God has not and never will give up on us.  There is nothing that we can do that is so evil, so wrong, that it would make God stop loving us.  When we separate ourselves from God by choosing to do things that run counter to God’s nature and his will for us, God never stops reaching out to us, calling us back, longing and looking for us like the father in the story of the Prodigal Son from Luke’s Gospel.

Real repentance requires that we take our sin seriously.  We sometimes dismiss sin as a mere faux pas, a trivial mistake, when in fact, the consequences of sin that is not dealt with are serious.  Sin that is not repented of and confessed can dull our consciences, making us susceptible to worse sin.  It makes it harder for us to hear God or feel his presence.  And it limits God’s ability to give us the help of his grace.

Is there something in your life that is blocking the flow of God’s grace?  Turn away from it.  Repent.  Go to Confession and be free of it.  And know that as often as we need it, the forgiveness of God is always there for us.

Prayer:

O God, your mercy is from everlasting to everlasting.  As far as the East is from the West, so far have you promised to remove our sins from us.  Help us to trust in your mercy, turn away from our sins, and turn to you, so that cleansed and renewed, we might continue to walk with you in hope, through Christ our Lord, Amen.

St. John Climacus, pray for us.