Repent, therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be wiped away,
and that the Lord may grant you times of refreshment
and send you the Christ already appointed for you, Jesus,
whom heaven must receive until the times of universal restoration
of which God spoke through the mouth
of his holy prophets from of old.
and that the Lord may grant you times of refreshment
and send you the Christ already appointed for you, Jesus,
whom heaven must receive until the times of universal restoration
of which God spoke through the mouth
of his holy prophets from of old.
In the earliest chapters of Saint Luke’s two-volume narrative, we hear God’s invitation to penance “that your sins may be wiped away.” Penance must be our first response to the gospel.
There are as many ways to understand Penance as there are Christians and yet the mystery is one. I think of it as, “I am not God! Thank God!” I have certainly thought I was God. As the t-shirt might read, “I am not God but I play one in my world.” I have wanted what I wanted when I wanted it, and thought I had a right to it. I have pushed people around and felt perfectly justified in doing so. I have judged with righteous anger when I thought others had wronged me. I have even tried to rescue people from their own decisions. In all these ways and more I have played God. And, what is worse, I have sometimes invoked the name of God to justify my opinions and behaviors.
It is better to acknowledge, “I am not God.” And “Thank God!” for the world would be a far more dreadful place if I were in charge.
Penance is the practice of that modesty. It acknowledges, “I was not always here and will not always be here. God is necessary; I am contingent.”
Life gets much easier for me once I hear the invitation to "repent and be converted... that the Lord may grant you times of refreshment....
One of the most quoted passages in Matthew speaks of that divine refreshment:
Come to me all you that labor and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon your shoulders and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble of heart. And your souls will find rest, for my yoke is easy and my burden is light.
There are few burdens as heavy as self-righteous innocence. I must continually defend, explain and backtrack to justify my foolish behaviors. It's so much easier to say, "I did wrong. I am sorry. How can I make it up to you?"
And for all those sins for which there is no atonement, God has covered for me.
I am not God. Thank God.
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I love to write. This blog helps me to meditate on the Word of God, and I hope to make some contribution to our contemplations of God's Mighty Works.
Ordinarily, I write these reflections two or three weeks in advance of their publication. I do not intend to comment on current events.
I understand many people prefer gender-neutral references to "God." I don't disagree with them but find that language impersonal, unappealing and tasteless. When I refer to "God" I think of the One whom Jesus called "Abba" and "Father", and I would not attempt to improve on Jesus' language.
You're welcome to add a thought or raise a question.