Lent: God’s Call to Repentance and Reconciliation

  

From the beginning of human history, we come across the reality of sin in human life. In all of us there are inordinate desires.  These desires when executed, they result in sins.  The fruit of such sinful deeds is a momentary pleasure, but later we are often weighed down by guilt feelings, unhappiness, slavery and division, lack of peace, physical and spiritual illness and moral death. In the Bible the sinful state is diagnosed as an alienation from God.  It is a definitive turning away from God. God is the one who enters into relationship with us. Sin is the breaking of that relationship. The word ‘sin’ means “missing the mark”, “abandoning the straight road”, it also means “turn aside or become lost.” It also means “an open rebellion against God, one another and oneself. Thus our sins alienate us from God, one another and ourselves.

This is well depicted in the periscope on the illustration on the creation of the first humans, Adam and Eve. We are told of the initial goodness, harmony and tranquillity in creation; yet there is an attraction towards sin, as an apparent good, despite of God’s providential care. The effect of sin in the first parents is alienation from God who was their creator and father,  alienation from one another even though once man had acknowledged his woman as bone of his bone and flesh of his flesh, now he accuses her of leading him to temptation and sin. There is also an alienation from nature and environment, as it figuratively depicted in the enmity between the woman and the serpent, the pain and the toil.  Furthermore, sin exposes them to the new awareness of themselves as naked; and it exposes them their physical self, as it brings shame on them. Consequently, they had to hide from God and one another. They were ashamed of their nakedness that was realised only after committing sin. Yet, God does not abandon them in a state of sin, rather offers them his mercy and love. He covers their shame with his merciful hands. He prepares leather clothes for them.  The author clearly indicates to us the reality of sin in human life, its hurting effects; and he also offers hope for God’s mercy.

    In the Old Testament, God reveals himself as the merciful Father, who cares for his people, yet, punishes all their offences. In the book of Exodus Moses speaks of God, who is “merciful and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness who loves his people for a thousand generations” (Ex 34:6-7). The psalmist sings the mercies of God: “The Lord is gracious merciful, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love” (Ps 145). The psalmist exalts the mercies of God in various images. God’s mercy and steadfast love is as great as the heaven. God’s goodness is manifested in concrete actions of forgiveness, of healing, of assistance.  The psalmist says, “God who forgives all your iniquity who heals all your diseases. Who redeems your life for the past. Who crowns you with steadfast love and mercy.” (Ps 103:3-4).

The prophets too recount God’s care for his people in the images of father and mother.  Isaiah’s conviction is that as a mother comforts her child, even more than this will our God, who is our father will comfort us. “Can a woman forget her nursing child …even these may forget, yet, I will not forget you.  As a mother comforts her child so will I comfort you” (Is 49:15; 66:13).  Hosea compares God’s care for his people to that of an affectionate parent toward a little child: “When Israel was a child I loved him and out of Egypt I called my sons, taught them to walk, held them in my arms, and healed them with human kindness and with hands of love.  I was to them like those who lift infants to their cheeks; I bent down to them and fed them.”  (Hos 11:1-8).

In the Gospel of John ‘sin’ is used often in the singular.  In John, sin implies lack of faith in God or definitive turning away from God in disbelief. The individual sinful acts result from this basic state of sin, which is lack of faith.  God does not take pleasure in the death of the sinner; rather turn from his evil ways and live. Therefore most intimate need in every individual is reconciliation with oneself, with one another and God. The season of lent offers us this opportunity every year, making us aware of the need for repentance and reconciliation, reminding us of the steadfast love of God manifested out through the Christ-event. Therefore in order to experience the fullness of life and the new life that Christ offers in this Easter season we need to renew our faith commitment to God, turning away from our sinful desires and action.  Lent is a time to ponder on the mercy and forgiving love of God, extended to us through Jesus, reconciling the whole world in his bosom.

     The greatest block to experience God’s merciful love and forgiveness is lack of the sense of sin.  In the midst of growing consumerism and materialism, the scientific mind has lost the sense of God, religion and sin.  The scientific mind seems to overlook the ethic and morality of human actions, so as to reduce personal culpability. Therefore as a first step to receive pardon from God we need to accept the reality of sin in our life.  Likewise, king David was very comfortable after having committed grave sin of adultery Bathsheba and murder of her husband Uriah. Prophet Nathan confronts him and makes him realise the gravity of his sin.  At this the king is sorrowful and repents with the words “I have sinned against the Lord.”  Only when he accepts his sinful state and then repents and confesses his sins before the Lord, that Nathan assures him of God’s mercy and announces the forgiveness of God.

Thus the sacrament of reconciliation is a healing remedy. It makes us realise the depth of God’s love, mercy and compassion towards us, despite of our unfaithfulness. In order to experience the healing touch of God, extended to us through his only son Jesus Christ, we should not focus our attention merely on human weakness, sins, failures and guilt. Rather look at the face of the Merciful Father, who waits for the return of his sons and daughters. At our repentance and return to God, he forgives us without counting and enumerating our sins. St. Thomas Aquinas considers ‘mercy’ as being the proper nature of God. In our relationship with God we need to ponder on God’s care and mercy as pointed out by the prophets.  Despite the violation of such a relationship due to our sins, God continues to be our father who teaches us to walk holding our hands, lifts us up when we are weighted down by our own guilt. He holds us close to his heart giving us his own breath, the Holy Spirit and feeds with Jesus, the bread of life.

Repentance is a basic requirement on the part of human to receive the new life in Christ. The very first words of Jesus according to Mark are “The time is fulfilled and the kingdom of God is at hand, repent and believe in the Gospel.” (Mk 1:15; cf. also, Mt 4:17). Repentance comes from Greek word METANOIA means a simple change in one’s thinking, change of heart. The change of heart has been the constant call of God from the prophets.  “Let each of you leave his perverse ways and be converted from the evil of his works.” (Jer. 25:5). “Repent for the kingdom of God is at hand” (Mt 4:17). God has reconciled us by sending his son and establishing his kingdom in our midst; but we must be reconciled to God, accepting the kingdom with repentant heart and faith in the Gospel of Christ. The way to the kingdom is metanoia. We must “bring forth fruit that is worthy of repentance” (Mt. 3:8).  The abandoning of the wrong road and the resolution of taking of the right road is the demand that is expected of the one who wants to enter the kingdom.  Repentance is thus not only a pointer to the kingdom but it already makes one ready to enter into kingdom.”  The “being at hand” of the kingdom virtually means “God is near” (Is 59:20). “God is coming. He is standing at the door, indeed he is already there, be reconciled.” (Mic 1:3)

     Jesus demands conversion as a basic requirement for entering into the kingdom of God.  God’s definitive revelation in his son demands a radical and a complete turn-about, a total and definite turning from evil and a turning to God, an unconditional surrender. This is once for all a decision. This is true reconciliation, the founding of a new personal relation of human to God. The Good News of eternal life in Christ is proclaimed with the promise of the forgiveness of sins and reconciliation with God, the supreme gift of the messianic age. The parables like lost son, lost sheep and lost coin portray the Messianic joy, when sinners repent and reconcile with God, which is the concrete expression of God’s mercy revealed in Jesus Christ (Lk 15; Mt 21:23; Lk 7:41-43,18:9). The tax collectors and sinners are admitted into the kingdom of God. The spiritually dad are brought back to new life; the estranged ones reconciled, the lost are returning home.

In the call to repentance, conversion to receive the kingdom of God there is a great urgency: “Time is fulfilled.  The kingdom of God is at hand.  Repent and believe in the Gospel.” (Mk 1:15). Furthermore, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” (Mt 3: 17).  The quality of self surrender must be complete of reconciliation and recognition have to take place. In the initial proclamation of Jesus, kingdom and reconciliation are related as cause and effect and vice versa.  Not only is it true that the kingdom demands reconciliation but also that the presence of the kingdom works out this reconciliation. The kingdom is the reward promised to the reconciled.  It is nothing less than eternal life.  It is to share in this life that all are called.  The call to reconciliation is given to all people the people of good will.  One who accepts this call will enter into the Reign of God to experience the fullness of life in Jesus Christ, our Lord and God.

Fr. Albert Noronha OP