Repentance

Jesus began to reproach the towns because mighty deeds have been done in their midst but they did not repent.  

What does the word Repent mean, and why is important for us to repent.  The theme of repentance is focus on primarily during the Lenten Season.  

What does repentance mean?  Repentance means to feel sorrow or regret for our actions or inactions, with an openness to contrition and change of attitude and behavior.  

Why is it important to be repentant?  

Because we can't grow spiritually if we don't examine our conscience daily and see if there are necessary changes so that we may grow closer to God.  

What sort of things keep us from being repentant?  

1) Ignorance - we may not see something as a sin or wrong?  This is the case where our intellect is darkened.

2) Habit - if we persist in wrongdoing over the course of time, the will to do good is weakened because of habit.  As human beings, we are creatures of habit, and they are usually hard to break.

3) Confusion - sometimes we may see a sin as big when they are actually venial.  Sometimes we see a sin as being venial when actually it is of grace matter.  Seeking spiritual counsel or spiritual direction can help to bring greater clarity.  

4) Commonly accepted - since everyone is doing it, it must be okay, and doesn't appear harmful to the soul.  In this case, the majority behavior trumps individual responsibility.  

5) Rationality.  The lie appears truth.  If something is repeated enough times, even if it's a lie, it appears to be true.  We rationalize and give excuses to enable the behavior.  

6) Fear of embarrassment - if others know about our sin, it may harm our reputation.  So it's best to keep quiet and not repent.  

7) Personal Benefit and Gain -  If an action is immoral, we may not want to repent because it benefits in some way personally.  Because of personal benefit or reward, there's no motivation towards repentance.  

8) Unpopular - Repentance may make us unpopular and disliked among our peers.  We may actually lose friends when we feel sorrow for our sins or try to help others see the right path.  

Since God is love, we also imitate God through the love of self and love of neighbor.  If we love ourselves enough and others enough, we would want what is best for our soul, which is to grow spiritually and to be close to God.  If we're moving away from God, whether it be ourselves or our peers, a person with the motivation of growing closer would naturally feel deep sorrow.  And it is that fear of losing friendship with God that draws us to repentance.