Recently, a friend of mine suffered a
stroke. He could not move the left side of his body. He had difficulty in his
speech. His ability to organize his thoughts was impaired. He could not do the
usual things he had been doing. In his younger years, my friend was fond of
eating salty and fatty foods like chicharon
bulaklak and crispy pata. Most of
his life, he had been sitting on his office chair, living a sedentary
lifestyle. And weeks before his stroke, he had been working for long hours,
depriving himself of sleep. After his stroke, he needed to change his bad
habits which had taken toll on his body. He began to eat more vegetables and
fruits. He started to live an active life, engaging in exercises such as brisk walking
and jogging. Months after he suffered a stroke, little by little my friend has
been recovering. He can now move his body and speak well. It took him a change
of lifestyle and improvement of his diet to attain a healthy body once again.
The soul, like the body, can suffer
paralysis too. Due to sins and bad habits, the soul may end up unable to yield
the good fruits demanded from it, such good works. Thus, God encourages man to
repent from evil deeds and to liberate himself from the slavery of sin. This is
the desire of God so that man may achieve the promises God made to him (cf. Ex
3:1-8, 13-15). God wishes to lead man out of that land (of slavery and evil)
into a good and spacious land; a land flowing with milk and honey (heaven). Sin
moves man away from God and His plan. Repentance is a return to God's fold.
Repentance, therefore, can be the key towards faithfulness in God and the
fulfillment of His good promises to us.
Repentance is translated in the New
Testament as metanoia. It is a Greek
word which means a change of heart and mind. It is a call for a radical turn
from a sinful life to a holy life; from a life oriented to the worldly things,
selfish motives, to a life directed to God. It is man’s return to God and His original
plan for him, surrendering himself to God's disposal. It is man's act of
turning away from things that are in conflict with God's will: sin.
Sin is what man gives up as he repents.
Sin is an unhealthy thing for the soul. It clogs, if not totally destroys, our
relationship with God. Sin brings its own punishment to man. God is not a
punishing God but a merciful Father patiently waiting for His erring children's
return to Him.
Repentance begins with the admission of
guilt by a contrite heart. A self-righteous man will not admit his
imperfections and sins. Only the humble and sorry can do so. Only those with a
contrite heart will have the resolve not to sin again and restore the damages
that sin has brought to his or her life. To repent is to change one's sinful
ways so that he may return to the holy ways that God essentially intends for
him. Consequently, he will bear the good fruits expected of him, as he repents
and returns to God.
The Good News is, the Lord is kind and
merciful. He is giving man a grace period to repent. He is giving grace and
strength so that man may return to Him; so that man may not suffer the ultimate
punishment brought about by his sins: eternal separation from Him who is the
genuine source of man's joy.
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