Gospel Commentary: Repentance, Not Retail

By Fr. Paul Scalia
Herald Columnist
(From the issue of 12/2/04)

As many times as we encounter him in Advent, St. John the Baptist just never quite fits in. At a time when our culture cries out, "Retail!" he comes along saying, "Repent!" He seems to be the original Scrooge, appearing in the "holiday season" to put a damper on our joy – and profits. In point of fact, it is not John the Baptist but our culture that does not fit the season. After all, the way to prepare for Christmas is not to act as though it is already here. It is, as the Baptist reminds us, to repent.

Scripture uses "metanoia," the ancient Greek word for repentance. It indicates conversion, not only the rejection of sin but also an entirely new way of thinking and of viewing the world. The sinner views the world through the lens of his own wants and desires. By repentance, or "metanoia," he changes his heart and mind. He begins to see the world in terms of God’s glory and our salvation.

To understand repentance, we should distinguish it from its counterfeit, regret. Since both attitudes demand a certain break with the past, people sometimes confuse them. The difference between the two is telling. Regret simply looks at the past, sees that "mistakes were made," and wishes that perhaps they had not happened or that the consequences were not so grave. Repentance, however, understands our past actions as an offense against the moral order – as sins. John baptized people for repentance, "as they acknowledged their sins" (Mt 3:6). We regret mistakes. But we repent of our sins.

Further, repentance is an act of the will, not just a feeling. We feel regret. We must consciously choose to repent. John the Baptist gives the command, "Repent!" Not "Feel bad!" The crowds who came to John for repentance could not have done so on a whim or on the basis of feelings. To go and find him in the desert, they must have made a deliberate choice. Certainly feelings of sorrow can accompany our repentance, but they are not the heart of it.

And repentance is deeply personal. We can regret the actions of others. But we cannot repent for them. We can only repent for our own personal sins. John baptized people at the Jordan not collectively but individually, personally. Notice how Mother Church tries to cultivate in us this attitude of personal repentance. At Mass she asks each of us to say, "I confess…that I have sinned through my own fault" and "I am not worthy to receive you." Not "we," but "I." We cannot speak these words for someone else or in some vague, general sense. We can only speak them as they apply to each of us personally.

The Sacrament of Penance captures all these elements of repentance. In Confession we acknowledge our sins and then deliberately choose to reject them. And this Sacrament, as we know too well, demands a personal commitment: we can speak only of our own guilt, and no one else’s. Hearing again the Baptist’s call to repentance, we should resolve to confess our sins before Christmas.

The call to repentance rarely finds a favorable hearing, and especially not at this time of year. But to celebrate the birth of the Savior in truth, we must first recognize our need for a Savior. We must repent. Indeed, to refuse repentance means in effect to reject the Savior. But to embrace repentance means to prepare our hearts for Him.

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