Repentance and Faith Make All the Difference

By Bishop Paul S. Loverde
Special to the HERALD
(From the Issue of Jan. 30, 2003)

The following homily was given by Arlington Bishop Paul S. Loverde at the Cathedral of St. Thomas More on Jan. 26 for the Third Sunday in Ordinary Time.

What season are we in? Well, the calendar and this current frigid weather point clearly to the season of winter. From the perspective of the liturgical or Church year, we are in Ordinary Time; the green vestments signify this time of hope and growth. Today’s Scripture readings project a lenten theme though Lent does not begin until March 5.

Actually, the theme sounds so lenten because it is, in fact, basic to our living the faith: "Repent and believe in the Gospel." For St. Mark, the author of the Gospel from which today’s passage is taken, the Gospel is identified with the person of Jesus. So, believing is not something merely in the head; it is deeply personal — indeed, interpersonal — in the heart. For St. Mark, when people come face to face with Jesus, two things are required: repentance or conversion and faith understood as a following of Jesus, discipleship. In summary, our response to Jesus means repenting and believing, which implies following Him.

God’s Word today, especially in the first and third readings, outline this process of repentance, believing and following. First, God takes the initiative. Jesus calls two sets of brothers to leave everything and follow Him: Peter and Andrew, James and John. Jonah is sent by God to the people of Nineveh to invite them to repent. Secondly, there is a human response; this response can only be freely given and results in a radical change. These two sets of brothers freely leave their family and occupation; they freely take up a new and radical way of living. The people of Nineveh freely put on sackcloth, the sign of repentance, and change their way of living. Thirdly, both the first disciples and the Ninevites began to follow the Lord; their repenting led to their believing, which implied their following.

Repenting and believing: this is the basic rhythm of our entire Christian life. Sometimes, we mistakenly think that repenting is a one-time event. Some years ago, a postcard arrived from a friend, which had in big bright letters at the top: "Repent and Be Saved." Then, in the lower right hand corner in smaller letters were these words: "If you have already repented, please disregard this notice." However, everyday calls us to repent — to turn more to the Lord and to believe — to follow Him with the totality of our being.

There must be no hesitation on our part as we hear again this basic summons to repent and to believe. In the second reading, St. Paul reminds us that the present time is precious and not to be wasted: "I tell you, brothers and sisters, the time is running out. … For the world in its present form is passing away."

The more sensitive we become to the workings of God’s grace within us, the more aware we become of how each day many circumstances and events present us with the opportunity to repent and to believe concretely. Although these specific opportunities will vary in accord with the temperament and circumstances of each individual, there are certain areas in life that demand our repentance and belief. Some concrete examples come to mind. This week we commemorated the 30th anniversary of the Roe v. Wade Supreme Court decision that legalized the taking of innocent human life through abortion. Thirty years of this horror! When will we as disciples of Jesus Christ stand up and say — enough! This is unacceptable! When will we stand up to immorality in the media and entertainment industries and say enough, this is unacceptable? When will we stand up to those who spread rumor, gossip and innuendo and say enough, you are ripping apart the Body of Christ? When will we stand up to ourselves and say enough, sin is no longer acceptable in my life?

When we honestly repent and turn back to the Lord in conversion of mind, heart and will, when we truly believe in Jesus as God’s only Son become a man and faithfully follow Him, although admittedly not perfectly, we begin to experience an inner peace, a closer union with the Lord. How much we desire peace — in our hearts, in our homes, in our parish and diocese, in our nation and in our world. These days, we are anxious and fearful, because peace seems so distant and war seems so imminent. As the Holy Father stated in his address to the diplomatic corps in Rome on Jan. 13, "Never as at the beginning of this millennium has humanity felt how precarious is the world which it has shaped" (no. 1). I have been personally struck by the feeling of fear which often dwells in the hearts of our contemporaries (no. 2) … Yet everything can change. It depends on each of us. Everyone can develop within himself his potential for faith, for honesty, for respect of others and for commitment to the service of others" (no. 3).

Basically, our Holy Father is pointing to repenting and believing, which begins with each one of us. Since this year is the Year of the Rosary, and since the Rosary is a prayer rooted in the Scriptures and tradition of our Church and has so powerfully turned disasters into good in the history of Christendom, I urge everyone to pray the Rosary for peace everyday, especially though in these days when critical decisions seem about to be made. To quote our Holy Father, "As the Charter of the United Nations Organization and international law itself remind us, war cannot be decided upon, even when it is a matter of ensuring the common good, except as the very last option and in accordance with very strict conditions, without ignoring the consequences for the civilian population both during and after the military operations" (no. 4).

This morning we must ask ourselves: Do we hear God’s call to repent and to believe? Will we follow Jesus and pattern our lives after His? Let us hold each other in prayer at this Eucharistic Sacrifice and throughout this year, asking our Lord to help us to repent, to turn back to Him and to follow Him more closely. "Come after me," Jesus says to us this morning, "and I will make you fishers of men." Let us pray that each of us will have the courage and strength to say "yes" to Christ Jesus, and "no" to sin. That "yes" of faith from each of us will make a difference in our own lives, in our diocesan church and in our nation.

Copyright ©2003 Arlington Catholic Herald.  All rights reserved.