Spirit of Repentance

“Jesus saw a tax collector named Levi sitting at the tax office; and he said to him, ‘Follow me.’ And leaving everything behind he rose and followed him.”
~Luke 5:27

“Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. I have not come to call the self-righteous, but sinners to repentance.”
~Luke 5:31-32

“As Lent goes on, you will look for ways to maintain your spirit of repentance. Keep in mind each day that you are trying to change, to improve your discipleship and friendship with Jesus.

You may say, ‘I don’t commit deliberate sins.’ I hope not, because even a small deliberate sin is an awful thing when we recall that it is a deliberate action against the God who loves us. For most serious Christians it is not a matter of deliberate sins but of sins of weakness, committed when we are distracted or fatigued.

But these half-baked sins, if I may call them that, reveal a great deal about our underlying motives and attitudes. If they persist, they show what we think is really important, what resentments we still hold on to, how lackadaisical we can be in our love for God and our zeal for Christ. No human actions are completely random; everything we do has a cause, or rather a layer of different causes.

Coming to some realization of these attitudes and unconscious causes of our actions is what self-knowledge is all about. It is stupid to say, ‘Well, that’s how I am. People will have to accept me for what I am.’ The only one who can say that with real conviction is God Himself. The rest of us have to look at ourselves and change.

To change in order to bring our lives into agreement with the Gospel teaching is a clear admission that we need God’s help to follow Christ, not just by desire and words but also by deeds. As we begin Lent, let us try to acquire this mind-set. I am going to know myself and change. Why? Because He says, ‘Follow me.’ Back when the first disciples followed Him they heard Him say, ‘The time has come and the Kingdom of God is at hand. Repent and believe the good news’ (Mk 1:15).

Prayer: Lord Jesus, to those who knew You, You were very forgiving but very challenging. You wanted those who knew You to think and act as much as possible according to Your example. ‘Follow Me,’ You said. Lord, give me the grace to see and know what I must really do every day in order to follow You. Amen.”
~Benedict Groeschel