Another Reflection on the Scripture Readings from todays Catholic Mass…. Rethinking Repentance Repent is English for the Greek word metanoia, meaning a change of mind and heart. If you say repent in Greek, does it sound more palatable, less like a threatening preacher exhorting us to shape up or else? And what about sinner? Thanks English for hamartolos, the Greek word for one who falls short of the mark, forfeiting Gods approval and suffering loss. Sin and repentance are concepts long mired in shame through misunderstanding and misuse. For ages, Christians have used sin and repentance against ourselves and one another to evoke self-loathing and fear of divine retribution. A self-appointed preacher bellows from a grassy hill on the university campus near my home. His T-shirt says it all: You Deserve Hell. Hes an extremist, obviously. But milder and thus possibly more pernicious examples abound in everyday thoughts and words: Shame on you. What goes around comes around. Youll get whats coming to you. Or: Im such an idiot. When will I learn? Ill have hell to pay for this. Its time we reclaimed Jesus emphasis on the sinner not as one who ought to be ashamed and punished but as one who is beloved, valued, lost, devoutly sought by God, and ultimately found, to the great rejoicing of angels. When we realize weve missed the mark and lost our way, when God finds us, dusts us off, and gladly leads us back where we belong, the heavenly partly gets started. Have you shown the angels a good time lately? ~ Rachel M. Srubas Rachel M. Srubas, a Presbyterian clergywoman and Benedictine oblate, is the author of The Girl Got Up and other books and articles on the spiritual life.
Posted on: Fri, 08 Nov 2013 14:05:27 +0000
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