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From that time on, Jesus began to preach and say, “Repent, for the
Kingdom of heaven is at hand.” Matthew 4:17
Now that our Christmas Octave and Epiphany celebrations are
complete, we begin to turn our eyes to the public ministry of
Christ. The above line from today’s Gospel presents us with the
most central summary of all of the teachings of Jesus: Repent.
However, He doesn’t say only to repent, He also says that “the
Kingdom of heaven is at hand.” And that second statement is the
reason we must repent.
In his spiritual classic, The Spiritual Exercises, Saint
Ignatius of Loyola explains that the primary reason for our lives
is to give to God the greatest glory we can. In other words, to
bring forth the Kingdom of Heaven. But he also goes on to say that
this can only be accomplished when we turn away from sin and all
inordinate attachments in our lives so that the one and only focus
of our lives is the Kingdom of Heaven. This is the goal of
repentance.
Soon we will celebrate the Feast of the Baptism of the Lord, and
then we return to Ordinary Time within the Liturgical Year.
Throughout Ordinary Time, we will reflect upon the public ministry
of Jesus and focus upon His many teachings. But all of His
teachings, everything that He says and does, ultimately points us
to repentance, a turning away from sin and a turning toward our
glorious God.
In your own life, it is essential that you place before your mind
and heart the call to repentance. It is essential that you daily
hear Jesus saying those words to you: “Repent, for the Kingdom of
heaven is at hand.” Do not only think about Him saying this many
years ago; rather, hear it said to you, today, tomorrow and every
day of your life. There will never be a time in your life when you
do not need to repent with all your heart. We will never reach
perfection in this life, so repentance must be our daily
mission.
Reflect, today, upon this exhortation from our Lord to repent.
Repent with your whole heart. Examining your actions every day is
essential to this mission. See the ways that your actions keep you
from God and reject those actions. And look for the ways that God
is active in your life and embrace those acts of mercy. Repent and
turn toward the Lord. This is Jesus’ message to you this day.
Lord, I repent of the sin in my life and pray that You give me
the grace to become free from all that keeps me from You. May I not
only turn from sin but also turn to You as the source of all mercy
and fulfillment in my life. Help me to keep my eyes on the Kingdom
of Heaven and to do all I can to share in that Kingdom here and
now. Jesus, I trust in You.
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Featured image above: Repentance of St Peter By Guido Reni,
via Wikimedia Commons
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