Good advice: Repent & Change

Deacon Steve Hodges - Third Sunday Ordinary Time

When I was growing up, my brother, Dan, who is a year older than me, always had advice for me.

When I went to kindergarten, he told me what to expect and what to avoid at school.

That advice continued each and every year all the way into high school.

I always appreciated his advice, but when you look back at it some of it was just funny.

Children have a unique perspective and say the darndest things, don’t they?

Funny Advice From Children

1.   Never trust a dog to watch your food. - Patrick, 10.

2.   Never tell your mom her diet's not working. - Michael, 14.

3.   When your mom is mad at your dad, don't let her brush your hair. - Taylia, 11.

4.   Never allow your three-year old brother in the same room as your school assignment. - Traci, 14.

5.   Don't pick on your sister when she's holding a baseball bat. - Joel, 10.

6.   When you get a bad grade in school, show it to your mom when she's on the phone. - Alyesha, 13.

7.   Never try to baptize a cat. - Eileen, 8.

All kidding aside, we all seek advice from time to time.

We may need advice for finances, what kind of car to buy, what school to attend, or how to deal with a certain situation.

Of course, there are many other areas in which we seek advice. 

We seek advice from family, from friends, from professionals, and from our pastor.

As I reflected on today’s readings, I thought about the word advice.

Jesus gave some great advice in our Gospel reading from Luke.  Twice he says:

“But I tell you, if you do not repent, you will all perish...”

Jesus is calling the people to repent and he says it more than once.

As we continue our Lenten journey, we too are called to repent.

When I hear the word repent, I think to myself, “I have no need to repent.  I am just fine the way I am.”

The word ‘repent’ sounds like such a harsh word, doesn’t it?

I think to myself “Who wants to do that?”

What does it mean to repent?

The definition of repent is:

 “…a sincere turning away, in both the mind and heart, from self to God.”

“…to feel remorse or contrition.”

“…to change one's mind and heart.”

My friends, since none of us is perfect, and we all sin in one way or another, we all need to repent, don’t we?

And, that’s the advice that Jesus is giving the people in today’s gospel.

Jesus could also have said: “But I tell you, if you do repent, you will all have eternal life...”

Paragraph 1864 of our catechism says this:

“There are no limits to the mercy of God, but anyone who deliberately refuses to accept his mercy by repenting, rejects the forgiveness of his sins and the salvation offered by the Holy Spirit. Such hardness of heart can lead to final impenitence and eternal loss.”

None of us wants to be eternally lost, do we?

In last week’s gospel, we read the Transfiguration.

The voice from the cloud said “This is my chosen son; listen to him.”

God’s words remind all of us that we should listen closely to the words of Jesus.

Jesus gave great advice to the people 2000 years ago which applies to us today.

Jesus proclaimed the Good News throughout his public ministry on earth.

The Good News, my friends, is really not good news - it’s Great News!

The Great News is that all of us can have ‘eternal life’.  

We don’t have to perish because we have a God who wants each of us to spend eternity with Him.

That is why God sent His son, Jesus, to open the gates of heaven and to teach us how to walk through those gates. 

Today’s readings remind us that we have a choice to follow God or not.

Do we take the advice of Jesus and repent?

Or do we ignore Jesus and follow the ways of the world?

The choice is simple - to have eternal life or to perish.

I dare say that all of us here have followed Jesus’ advice by being part of the church, the body of Christ here on earth.

As we continue our Lenten journey, let’s reflect upon these readings and ask ourselves if there are any areas in our lives where we need to follow Jesus’ advice more closely.

What are those sins, those bad habits, that we need to change to improve our relationship with God?

Let’s ask God for the grace to see those sins and the courage to repent, the courage to change.

Let’s begin by seeking God’s forgiveness in the sacrament of reconciliation.

May we always remember that following Jesus’ advice leads to everlasting life.

God bless you all!