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"Repentance" by Fr. Alexander Haig The hall-mark of a Christian must be repentance. It is at the heart of the Gospel. It is there in the first preaching of Christ: "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand" (Matthew 4.17). He was echoing the words of St John the Baptist (Matthew 3.2) – or rather, St John was the Forerunner of Christ, in this and in so much. Repentance presupposes that we have sinned. So the knowledge of one’s sins is necessary before we can repent. We are all sinners; even the greatest Saint is a sinner. It is inherent in our human nature. St Paul says, "All have sinned, and fall short of the glory of God." (Romans 3.23) Yet it is quite common today for a Priest to be told by someone that he has not sinned. But if you read the lives of the holiest people, the Saints, you find that they are the ones who are the most conscious of their sinfulness. Saying that, "I haven’t committed any sins," partly shows a lack in the person’s own awareness of himself. If you are not sure that you do really need to go to confession, examine your life against Christ – who is indeed the fullness of the glory of God - and you will see in him that there is certainly no sin. See his perfection, and this will cast light into the darkness of your own soul. However, sometimes we may indeed go to confession and say, "My sins are all the same as they were last time: I just feel wretched and unworthy, and I realise that I need cleansing and forgiveness, the mercy of God." That may on occasion be all one can say. It is then acceptable to God. (This is not to say that if we deliberately do not mention a sin, which we are aware of, we can by this method get away with it!) So, let us learn to examine our conscience a little more fully this Great Fast, to repent a little more deeply of any sins we have committed. Let us not say too little in our confession, but also we must not fear that we have not said enough, if that is the way we are led by the Spirit of God this time. It is the job of the confessor, the Priest hearing the confession, to unravel anything if he thinks this necessary. What matters for us is that we open up sincerely to the grace-giving, life-giving Spirit. Christ will re-enter our soul and pour in love, peace and joy. Repent! Have a good Fast! Father Alexander Haig St Helen’s, Colchester |
