Changing direction...

From "Living With Christ...your daily companion for praying and living the Eucharist"

"Today's Good News, April 20, pg. 117":

"Thus it is written that the Christ would suffer and rise from the dead on the third day and that repentance, for the forgiveness of sins, would be preached in his name to all the nations." (Luke 24:46-47)

The word “repent” is sometimes rendered as “a change of direction.” Sometimes it is only an experience of spiritual starvation that can wake us up to our predicament and lead us to turn our lives around. In extreme cases, repentance might well involve some pretty intense feelings of shame, guilt, and even fear. Should an experience of forgiveness follow, the experience of joy and release might be similarly intense. But even those who are trying to follow Christ faithfully can feel ashamed, guilty, and afraid—sometimes even afraid of admitting their sin. By changing direction, perhaps toward the Sacrament of Reconciliation, we can always experience the forgiveness of sins that Jesus came to offer us. – Mark Neilsen