Repentance
Lent begins with the call to “repent and believe in the Gospel.” These words that may accompany the imposition of ashes on Ash Wednesday echo Jesus’s call to the people of Galilee at the start of his ministry and call attention to the link between repentance and belief. Contrition for our sins reinforces our belief in the God who forgives. More fundamentally, however, feeling and expressing sorrow for our sins helps us experience a heartfelt reorientation toward the God who loves us so much he continues to love and forgive us, always hoping we will love more and sin less. The more we open ourselves to the fullness of God’s love, the more we desire to respond to that love by trying to avoid the pitfalls that lead us to sin.
