Repent and Believe

What was the first public message of John the Baptist, Jesus, and the Apostles? It was, “Repent and believe in the Gospel.” We like the believing part. We’re not quite as enthusiastic about the repenting part. But Jesus puts them together.

The Greek word for repentance is metanoia. It means a radical turning around, a reorientation of our life. We turn away from what is wrong and turn toward God, with a firm decision to change, trusting in His mercy and relying on His grace. For me, there have been three major turning points: My Baptism, June 12th, 1968. I remember it well. Just kidding. I was three weeks old, and my parents made the first turn for me, offering me to God. Then there was my senior year of college. My life was a wreck. I was spiraling out of control. In desperation, I cried out, “God, take over!” Still, I didn’t change how I lived. Finally, two years later, through Mary and then Jesus, it became clear: belief was not enough. I had to stop my self-destructive behaviors and walk the narrow path of virtue.

My conversion began with my Baptism and then it stalled. Has yours?

The Daily Process of Conversion

Conversion has a clear and practical process. First, come to Jesus with Mary in the Rosary. Place yourself in His presence and meditate on the Word of God. Second, listen to Him. Think carefully about what Jesus is saying, not merely to people two thousand years ago, but to you today. Then honestly apply His words to your life. Third, do what He tells you today. Make one concrete resolution and put it into practice.

Maybe Jesus reveals my impatience. Then I don’t merely say, “I should be more patient.” I decide, “Today, when I become irritated, I will stop talking for thirty seconds and ask Jesus for the grace of meekness.” Maybe He exposes my gossip, resentment, lust, overeating, endless scrolling, wasted time, pride, or need to control everything. Then I ask, “What exactly is Jesus asking me to do differently today?”

Come to Jesus with Mary in the Rosary. Listen to Him. Do what He tells you today.

That is the ordinary daily process of conversion.

We Are Always Becoming Someone

If we repeat this process every day, we will change. We will grow in virtue and become more like Christ. But if we hear the Word of God and repeatedly refuse to act on it, we do not simply remain the same. We become worse. There is no neutral ground. Every choice forms us in one direction or the other. Sow an action, reap a habit. Sow a habit, reap a character. Sow a character, reap a destiny.

Every time I give in to anger, I strengthen anger. Every time I gossip, I strengthen gossip. Every time I choose resentment, I strengthen resentment. Repeated bad actions become bad habits. Entrenched bad habits are called vices. Vice makes doing evil easier and doing good harder. But it works the other way too.

Every time I choose patience instead of anger, patience grows stronger. Every time I refuse to gossip, charity grows stronger. Every time I put down the phone and give my attention to the person in front of me, love grows stronger. Repeated good actions become good habits. Good habits become virtues. Virtue makes doing good more natural, steady, and joyful.

With every action we become a better person or worse. Which will it be?

Today, If You Hear His Voice

Scripture says, “Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts.” The time for conversion is not later. It is now. We often imagine that postponing conversion is harmless. We tell ourselves, “I know I need to change, and someday I will.” But every delay is already a decision, a decision not to respond to grace today. Every time we resist a grace, we practice resistance. Gradually, the heart becomes less open and less receptive to the grace God is offering.

That is how the heart becomes hardened. It usually happens through a long series of small postponements, “Not today. Later.” Then what once troubled our conscience begins to feel normal. What once seemed urgent no longer seems important.

We should never presume that the grace we refuse today will be offered tomorrow in exactly the same way, or that tomorrow we will be as ready to receive it. If God has been pointing to the same thing for months or years, stop saying, “Yes, Lord, I know.” Say instead, “Yes, Lord. I’ll do it today.”

One Thing Today

Here is the resolution for today: Don’t try to fix your whole life. Come to Jesus with Mary in the Rosary. Listen to Him. And do what He tells you today.

Now what do you think would happen to a person who did this every day for six months? They would become a better person. And what if they did it every day for two years? Wow! A real transformation. And what if they did it every day for twenty years? They would become a saint. That's why daily meditation and a resolution is the infallible process for personal transformation and holiness!

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