John traveled throughout the region of the Jordan, proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins.
A few years ago I participated in a seminar on the promotion and formation of religious and priestly vocations. The participants were all involved in promoting vocations in religious communities and dioceses. One of the speakers told us: “You all invite young men and women to enter your seminaries and convents to become priests, brothers and nuns. I hope you call them to repentance first. I also hope that you are good examples to them of continued repentance. I remember how his bold statement left an uncomfortable silence in the room.
The speaker gave us a memorable challenge: we must first be examples of repentance, before we call everyone else to repentance. We must live a lifestyle of repentance before cultivating a climate of repentance in our religious communities and dioceses. Without calling others to repentance and without being good examples ourselves, we cannot expect others to have the faith to perceive, receive and respond to the gift of vocation that God offers them.
Jean-Baptiste is an example of a person who faithfully lived this challenge. He first lived a lifestyle of repentance. Everything about him was penitential. He lived in a desert devoid of the pleasures, comforts and security of a city. Although the desert symbolizes a place of constant temptations and trials, it also symbolizes a place of constant silent prayer and solitude with God. The Baptist’s clothing was penitential, as was his food; “John wore garments of camel’s hair, with a leather belt around his waist, and his food was locusts and wild honey” (Mt 3:4).
John also succeeded in calling all people to repentance. His entire ministry consisted of bringing people to repentance in view of the messiah: “John went through all the land of the Jordan, proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins” (Luke 3:3). He called soldiers, prostitutes, tax collectors, and even the Pharisees and Sadducees to repent. He even had the courage to call the adulterous king Herod and his married mistress to repentance for their adulterous and scandalous relationship, telling the king: “It is not lawful to have her as a wife” (Mt 14, 3).
His faithfulness to repentance and his call to repentance disposed him to receive all that God offered him in his prophetic ministry. God gave him the powerful words he spoke: “The word of God came to John the son of Zechariah in the wilderness. » He received the grace to be altruistic in his ministry, having enough humility to say of Jesus: “He must increase, while I must decrease” (Jn 3:30). He did not give in to pride or vainglory because of his successful ministry, but simply presented himself as “the voice of one crying in the wilderness” (Jn 1:23).
Finally, he received the grace to give his life for the truth of the Gospel. Although his faithfulness to repentance and his boldness in calling all to repentance ultimately cost him his life, it also earned him the praise and affirmation of Jesus who called him “a bright and shining lamp” (Jn 5, 35), a particularly resilient prophet who had nothing to do with “a reed that shakes the wind” (Mt 10,7).
John’s faithfulness in personal repentance and exhortation to others was also a blessing to them. Although his baptism cannot bring forgiveness of sins, it predisposes those who receive it to the repentance and forgiveness that Christ alone brings. Only those who received John’s baptism were ready to believe in Jesus and receive the extraordinary gifts he brought them.
Saint Paul shows us the depth of God’s forgiveness by calling all to conversion through personal and community repentance. Writing from his incarceration, he shows constant joy: “I pray with joy in my heart for you all. » He exudes strong hope even in his suffering, writing: “I am confident that he who began a good work in you will continue it and complete it until the day of Jesus Christ. » He forgets himself to encourage others: “This is my prayer: may your love grow ever more. » He gave a faithful testimony to Jesus, “filled with the fruit of righteousness which comes through Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God” (Phil 1:4-11).
My dear brothers and sisters in Christ, the Catholic Church is meant to be a community of repentant sinners, continually inviting all to constant repentance in preparation for the glorious return of our Lord Jesus Christ. We repent through the frequent and fruitful reception of the sacrament of Reconciliation. We find full communion with God and others through the Eucharist. There is no shortage of divine forgiveness and reconciliation in the Church. This is why the Church is rightly called the universal sacrament of salvation.
Unfortunately, we seem to have ignored our calling to be examples and harbingers of continued repentance to others. Many have adopted some of the disastrous secular attitudes toward sin that prevail today. We pretend we have no sins or even try to hide our sins by doing other good deeds. We pretend that our sins are “not too bad” or that they are already good and acceptable. We can justify ourselves by adhering to the “everyone does it” mentality. We compare ourselves to others and think we are better than them. Then there is the absurd attitude of celebrating our sins in our Pride parades.
We also fail to call others to repentance because, for many of us, the highest virtues have become tolerance, non-judgment, inclusion, and acceptance of all. We fear defending the truth alone and we do not want to attract the anger of the majority. It is easier for us to hide our sins instead of bringing everything to light. And we certainly don’t want to risk being accused of bigotry or rigidity when we condemn sin in any form.
The Church becomes spiritually impotent when it fails to be a community of repentant sinners inviting others to join with it in repenting and turning to God. Perhaps this is why all our appeals to young people to respond to a religious or priestly vocation fall on deaf ears and hardened hearts. They may be called by God, but our words lack spiritual power because they do not come from a truly repentant heart. We must deepen our own repentance, be more consistent in our repentance, and more faithful and courageous in inviting others as well.
It is not enough to call people to discern a vocation to the priesthood or religious life, or even to marriage. Let’s start with ourselves. Look closely at Jesus and notice the exact areas of repentance in our lives. By His grace, let us respond to His loving invitation. He never tires of forgiving us. So let us never tire of repenting and returning to Him.
Having cultivated such a lifestyle of repentance, we can then invite everyone to repentance. This is how we can all perceive, receive and respond to the amazing gifts that Christ alone brings, especially the gift of vocation.
Glory to Jesus!!! Honor to Mary!!!
Photo by Nicholas Castelli on Unsplash