Want To Be Saved? Repent!

𝐉𝐀𝐍. 𝟐𝟓, 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟔: 𝐓𝐇𝐈𝐑𝐃 𝐒𝐔𝐍𝐃𝐀𝐘 𝐈𝐍 𝐎𝐑𝐃𝐈𝐍𝐀𝐑𝐘 𝐓𝐈𝐌𝐄

𝐑𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐈: 𝐈𝐬𝐚 𝟖:𝟐𝟑-𝟗:𝟑

𝐑𝐞𝐬𝐩𝐨𝐧𝐬𝐨𝐫𝐢𝐚𝐥 𝐏𝐬𝐚𝐥𝐦: 𝐏𝐬𝐚 𝟐𝟕:𝟏, 𝟒, 𝟏𝟑-𝟏𝟒 (𝟏𝐚) “𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐋𝐨𝐫𝐝 𝐢𝐬 𝐦𝐲 𝐥𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐦𝐲 𝐬𝐚𝐥𝐯𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧.”

𝐑𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐈𝐈: 𝟏 𝐂𝐨𝐫 𝟏:𝟏𝟎-𝟏𝟑, 𝟏𝟕

𝐆𝐎𝐒𝐏𝐄𝐋: 𝐌𝐀𝐓𝐓 𝟒:𝟏𝟐-𝟐𝟑

𝐊𝐞𝐲 𝐕𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐞: “𝐑𝐞𝐩𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐊𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐝𝐨𝐦 𝐨𝐟 𝐇𝐞𝐚𝐯𝐞𝐧 𝐚𝐭 𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐝.” (𝐯.𝟏𝟕) 

         There are at least two very important points that we can deduce from the gospel reading for today which is a fitting prelude to the Feast of Saints Timothy and Titus that we will celebrate tomorrow. One is the joy that evangelists exude in proclaiming the gospel to others regardless of the difficulties they face.

        The other is the need for those who are committed to follow our Lord Jesus Christ to repent so that he can use them without the burden of sin weighing them down. We will talk about joy in the coming days but in the meantime, let me talk to you about repentance.

        When he started his earthly ministry following his baptism by John, Jesus made two demands from those who cared to listen to him during the times he preached the good news to the Jews and Gentiles alike. Jesus called on the people to repent and believe.

        In fact, in the gospel today Jesus urged those listening to him to: “𝐑𝐞𝐩𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐝𝐨𝐦 𝐨𝐟 𝐡𝐞𝐚𝐯𝐞𝐧 𝐢𝐬 𝐚𝐭 𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐝.” (𝐯.𝟏𝟕) and the question you probably will ask is why God won’t just save us without need of any precondition. Such is necessary because repentance is essential to a spiritual life as it opens the way towards a meaningful relationship with God.

        The act of repenting from our sins produces two types of action that are necessary before we can even think of entering the kingdom of heaven. One is that repentance makes us aware of the ill-effects of the sin in our lives and the other is that repentance moves us to turn towards God. And this is not an either-or situation because a repentant sinner must do both.

        The problem with most of us is that we have become so familiar with God and with the misplaced confidence that he is a loving and forgiving God we profess our belief in him but proceed in living our lives in wild abandon. In the same way, we cannot also live what we may presume as a morally upright life without a relationship with God because anything that we do regardless of how good it may be cannot offset the sin that we commit.

        Thus, confessing our sins and living a transformed life are inseparable because the consequence of repentance is conversion. For some of you who may be laboring and struggling in the pursuit of living a transformed life, please know that there is hope and that hope comes from the Holy Spirit who not only leads us to having a repentant disposition but also empowers us with his manifold gifts so that we will be equipped with the strength and resolve to resist all occasions of sin.

         As we have repeatedly said in our previous reflections, faith is a verb and it is an action word which is why faith without deeds is dead (𝐉𝐚𝐦 𝟐:𝟏𝟒-𝟐𝟔) and this means that for repentance to become real it must be linked to action. This also means that if we are to follow Jesus, we should not only confess it but we are all required to obey and act on what he tells us to do.

        At the very moment that we made that earnest desire to repent – turn away from our sins and turn towards God – the Holy Spirit springs into action and dispenses with the Grace of God to help us accept and believe the truth of God’s Word. To believe is to accept as truth that God loves us so much that he sent his only begotten Son to ransom us from the slavery of sin and death.

        And God made the supreme sacrifice of allowing his Son to die on the cross so that through his death God can bring us back to himself. This incomparable love that surpasses all understanding is what will impel us to yield our lives to him.

        What God may have meant when he said: “𝐈 𝐜𝐚𝐦𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐦𝐚𝐲 𝐡𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐥𝐢𝐟𝐞 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐥𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐢𝐭 𝐚𝐛𝐮𝐧𝐝𝐚𝐧𝐭𝐥𝐲.” (𝐉𝐧 𝟏𝟎:𝟏𝟎) was that he desires to change our mindsets and transform our lives by the power of his Word so that we may know the truth that salvation is the treasure that is being made available for all if we will only repent of our sins.

        The Good News that Jesus brings and which we are also to bring to others is the pearl of great price (𝐌𝐭 𝟏𝟑:𝟒𝟓-𝟒𝟔) and it is the only treasure we will ever need to enjoy life because the Word of God brings peace to our lives when we are restored to a relationship with God. It also makes us hope for our own resurrection and claim our place in heaven.

        The Gospel is the power and wisdom of God, and it has the power to transform our lives from inside out and it also provides us the wisdom to accept and live no longer as slaves of the world but as sons and daughters of Our Father.

        Many of us will struggle when we commit to turn away from the world and our comfort zones and start turning towards a life in God and with God. I did too because the world also has its own rewards but, in the end, I was led to the realization that the greatest reward we should all aspire to gain is the salvation that God offers us which is freedom from sin and death. And this can only be possible through the Holy Spirit who grants us the Grace to repent and turn to God.

         And in today’s Gospel passage, Matthew injects at least three very important points that we need to digest for us to really appreciate the beauty of the Gospel and why it has remained relevant today.

        The first point was that upon hearing that John the Baptist was arrested, Jesus left Nazareth and lived in the region of Zebulun and Naphtali which are known to be inhabited by Gentiles and this shows that the Gospel was meant for the Jews and Gentiles alike especially for the people who are living in darkness and have seen a great light when the Gospel was preached to them.

         The second point is something that is very much real and we see this in 𝐯.𝟏𝟕 when Jesus said: “𝐑𝐞𝐩𝐞𝐧𝐭, 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐊𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐝𝐨𝐦 𝐨𝐟 𝐇𝐞𝐚𝐯𝐞𝐧 𝐢𝐬 𝐧𝐞𝐚𝐫.” It doesn’t mean you are to do nothing but wait until the Kingdom rises before you. There is a deeper meaning to this verse because the Kingdom of Heaven becomes visible the moment you accept Jesus Christ as your personal Lord and Savior.

        Following the gospel of repentance, Jesus urges us to also believe the Good News (𝐌𝐤 𝟏:𝟏𝟓) which is the third point that I want to raise to give our Gospel today more light. We need to believe because only then will our faith grow and because it is only in believing that we can be assured of the eternal life that God promised (𝐉𝐧 𝟑:𝟏𝟔).        

        In the present world we live in right now that is wracked by immorality, perversion and corruption, we who comprise the Church that Christ has established must be filled with the faith to become the good news to others. It means that we must heed the call of the late Pope Francis to go into the world and “𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐜𝐥𝐚𝐢𝐦 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐊𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐝𝐨𝐦 𝐨𝐟 𝐆𝐨𝐝.” (𝐋𝐤 𝟗:𝟔𝟎) because the Gospel of Christ would have no value at all if it were not proclaimed and Jesus is calling on us now to bring the gospel to everyone by being the good news ourselves. He is inviting us to share in this privilege previously enjoyed by the Apostles because God sees something in us that he could use.  

         To become a disciple will require lots of sacrifices as with Timothy and Titus who left their families to follow Christ. What would propel us to accept Christ’s invitation would be the thought that Jesus found us when we were lost, and we are now obliged to also seek those who are lost for this is why Jesus came (𝐋𝐤 𝟏𝟗:𝟏𝟎).

        We must not keep the light of Christ for ourselves because others must also see this light through us “𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐰𝐞 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐚𝐫𝐨𝐦𝐚 𝐨𝐟 𝐂𝐡𝐫𝐢𝐬𝐭 𝐭𝐨 𝐆𝐨𝐝 𝐚𝐦𝐨𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐬𝐞 𝐰𝐡𝐨 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐛𝐞𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐬𝐚𝐯𝐞𝐝 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐚𝐦𝐨𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐬𝐞 𝐰𝐡𝐨 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐬𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠” (𝟐 𝐂𝐨𝐫 𝟐:𝟏𝟓). (𝘌𝘥 𝘔𝘢𝘭𝘢𝘺 – 𝘑𝘢𝘯. 25, 2026)