Ash Wednesday: Repent and Believe in the Gospel

The two phrases that are used while ashes are sprinkled upon us on Ash Wednesday emphasise different aspects of the Lent that we are beginning.  Last week, we saw something of the meaning of the phrase “Remember you are dust and unto dust you will return”; this week we will look at the other phrase: “Repent and believe in the gospel”.

‘Repent’ is a core word of the new testament.  And it is helpful for us to look into its primary meaning.  In the Greek of the new testament, the word used is ‘metanoia’.  This word comes from two Greek words meaning ‘beyond’ and ‘mind’.  It is an invitation to go beyond our present mentality, to begin to see things differently and consequently to act differently. 

What is it that is to bring about this ‘going beyond’ within us?  It is the words and actions of Christ.  And so listening to and reading the gospels (and other parts of the Scriptures) is a crucial element of Lent. 

Lent is not just a matter of disciplining ourselves, but of disciplining ourselves in the light of Christ’s words and actions.  What elements of our lives are we seeking to leave behind and in what direction should we go?  Lent in its daily readings offers us a deliberately chosen selection of readings to stimulate the influence of Christ’s words and actions within us.

Do you notice that the encounters that the Lord Jesus has with people in the gospels do not leave those people where they are, but sets them on a new or different path?

We are not just invited to repent by those used on Ash Wednesday, but to repent AND BELIEVE IN THE GOSPEL.  That is to take the gospel (and the Gospels) seriously, to take them to heart and into our hearts, and let them shape our lives. 

The gospel offers us ‘the way, the truth and the life’.  It is about coming to God but also coming into those things which make us authentically human and which develop the image of God in us. 

We are created in the image of God, but what things threaten that image within us?

By Fr Frank O’Loughlin

This is the third article in the series Living Lent.

Part 2: Living Lent – Ash Wednesday and Easter

Part 1: Living Lent – Lent is at the door!