“Repent and believe in the Gospel.” Jesus proclaims. Repentance, metanoia in Greek, is not the confession of a sin but a change of heart. Repentance lets go of our false beliefs and encourages us to change our lifestyle. But does change come by itself? For example, so many Americans support President Obama because they have seen it is the time to change, change Washington, change tax, health, education system, change foreign policy, and most importantly change the economic system, and ultimately change the world. But I ask you, “Is it possible to change everything besides you? Is it reasonable to change the world without you?” Without change of our heart and lifestyle, there would be nothing new about this government. Jesus knew this, so he proclaims to repent first to receive the kingdom of God.
But to change one’s heart and lifestyle is not imposed. Rather, Jesus invites all to choose a change in our heart and lifestyle. However, Jesus is not asking for a temporary forgoing of something pleasurable, like giving up chocolate for lent. The metanoia to which Jesus invites us is both a turning away from whatever inhibits the full flourishing of the divine intent for creation and a turning toward the source of divine love. There is no better time to begin turning than now because this is the time, the opportune and right time to change ourselves.
Right after the baptism, the Spirit drove Jesus out into the desert, and he remained in the desert for forty days, tempted by Satan. Why? The baptismal gift of Spirit is not a personal privilege but the foundation for a struggle. The consciousness of being loved immediately unfolds into the consciousness of being faithful. In biblical tradition, the desert symbolizes the place where two opposing forces meet: Satan and God. In the desert, people suffer as well as encounter God, so the crisis will turn to the opportunity by changing oneself according to the purpose of God. For lent, the Spirit drives us out into the desert because in the desert life choices are clearer.
An incredible example for this came out from Professor Fausto Massimini of the psychology department of the University of Milan. His team studied paraplegics, generally young people who, at some point in the past, usually as a result of an accident, have lost the use of their limbs. The unexpected finding of this study was that a large proportion of the victims mentioned the accident that caused paraplegia as both one of the most negative and one of the most positive events in their lives. The reason tragic events were seen as positive was that they presented the victim with very clear goals while reducing contradictory and inessential choices. The patients who learned to master the new challenges of their impaired situation felt a clarity of purpose they had lacked before.
Lucio was a twenty-year-old-happy-go-lucky gas station attendant when a motorcycle accident paralyzed him below the waist. He had previously liked playing soccer, but now he is currently a regional archery champion—competing from a wheelchair. Lucio said,
“When I became a paraplegic, it was like being born again. I had to learn from scratch everything I used to know, but in a different way. I had to learn to dress myself, to use my head better. I had to become part of the environment, and use it without trying to control it…It took commitment, willpower, and patience. As far as the future is concerned, I hope to keep improving, to keep breaking through the limitations of my handicap…Everybody must have a purpose. After becoming a paraplegic, these improvements have become my life goal.”
The good news Jesus announces is that God’s empowering presence is at hand now, at this opportune and right time and at every moment, especially in times of crisis. Jesus does not announce that God will rescue us from experiencing bleak times of trial or frightening chaos, as with the out-of-control flood waters in the story of Noah. The good news is that God never abandons the beloved creation and all the living beings with whom the covenant has been made. To accept this good news is to accept the invitation to change, to conform our manner of living to God’s way. By making us retreat into the desert in the season of lent, God wants us to see clearly the precise choices we need to make in order to live fully, lovingly and happily. Are you ready to go to the desert and to change?