Anything under the Sun
Repent and spread the Good News (1)
Ash Wednesday is here again. On this day, the Catholic faithful is anointed by the priest with ash and oil with a sign of the cross on his forehead. At the same time, the priest says:"Repent and spread the Good News."
In olden times, the priest says in Latin: "From dust thou art, to dust thou shalt return." This reminded the faithful of death which will bring either everlasting bliss (Heaven) or everlasting punishment (Hell). So , the faithful is adviced to live by the Commandments of God to earn everlasting happiness.
After Vatican II, this verbal formula was changed to "Repent and spread the Good News." This new one gives the faithful, a very bright hope of everlasting happiness which is quite the opposite of the old one which threatened the faithful with fearsome death and everlasting fire.
Why repent? We are all sinners - even the saints! A saint-writer admitted that everyday she committed at least 36 venial sin most of which were sins of omission. But why did she become a saint? Because - she repented.
In fact, many great saints were great sinners. The greatest liar in the world became a great saint. He lied three times that he did not know God when he had been with Him in person for the last three years. It was said that canals developed below his eyes caused by tears flowing from his eyes everytime he heard a cock crow. He was St. Peter.
Another is an ancient version of the modern killer-holdupper in our midst. While hanging on a cross, this criminal repented before God Himself, also hanging on the cross, who pardoned him and promising to be His escort entering Paradise (Heaven) that very day.
Still another - a woman of ill-repute. She repented her sins before God Himself by annointing His feet with expensive perfume wiping them with her tears. How sinful she was, may be determined by her expensive perfume which could only be acquired thru her very lucrative business. God forgave Mary of Magdalo.
Lastly, there was a rabid heretic who attacked the early Catholic Church commiting sins here and there. It was only thru the constant and insistent prayers of her saintly mother for twenty years for this sinner to be converted to Catholicism.
He was really a great sinner for it took three days for him to confess his sins. Later, he became a bishop, a Doctor of the Church and a great saint - San Agustin.
These great sinners became great saints because they repented their sins. If God forgave them, why not us who are less sinners? And - if we only repent sincerely? And - this lenten period is the best way to repent.
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