By Alex P. Vidal
“The only vice that cannot be forgiven is hypocrisy. The repentance of a hypocrite is itself hypocrisy.”— William Hazlitt
GRAFTERS in government as well as thieves, dishonest individuals, philanderers, and scam artists in society should not wait for the Holy Week to repent for their sins.
All of us sinners can actually begin the repentance process in normal weeks—even without the traditional special solemnity as a time of devotion to the Passion of Jesus Christ.
Some of us, however, will learn to repent only after we have been caught, hauled in court, and convicted in the bar of justice. Inside the jail, we make amends for our sins and serve our sentences just the same.
When Jesus started His public ministry, He also called for repentance. Matthew 4:17 records, “From that time on Jesus began to preach, ‘Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near.’” Jesus says of repentance, “I tell you that in the same way there will be more rejoicing in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who do not need to repent” (Luke 15:7).
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In Mark 6:12, the disciples also “went out and preached that people should repent.” This preaching continued in Acts. Peter preached to Jews, “Repent, then, and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped out, that times of refreshing may come from the Lord” (Acts 3:19). Paul preached to Gentiles, “In the past God overlooked such ignorance, but now he commands all people everywhere to repent” (Acts 17:30). And later he testified, “I have declared to both Jews and Greeks that they must turn to God in repentance and have faith in our Lord Jesus” (Acts 20:21). And, similarly, “First to those in Damascus, then to those in Jerusalem and in all Judea, and then to the Gentiles, I preached that they should repent and turn to God and demonstrate their repentance by their deeds” (Acts 26:20).
As demonstrated in the passages above, repentance is an important part of an initial response to the gospel, but it is also an important part of the life of the Christian.
Writing to the church at Corinth, Paul says, “Now I am happy, not because you were made sorry, but because your sorrow led you to repentance. For you became sorrowful as God intended” (2 Corinthians 7:9).
To the church at Ephesus, Jesus says, “Consider how far you have fallen! Repent and do the things you did at first” (Revelation 2:5).
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DIVIDED PEOPLE. Politics has divided the nation and will further exacerbate the tension and wrangling among political rivals now that the campaign period for the next election is coming next. More friendships will be shattered before and after the elections. Sad but true.
FILTER IT AWAY. The human body requires at least 1 gallon of water a day. If we are considering stocking up on emergency supplies, let’s bear in mind that plastic bottles are thought to leach chemicals into the water if left for a length of time. Let’s save space and the environment by stocking up on water filters instead.
WELCOME THE WIND. Many products can cause air pollution to build up in our home, including modern cleaners, which contain strong chemicals. Let’s make sure to ventilate our home well, ensuring a through-flow of air to help reduce pollution levels and encourage good ventilation.
(The author, who is now based in New York City, used to be the editor of two daily newspapers in Iloilo.—Ed)
