Repent

“Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ, for the forgiveness of your sins…” Acts 2:38

This verse reminds me of a story my husband Luigi told me recently. I asked him if his family ever went out of town for Holy Week and he said he remembered when they spent the week in Coron. Luigi can’t recall how old he was, could be about 9-13 years old. His mother told him not to go snorkeling, that he shouldn’t be going out because it was Holy Week, but he disobeyed. He went out in a banca, a wooden boat, and dropped down into the water with his snorkel. That was the first time he encountered a shark. The shark which was one and a half of his height in length, went near him and stared at him close up. He tried to disappear into the rock face in his fear. The shark then glided away. The ironic thing is he was in this place called Siete Pecados, which translates to Seven Sins. Not only that, it refers to seven rocky islets and the local legend is there were seven sisters who were transformed into islands after disobeying their mother! 

The lesson is don’t disobey your mother or you will turn into an island! Ha ha! What does the Bible say about sin? St. Paul tells the Romans (6:23), “For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” He also tells the Hebrews "For if we deliberately keep on sinning after we have received the knowledge of the truth, there remains a fearful looking forward to judgment, and a fiery wrath that will consume the adversaries.” (10:26-27) Lent is a time when I am made aware of my weakness. Sometimes even with the best intentions, I fall short. That is why I am relieved we have recourse to confession. Proverbs 28:13 says clearly, “Whoever conceals his transgressions will not prosper, but he who confesses and forsakes them will obtain mercy.” 

Thank You Father we can always repent and turn back to You.