I hear the word “metanoia” in church…. What does it mean?

Most of us think of Lent only as a time of penance. We receive our ashes and then take up some traditional practice of giving up something or doing something for Lent. But there is more to the season of Lent than just practices of piety or acts of penance and mortification. In Lent, the Church calls us to metanoia.

Metanoia is a Greek word, and it means “a change of mind and heart.” We begin a whole new way of thinking and acting. We take a long heard look at the way we are living our lives, and we compare this to the value that Jesus offers us. Then we change our lives to match the values of the Lord. This, of course, is very difficult to do by ourselves. The Church asks us to pray during Lent that the Lord’s power will come into our lives and give us the wisdom to see a new direction, and the courage to move in that direction. The Church suggests that we can strengthen our resolve through acts of personal mortification and sacrifice to others. This will tighten the belt of our discipline and get us in training for the more sweeping changes that we need to make.

The Scripture readings for the first three weeks of Lent center on metanoia. The readings direct us to understand what exactly is involved with “changing our hearts” and seeking a new direction for our life. Listen to them well and they will lead you to metanoia.

Excerpted from Dear Padre, copyright (c) 2003, pg 194.
Used with permission of Liguori Publications, Liguori, MO 63057. 1-800-325-9521.  www.liguori.org