In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit!
We’ve heard the some words in today’s Gospel about repentance. Usually we think of repentance as of some mournful state, when we recall the evil we made, the sin with which we lived and with contrition of heart and pain in soul we turn to God for forgiveness and healing.
But the repentance is not in that or not only in that. First of all the repentance is to face God; it is an absolute change of life when having lived for a long time in separation from God, looking everywhere only not to see God, not to encounter His gaze, we suddenly realize that we can be happy only in God. And this doesn’t mean that we won’t have all other things; the Lord told us “Set your hearts in the Kingdom of God first and all other things will be given you as well”.
The repentance begins when after wandering, we have decided at last to face God, to look into His eyes and walk with Him because “the Kingdom of Heaven is close at hand” because Lord is among us, because we all know that only in love which is in our hearts and around us there can be fullness and joy of life.
The Lord calls us to such repentance. We should understand that the kingdom of God, the Kingdom of Love is in our hearts, and we shouldn’t wait for it’s coming, the Kingdom of God is here and we should only have a wish to approach it. But to reach it, we must go to God walk with Him, look into His eyes. And then God will teach us that love from which there will be the Kingdom of Heaven on the earth; Here are God’s word’s “Repent, turn to God, look at Him: He is blazing, tender, saving love. He is joy pouring in abundance; only in this Kingdom of God there is the earthly life worthy of a man and capable to fill him with harmony and sense.
And having heard the word of God today, let’s start what He calls us to: let’s face the Saviour, get from him the feeling of consolation and joy of love and give all love of our heart to each neighbor, so that he will be able to love us in reply to our love. Amen.