A while ago Barry asked if I could write about the word repent. It seems appropriate to have a look at this word during the Season of Advent. For most people Advent is the time to get ready for Christmas. However, the Christian focus in Advent is on much more than anticipating Christmas, with its family gatherings, holiday parties, and gift giving. Originally Advent was the time to engage in spiritual preparation for the comings of Christ. Yes, that is right, ‘the comings’ of Christ. Advent remembers the coming of Christ at the end of time, the coming of Christ to His people today, and the coming of Christ at Christmas. The proper response to these comings is to repent.
Repent derived from the Anglo-French word repentir, which came from the Latin repoenitere, meaning to feel regret. It entered the English language in the 1300s as a religious term. Repent meant to turn from sin and turn to the amendment of one’s life.
When Jesus began his teaching in the Roman province of Palestine 2,000 years ago, he started by saying, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” The Bible uses the Greek word metanoeite, meaning to change one’s mind. That idea gets to the concept of repenting in Advent.
The repentance aspect of Advent is often neglected but extremely important. During the festive mood of the Christmas season, does the Church push a wet blanket upon us to dampen our celebrations? That is not the intent of repenting. Repentance is to enhance the joy of the celebration of the Nativity.
Many people have grown suspect of the commercialization of Christmas and the pressure to make the holiday times just right. Advent repentance is meant to change our minds about the true essence and meaning of Christmas. There are many holiday movies on TV and streaming services that show people rediscovering the joy of Christmas in sharing life and love with family and friends. In essence, they are repenting of previous emphases and turning to the essence of the Christmas season. For Christians it is a call to turn to the central action of God’s gift of the Christ as the meaning of Christmas by repenting of our stresses on the other aspects of the season.
The Church also uses repent as feeling sorrow for one’s sin against God’s ways. This has led to the usage of repent to mean to feel sorry for something one has done, apart from any religious meaning. Synonyms of repent have become; regret, lament, deplore, rue, bemoan, and bewail. He regretted the words he uttered in the heat of the moment. After the accident the parents lamented the loss of their only child with many demonstrative expressions. Many people deplore the breakdown of family values. She rued the day she accepted the wording of the contract. There are many that bemoan the corruption of the English language in text messaging. The fans bewailed the defeat of the home team again.
So, with this concept of repent, when the Church encourages repentance, in these pre-Christmas days of Advent, people consider it a downer. But, if we emphasize the aspect of changing one’s mind, repent can resonate with most people.
We do not have to stop all the practical preparations to celebrate Christmas to repent. It is useful to buy and wrap up presents, plan Christmas dinners and parties, stock up the refrigerator with good food, for Christmas is to be a celebratory feast. We want to observe it well. To do so implies some time to repent and focus on the essence and meaning of Christmas. That is the call to repent in Advent.
May your Advent Season be blessed with repentance and your Christmas celebrations be joyful and meaningful!
John would like to know if anyone has a sincere interest in a relevant word that he could possibly research for an upcoming column. If so, please send your requests to [email protected]. Words will be selected according to relevance and research criteria. We cannot confirm that all words will be used.
The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author, and do not necessarily reflect the position of this publication.
