The fifth step on St. John’s Ladder of Divine ascent, is REPENTANCE. St. John says that Repentance is the renewal of baptism and is a contract with God for a fresh start in life.

The Greek word for repentance, as my readers probably already know, is metanoia, which means to have a change of heart or mind, while the Greek word for sin, hamartia, means to miss the mark. Now if sin means missing the mark, then repentance means getting back on target. It is really only when we understand repentance in this way that we can comprehend it as an ongoing positive and creative process.

Repentance lies at the very heart of Christian life. The preaching of our Lord Himself began with repentance: Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand. All Eastern Church Fathers have taught that there is no salvation without it. St. John is no exception. He wrote:

It is impossible for those of us who have fallen into the sink of iniquity ever to be drawn out of it unless we also plumb the depths of the humility shown by the penitent.

It is clear that repentance, like obedience, is rooted in humility. A proud person cannot repent, for repentance allows no room for ego and conceit. Pride blinds us to our own sins, while we go on hating those very same sins when we see them in others. Humility alone is capable of seeing the truth, of enabling us to see ourselves as we really are.

It is critical. I think, to remember that metanoia does not only deal with some of our less than noble acts. Metanoia also deals with our attitudes of mind which are the true foundation of our behaviors. Attitudes which are un-Christlike result in real behaviors that are un-Christlike. The personal transformation which is the primary task of life, begins with our personal attitudes