I live no longer, not I, but it is Christ now living in me. –Paul to the Galatian people, ch. 2:20.
‘metanoia’ usually translated narrowly as repentance, primarily has the connotation in context for meaning something more like ‘conversion’, open spaciousness to the seeing with the lens of love and kingdom (or operating system) of Jesus. Understood this way, it is something we can do every day, converted by awareness all through the day. It is never a one time thing. it is turning toward a whole new outlook of mind that is not our ego lens of fear, habitual defending and judging; it is not the empire lens of tribal correctness and power making right; and we are not sleepwalking, dead and unconscious to the love and light and way of grace that shines all around us and in us. it is listening to the subtle mind of Christ and the still quiet voice of the spirit within. —prh
This is why it is said: “Wake up, sleeper, rise from the dead, and Christ will shine on you.” — Paul to ephesian people, ch.5:14
When the mystery of God’s love breaks through into my consciousness, do I run from it? Or am I virgin enough to respond from my deepest, truest self, and say something new, a “yes” that will change me forever? —Kathleen Norris
John Henry Newman (1801–1890) said, “Here below to live is to change, and to be whole (complete) is to have changed often.” That’s a very different philosophy than most of us have. Our natural approach is to keep in cruise control. The way we do it is the way we do it, and any change is considered dangerous, heretical, and new. But here in this Gospel we were given a program of change and growth from the beginning. If we don’t grow, if we don’t change, we end up the same at 70 as we were at 17. We all know people like that, and we may even be one of them.
On that day, you will realize that I am in my Father and you are in me and I am in you. —Jesus to followers in Upper Room; John’s gospel 14:20
Jesus whole message is to say that you are God’s beloved child. When you can hear in your heart, not in your head, that you are truly God’s beloved daughter, that you are truly God’s beloved son, everything turns around (metanoia). The mystery of this spiritual truth is that you were loved before you were born, and you will be loved after you die… Your dwelling in God’s heart is a dwelling from eternity to eternity. —- Henri Nouwen
Up to now, we have been more driven by outer authority than drawn in by the calm and loving inner authority (the in-dwelling Holy Spirit) of prayer, practice, and inner experience. This has a much better chance of allowing us to meet and know our True Self. For all practical purposes, this change of identity from the separate self to the connected and True Self is the major—almost seismic—shift in motivation and consciousness itself that mature religion rightly calls conversion. It is the very heart of all religious transformation. Without it, religion is mostly a mere belonging system or a mere belief system, but it does not radically change our consciousness or motivation. –-Fr. Richard Rohr
