System Upgrade

January 25, 2026 – Third Sunday in Ordinary Time

Click here for the readings (https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/012526.cfm)

“I firmly resolve with the help of thy grace, to confess my sins, to do penance & amend my life. Amen.”

Words we say as we do our act of contrition during confession as we commit ourselves in faith with God’s help & grace, first to be sorry of our sins, to fulfill our penance as remedy and above all to change our way of living our lives for the better. These words we say in contrition emphasize that the sacrament of reconciliation is more than just about confessing our sins, faults & failures, but moreso our commitment to repentance & faith in our Christian life for the better.

Consider then that in our gospel today, when he started proclaiming the Good News of God’s Kingdom upon us, Jesus challenges people to “Repent & Believe that the Kingdom of God is at hand”. Yes, we normally hear this challenge of the Lord for us during  Ash Wednesday as we receive the ashes on our forehead. However, these words remind us that God’s grace requires us above all our repentance & faith, and  make clear to us that the first & proper response for us to fully benefit from God’s offer of salvation of God-being with us is for us “to repent & believe the gospel”.

We should know that repentance  is more than just being sorry for our sins & failure, and asking for forgiveness, for we all know that God’s offer of salvation is more than just about ourselves & our sinfulness. To repent is moreso about our  resolve to do better in life & to change our usual ways towards believing more in God & trusting more in His plans, wills & ways for us. Meaning, our repentance are meant for us to believe God than just to be sorry for our sins.

Repentance & Faith are rightly described by the Greek word “Metanoia” that denotes a change of mind, a reorientation, a fundamental transformation of outlook, of man’s vision of the world and of himself, and a new way of loving others and God. And somehow like system upgrade of computers & smartphones nowadays, “Metanoia” is required of us by Jesus for us to fully benefit from the offer of God’s salvation since then, until now & always.

And clearly “Metanoia” – repentance & faith is what Jesus again emphasized in our gospel today. Through the parables of losing & finding (rf. Lost coin, sheep, & son),  Jesus values the importance of repentance & faith in God’s offer of the salvation for us. Because for Jesus, the Kingdom of God is more than just about our being righteous or sinner, about reward & punishment, about importance & unworthiness, but above moreso about God’s offer of grace & salvation for us of Him-being with us through His son Jesus. And so, what is only required of us as always is Metanoia – repentance & faith, i.e. “Repent & Believe the Gospel” & how we orient and amend our whole lives more towards God & less towards ourselves.

As we are beginning a new year & a new liturgical season, perhaps we ask ourselves where are we in terms of Metanoia – repentance & faith. With all our experiences of life-journey with our Lord this past recent year so far, where are we in view of changing our minds & ways towards more repentance  & faith in the Lord? If you are to rate our response of Metanoia from 1-10, how much would you rate yourself? What are the signs of hope & growth? (…more trusting, more closer relationship, more inspirations). What needs improvement? (…Quality time in prayer, works of mercy, acts of kindness,).

With such assessment, we pray that we may become more open to receive & benefit from God’s offer of grace now & up ahead always.

So May it Be. Amen.