Path to Our True Selves

Matthew 3:1-12

Father Mark reflects on why crowds flocked to hear John the Baptist’s call to repent, despite the discomfort and challenge of his message. He explains that the word repent has been distorted over centuries into a threat, but John’s original call—metanoia—is an invitation to deep transformation: to change how we think, act, and perceive so we can enter more fully into God’s reign. Repentance is not rearranging the furniture of our lives, but a radical reorientation toward God.

He emphasizes that humans have an “infinite capacity for self-deception,” a reality noted not only by Scripture but by psychologists and business leaders. Our inner blindness—the “logs in our eyes”—distort how we see ourselves, the world, and others. Repentance requires unflinching honesty, a virtue that made John’s preaching so compelling. In a world filled with misinformation, spin, and self-justifying narratives, we hunger for what is true, real, and genuine.

Father Mark concludes that repentance is the path to our true selves—the selves God created us to be. It demands that we confront our distortions and ask God to help us see with the mind of Christ. This is our Advent longing: to live more authentically, rooted in God’s compassion and truth. Though the process can feel like fire and axe, it leads to freedom, transformation, and the light of Christ shining in and through us.

Scripture quotations are from New Revised Standard Version Bible, copyright © 1989 National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.