Metanoia
1
Metanoia God The Neighbor
"Metanoia" is a Greek word and literally means "beyond the mind.", "a change of mind"... it is a new-minded way of looking at life.
In the Bible is often translated for "repent"... but it is much more: "rebirth"...
"Metanoia" cried out the cousin of Jesus, John the Baptist (Mt.3:2)... "Metanoia" repeated constantly Jesus also in Greek.. "repent", change your heart..."The time has come," he said. "The kingdom of God is near. Repent and believe the good news!" (Mk.1:15).
"Metanoia" is about the only word we need to know of the Bible... if we understand it and live it, our life on earth will be full of joy, of happiness, of love, of peace... a total transformation of life, a very positive change of ourselves.
When the authors wrote in Greek about what Jesus really said, they all agree that he preached metanoia... there is no similar word in English... one idea is repent, conversion, transformation...but it is much more: Change of heart and, literally, change of mind. "The kingdom of God is at hand," Jesus says, meaning it's at arm's length. But in order for us to grasp it, we have to be able to undergo something like this: A conversion and transformation and change of heart and mind...
Two men were looking through the bars of a jail. One was seeing "dirt", the other one was delighting in the "stars".
Two youngsters got hurt with a thorn. One thought: "What a miserable life, even the roses have thorns". The other one said: "What a beautiful world, even the thorns have roses".
"Happiness" in life doesn't come from what happens outside us, not even from our possessions, it comes from "inside us", it depends of our attitude to the events of life...
Jesus used to say: From within, out of men's
hearts, come evil thoughts... and love and joy and peace... our heart is the
root of our hate and of our love, of our happiness or unhappiness in life...
from within our heart and mind comes the reason why we are depressed or joyful,
reserved or open, fearful or optimist... our heart is the root of our life lived
with pessimism with fear even to joy, or lived with joy and love and peace, with
fear to nobody and to nothing, not even death! (Mk.7:14-22).
We need metanoia, which is allowing the grace of God to enter
into our lives and teach us how to see ourselves and how to come to the true
self.
We really need "Metanoia"!... a change of heart and mind about God, about our neighbors, about ourselves, about the world... What do you think about yourself, about your neighbors, about God, about the world?... whatever you think now, it is shaping your life today.
1- About God:
God is your Creator, he loves you... he wants to be your Father, "your Daddy", says Jesus (Gal.4:6, Mt.6:9).
God wants the very best for you in this life... and He worries so much about you that even the hairs of your head has counted... have you counted the heirs of your child?... well, God does!... if you pull out two heirs right now, God will write down in His computer two hairs less on your head (Mt.10:30).
We need metanoia about God:
God is always with you, like the sun, He is with you right now, no matter if you are good or bad, a saint or a prostitute, He is with you, not with a stick to punish you, but as a good shepherd to carry you on His shoulders if you need it... waiting for you to go home and receive you like He did with the prodigal son, to receive you with joy, even to organize a feast on your behalf (Lk.15).
We need metanoia... we have to live in the presence of God, and we will be perfect... that's what God told Abraham (Ge.17:1)... if God sees you and me, we are not going to steel or lie, God is seeing us!... we are not going to do immoral things, God sees us!...
But still more: God is the creator and owner of the oceans and the stars... He owns all the houses and cars and money of the world.... and He has them for you!, His son!... as you do with your child: He may have no money in his pocket, but all the money in your pocket is his, if he needs it...
Now you may ask: Why then God doesn't give me a new Cadillac instead of the old Chevy I have?... I don't know the answer, but God, Your Daddy, does. May be with a new car you will end up in hell and with the old one you are going to heaven, and of course God wants you rather in heaven with the old Chevy that in hell with the new flamboyant car... I don' know, but He does!.
Kiko, my child, asked me on the phone for an ice-cream. I got home with it, but he had fever with pus in the tonsils, and instead of the ice-cream I put him an injection of penicillin... he cried a little, but that's what he needed at that time... Oh, I hugged him with all my heart after the injection!.
We need metanoia!... another child, Jero, was one day cutting the face of Lincoln in a $5 bill... I took out the scissors from him and the bill... he didn't like it, but he didn't know... I really loved him... you would do the same with your child, you won't give him a pistol even if cries for it!.
And still much more:
If God is with you, you are afraid of nothing and of nobody... if you are sick or your child is a rebel, the President of the nation can do nothing, but God can, and He does!... God is stronger that a hundred hurricanes, an He is with you!... God is more powerful that all the armies and politicians of the world put together, and He is with you... God can stop that slander and convert it into your honor and glory, and He does it!... God is God... and He is with you, for you... He is your Dad!...
And the best of it all: This is real!...really real!... as real as the oxygen you breed, as real as the rays of heat you receive from the sun, as real as the wind and the stars... as real as the radio and television waves... just try a good monitor and you will get its effects... the same is with God, we need a good monitor... for the time being, we just need Metanoia!.
We will talk later more about God and about the monitor of God...
2- About your Neighbor:
We need also metanoia about our neighbor.
The newspapers radio and TV often paint him as a "criminal"... but he is much more that that!:
Thanks to a neighbor we have our shirts and shoes... I don't know how to make watches, a neighbor made mine for me... and another made my glasses and rings and coat... another neighbor made for me my bread and supplies me with oranges and meat and vegetables...
I don't know how to grow fruits nor how to make tea or wine or juices... I don't know how to make pens nor paper nor computers... some neighbor of mine provides me with them, a neighbor that I don't even know!... may be he lives in China!...
Yes, we need metanoia, a profound transformation of how we see and treat our neighbor...
A neighbor made my car, another my house, another the roads and streets and provides me with electricity and gas...
Were not for my neighbor I couldn't even drink a cup of tea or coffee: Someone had to plant it and collect it, another had to prepare it in a tin can, another to offer it to me in a store... another had to supply me with the cup, I don't know how to make cups either... other neighbors had to get the sugar and the spoon for me, and the table and the chair...
We need really metanoia... we have to love our neighbor, he does so much for us, so many good things...
That's why the second commandment of God is "to love your neighbor as yourself"... yes, we have to love our neighbor in justice, because he does so many good deeds for us and to us... of course, the first commandment is "to love God with all your heart" (Mk.12:30-31).
God wants us to love... so much, that he offers us "a hundred times" of what we give, in this life! (Mr.10:30)... or, in bank terms, 10,000%.... yes, not just 10% or even 20%, but 10,000%!... on earth!... if you give one smile, you will receive 100; if you give $100, you will receive $10,000, in this life!... it is the best Bank... God is the very best stock or bond... try Him!...
"To love" though is not easy, because it is "to give"... to give your time, your patience, your care, your respect, your smile, your money, your understanding, even to give the whole yourself to the loved one... but it is the most glorious way to live on earth... and in Heaven!... The mother's care, that's love!... the lovers surrender, that's love!... Jesus at Calvary, that's love!, he gave Himself for us...
If you don't want to suffer, don't love... but, if you don't love, what do you want to live for?...
We will talk later more about our neighbor... and about the glory of love and suffering... for the time being, just Metanoia!.
A Favor to the Author:
I strongly urge you to read only one page per day, give time to
yourself to reflect... to metanoia!. You may be eager to read the next chapter,
but don't rush, give each chapter time to think about the implications in your
life.
Of course, you may read the same chapter several times the
same day.
Links:
http://www.cbfofsc.org/charleston.htm
http://www.infoplease.com/ipd/A0535412.html
http://www.stjosephdg.org/parish/about/metanoia.html
http://www.bartleby.com/62/40/M0974000.html
http://www.redstone-tech.com/gerry/songs/metanoia.htm