Repentance on the Occasion of the Repentance of Nineveh

The lecture focuses on repentance as the main spiritual goal of the Fast of Jonah (the Fast of Nineveh). It explains that God uses many different ways to lead people to repentance because He desires the salvation of all. True repentance comes from loving God and realizing that one cannot live without Him, and it is a continuous repentance, not a temporary one.

First: Examples of Repentance in the Story of Jonah

The story of Jonah presents three clear models of repentance:

• The repentance of the people of Nineveh: They all fasted, abandoned their sins, and God forgave them.
• The repentance of the sailors: They believed in God, offered sacrifices and vows, and the Lord accepted them.
• The repentance of Jonah himself: God led him to repentance after disobedience and again after his anger over God’s mercy toward Nineveh.

Second: God’s Ways of Leading People to Repentance

God uses different methods according to each person:

• Love and gentleness: The best way, because it leads to lasting repentance rooted in love.
• Trials and discipline: Sometimes they awaken the conscience and bring repentance, as with the sinner of Corinth, Joseph’s brothers, and Samson.
• Feeling the loss of grace or continuous failure: This leads a person to examine himself and return to God.
• Means of grace: Such as sermons, spiritual readings, the Divine Liturgy, hymns, the lives of the saints, and unexpected divine visitations to the heart.

Third: The Role of Inner Readiness

Repentance requires:

• A true desire for change, not mere boredom with sin.
• A sensitive heart that listens to God from the slightest sign.
• Leaving environments that lead to sin.
• Benefiting from visits of grace and not neglecting them.

Spiritual Conclusion

God never stops calling people to repentance, whether through love or discipline, but He awaits the response of the heart. The person who feels he cannot live without God lives in constant repentance and benefits from every event or situation to draw closer to Him.

“For better translation support, please contact the center.”