Meaning of Repentance
The regret is despite a person feels for something he has done, said or did not do. According to DigoPaul, whoever repents changes his mind or ceases to be consistent with a certain commitment.
For example: “I have no words to express my repentance: I swear that I will never do something like this again”, “The judge did not find any trace of repentance in the convicted person’s statements”, “Without repentance, there is no point in asking for forgiveness”, “the repentance of the murderer course did not matter for the family of the victim”.
Repenting is a spontaneous act, which must arise from the legitimate understanding of your own mistakes, although this does not mean that they do not happen again. Broadly speaking, a distinction can be made between involuntary and voluntary absences, the latter being the easiest to avoid. Certain psychological disorders lead people to commit acts of varying severity that harm third parties, without really wanting it or, in some cases, without being aware of them.
In cases of this nature, there may be genuine repentance even though the situation does not improve. It is important to point out that some diseases give rise to the commission of crimes such as rape and murder against the will of the person who carries them out; Needless to say, this is very difficult for victims and their loved ones to understand and accept.
In a religious sense, repentance consists of acknowledging sins, changing attitudes, and asking for God’s forgiveness. In the Catholic religion, repentance is associated with the sacrament of Confession or Penance, through which the faithful confess their sins to a priest, who imposes a penance as reparation for those sins and, finally, grants him absolution.
For religion, repentance is much more than simply turning away from sin and not committing it again, since it implies a true change in the mind of those who have done wrong. The Bible considers that repentance results in a change in behavior, a true conversion to God that is closely related to salvation.
The connection between salvation and repentance can be seen, for example, in the Book of Acts; in several passages of the Bible it is expressed that repentance consists of changing one’s own opinion regarding Jesus, to recognize him as the authentic son of God, the Lord and Christ. In fact, for the Christian religion this attitude and faith can be considered two sides of the same coin.
To obtain salvation it is necessary to believe in Jesus Christ as the Savior sent to Earth by God; Going through stages of doubt about his identity or his power, or lack of knowledge about his greatness forces him to go through a real repentance to change his mind and stop rejecting Christ. It is important to understand that it should not and cannot be an act motivated by the interest of gaining salvation, but must be granted by God.
Repentance can also be part of the law. In some legislations, when a person expresses her repentance for having participated in a criminal act before the judge or a court, she achieves a mitigating factor in her punishment. The repentant is considered to collaborate with the Justice and, therefore, is recognized with a reduction of the sentence.
In art, finally, repentance is a correction or an amendment that can be seen in the drawing or composition of a painting. The artist, instead of erasing and eliminating the error, leaves it so that the development process of the painting in question can be known.