February 23rd, 2026: True Repentance is Through Action

In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, one God. Amen.

Great Lent has begun. We hear the Canon of St. Andrew of Crete. We hear prayers filled with repentance. We hear about brokenness, sin, and the need to return to God. The tone is serious. The words are heavy. They force us to look inward.

Lent is often described as a time to fix ourselves. We focus on what we should stop doing. We think about what foods we will avoid. We plan how we will pray more. All of this is good. But it is not complete.

There is a line in the Canon of St. Andrew that speaks about going forth to do good deeds. Repentance is not only about feeling sorry. It is about movement. It is about action. It is about living differently.

This year our theme is stewardship and action. Lent is not only about what we give up. It is about what we give away. We are not simply called to become better versions of ourselves. We are called to become servants.

It is easy to make Lent private. We close the door. We say our prayers. We skip certain foods. We feel serious. But the Gospel never lets us stay there. The healing of the soul is tied to love of neighbor.

Fasting That Moves Outward

The early Christians did not change the world by hiding from it. They lived in a culture that rejected them. They were mocked. Some were arrested. Some were killed. Yet they did not retreat into bitterness.

They cared for unwanted children. They took in the sick during plagues. They fed the poor. They forgave their enemies. They saw every person as made in the image and likeness of God.

This is what made the Church different. It was not only what Christians believed. It was how they acted.

When we hear the Canon during Lent, we are reminded that our souls are wounded. We grow comfortable in our sins. We become used to our habits. Lent shakes us awake. It reminds us that we need healing.

But how does that healing take place? It is not only through the absence of certain foods. It is not only through longer prayers. It is through love in action.

When we forgive someone who has hurt us, our soul is healed. When we help someone in need, our heart softens. When we serve without being noticed, pride weakens.

Stewardship is not a fundraising word. It is a spiritual word. It means we recognize that everything we have belongs to God. Our time belongs to God. Our resources belong to God. Our energy belongs to God.

If everything is a gift, then everything can be offered back.

Lent is the perfect time to practice this. We ask forgiveness on Forgiveness Sunday. But we must also practice forgiveness. We pray for the poor. But we must also help the poor. We confess that others are made in the image of God. But we must also treat them that way.

Seeing the Image of God

One of the hardest commands of Christ is to love our enemies. It sounds impossible. Yet the early Christians lived it. If a soldier abused a Christian, that same Christian would still care for him if he were wounded. Why? Because they saw the image of God even in their persecutor.

We live in a troubled time. Our culture feels divided. It is tempting to withdraw and protect ourselves. But the Church did not grow by retreating. It grew by serving.

When we see someone who annoys us, do we see the image of God? When we see someone who disagrees with us, do we see the image of God? When we see someone in need, do we act?

Fasting from food is a tool. It weakens the passions. It reminds us that we are not ruled by appetite. But fasting must create space for love.

You can avoid a cheeseburger for forty days and still hold resentment. You can skip dessert and still ignore someone in need. That is not the fast Christ calls us to keep.

The prophet Isaiah speaks about the fast that God chooses. It is to loose the bonds of wickedness, to share bread with the hungry, and to bring the homeless poor into your house. That is active. That is visible.

This does not mean we neglect prayer. Prayer fuels action. Fasting sharpens the soul. Confession cleans the heart. But all of it pushes us outward.

Each night of this week, we hear the Canon. We bow. We repent. Let us also ask a simple question. Who can I serve tomorrow? Who needs help? Who needs forgiveness?

Maybe it is someone in your home. Maybe it is someone at work. Maybe it is someone in this parish. Stewardship begins close to us. It grows outward.

Lent is a reset. It is a holy interruption. It reminds us that comfort is not our goal. Holiness is. And holiness always looks like love.

The Church changes the world the same way it always has. Not through power. Not through argument. Through sacrifice and service.

This week, as we continue the fast, remember this: the healing of your soul is connected to the good you do. Not because you earn salvation, but because love transforms you.

Let your fasting move your feet. Let your prayer open your hands. Let your repentance soften your heart.

Then Lent will not only change your diet. It will change your life.

Amen.