When Jesus confronts the Pharisees, his words are not gentle suggestions, they are a piercing summons to transformation. “Reform your life,” he commands, not only to them but to us. This is not surface-level adjustment; it is a radical re-centering, changing the direction of our normal path.
St. Augustine names sin as incurvatus in se—a soul caved in around itself. To live in sin is to orbit the ego and to shrink the horizon of love and truth to the narrow confines of self-interest. But Christ calls us out of that collapse. He invites us to stand upright, to turn outward, and to make him the center.
This turning begins with truth. We must descend into the shadows of our own hearts, face what is broken, and with courage name it. Only then can we feel the holy ache that leads to metanoia—a change not just of behavior, but of vision.
Repentance is not only about sorrow, it is about awakening. We must remember what is godlike in us, what remains whole and radiant, what longs to be aligned with the saving designs of God. Without this dual awareness—of our sin and our sacredness—we risk settling for comfort over conversion.
The call is clear: reform your life. Not tomorrow. Now.
Smitten With Goodness 