Homily – Repent… and Change the World (Embrace Boredom)

Sunday before Theophany 2 Timothy 4:5–8; St. Mark 1:1–8

This is the Sunday before Theophany, when the Church sets before us St. John the Baptist and his ministry of repentance—how he prepared the world to receive the God-man, Jesus Christ.

John was the son of the priest Zachariah and his wife Elizabeth, the cousin of the Mother of God. When Mary visited Elizabeth during her pregnancy, John leapt in his mother's womb. But what we sometimes forget is what followed.

While Zachariah was serving in the Temple, the angel Gabriel appeared to him and foretold that his son would be filled with the Holy Spirit from his mother's womb, that he would turn many of Israel back to God, and that he would go before the Lord in the spirit and power of Elijah—preparing a people ready to receive Him.

That preparation came at great cost. When the wise men later alerted Herod to the birth of the Messiah, Herod ordered the slaughter of all male children two years old and under. John would have been among them. Elizabeth fled with her son into the wilderness. When soldiers came seeking the child, Zachariah refused to reveal his whereabouts and was martyred between the temple and the altar. Elizabeth soon died, and John grew up in the wilderness, emerging years later to preach repentance and prepare the way of the Lord.

John's ministry brings us toward the heart of Theophany. This feast reveals humanity's true relationship with creation. From the Fall onward, mankind failed to live according to his calling. Creation continued to respond as God ordained, but human sin distorted that relationship. Christ alone entered creation without sin, and so creation responded to Him with blessing, not resistance. As we sing at Theophany, "The Jordan was driven back." The corruption in the water fled from His presence, and the waters became holy.

This is not only Christ's work—it is also our calling. United to Him, we are meant to bring healing and grace to the world.

But first, we must listen to John. First, we must prepare. And preparation begins with repentance. This is the calling of the Baptizer: "REPENT!"

Why is repentance so necessary? Because even when we want to do good in the world, our inner lives are disordered. Without healing, our efforts—however sincere—can miss the mark or even cause harm. This is not because we are evil people, but because we are wounded people living in a wounded world; because we are corrupted people living in a corrupted world. Without repentance, our action in the cosmos – here represented as the Jordan – is corrupting rather than salvific.

A story may help.

In nineteenth-century Vienna, infant mortality was tragically high. Doctors were educated and well-intentioned, yet many babies died under their care. Ignaz Semmelweis discovered why: doctors who washed their hands before delivering babies had dramatically better outcomes. Those who did not—even with the best intentions—were spreading disease.

Many doctors resisted this discovery. They were offended by the suggestion that they were unclean. But the truth remained: no matter how good their intentions, if they did not wash their hands, they caused harm.

It is the same with us. We have tremendous power to change the world—with our time, our money, and our love. But if we have not allowed God to heal us, we will unintentionally pass along the wounds we carry.

The Church teaches that this wound affects and disorders every part of us. This includes the three parts of our mind.

First, it affects and disorders our desires. We were created to desire what is good, true, and beautiful, but over time those desires become confused. We begin to crave things that promise comfort or distraction, yet leave us restless and unsatisfied. Much of modern life is built around amplifying these cravings, which makes it difficult to recognize how shaped we have been until we step back.

Second, it affects and disorders our thinking. We all rely on ideas and narratives to make sense of the world, but we absorb far more than we realize—from media, culture, and the people around us. Even when we know manipulation exists, we often assume it affects others more than ourselves. Learning to think clearly and truthfully takes time, patience, and humility.

Third, it affects and disorders the heart—the spiritual center of the person, which the Church calls the nous. It is meant to perceive God and discern what leads to life. But the heart, too, becomes clouded. Instead of clarity, we experience confusion; instead of peace, anxiety. This does not mean the heart is useless—it means it needs healing.

This is why repentance is required. Repentance is the decision to stop pretending we are already whole and to place ourselves where healing is possible.

So repentance cannot remain a vague desire. It must become practical—like doctors washing their hands.

That means first stepping away from what continually stirs and infects our wounds. Cut back on social media. Reduce news consumption. Step away from political and religious commentators who thrive on outrage. If something is truly good, it can be added back later. Right now, many of us need distance so our discernment can recover. We need some boredom so that we can recover our sanity.

Second, we need to return to the basics. The prayers and services of the Church are reliable. They are not entertaining—but they are not meant to be. We are addicted to stimulation, and healing requires quiet faithfulness. After prayer comes Scripture—not commentary about Scripture, but Scripture itself. And then silence. Instead of constant noise, spend time working quietly, reading a good book (a book free of targeted advertising), or simply being still.

Another part of repentance is restoring the rhythms of daily life within our homes: cooking together, cleaning together, eating together, talking, working, and resting together. These ordinary practices form character and community—precisely what the world works so hard to replace with habits that isolate, distracts, and exhaust us.

Let me conclude simply.

Without repentance, we carry our wounds into the world and pass them on. With repentance, Christ's healing flows through us into our families, our parish, and our communities.

This is why the voice of St. John the Baptist still echoes today: "Repent, for the Kingdom of God is at hand." The Kingdom is within you. Repent. Wash your soul. And let God's healing mercy work through you.

If you are new to the Church, remember this: repentance does not mean hating yourself or trying to fix everything at once. It means turning toward Christ and trusting Him enough to let Him heal you. The Church gives us safe and reliable ways to begin—prayer, worship, Scripture, and a quieter life. Stay close to these, and over time you will find that Christ not only changes you, but also begins to heal the world through you. This is the sacramental reality of Theophany.