Many people think that conversion to Jesus Christ is something that happens only once. Those who have experienced Jesus, know well that faith in Jesus is constantly growing, constantly repenting and converting to Him again.
Just look at the journey of Lent. Every Ash Wednesday we are called to examine our lives. As we grow in faith and in prayer, we always experience our shortcomings and are called to remember his love for us. We are invited to repent and grow closer to him. This is a lifelong experience. It’s like falling in love. Falling in love changes us, and it happens over and over again.
The Lenten journey from Ash Wednesday to Easter happens ever year throughout our lives. It is not a boring repetition, but an invitation to go deeper, always seeking to be united with Him.
St. Paul is constantly inviting us to a different way of living.
If, then, we have died with Christ,
we believe that we shall also live with him.
…
Consequently, you too must think of yourselves as being dead to sin and living for God in Christ Jesus.
We know that the Holy Spirit assisted the disciples of Jesus to reflect and grow in faith and understanding.
In the Gospel we hear that the disciples did not understand the Resurrection of Jesus when it happened. Jesus even appeared to them in his resurrected body and invited them to touch his wounds so that they might believe. They doubted, but later came to faith.
And, so it will be with us. He is Risen. This changes everything! The Easter event is simply too large, too mysterious. We will spend our entire lives understanding it, learning to conform our lives to His. We will experience conversion. We will slip back into sin. We will confess and receive him again in Word and Sacrament, and grow in Hope that we will also rise with Him.
Things don’t always have to be the same for us. They can be better … much, much better with Jesus.