Jesus gives us the steps for our journey to him. The first message he preached was "Repent and believe in the Good News." The call for repentance is the consistent message of the Word of God. The prophets preached repentance to the people of Israel. It was a call to turn back to the Lord. John the Baptist preached repentance as a preparation for being opened to the Messiah. Jesus preached repentance as a necessary condition for sharing deeper in his life. He sent the Apostles into the world with the same initial message. Each year when we begin Lent and throughout the season, the Church reminds us of the need for repentance. Repentance is the grace-decision to repent of sin and commit my life to the Lord, sharing in his life. We all sin and fall short of the glory of God.  Lord, have mercy on me a sinner, is our daily prayer. Lord, show me what I need to repent of, so that I can be more united to you.