Lent is not a vibe

When someone hurts you and then tells you: ‘I’ll pray that you will heal’ or something of that sort, after or during keeping forgiving them in your heart as long as it takes, tell them:

you need to own your actions, clearly and specifically ask for forgiveness, repair the wrongs you’ve done and ask me how do I think it should look like. Otherwise, your prayers will not work.

Why will they not work? Because the hurting person walks in an illusion that their accidental rise of feelings or wishes will heal you. They are dumping their responsibility on Jesus. Scapegoating. They try to escape their culpability by avoidance, walking in phantasms, not reality. Manipulating God to their advantage.

What heals are heart-full actions. Metanoia translated as ‘repentance’ is not about someone’s wishes or emotions. It’s about real life change of mind, change of heart, change of doing things.

Anything else is short of the Gospel. And Lent is not a vibe.