It is tragic to see how the religious sentiment of the West has become so individualized that concepts such as "a contrite heart, " have come to refer only to the personal experiences of guilt and willingness to do penance for it. The awareness of our impurity in thoughts, words and deeds can indeed put us in a remorseful mood and create in us the hope for a forgiving gesture. But if the catastrophical events of our days, the wars, mass murders, unbridled violence, crowded prisons, torture chambers, the hunger and the illness of millions of people and he unnamable misery of a major part of the human race is safely kept outside the solitude of our hearts, our contrition remains no more than a pious emotion. Henri J.m. Nouwen
About This Quote

In this quote, the writer is speaking of two different things. In the first part, he is describing how the concept of repentance has been twisted in the West. In the second part, he is talking about what repentance actually means. The writer is talking about how those who commit war crimes and other atrocities will often try to repent.

They often try to do this by going into a monastery or a church and praying or going on a pilgrimage to a shrine. However, the author says that if we only go to these places because we feel guilty for our crimes, then how can we ever truly change? Redemption can only come from within us if we are willing to make the necessary changes within ourselves.

Source: Reaching Out: The Three Movements Of The Spiritual Life

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