#38 | Mercy As Medicine For A Culture Of Pride

What if the bravest act you make this week is a sincere “I’m sorry”? We open a heartfelt space to rethink repentance during Lent while honouring the parallel fast of Ramadan. From the hush of Mount Athos to the bustle of a school chapel, we explore why turning back can matter more than being dazzled by miracles, and how mercy works like medicine on wounds we’d rather hide.

We unpack the meaning of metanoia—literally a change of mind—and bring it down to earth as a true U‑turn in daily life. The Prodigal Son becomes less a parable for children and more a map for adults who have burned bridges and want to go home. Instead of a father ready to punish, we meet a Father who runs to embrace. Along the way we challenge a culture that shames apology and glorifies recklessness, and we share how a simple, public confession can open room for trust to grow again.

If you have ever wondered whether forgiveness is accessible or whether change is possible, this conversation offers honest hope and practical clarity. We reflect on why “repentance above miracles” makes sense, how the Lord’s Prayer ties our healing to our neighbour’s, and what proves repentance has taken root: the harmful pattern stops. You’ll hear a simple prayer to carry through the week—“Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on us sinners”—and a gentle reminder to go easy on yourself so you can show mercy to others.

Listen for a grounded, compassionate take on Lent, forgiveness, and the courage to turn around. If this moved you or gave you language for a needed apology, share it with a friend, subscribe for more reflections, and leave a review with the one change you’re ready to make.

Transcript

Greetings And Mount Athos Visit

SPEAKER_00 0:00

Sunny Bunani. Welcome to the Sunny Bonana. I see you. My dear friends, God's blessing. Do I have a lot to tell you about or to talk about? I visited Mount Athos, which is a Greek peninsula, a monastic republic, meaning it is full of monasteries and other tradesmen and only men. How countercultural to have a place where only men can go. And it was an absolute experience of peace, serenity, and spirituality. And that's all I can say about that. I've got lots of insights and I've written a lot of things about that. But what I want to talk to you about today is at the beginning of the Lenten period for Christians, and we also acknowledge that our Muslim brothers and sisters are also fasting during Ramadan. And the one thing, as a chaplain in a very diverse place, is importance to look at similarities. And the one similarity between uh Ramadan fast and the Lenten Christian fast is that we are repenting. Repentance is part of it. And there are differences which I'm not gonna comment on today, and there's even a difference in how we repent. However, I'm going to talk as usual from the little that I know about Christian repentance. In my reflection on Mount Athos, I've come to realize, and reading previous writings from church fathers and mothers, that the one who repents, now repentance is turning around. Metanoia in Greek means literally to change your mind. We can look at it as turning around, doing a U-turn. You're going one way, but whole you're going, you realize you've gone the wrong way, and now you turn around. Repentance. My insight today is that repentance, the one who repents, is far greater and superior than the one who can raise the dead through their prayers. I'll say that again. The one who repents is superior to the one who can raise the dead through his prayers. And I find this very, very interesting, because in our day now, in the modern day, we have been duped, I believe, to feel shame when we say sorry, to feel embarrassed, to say sorry. And we actually feel full of pride when we do wrong, or we do something quite risky, or that creates a little bit of a a bit of excitement. We are told that this is what you should have pride in. Now join me in reversing that, especially during this period of Lent. If you are Christian and practicing that, to say sorry is actually the point. That is what is celebrated. Because we have access to forgiveness now through Jesus Christ, the Son of God. I'll remind you of the prodigal son who left his father's homestead, spent all his father's money just using and abusing his father's love, and then realizing when he found himself in a pig style after his loose and crazy lifestyle, spending all the money in a pig style, realizing he needs to turn around. He needs to literally repent. And he said he's going to go back home and say sorry to his father. Now his father is not there waiting with a belt to hit him. In fact, when the father sees the son approaching at the end of the drive, the long drive, he runs to him and embraces him. This is us. This is us when we go to church. This is us when we say sorry to our loved ones. We say we also think about the Lord's Prayer, where it says, Forgive us our sins as we forgive those who sin against us. As meaning they go hand in hand. And we all know that oils have healing properties. Oils can protect. Now this is it. Mercy is medicine. And where do we get as Christians? We believe we get our mercy from the merciful Savior, Jesus Christ. We ask for forgiveness and we receive that mercy as medicine. My prayers also that we all of us may offer this gift, this healing power of mercy to others. Have mercy on me, O God. Have mercy on me. In the last few weeks of my time here at school, I've stood in front of the chapel and asked everybody to forgive me for the times I haven't been a good chaplain, I haven't a good person or rugby coach, or I've left them confounded, or I've let them down. And may God have mercy on me. And I think it's incredible I've been forty, forty years a Christian, but only in these later years have I understood the message and the idea behind repentance. It sounds very, very countercultural. Repent, be sorry for what you do, your wrongdoings. Very countercultural. As I said before in this now, it seems that we we shame repentance in saying sorry and we glorify the wrong. Let's swap that around. I'd rather fight with the whole world than sin is the thinking we should have as Christians. We shouldn't care if the whole world was against you. But rather not sin. Just do not sin and do your best. And I'll end with this, sorry. I'll end with this. Repentance is actual change. When you know you've repented, is when you don't do that thing which is causing division with your neighbor and your division with God. That's to understand it as I'm trying my best as a young catechumen trying to enter the Orthodox Church. Repentance is when you actually do not carry on sinning. And what a difficult journey that is. But we have Jesus Christ with us, we have the saints, I keep saying, we have the apostles, we have the church, we have each other. And if this is all foreign to you, just understand that there is access to forgiveness and go easy on yourselves. Go easy on yourselves. Have mercy on yourselves so that you may have mercy on others. Ask God for forgiveness. That's the most simple prayer we can do. Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on us sinners. I've probably spoken too much, but blessed Lent to those practicing, blessed curiosity to those who want to know more and understand the deep mysteries of Christian faith. And God bless our Muslim brothers who try their best. Sunni Bunani. Thank you for listening to the Sunny Banana. I see you.