OK here we go so make your point.
The following excerpts from Father Paul's Homilies explores the many subtleties of this Greek word.
Metanoia, a Greek word meaning a change of mind. A radical revision and transformation of our whole mental process. That change of mind is something whereby God takes center place in our consciousness, in our awareness, and in our minds.
Metanoia means a new mind. About what? About who we are. ...If tonight you're hearing with your heart, it's time for metanoia. It's time for a new mind about yourself and about life.
Metanoia is the idea of the need for conversion. And this is then recognizing that we don't know, truthfully don't know, God and truthfully don't feel ourselves as God intends us to.
We really need metanoia, which is allowing the grace of God to enter into our lives and teach us how to see ourselves and how to come to the true self.
When the authors wrote in Greek about what Jesus really said, they all agree that he preached metanoia. ...one idea is conversion or transformation. Change of heart and, literally, change of mind. "The kingdom of God is at hand," he says, meaning it's at arm's length. But in order for you to grasp it, you have to be able to undergo something like this: a conversion and transformation and change of heart and mind
Metanoia is a new-minded way of looking at life.
And, in the broader sense, contrition involves a change of mind. And that is really what is meant by the Greek word, "metanoia," whereby we start thinking anew about everything. So to bring our thoughts into a godly, godlike form, that's part of contrition; that's part of metanoia. So I need to really find out what God really is and who God is and what God wants for me.
He preached the need for conversion. Now conversion in Greek is "metanioa." And what is "metanoia"? Unfortunately, in English there's not one word that translates it very well. We could say repentance, but that doesn't catch the meaning of "metanoia." "Metanoia" literally means "beyond the mind." So it's an idea of stretching or pushing beyond the boundaries with which we normally think and feel. Now when we push beyond the boundaries what we are doing is we are allowing God really to take an active role in our formation.
Repentance, metanoia in Greek, really refers to a complete change in perspective, a change in goal, a change in life itself, really!
It means new mindedness, new change of mind and change of heart in the Hebrew sense of heart---how you think. And that means letting go of rigidities because God has to teach us all new about God. And what we have to learn basically is how trustworthy God is, and how in every single situation, no matter what it is, no matter how painful, God is to be trusted. God is always present. So God is always inviting us into more life, and so to be questioning our own ways and our own habits is a good thing--and letting go of rigidity.
Thus his entire mission was begun by announcing the need for metanoia, sometimes translated "repentance." But repentance does not mean simply regretting some action or some word. Repentance means completely turning around one's life and one's being.
A change, a profound change, of mind and even character. In the Bible, in the New Testament, this change is called "metanoia," often translated repentance. But it's not a backward-looking glance of regret; it's a forward-looking vision of hope.
Metanoia is a new openness to what is truly objective, beyond ourselves, our view of life, how we put the data together.
Remorse
There is another Greek word, metamelomai, which means to have remorse or regret.
Bullinger2 says metamelomai means, "to rue, regret; to have dissatisfaction with one's self for what one has done, to change or alter one's purpose, have anxiety consequent on a past transaction; to have pain of mind, rather than change of mind; and change of purpose, rather than change of heart."
Kittel3 says, "Metanoya (repentance) means a change of heart either generally or in respect of a specific sin, whereas metamelomai means `to experience remorse.' Metanoya implies that one has later arrived at a different view of something, metamelomai that one has a different feeling about it."
"Remorse does not have to be pleasing to God. It can be simply a change in mood. It is often the natural result of imprudent and unjust action. In remorse (metamelomai) a man sees the bitter end of sin, in repentance (metanoya) he breaks free from it."
"Remorse comes of itself at the end of a sinful and foolish way. But a man is called to repentance by the one who brings the divine Word."
So, repentance has to do mostly with your thinking and therefore your actions -- not your feelings.
Repentance is associated with renewing the mind (Romans 12:2). When you know the truth -- truth makes you free as you act on it (John 8:32). ___________________________________
