Compunction

Last night in the Canon of St. Andrew of Crete, one word keep coming up over and over: compunction. The dictionary tells us that compunction means a feeling of uneasiness or anxiety of the conscience caused by regret for doing wrong or causing pain.

What a powerful word to contemplate during our Lenten struggle. Often during Lent we tend to focus on the ideas of repentance and confession. We sometimes see them as obligations that are necessary for the Lenten season. But what the Church tries to teach us is that repentance is not so much and obligation as it is a way of life.

Think about the definition above. When was the last time that you felt uneasy or had anxiety over something you had done that you knew was wrong or that hurt someone? Surely we are uneasy over many things: paying our bills, our jobs, or family and more. But have we ever taken the time to see how or words, our deeds, our actions affect those around us.

I think the reason that St. Andrew uses the term compunction so often is that compunction is a necessary component of repentance. We cannot truly repent of something unless we see and understand how it was wrong or hurt others. And we certainly can't be repentant over it if it doesn't bother us. In that case our confession is not truly a confession, but simply an act that we perform. And most importantly, if we don't truly repent, we cannot be forgiven.

This Lenten season let us struggle and work for the tears of compunction that St. Andrew speaks of. Let these truly show us the path to true repentance and therefore true forgiveness. Let us truly live and spiritual life and not just act out a spiritual life.