μετάνοια
Metanoia
meh-tah-NOY-ah
The New Testament word for repentance and conversion — not just regret, but a turning of the whole self toward God — which is the first word of Jesus's preaching.
a change of mind; a turning around
“Repent, and believe in the Gospel.” The word Mark records is metanoeite, and metanoia is its noun: a change of mind so deep that it turns the whole direction of a life. The Catechism describes conversion as a radical reorientation of the whole life, a return to God with all one's heart, an end of sin, together with the desire and resolution to change one's life. It happens first at Baptism and then continually, since the Christian life is an uninterrupted task of conversion.
Sources checked 29 September 2026