If the Past Cannot Be Changed, What Does Repentance Actually Repair?

Repentance does not turn history into something that never happened. Harm may remain, money may still need to be returned, trust may require time, and some consequences cannot be undone. What can change is the person’s relationship to the past and the direction of the life that follows it. Responsibility asks us to repair what is repairable, ask forgiveness where appropriate, and stop using either denial or self-hatred as substitutes for change. The past may remain a fact without remaining the final definition of the person who caused it.