Pit of Failure

In The Dark Knight Rises (directed by Christopher Nolan, Warner Brothers, 2012), Bruce Wayne is trapped in “the Pit,” a prison on the other side of the world from Gotham. The only way out of the prison is a sheer climb of one hundred feet to reach the surface. There is a safety rope for those who want to make an attempt, but as Bruce climbs, he sees that there is one jump he cannot make. He realizes that the only way to complete that jump is to get rid of the rope. He succeeds. Repentance is realizing that you have failed, that you are trapped by it, and there is nothing you can do to make the landing softer. Like with the rope, we try to hang on to some shred of our own power. But we must let go of that and throw our whole selves on the mercy of God.