Interesting, because I see that repentance ---> love ---> repentance.  Right relationship with the Creator is one of love, but in order to truly do that one must repent which, in turn, leads to a deeper love motivating one to further recognition of one's need for repentance.  It is cyclical rather than simply serial.  One can believe without loving or repenting, though it is a shallow sad "faith".  I don't think it too odd to recognize that our response to God can be both / and vs either / or, as you seem to think I'm stating.  Joy could be a childlike response, which is laudable, but the expectation that "I must be 'fed' or I ain't goin'" is a rather callow reply of someone supposedly raised Catholic.