This Prodigal Son Is Every Human Being

Those who know the parable of the prodigal son, remember this story as a beautiful portrayal of the rich mercy of God. A son leaves his father, squandering every gift that he inherits. He ends up in a place very far from his father’s love and care, where he lives hungry and unsatisfied. He eventually comes to himself in this place, realizing that his father’s servants live more satisfied that he does. So he decides to humbly return to the father who loves him. Rather than rebuke his son, the father “embraced and kissed him” upon his return, treating the young man with more mercy than anyone reading the story might think he deserves (Luke 15:11-32).

In his Apostolic Exhortation, “Reconciliation and Penance,” Saint John Paul II writes:

This prodigal son is every human being: bewitched by the temptation to separate himself from his Father in order to lead his own independent existence; disappointed by the emptiness of the mirage which had fascinated him; alone, dishonored, exploited when he tries to build a world all for himself sorely tried, even in the depths of his own misery, by the desire to return to communion with his Father. Like the father in the parable, God looks out for the return of his child, embraces him when he arrives and orders the banquet of the new meeting with which the reconciliation is celebrated.

The most striking element of the parable is the father's festive and loving welcome of the returning son: It is a sign of the mercy of God, who is always willing to forgive. Let us say at once: Reconciliation is principally a gift of the heavenly Father (5).

God loves us like the father in the parable loves his son. We turn away from Him daily, abusing the good gifts He has given us. And He welcomes us back daily, giving us the gift of reconciliation with His merciful heart.

We celebrate this gift through the Sacrament of Reconciliation or Confession, “a great gift of healing that brings about closer union with the Lord” and with the Church (YOUCAT 235). Our Baptism reconciles us with God, but we need Confession because Baptism “does not free us from human weakness and the inclination to sin. That is why we need a place where we can be reconciled with God again and again” (YOUCAT 226).

A Time For Conversion And Repentance

According to Blessed John Paul II, Lent is “a time for conversion and repentance.” It is a time of detachment, turning away from our earthly sin and turning towards Christ, who alone can save us.

This turning towards or this conversion can be solidified in the Sacrament of Confession. During Lent, the Church is reminded “of the indispensable necessity of sacramental confession, in order that we may all be able to live the resurrection of Christ not only in the liturgy, but also in our own soul.”

According to Blessed John Paul II, “the sacrament of penance is the primary way of obtaining forgiveness and the remission of serious sin committed after baptism.” In anticipation of the Resurrection, then, let us look towards the mercy of God and embrace the power to “forgive sins” that is conferred by Christ upon our priests through the Holy Spirit. Let us unload our burdens before the God who wants to heal us, let us repent for turning away from Him, and let us allow Him to convert our hearts.

For more on the Sacrament of Confession, see Blessed John Paul II’s beautiful reflection in his Apostolic Exhortation, Reconciliation and Penance. In this document, he ends with a prayer to the Blessed Mother that we now join him in saying:

Into the hands of this mother, whose fiat marked the beginning of that "fullness of time" in which Christ accomplished the reconciliation of humanity with God, to her immaculate heart—to which we have repeatedly entrusted the whole of humanity, disturbed by sin and tormented by so many tensions and conflicts—I now in a special way entrust this intention: that through her intercession humanity may discover and travel the path of penance, the only path that can lead it to full reconciliation.

Jesus Is Not A Dry Cleaner

Last week, Pope Francis delivered an engagingly potent homily about the Sacrament of Reconciliation. He said:

Jesus in the confessional is not a dry cleaner, it is an encounter with Jesus but with this Jesus who waits for us just as we are…Many times we think that going to confession is like going to the dry cleaner to clean the dirt from our clothes.

We are tempted to feel this way about reconciliation, but in actuality, Jesus gives us so much more. He “donates to us the peace that only he gives.”

For more of Pope Francis’ homily about the graced experience of Reconciliation, go here. 

The sound of silence and penance

This past week, Pope Benedict XVI gave the Church two important messages to remember during Lent.

In his Wednesday catechesis, Pope Benedict XVI addressed the importance of interior and exterior silence and how it allows us to hear the Word and let it dwell within us. In order to pray, the Pope said we must turn off the noise of the modern world. We must find the silence that Jesus sought in His daily life and on the Cross.

Spending quiet time in prayer every day is important for those who want to take part in the New Evangelization. Confession also helps, Pope Benedict said. In an address last Friday, he connected the fruits of evangelization with the holiness of the Church’s body. God’s children are sanctified by the Sacrament of Reconciliation, and a conversion of heart directly impacts one’s ability to spread the Gospel. He said:

Thus each confession, from which each Christian will emerge renewed, will represent a step forward for new evangelization.

Although Catholics are just asked to confess their sins once a year, the Catechism of the Catholic Church says:

Indeed the regular confession of our venial sins helps us form our conscience, fight against evil tendencies, let ourselves be healed by Christ and progress in the life of the Spirit. By receiving more frequently through this sacrament the gift of the Father's mercy, we are spurred to be merciful as he is merciful (1458).    

According to Pope Benedict, time in silent prayer and confession of our sins will not only set us on the path to holiness this Lent, but they will also help us to be better purveyors of the Gospel. Let us be sanctified so that we can fully participate in the New Evangelization.

Mary, Star of the New Evangelization, Pray for Us.