April 6, 2018 at 1:53 p.m.
WORD OF FAITH
When we want forgiveness
'Let us eat and celebrate, for this son of mine was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found!..." - Luke 15:23
Considering how well-known and significant Sunday's Gospel passage (Luke 15:1-3,11-32) is, it's amazing that, before the new lectionary was issued in 1970, we never heard Jesus' story of the prodigal son proclaimed during a Sunday liturgy.
Frequently, when it did come up in religion classes or sermons, the last part (the older brother's reaction) was left out. I suspect part of the reason revolves around the development of sacramental confession.
In my grade-school religion classes, confession was about the only way our sins could be forgiven. Though a door was always left open for Protestants and other "confessionless" people to be forgiven by making an act of perfect contrition, many of my teachers pointed out these unfortunate individuals couldn't ever be 100-percent certain their sins were actually forgiven by employing that method. The priest who taught my confirmation classes mentioned that, in his opinion, no one was capable of making a perfect act of contrition.
At that point, I knew nothing of how sacramental confession came into existence; that originally it and public penance were reserved only for people who had committed apostasy, adultery or murder - sins which could destroy the Christian community.
Already forgiven
Nor did I know about Thomas Aquinas' disturbing "Summa Theologica" answer to the question, "At what point in the confessional process are one's sins actually forgiven?" (Is it when the priest gives absolution, after we say our act of contrition or when we finish our penance?) That greatest of theologians responded, "At the moment you're sorry for your sins." Our sins are forgiven before we ever start to confess.
The earliest Christians, like the son of the prodigal father, receive God's forgiveness as something freely offered, no strings attached, even if we never can make restitution for the harm our sinful actions created.
The older brother is the problem element, the reason Luke narrates this story in the first place. He can't help but point out to his father that he has constantly played by the rules, yet his profligate brother is now on a par with him. He's convinced that's not the way parents or God should operate. Everyone is to get what they deserve. To the boy's dismay, Jesus simply points out that neither most parents or God operate on that level.
Unconditional
Perhaps that's why we have this 2 Corinthians (5:17-21) passage as a second reading. Paul reminds his community, "Whoever is in Christ is a new creation; the old things have passed away; behold new things have come. And all this is from God who has reconciled us to Himself through Christ and given us the ministry of reconciliation."
Those who are other Christs are expected to act in ways different from everyone else. We, like Jesus, are to put no conditions on our forgiveness. Someone's desire to be forgiven is enough.
Just as the Israelites finally reach the Promised Land in Sunday's Joshua (5:9a,10-12) narrative, celebrate their first Passover and rejoice in the completion of their exodus from Egypt, so we followers of Jesus are expected to be a rejoicing, forgiven people.
But, according to the plan of God revealed through Jesus, we can only rejoice in God's forgiveness if people around us are rejoicing in our no-strings-attached forgiveness of them. If God's prodigal with us, what right do we have to be stingy with others?[[In-content Ad]]
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