As the Lenten journey progresses on, I have been increasingly fascinated by the touching story of the merciful father. Seeing himself without a penny in his pockets to the extent that “he would gladly have fed on the pods that the swine ate; and no one gave him anything” (Luke 15, 16), his prodigal son came to his senses and started to reason things out: “I will arise and go to my father, and I will say to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you; I am no longer worthy to be called your son; treat me as one of your hired servants” (Luke 15, 18-19).
His story is ours too. Like this wayward son, we think that without God we can live a better life. We can do what we want and be happy. Our limited perspective on the real meaning of life inflicts indescribable harm on our dignity as God’s children. Most of all, it alienates us from the life-giving reality that the Lord have graven our names on the palms of his hand (see Isa 49, 16). Returning to the Father’s home means totally rejecting sin and confessing with our contrite lives that Jesus Christ is our Lord and Saviour. When speaking about the new heavenly Jerusalem, the author of the Book of Revelations says that “nothing unclean shall enter it, nor anyone who practises abomination or falsehood, but only those who are written in the Lamb’s book of life” (Rev 21, 27). The secret of recording one’s name in the Lamb’s book of life is that of constantly returning to God. As the Book of Deuteronomy rightly encourages us: “Return to the Lord your God, you and your children, and obey his voice in all that I command you this day, with all your heart and with all your soul; then the Lord your God will restore your fortunes, and have compassion upon you, and he will gather you again from all the peoples where the Lord your God has scattered you” (Deut 30, 2-3).
The Sacrament of Penance and Reconciliation is the privileged means of grace through which the penitent experiences his/her coming back to the “Father of mercies and God of all comfort” (2 Cor 1, 3). Such a happy encounter occurs when one resorts to the sacramental confession with an open heart and decisive heart to let God be the God of his/her life. Addressing in audience Cardinal James Stafford, major penitentiary of the Apostolic Penitentiary, with the prelates and officials of that tribunal, together with the penitentiary fathers of the patriarchal basilicas of Rome, Pope Benedict XVI said: “Only God can realise this miracle of grace, and he does so through the words and gestures of the priest. On experiencing the Lord’s tenderness and forgiveness, the penitent more easily acknowledges the gravity of sin and reinforces his decision to avoid it and to remain and grow in his renewed friendship with him.”
We, as priests, should understand that hearing people’s confessions is the top of our pastoral priorities. In effect, the Holy Father tells us: “In virtue of presbyterial ordination, the confessor carries out a particular service ‘in persona Christi’ … We cannot preach forgiveness and reconciliation to others, if we are not personally penetrated by it. Christ has chosen us, dear priests, to be the only ones who can forgive sins in his name. Therefore, it is a specific ecclesial service to which we must give priority. How many people in difficulties seek the support and consolation of Christ! How many penitents find the peace and joy in confession that they have been pursuing for a long time! How can we not acknowledge that also in our time, marked by so many religious and social challenges, this sacrament must be rediscovered and proposed again.”
Dear Christian, return back to the Father’s home by determinedly resorting to the sacrament of Penance and Reconciliation! Dear Father, return back to the Father’s home by generously making yourself available to hear the confessions of your brethren!
Fr Mario Attard OFM Cap
San Gwann