The Prodigal Son The Sacrament of Penance and Reconciliation Fr. Antony Jukes O.F.M.

Transcription

1 The Prodigal Son The Sacrament of Penance and Reconciliation Fr. Antony Jukes O.F.M. 1

2 For the sake of Jesus name Copyright 2010, Antony Edward Jukes O.F.M. Available online at: Contents Introduction The Younger Son The Pursuit of Happiness Coming to Our Senses The Long Journey Home The Compassionate Father The Love which Conquers All Fear The Elder Brother The Sting in the Tail The Sacrament of Penance and Reconciliation Preparation for Receiving the Sacrament Confessing to a Priest Public Humiliation Conclusions 2

3 The Prodigal Son The Sacrament of Penance and Reconciliation Antony Edward Jukes Introduction 1 The parable of the Prodigal Son (Luke 15:11 32) is arguably one of the greatest short stories ever told. It captures many aspects of our journey through life in which we fall away from God by pursuing the illusion that true happiness can be found without God. It explains the suffering and the heartache that we experience when this pursuit leads to a spiritual starvation, and we realise that by turning away from God we have actually isolated ourselves from the one true source of eternal joy and everlasting happiness. And it expresses the fear we have as we turn back to God and begin the long and painful journey home. When Jesus tells the story He reveals to us that He understands our struggle and our desire to find happiness. He knows our fears and our worries when we realise that we have strayed from God and done wrong by searching for happiness in all the wrong places. He appreciates the difficulties we face as we struggle to change our ways, and He reassures us that God is a good and loving and merciful and compassionate Father who is always willing to forgive us when we turn to Him with a humble and sorrowful heart. But He reminds us that just as we long for forgiveness and reconciliation with God so also we must be willing to forgive those around us. The Younger Son In the parable there is a man with two sons (Luke 15:11) but the younger son, known also as the prodigal son, asks for his share of the property and decides to leave for a distant country where he squanders his property on loose living (Luke 15:12 13). We are not told why he wants to leave his father s house but it seems he is determined to discover whether greater joy and happiness can be found elsewhere by living a life of debauchery. It is not that he is being deliberately nasty or evil; it is just that he wants to find out whether greater joy can be found with his father or without his father. He is fascinated by the apparent freedom to do whatever he likes if he leaves his father s house. And though it must break the father s heart to see his son heading down a self-destructive path, the father allows him to leave. The Pursuit of Happiness It is in this way that we can all relate to the younger son. There is a prodigal son in all of us in the sense that although we sometimes do things to be deliberately nasty often we do things in life not to be deliberately nasty or evil, but rather we do things simply because we genuinely think it will bring us joy and happiness. It is as if we are determined to discover whether greater joy can be found with God or without God. And we become fascinated by the apparent freedom to do whatever we like if we turn away from God our Father. It is the misguided belief and illusion that we are better off without God than we are with God. But even though we are mistaken in this belief, God respects our choice and allows us to leave. And so people go out and get drunk, they take drugs, they sleep around, they look at pornography, they pursue money and wealth and material things and they worship false idols because they think it will make them happy. Celebrity culture even glamorises the drink and drugs and sex and money orientated lifestyle, and in the media and in advertising we are even told that many of these things will bring us joy and happiness. And the irony is that they do make us happy but this type of happiness is short lived and it soon fades away and 1 English translation Scripture quotations are taken from the Revised Standard Version. References to the Books of the Bible follow the system of abbreviation and chapter and verse numbering as used in the Revised Standard Version. See, The Holy Bible: Revised Standard Version, Second Catholic Edition (San Francisco: Ignatius Press, 2006). All Catechism quotations and references are taken from, Catechism of the Catholic Church, Revised Edition (London: Geoffrey Chapman, a Cassell imprint, 1999). The numbers refer to the paragraph number as given in the Catechism. The Catechism itself refers to Sacred Scripture and to various other sources such as the Church Councils and the writings of the saints. 3

4 4 Antony Edward Jukes we are left feeling empty again. Like a good meal we are satisfied for a short while but we will soon be hungry again, and we will have to begin our lonely search for joy and happiness all over again. We see this struggle throughout our society but particularly among the young. It is the prodigal son over and over again. Ultimately this endless pursuit leads us away from God until eventually it becomes destructive and divisive in that it damages the person, taking away from our true dignity as human beings created in the image and likeness of God (Genesis 1:26 27), and it damages not only our relationship with God but our relationships with one another. We see this amidst the antisocial behaviour within our society. And so the glamour of the drink and drugs and sex and materialistic lifestyle is an illusion, it is a lie. And though our intentions may be good in that we think we are pursuing happiness, it does not justify the wrong we do in that pursuit of happiness. Coming to Our Senses In the parable the younger son loses everything and when a great famine hits the land not only is he faced with the humiliation of having to feed swine but he is faced with the serious prospect of physical starvation (Luke 15:14 16). But then he came to his senses, and he reflects on everything he has lost, and he realises that he was better off with his father all along (Luke 15:17). When he lived in his father s house he had everything he could ever want or need. It was personal tragedy that helped the younger son to see sense, and likewise people often only turn back to God and begin to see sense when they are faced with personal tragedy in their lives, be it physical illness or the loss of a dear one or indeed the reality of their own mortality. When we have everything we need we often fail to recognise our need of God and our need of others. But it is when we lose everything, when we lose control, that we suddenly become aware of our need of others and our total dependency on God. If the younger son did not come to his senses, and if he did not turn back to his father then quite literally he would have died of starvation. And likewise in our pursuit of joy and happiness if we do not come to our senses, if we do not turn back to God our loving Father then we will die a spiritual death of starvation. God is not going to punish us for turning away from God but rather we punish ourselves by turning away from God. By turning away from God we isolate ourselves and we cut ourselves off from the one source of infinite joy and everlasting happiness. Like the younger son we can search the whole world for things that make us happy but there must come a time in our lives when we realise that true joy and everlasting happiness can only ever be found with our good and loving God. There must come a time when we realise that we are better off with God than without God. As human beings we have an infinite desire and an infinite appetite for joy and happiness, but this infinite desire can never be fully satisfied by the finite things of this world. This infinite desire can only ever be satisfied by our infinite God. The Long Journey Home Now when the younger son decides to return to his father (Luke 15:18), he begins to plan what he will say to his father. And he decides to say three things. First of all he decides to say, Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you (Luke 15:18). He is truly sorry for what he has done and he makes the decision to declare himself guilty before his father (Catechism 1439). There is no attempt to make excuses for the wrong he has done; there is just an open and honest admittance of guilt, a letting go of pride. We can learn from the openness and honesty and humility of the younger son. Instead of blaming others for our sins or trying to come up with pathetic excuses for the wrong we have done, we should just be open and honest when we know we have done wrong; we must be humble enough to admit to our guilt and to confess our sins without gloss. All too often we try to put our sins down to life experience as if to suggest that life experience justifies the wrong we do. But this is a denial of the sin, a lack of humiliation and a lack of openness to the love and mercy of God. The younger son also decides to say to his father, I am no longer worthy to be called your son (Luke 15:19). He has dishonoured his father and he has brought shame upon his

5 father s house by squandering his property through loose living (Luke 15:13). And likewise our sins bring dishonour to God and shame to our Father s house. On a worldwide scale we see this in acts of terrorism supposedly carried out in the name of God. Such acts of violence dishonour God and do so much damage to the reputation of religion. It leaves people to question that if those who believe in God behave in such a disgraceful way then perhaps it is best not to believe in God at all. More specifically the recent abuse scandals have brought shame and disgrace upon our Father s house, the Church, so much so that people begin to question the purpose of organised religion. And on a more local level if our lifestyle causes scandal within the wider community then it leaves people to comment that if that is the way Christians behave and if that is the way they treat one another then what is the point in becoming a Christian. When we are the cause of scandal we are not worthy to be called sons and daughters of God our Father. And the younger son also intends to say to his father, Treat me as one of your hired servants (Luke 15:19). On the one hand it could be that the younger son is suggesting some sort of a penance for himself in order to make amends for the wrong he has done. He has already squandered his share of the property (Luke 15:12 13) and so rather than continuing to be a financial burden to his father he will instead offer to work for his father. This can reflect our own need and desire to make amends for the wrong we have done, and to do some form of penance to make up for our sins and to repair any harm we may have done to ourselves, to those around us and to our relationship with God (Catechism ). Such penance is important and necessary because it can help us realise the seriousness of our sin. In turn this may encourage us to resist and overcome this temptation to sin in the future. And this helps us in our ongoing conversion, in our turning towards God (Catechism ). On the other hand it may even be that the younger son is afraid of being punished by his father or even turned away and disowned by his father, and so he suggests a punishment for himself in the hope that at least he won t be turned away; at least he will still be able to live in his father s house. In this sense we can all relate to the younger son because at some stage in our lives we have all been afraid of getting into trouble and being punished for the wrong we have done. We may have been afraid of getting into trouble with our parents at home or with a teacher at school or with a boss at work or with the police, so much so that we tried to hide the wrong we had done. Ultimately there may be times when we have sinned and we are afraid of being punished by God or even turned away and rejected by God. This fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom (Psalm 111:10). 2 There has been a recent trend to replace fear of the Lord with awe for the Lord because understandably we are more comfortable speaking about the God of love than the God of fear. But Scripture is quite clear that the beginning of wisdom is fear of the Lord and not awe and wonder. This actually makes sense because when we first encounter the awesome power of God and we realise that God knows everything, and therefore we cannot hide anything from God, it can lead to an initial fear of God which can encourage us to change our ways and to turn away from evil, just as the fear of being caught and the threat of punishment can deter someone from breaking the law and from committing a serious crime. It is when people are not afraid of the law or of punishment that they believe that they can get away with anything. But even though the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom (Psalm 111:10), this fear must not overwhelm us or drive us to despair. It must not lead to a loss of hope in the love and mercy and forgiveness of God. Despite his doubts and worries and fears about what lays ahead, in the parable the younger son begins the long and painful journey home (Luke 15:20). This journey is a penance in itself. The further the younger son went from his father s house, the more distant the country he travelled to (Luke 15:13), the longer the journey home. And likewise the further we stray from God, the more difficult the journey back home to God. The more we have indulged in certain habits of sin the tighter the grip a particular sin holds on us and the more difficult it is to break free from those habits of sin. 2 See also Job 28:28 and Proverbs 1:7 and 9:10. 5

6 Just as it is so difficult for someone to overcome an addiction, whatever that addiction might be, so also the addiction of certain sin can be so very difficult to overcome. But despite these difficulties the younger son perseveres in his journey home. Once he has made the decision to return to his father he does not change his mind. He doesn t stop or return to his old and sinful ways, he doesn t allow the past to hold him back, but rather he stays focused on the journey ahead and on the journey home (Luke 15:20). And likewise when we experience a conversion in our lives, and when we feel the need and the desire to return to God our Father, we must not hesitate or stop or look back (Luke 9:62), we must not return to our old and sinful ways, but rather we must persevere to the end (Philippians 3:14). The Compassionate Father Now while the younger son was still some distance away his father saw him and had compassion, and ran and embraced him and kissed him (Luke 15:20). It is as if the younger son was tired and was struggling. But his father had been looking out for him in hope that one day his son would return. And when he saw him the father recognised that his son was struggling, and so he was moved with compassion and ran out to meet his son and to help bring him safely home. Likewise we may struggle to find God and to find our way home. But God our Father is always looking out for His wayward children in the hope that one day we will turn back to Him. And when He sees us repenting and trying to change our sinful ways He recognises that we struggle and so He is filled with compassion and He comes to us, to help us in our journey home. But despite the warmth of his father s embrace it seems that the younger son is still afraid of what his father will say to him and so he begins to say the things he had planned to say to his father. He had planned to say three things; 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). But when he meets his father, his father only allows him to say the first two. Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you (Luke 15:21). This is true for the younger son and it is also true for us because every time we sin we ultimately sin against God. He then says, I am no longer worthy to be called your son (Luke 15:21). This is also true because the younger son has brought shame and disgrace to his father s house, and likewise every time we sin we do not deserve to be called children of God. The Love which Conquers All Fear But the father does not give his son time to say the third thing. The younger son had planned to say, Treat me as one of your hired servants (Luke 15:19), as if he is suggesting a punishment for his sins or as if he is expecting a punishment for his sins. But the father has no desire to punish his son. Already the father has embraced his son and kissed him (Luke 15:20), and now the father sends his servants to bring the best robe, to put a ring on his hand and shoes on his feet, and to prepare a great feast (Luke 15:22 23). The father was overjoyed when he saw his son. It was as if his son was dead, and is alive again; he was lost, and is found (Luke 15:24), and so the father begins to celebrate with his household (Luke 15:24). And likewise despite the fact that we need to do penance for our own benefit, to help us change our ways and to make amends for the wrong we have done, God our loving Father has no desire to actually punish us for our past sins when we turn to Him with a humble and sorrowful heart. God our Father simply welcomes us home and restores in us our dignity as children of God; which in the parable is symbolised by the finest robe, the ring and the shoes and the great feast (Luke 15:22 23). 3 God our Father is simply overcome with joy when we turn back to Him. The joy experienced by the Father can only be compared to the joy we will experience when we are reunited with our loved ones whom we have lost through death; when those we have lost are found again in the Resurrection to new life. And so it is quite understandable that the Father and His entire household, the saints and the angels in heaven, begin to celebrate when sinners repent and turn back to God. 4 3 See also Catechism See the parable of the lost sheep (Luke 15:1 7), and the parable of the lost coin (Luke 15:8 10). 6

7 This is not the God to be afraid of. Far from being a harsh and unforgiving judge, Jesus Christ reveals to us that the Father is full of love and mercy and compassion. No matter what wrong we have done, if we come to our senses, if we change our ways, if we turn to God with a humble and sorrowful heart, there is simply no need to be afraid, God is always willing to forgive. And so even though the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom (Psalm 111:10) in the sense that it can encourage us to change our ways, just as the fear of being caught and the threat of punishment can deter someone from breaking the law and from committing a serious crime, with time the love of God will eventually conquer any fear within us (1 John 4:18). This does not give us the excuse to go on living immoral lives because the love of God is not to be abused. All too often we hear the attitude that God loves me unconditionally and therefore I can do what I like. But this attitude is like a husband or a wife saying, My spouse loves me unconditionally, and therefore I can carry on hurting them and treating them like dirt; I can cheat on them and be unfaithful to them because they will continue to love me and they will always forgive me. This is clearly not the way for a husband and wife to treat one another, and likewise this is not the way to respond to God s immeasurable love. 5 We are all called to a spousal relationship with our good and loving God and therefore the only way to respond to God s immeasurable love is to love God in return, with all our heart, soul and mind (Matthew 22:37), in everything we say and in everything we do, in the way we love our neighbour and in the way we love ourselves (Matthew 22:39). In this way we are no longer motivated by a fear of God or by a fear of being caught, but rather we are motivated by the love of God and by a desire to respond to that love by simply loving God in return. 6 God rejoices in us not when we sin but when we turn away from sin. The love and the mercy of God is such that when we are truly sorry for our sins, when we genuinely want to change our ways, God is always willing to forgive and to leave our sins in the past, for as the heavens are high above the earth, so great is His mercy toward those who fear Him; as far as the east is from the west, so far does He remove our transgressions from us (Psalm 103:11 12). And so even if we are great sinners, if we are truly sorry, if we want to change our ways, and if we are open to the love of God then the love of God conquers any fear we might have of the day of judgement, the day when we will stand before God, just as the love of the father conquered any fear in the heart of his younger son. The Elder Brother But as well as needing to be reconciled with his father, the younger son also needs to be reconciled with his elder brother, who refuses to welcome him home and refuses to join in the celebrations (Luke 15:25 28). And likewise when we do wrong we need to be reconciled not just with God but with one another, with the members of the Church, our brothers and sisters in Christ, 7 because not only do our sinful actions damage our relationship with God, but our actions also damage the relationships we have with the people around us. In the parable the elder brother is angry because he has faithfully served his father for many years without ever having a celebration held in his honour (Luke 15:29 30). It is in this sense that many of us are able to relate to the anger and bitterness of the elder brother. When we see other people doing wrong what do we want for them? Do we want to see them come to their senses and repent and change their ways, do we really want to see them experience the love and mercy and forgiveness of God our Father, just as the younger son experienced the love and mercy and forgiveness of his compassionate father, or would we rather see sinners punished by God for the wrong they do? Are we angry and bitter at the thought of sinners receiving forgiveness from God, just as the elder brother is angry and 5 If anyone ever doubts whether our sins hurt God we only have to look upon the suffering Christ on the Cross. If anyone ever doubts whether God loves us we only have to look upon the suffering Christ on the Cross. 6 This is the distinction between imperfect contrition, repentance driven by a consideration of the ugliness of sin or by a fear of punishment and eternal damnation (Catechism 1453), and perfect contrition which arises from a love by which God is loved above all else (Catechism 1452). 7 See Catechism and

8 bitter at the thought of the younger son receiving forgiveness from his father? Do we look upon God s justice as an opportunity to get our revenge on those who have wronged us? Do we question why they are allowed to get away with it, and if they can get away with it then why can t I get away with it, as if the dishonesty of others is an excuse for us to be dishonest. The Sting in the Tail And this is really the sting in the tail of this parable. It is no good asking God to forgive us our sins if at the same time we are unwilling to forgive the sins of others. Every time we pray the Lord s Prayer we say the words, forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us (Matthew 6:12). We cannot ask God for mercy if at the same time we ask Him to withhold His mercy from others. We cannot claim that we have made our peace with God if at the same time our hearts are filled with hatred for the people around us. We cannot claim to love the God whom we cannot see if at the same time we refuse to love the brother or sister whom we can see (1 John 4:20). When the younger son returns home we do not know whether the elder brother eventually accepts him. The father comes out to plead with the elder brother (Luke 15:28). And with the words, Son, you are always with me, and all that is mine is yours (Luke 15:31), he effectively explains that just because he has shown love and mercy to his younger son, it does not mean that he loves the elder brother any less. And likewise when God shows love and mercy to sinners it does not mean that God loves the virtuous any less. The father even reminds the elder son that it is his brother who has come home. It is not just my son who was dead, and is alive again (Luke 15:24), but it is your brother who was dead, and is alive again; who was lost, and is found (Luke 15:32). But Jesus ends the parable there. We simply do not know whether the elder brother eventually joins in the celebrations. It is as if Jesus has deliberately left the parable open ended. In other words it is for us to decide the ending. When people turn to us and ask us for forgiveness are we quick to forgive them or do we refuse to forgive them, preferring instead to hold on to grudges and resentments? When sinners turn back to God, when sinners come home to the Church, the Father s house, do we refuse to accept them, are we suspicious of them, do we stand outside refusing to enter, refusing to have anything to do with the Church until those wretched sinners have been removed, or are we like the compassionate father ready to welcome them home with open arms? The great irony is that although we might be able to relate to the elder brother in that we might struggle to forgive sinners, none of us can ever really claim to be the elder brother. All of us are sinners (1 John 1:8 10) none of us can honestly say that we have always served God faithfully and never disobeyed God s command (Luke15:29), and so what right have we got to point the finger of blame and judgement at anyone (Luke 15:30). Just as we need God s forgiveness so we have no right to be bitter when God shows forgiveness to others. In fact the only dutiful son there has even been is God the Son, our Lord Jesus Christ. He is the only Son who has always served and obeyed the will of His Father. 8 He is the only Son who is honestly able to say to the Father, Behold, these many years I have served you, and I never disobeyed your command (Luke 15:29). But unlike the elder brother in the parable Jesus is never angry and bitter when sinners come home and experience the love and mercy and compassion of God the Father. Like His Father in heaven, Jesus Christ the only Son of God is always ready and willing to welcome us home with open arms. Jesus is the Good Shepherd (John 10:1 18), who searches for the lost sheep (Luke 15:1 7), who eats and drinks with sinners (Mark 2:15 17), who ultimately left His Father s house in heaven so as to seek out and save those who are lost (Luke 19:10); and therefore what excuse can we have for not welcoming the repentant sinner home. The Sacrament of Penance and Reconciliation In the parable of the prodigal son Jesus reveals to us the whole process of conversion and repentance (Catechism 1439), and in doing so this parable gives us an insight into the 8 See Mark 14:36 and John 4:34; 6:38; 14:31 and 18:11. See also Catechism

9 essence and purpose of the sacrament of Penance and Reconciliation. 9 We may question why we need a sacrament of Reconciliation after Baptism (Catechism ) after all it is through Baptism that we became children of God our loving Father (Catechism 1265). And yet just as the younger son fell away from his father s house, so also when we sin we turn away from God and we fall away from the Father s house. But just as the younger son came to his senses and repented of his sin (Luke 15:17) and confessed to the wrong he had done (Luke 15:18), with the intention of accepting some form of penance to make amends for the wrong he had done (Luke 15:19), so also when we have done wrong, when we come to our senses, when we experience a conversion and a genuine desire to change our ways (Catechism ), to turn back to God and to sin no more (Catechism 1490), we are filled with sorrow guilt and regret for our sins (Catechism ), 10 and we feel a need to confess our sins (Catechism ), and to do some form of appropriate penance in order to make amends for the wrong we have done, to repair the harm done to others, to heal our fractured relationship with God, and to help us grow closer to Christ and to become ever more Christ-like (Catechism ). Preparation for Receiving the Sacrament On some occasions it is obvious when we have committed a serious sin, but on other occasions it is not so obvious and therefore an examination of conscience is needed before receiving the sacrament of Reconciliation (Catechism 1454). Just as the younger son spent time reflecting on all he had lost (Luke 15:17), so also we need to spend time reflecting on what we lose through sin. We need to spend time reflecting on the damage done to our own human dignity, and the damage done to our relationships with other people. Ultimately we need to spend time reflecting on the things we have done that have separated us from our Father in heaven. There are a number of Scripture passages which can help us in our preparation. Have we broken one of the Ten Commandments for example (Exodus 20:1 20), or have we failed to live certain aspects of the Christian life as given to us by Christ Himself in the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5 7). Reflecting on the parable of the last judgement (Matthew 25:31 46), have we failed to see the face of Christ in the poor? Do we claim to have faith but do we fail to put it into practice through good works (James 2:14 26); in other words are we idle followers of Christ, attending Mass on a Sunday but doing no more? Do we live by the flesh or do we live by the Spirit (Galatians 5:16 26). 11 But ultimately we must ask ourselves whether we live by the Law of love. The whole Law is summed up in the commandment to love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind (Matthew 22:37), and in the commandment to love your neighbour as yourself (Matthew 22:39). Do we love God above all else or are there times when we have failed to love God above all else; have we been indifferent to God for example, or have we placed our love for materialistic things before our love for God? Do we love the people around us or have we failed to love our neighbour by not caring for them or by gossiping about them, and by doing things to them which we would not want done to ourselves (Matthew 7:12). Do we love ourselves in a healthy and appropriate way or do we love ourselves in a vain and self-indulgent way; do we appreciate the gift of life which God has given us or have we at times been ungrateful for that gift of life, have we even neglected and abused that gift of life? It is only by appreciating the gift of life which God has given us that we can begin to appreciate the gift of life which God has given to those people we meet. In order to help us realise whether we are as loving as we could be, we may turn to Saint Paul s beautiful description of the way of love in his first letter to the Corinthians. Saint Paul writes that Love is patient and kind; love is not jealous or boastful; it is not arrogant or rude. Love does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does 9 This sacrament is given various names. See Catechism This is what the Church refers to as contrition. 11 Other suitable Scripture passages from the letters of Saint Paul include Romans and Ephesians

10 not rejoice at wrong, but rejoices in the right. Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never ends (1 Corinthians 13:4 8). In this passage Saint Paul is not actually describing love, after all how can you describe love, how can you define something which we cannot see or hear or smell or touch or taste? Love is invisible; it is beyond description. When Saint Paul writes that love is patient and kind, and that love is not jealous or boastful and so on, he is not describing love or defining love but rather he is explaining how love reveals itself, and expresses itself, and makes itself known. Saint Paul is explaining how you can tell whether there is love within a person, love within us, and love within our relationships with God and with the people around us; our family members and friends, our neighbours and the people we meet. If we are patient and kind and honest and polite and generous and forgiving towards someone then surely it is an indication of the invisible love that we hold within our hearts for that person. But if we are impatient and unkind, if we are jealous, arrogant, rude, conceited and selfish, if we refuse to forgive someone, holding onto resentments, if we gloat when others do wrong and if we are cynical when others do right, then surely it is an indication of the lack of love which we hold in our hearts for that particular person. It is an indication that we are not as loving as we could be and therefore perhaps we need to work at our love for that particular person. The purpose of making a regular examination of our conscience is not so that we beat ourselves up over sin, but rather it is to highlight those areas in our life which need to be worked at and improved. Ongoing reflection ensures that we do not fall back into old ways and bad habits of sin, but rather we persevere and we stay focused on the journey ahead, on the journey to our heavenly home. Ultimately the purpose is to help us grow in love; in love with God, in love with the people around us, and in loving appreciation of the gift of life which God has given us. Confessing to a Priest The confession of our sins to a priest is an essential part of the sacrament of Penance (Catechism 1456). The reason is that Jesus Christ Himself gave to the Apostles the ministry of forgiveness and reconciliation. 12 This work is continued by their successors, namely the bishops with the help of priests (Catechism 1461). Understandably many people question why we need to confess our sins to a priest; why can we not just say sorry to God in private instead of having to face the humiliation of confessing our sins to another person? And yet from a human point of view the confessing of our sins to another person helps us to take greater responsibility for the wrong we do, and in turn this may encourage us to change our ways and to begin again (Catechism 1455). And from a human point of view if we cannot humble ourselves before our fellow human beings whom we can see, then how can we honestly claim to be humble before the God whom we cannot physically see? The confessing of our sins to another person is an outward sign of an inner humility, a humbleness of heart. It is an outward sign of our openness to the mercy and forgiveness of God; bearing in mind that God will never impose mercy and forgiveness on us but rather we must open ourselves up to the mercy and forgiveness of God. We can only do this by first acknowledging our sins and our need of forgiveness, and then by approaching God with a humble and contrite heart (Luke 18:9 14). Furthermore by confessing our sins to another person that person may be able to give us some advice on how to overcome sin and temptation. But surely anyone can hear our confession and give some advice, and so why confess our sins specifically to a priest? Why not confess our sins to someone who knows us better, a close and trusted family member or friend. After all a priest is only human like anyone else, he is a sinner like everyone else, and so in this sense the sacrament of Reconciliation is just a meeting of two sinners in the presence of God. Why does one of those sinners have to be a priest? 12 See Matthew 16:19; 18:18; John 20:23 and 2 Corinthians 5:18. 10

11 11 Antony Edward Jukes On one level if the priest is aware of his own sinfulness then he is never in a position to look down on the other person, he is called to be compassionate just as the father in the parable is compassionate (Luke 15:20). And if a priest is aware not just of his own human frailty and need of God but also of the teachings of Christ and His Church, and if the priest has a genuine love for truth and an understanding of these teachings (Catechism 1466), then the priest is able to give sound and moral and spiritual advice on how to overcome sin with the help of God, and how to grow in maturity of faith. Of course it may be argued that any person with a love for truth and a deep understanding of the teachings of Christ and of His Church should be in a position to give sound and moral and spiritual advice. After all it is through the grace of Baptism that the faithful, as members of the Church, the Body of Christ, are called to share in the common priesthood of Christ (Catechism 1268). But on another level it is through the grace of ordination, by virtue of the sacrament of Holy Orders that a priest acts in persona Christi Capitis, in the person of Christ the Head (Catechism 1548). The priest represents Christ the high priest, the Head of His Body the Church, and therefore has the power to forgive all sins in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit (Catechism 1461), just as Christ has the power and authority to forgive sins (Mark 2:10). The priest is therefore in a position to reassure the other person of the love and mercy and forgiveness of Christ. As human beings we need to be reassured of the love that others have for us. When children have done wrong and have said sorry they need to be reassured by their parents that they continue to be loved. Likewise when we have done wrong we need to be reassured of the love that God our Father has for us, we need a visual reminder and words of comfort to reassure us of that love. In the parable the younger son is reassured by the father s look of compassion, by his loving embrace (Luke 15:20), and by his words and actions (Luke 15:22 24), and likewise when someone approaches a priest for forgiveness they are to be reassured with a look of compassion and love, and with the words of forgiveness and absolution (Catechism 1449). In this way the priest is effectively the sign and the instrument of God s merciful love for the sinner (Catechism 1465). Furthermore Jesus said to His followers, Come to me, all who labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest (Matthew 11:28). One of the heaviest burdens which people have to carry through life is the burden of guilt and regret, guilt for past sins and regret for mistakes made, things we have done in the past which we should not have done, and things which we should have done when we had the chance but failed to do. This heavy burden can weigh us down so much that metaphorically speaking we are unable to stand up straight; we are no longer able to look up and see before us the love and the mercy and the forgiveness of our God. We become blind to the love of God and we are left dwelling on our troubled past. But in the sacrament of Penance and Reconciliation it is this burden which Jesus wants to lift from our shoulders so that we may stand up straight and see once more the love which God has for us. When we confess our sins to a priest we effectively offload this burden of guilt and regret onto the priest who represents Christ lifting the heavy burden from our shoulders onto His own (Isaiah 53:4). This can only be done within the safe environment of the sacrament of Reconciliation where there is absolute secrecy, the sacred sacramental seal which removes any fear of gossip and backstabbing (Confession 1467). This absolute secrecy protects our dignity and allows us to start again; to begin afresh our journey to God and our pilgrimage to our heavenly home. Public Humiliation But unfortunately it may sometimes be the case that before people have even had a chance to confess their sins to a priest they are already the subject of gossip and slander and backstabbing. In the story of the woman caught in the act of adultery (John 8:2 11) a woman is quite literally dragged before an accusing and hostile crowd, her life is in serious danger, according to the law she is to be stoned (Deuteronomy 22:22 24), and she suffers the public humiliation of having her sin exposed by a self-righteous group of scribes and Pharisees who point the finger of blame directly at her (John 8:3 5). Sadly there may be occasions when we

12 suffer the public humiliation of having our sins exposed before others, before judgemental and condemning eyes. Thankfully our life may not be in danger but our reputation and good name within the neighbourhood may be ruined by gossip and slander, by snide comments and backstabbing. We see extreme cases of this time and time again in our modern society. The gossip columns in tabloid newspapers are a prime example. Really when you think about it those gossip columns are nothing more than public stoning exercises where lives may not be taken but reputations are certainly ruined and destroyed by a certain self-righteous section of the media who are feeding the hunger that some people have for the filth of gossip and scandal. When Jesus is questioned by the scribes and Pharisees about the woman caught in the act of adultery Jesus does not even bother to look up. Instead He just bends down and writes with His finger on the ground (John 8:6), refusing to point the finger of blame at the woman, and refusing to have anything to do with the self-righteous crowd who are about to destroy not just a reputation but a life. Jesus shows us how we should respond to gossip and scandal; we should have nothing to do with it, nothing to do with the filth of tabloid gossip. Even if the gossip is true we should not become part of the judgemental and self-righteous crowd that points the finger of blame. 13 When Jesus eventually responds to the hostile crowd He calmly says, Let him who is without sin among you be the first to throw a stone at her (John 8:7). Jesus is without sin and so He could have thrown a stone, He could have pointed the finger of blame, but instead He just bends down once more and writes with His finger on the ground (John 8:8). 14 And gradually the accusing crowd begins to drift away and Jesus is left alone with the woman standing before Him (John 8:9). It is only then that Jesus looks up. And Jesus says to her, Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you? (John 8:10). And the woman says, No one, Lord. And Jesus says to her, Neither do I condemn you; go, and do not sin again (John 8:11). And this should be our experience of the sacrament of Reconciliation whenever we are the victims of gossip and slander and backstabbing. Regardless of how many people are talking about us and criticising us and pointing the finger of blame at us, when we enter the confessional the accusing crowd effectively drifts away and we are left alone before the priest. And on behalf of Jesus the priest is able to say, Where is everyone? Is there no one here to condemn you? No one, father, should be your reply. And on behalf of Jesus the priest is able to say, Neither do I condemn you; go, and do not sin again (John 8:11). Just as Jesus gave the woman the chance to begin again so the priest gives the penitent the chance to begin again. Conclusions When the sacrament of Penance and Reconciliation is approached in this way, rather than being something to fear the sacrament becomes a celebration of the Father s love and mercy and forgiveness. All too often the parable is referred to as the parable of the Prodigal Son but we must not lose sight of the fact that really it is a parable about the Compassionate Father; he is the central figure. And likewise if we focus too much on our sins then we risk losing sight of the fact that the sacrament of Reconciliation is really about the compassion of God our loving Father. But in order to experience and enjoy the Father s love and mercy and forgiveness we must also be willing to forgive the sins of others. In the parable the elder brother is told, Son, you are always with me, and all that is mine is yours (Luke 15:31). But he is unable 13 We should not even read the gossip columns in the tabloid press because in doing so we begin to form a judgemental opinion in the quiet of our hearts, and we become part of that self-righteous crowd. 14 We have no idea what Jesus was writing on the ground but a good suggestion is that perhaps He was writing a list of sins, a reminder that no one in the crowd is free from guilt and therefore no one had the right to condemn the woman. And likewise none of us are free from sin and guilt and therefore we have no right to pass judgement on those who are dragged before the media or those who suffer the humiliation of being the subject of gossip within our own neighbourhood. 12

13 to enjoy his father s house because he is unable to forgive his brother; he remains standing outside as long as he is consumed with bitterness and resentment (Luke 15:28). And likewise we cannot experience the love and mercy and forgiveness of God our Father unless we are prepared to forgive the sins of others. For just as the burden of guilt and regret can weigh us down so much that we are unable to see the mercy of God, so also the burden of bitterness and resentment can weigh us down so much that we are unable to enjoy the love of God. Just as the elder brother turns himself away from his father s house, so also we turn ourselves away from the Father s heavenly house as long as we hold on to grudges and resentments. After all, how can we enter heaven if we dislike some of the people who are already there in heaven; how can we appreciate the eternal joy and everlasting happiness of heaven if we are consumed with bitterness and resentment, and if our hearts are filled with hatred? But if we let go of all bitterness and resentment then our hearts are completely free to be filled with the love of God. 13