Homily for the 4th Sunday of Lent, “Laetare Sunday”, March 27, 2022. Readings: 2 Corinthians 5:17-21; Gospel of St. Luke 15:1-32. Theme: Dead, Buried & Gone
The Parable of the Prodigal Son in today’s gospel has never lost its appeal through 2,000 years of being told because it’s a story about brand new beginnings and second chances. It’s a story about how forgiveness means letting go of the past, no matter what that looked like, and being set free from to live a new life.
Did you notice that the father in the story makes absolutely no mention of what his son had done? He doesn’t even make the slightest reference to how rude, disrespectful and selfish he had been. We don’t hear even one word of reproach from the father about the boy’s life of partying and promiscuity. As far as that father is concerned, it’s all in the past. Jesus is telling us that this is precisely how God acts towards us. As soon as our Heavenly Father sees sincere repentance for sin in our hearts he runs out to welcome us home. He rejoices to have us with him once again. He doesn’t reproach us for what we have done because, as far as he is concerned, it’s all forgiven and forgotten. His love sets us free from the inside out!
I learned the amazing truth about God’s forgiveness in a dramatic way when I was in college. You see, there was a Jesuit priest, who was an official exorcist and who had quite a lot of experience in that ministry. Whenever he was going to perform an exorcism, he would always take with him a small group as a prayer-team. A kind of back-up spiritual special forces unit. However, to go along with him you had to follow his non-negotiable rule of first making an honest confession of your sins.
He had a very interesting reason for this requirement. He told us that during an exorcism, the demon tries to get true believers out of the room because their prayers are part of the all-powerful intercession of Christ, backing up the spiritual power of the ritual. And so, the evil spirit, speaking through the possessed person, will often try to drive people away by calling out their most private and embarrassing sins! You know, the kind that you really don’t want anyone to ever find out about!
But then the priest recounted something that happened at a past exorcism and that convinced him to make confession a non-negotiable requirement. It seems that on that occasion, when the time came for the demon to try and accuse and scatter the team, he remained utterly and unusually silent. No one had any sins called out. No one had their most private and deepest darkest secrets revealed for all to hear. This amazed the exorcist and when he demanded to know why no one was being named and shamed, he got this disgruntled reply from the demon: “No one here has sinned! There is nothing I can see and accuse them of having done!”
Now I can assure you that among these college kids who were my peers, there were indeed sins that could have been named and shamed. So, what was up? Well, you see when we come to our senses like the prodigal son and honestly confess to God with contrite hearts and humble spirits, our sins are not just forgiven, but they are completely annihilated…totally obliterated by Christ. Now, of course, this doesn’t mean that we never actually committed the sins. Of course we did, but what really holds us back, what really keeps us prisoners to our past, is the guilty verdict that goes along with our sins. But God’s forgiveness is so total that it lets go of our past. God’s forgiveness is so merciful that it frees us from the guilt of our sins. And that’s what makes all the difference in the world!
This gift of total forgiveness was made possible for us through the death and resurrection of Christ as St. Paul teaches us in today's second reading. He urges us to accept this gift of reconciliation with God that Jesus made possible when he took the guilt of our sins with him to the cross. And when Christ died as a sacrifice, our sins died with him. And they were also buried with him in the tomb. And then when Jesus rose up from the grave our sins stayed behind, forever buried and gone. This is why St. Paul tells us today that whoever is in Christ is a new creation and that the old things of our lives have passed away. He declares that God no longer holds our trespasses against us and this is why the sins of my college peers were hidden from the demon’s sight. As far as God is concerned, those who repent have no sinful past.
But now here's the thing: while it is true that Jesus has died for our sins, it is equally true that we do not automatically receive this forgiveness. We have to consciously accept it because God never forces his gifts upon us, not even the gift of his boundless mercy. We have to personally ask for it and claim this forgiveness. The prodigal son shows us the way we do this is by owning up to what we have done. We need to examine our consciences and make an honest and fearless moral self-inventory. Finally and most importantly, we humbly admit to God the exact nature of what we have done, naming our sins and asking for mercy. This is the purpose of the Sacrament of Reconciliation through which we come before Jesus as Savior and are set free from the guilt of our sins by the ministry of his Church.
So, let’s do ourselves a favor and listen to God’s Word calling us to be truly set free of those things that might still weigh us down in conscience. Let’s make a good confession as Easter draws near so that we have nothing to hold us back from enjoying real freedom in Christ. There’s no better way for us to prepare for and receive the hope and the promise of new life which is, after all, the joyous message of Easter!
How to Make a Good Confession
- Ask the Holy Spirit for enlightenment and then examine your conscience.
- Be sincerely sorry for your sins with a humble heart
- Confess your sins honestly to the priest who stands in for Christ.
- Resolve to try your best in the future, relying on God's grace
- After your confession say or do the penance that the priest assigns.
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