The Joy of Being Forgiven

03-27-2019Weekly ReflectionFr. Julius Kundi

I came across this piece while researching for this homily. It's about Mahatma Gandhi the father of the Indian nation. In his memoirs he humbly and frankly acknowledged that, when he was fifteen, he stole a little piece of gold from his brother. However a few days later, he felt very guilty and decided to come clean by confessing to his father. So, he took a paper, wrote down his fault, sincerely asked his father for forgiveness and promised never to repeat the offense. Taking that note to the bedroom of his father, the young Gandhi found him ill in bed. Very timidly he handed the note to his father without saying a word. His father sat up in bed and began reading the note. As he read it, the senior Gandhi was so deeply moved by the honesty, sincerity and courage of his son that tears began to stream from his eyes.

This so touched the son that he burst into tears as well. Instinctively both father and son wrapped their arms around each other and wordlessly shared their mutual admiration and joy. This notable experience made such an impact on Gandhi that years later he would say, "Only the person who has experienced this kind of forgiving love can know what it is." – This precisely is what happened when the repentant prodigal son returned home. This was also the experience of the Israelites when Yahweh said as we read in the opening verse in the first reading today: " Today I have rolled away from you the disgrace of Egypt". It can only be imagined the kind of joy felt by parishioners of St. Paul in the second reading, when he revealed to them that by professing Christ as Lord and Savior, they have become new creatures with new identity. Such is God's merciful forgiveness and benevolent love for all who resolutely turn over a new leaf in life, especially during this Lenten season.

The Fourth Sunday of Lent is traditionally called Laetare Sunday. Laetare is a Latin word that means “rejoice.” All the readings describe the reason for our joy: God's great love for us has been revealed in Jesus. Through His Passion, Death, and Resurrection, Christ has reconciled us with God and one another. He has lifted our guilty feelings and put new rings on our fingers. Today we can see that God invites us to a new life in this time of Lent. We are invited to repent and to turn away from sin. We are invited to consider that we are truly a new creation. We are invited to live from the strength of Jesus Christ within us. And finally, if we do all this, we might even recognize that we have come to a new land and live in a new way and can give thanks to the Lord.

Today also we come to understand that saints have a past and sinners have a future. We really don’t have an idea of how great God’s mercy is. It is so difficult for us, especially those who often find it so difficult to forgive others to understand that God can forgive us so easily and so totally. When the prodigal son came to his senses with the pigs and decided to return to his father he did not expect his father to treat him again as his son. So he made up his mind that he would ask to become one of his servants. In approaching God we too often make the mistake of thinking that God is like us and so we cannot understand God’s mercy.

Let us pray for one another and pray especially for those who are lost and do not know the way home to the Father. May the rejoicing begin when we turn to the Lord.

Grace upon you!

Fr. Julius

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