(To hear the homily, press on the little black arrow below.)
If you did not figure it out from the gospel reading today (or the little sign on the Ambo) the theme from the Gospel today is REPENTANCE. It reminds me of a story…
[The Curate Painting the Church]
In all the gospels there are few figures more compelling than John the Baptist. He is at once a prophet and a herald. As the last and greatest of the prophets, he is a bridge to the coming of the Age of Grace, calling people to repentance and faithfulness to God. As herald of the Messiah, he prepares the way of the Lord. This week I’ll concentrate on his role as prophet. Next week, I will explain his role as herald.
Let’s talk about prophets. To be a prophet in Israel was a unique and often difficult task. Their principal task was NOT to predict the future. Rather, their primary role was to be the messenger of God, calling the people to return to fidelity to the Lord and their covenant with him.
As the messenger of the Lord, a prophet had access to the highest levels of civil and religious authority. A true prophet spoke only what the Lord had instructed him. (A false prophet would not, saying what would gain him favor with those in power.) Most often we see the words of the prophets addressed to those in authority, since they were the ones who had been entrusted with the welfare of the people. In this week’s gospel, we see John doing exactly that when he calls the Pharisees and Sadducees to task. It’s a good reminder for all of us who seek to follow Christ not to get too full of ourselves. God can raise up good Catholics from the very stones. We are in need of repentance.
How does it work? Let’s look at the various elements of the Sacrament of Reconciliation to guide our discourse.
1) Conversion,
This is when we look honesty at our lives, realize that we need to get our lives in order and turn back to God. It is that moment when you realize that your life is out of whack and you need to get it back in whack. It is there that we stand at the foot of the cross and say, “Lord Jesus, have mercy on me a sinner.”
I spoke about this in great detail on the 32nd Sunday of Ordinary Time. You can check it out on Fr. Leo’s Benevolent Blog (https://frleowalsh.com
In the Sacrament of Reconciliation, this usually takes the form of a good examination of conscience.
2) Confession – in the confessional or penance service
No doubt you have heard the question, perhaps you have asked the question: “Why do I have to confess to a priest? Why can’t I just tell my sins to God and be forgiven?” This is a very good question and it has a very good answer.
First, you can respond by saying, “Yes! Absolutely, you should tell your sins to God, but that is only the beginning.”
Why? Because there is no such thing as a private sin. The scripture that helps us is the story of the Prodigal Son in Luke 15:11ff. Remember, in the story, the son says, “Father, I have sinned against God and against you.”
Just as the great commandment has two elements, love and God and love of neighbor, so too sin is against God and neighbor.
St. Paul tells us in 1 Cor 12, “If one part of the body suffers, all the other parts feel its effects.”
Don’t believe me? Try this little spiritual exercise that you can do in the comfort of your own home: Take off your shoes, stand at one end of your living room, close your eyes, and then walk briskly across the floor. As your little, pinky toe intersects with the leg of the coffee table and you jump up and down probably saying some things that good Christians should not say, tell me then is not true that if even the smallest part of the body is injured the rest of the body suffers with it.
In the same say, there is no such thing as a private sin. My sin affects you and your sin affects me.
The early church had a keen sense of the communal nature of sin and the need for reconciliation with both God and the Church. Confession was done in front of the congregation and the penances were quite strict, sometimes lasting years before one was readmitted to communion.
But then in the 7th century, from the north came the Irish monks. Now, the Irish being a great and noble race, and also a monastic Church, brought with them the practice of individual confession to the abbe’, the father, the priest. This made sense because it was the priest who could speak for both Christ and the Church. Indeed, in every sacrament, the priest acts in persona Christi/in the person of Christ and in persona ecclesiae/in the person of the Church.
This works in the temporal order as well. This past week we finally closed on the purchase of a house to serve as the rectory. As pastor, with the authorization of the bishop, I signed the documents and the parish was obligated.
In similar way, when the priest says your sins are forgiven, he is speaking on behalf of Christ and on behalf of the parish and the Church universal.
Confession to the priest allows for both of the offended parties, God and the community of faith.
3) The next part of the rite is some instruction and the giving of a Penance
A penance is a token act. You can’t earn God’s forgiveness won for you on Cross. It is a gift.
You cannot earn it, but you can be grateful.
In a way, your penance is like a little thank you card that helps to restore the moral order.
One note, it needs to be reasonable. If the priest gives you a penance that is physically or morally impossible for you to complete, you should ask him for another one.
I’ve actually had people ask me for more difficult ones and I’m always happy to oblige.
John Vianney, who would hear confessions for up to sixteen hours a day was once chided by a colleague that he gave out penances that were too easy. He responded, “Oh, I give them very strict penances, but I only make them say a little part of it, and I say the rest of it later.” You can see why he is the patron saint of parish priests.
4) Contrition – is the matter of the sacrament. As the confessor, the only thing I need to forgive someone’s sins is that they are sorry. That finds its ritual expression in and Act of Contrition. There are many versions of it, but they all have these three things in common:
– sorrow for sins
– a dependence of God’s grace
– a resolution to reform one’s life.
5) Satisfaction. You must perform your penance to receive the fruits of the sacrament. Don’t put this off. Try to do it before leaving the Church.
Conversion, Confession, Penance, Contrition, and Satisfaction – these are the elements of Reconciliation to God and to one another.
As prophet, John the Baptist continues to be a compelling figure for us today. John’s example exhorts us to turn from our sins and return to the Lord in the Sacrament of Reconciliation. Please avail yourself of this most precious gift. The dates and times of all the penances services throughout the Archdiocese are in the Anchor and all those around Anchorage are in the bulletin. Our penance service here will be on December 18th, at 7:00 PM. At that service there will be at least four other confessors who have NO IDEA who you are. What a great opportunity to avail yourself of the gift of God’s forgiving grace.
Next week, we will hear how, as herald, John reminds us that Christ will come in glory at the end of the age. We are a people who await for his coming. As the liturgy says at the end of the Our Father, we await the blessed hope and the coming of our savior Jesus Christ.