He Was Lost and Has Been Found
What does true forgiveness look like? Br. Albert Mary Uplaznik, O.P., reflects on the Gospel for the Fourth Sunday of Lent.
In the Gospel of this fourth Sunday of Lent, we read the beautiful parable of the Prodigal Son. Jesus tells this parable to the Pharisees and scribes who were complaining because He was welcoming sinners and eating with them.
By this parable, Jesus wants to reproach them about their hardness of heart and invite them into the joy of salvation that He came to bring about; He wants to say to them what the father in the parable says to the elder son: “My son, you are here with me always; everything I have is yours. But now we must celebrate and rejoice because your brother was dead and has come to life again; he was lost and has been found.”
But are we not like the Pharisees sometimes, hard of hearts towards others? Don’t we judge others unworthy of forgiveness? What if someone has totally betrayed us? Or deeply hurt someone we know? Would we wish them to be condemned? Would we be indignant if God desired to forgive them? What if Jesus were to welcome them and eat with them?
In fact, God wants all men to repent and be saved, as He told us through the prophet Ezekiel: “Do I find pleasure in the death of the wicked (…)? Do I not rejoice when they turn from their evil way and live?”
If God wants them to turn from their sins and live, who are we to condemn?
To conclude, I would like to invite you to pray with me to God for the repentance of one person who has offended you. Think of only one person. If you cannot think of anyone who has offended you personally, think of someone who has done something very bad.
Let us pray: God our Father, I give you thanks for the gift of my life and for the life of this person for whom I am now raising my voice to you, all-mighty and ever-living God. I ask you for the grace of his or her complete repentance, that he or she may be sorry for his or her sins, confess them, and live from now on a life worthy of you. Give this person all the graces necessary to come to salvation so that we can one day rejoice in your presence in heaven with all the saints forever and ever. And I ask all of this in the most Holy name of Jesus, your Son. Amen.
Image: Rembrandt, Return of the Prodigal Son, circa 1969, Public Domain
