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Scripture Reflections




Tuesday, 13 March, 2012, 3rd Week of Lent


MAKING A GOOD CONFESSION

SCRIPTURE READINGS: DANIEL 3:25 – 43; MATTHEW 18:21 – 3

As we read the parable, we cannot but be struck, or rather shocked, at the merciless way the servant who was forgiven 10,000 talents dealt with his fellow servant who owed him only 100 denarii. Like his fellow servants, we will also feel distressed and even angry in seeing such an ingrate. But before we condemn this heartless and ungrateful servant, we must recognize that we are no better than him. How many of us have truly forgiven those who have hurt us, when God has forgiven us our great and numerous sins? Whilst we have the audacity to seek God’s forgiveness for offending Him who is the Divine Majesty, we do not have the generosity to forgive the failings of others against us. If we adopt such an attitude, then Jesus warns us “that is how my heavenly Father will deal with you unless you each forgive your brother from your heart.”

The conundrum is, how could anyone behave in this manner? It is illogical and unthinkable. Yet we still act in this manner. If one has been forgiven a great deal and yet cannot impart forgiveness to others, it means that he has not really received the forgiveness that has been given to him. Conversely, if one has been forgiven, he will also receive the power to forgive others. But how could this be so, for clearly the servant was forgiven by his master? Apparently he was forgiven, but subjectively he did not receive that forgiveness, for if he did, he would have been humbled by that experience and would want to extend the same grace he had received to those who are indebted to him. But that he did not, means that he did not truly appreciate the sacrifice and generosity of his master.

This can be applied to those of us who celebrate the sacrament of reconciliation. If some of us feel that frequenting the sacrament of reconciliation has not brought about real changes in our lives, it could be because we have regarded confession as a mere ritualistic act. The truth is that many of us who go for confession never really take time to examine our conscience deeply. Even if we do spend some time to think about our sins, we do not prepare ourselves interiorly in such a way that we arrive at a true contrition of the heart. If there is no real preparation for confession and if our hearts are not properly disposed to encounter the Lord, then the sacrament of confession will at most be a juridical forgiveness, but there will not be a real experience of the Lord’s healing love and overwhelming mercy, more so when it is celebrated in a common penitential service, since the penitent is not given sufficient time to speak to the confessor about his or her sins and conversely, the latter, due to time constraint, cannot exhort and enlighten the sinner. Thus, the objective of confession, which is to celebrate God’s mercy, is not truly achieved as God’s forgiving and healing grace is not effectively mediated.

This imperfect pastoral situation does not deny the usefulness nor the practice of a common penitential service. Rather, it only seeks to highlight the limitations and practical considerations of how effective such a communal celebration can be. If confession was done in a haphazard, impersonal and hurried manner, it contradicts the incarnational principle of the sacrament of reconciliation, which seeks to help us encounter Christ through a human minister. However, if such penitential services, or even individual confessions for that matter, are celebrated in a proper, reverential and solemn manner, they bring about our common solidarity in sin and the experience of grace. So in no way, should one doubt the wisdom of the Church in encouraging penitential services to be celebrated during special seasons of the Church’s liturgy.

This failure to reflect deeply on God’s forgiveness precisely was the situation of the servant who was forgiven by the master. Perhaps the master forgave him too quickly and easily, before he could take time to truly ponder over his mistake. He did not have sufficient time to absorb the full significance of his master’s generosity and compassion, and the consequences he would have had to face, not just for himself but for his loved ones who would have been sold to repay his debts. This was why he went out almost immediately to extort money from a fellow servant whose debt was totally inconsequential compared to his.

So if we want to experience and receive the full empowerment that comes from the forgiveness of God, we must take the cue from Azariah who pleaded to God for forgiveness on behalf of the nation. The first step to take is to acknowledge our condition and the misery in which we are in. This was how Azariah prayed to God: “Lord, now we are the least of all the nations, now we are despised throughout the world, today, because of our sins. We have at this time no leader, no prophet, no prince, no holocaust, no sacrifice, no oblation, no incense, no place where we can offer you the first-fruits and win your favour.”

Secondly, we must confess our faith in God’s fidelity to His promises made to our fathers. Azariah, in appealing to God’s mercy, reminded God of His promises when he said, “Oh! Do not abandon us for ever, for the sake of your name; do not repudiate your covenant, do not withdraw your favour from us, for the sake of Abraham, your friend, of Isaac your servant, and of Israel your holy one, to whom you promised descendants as countless as the stars of heaven and as the grains of sand on the seashore.” Yes, we must reaffirm our faith in His divine promises and seek to preserve the glory and honour of His name.

Thirdly, to receive God’s forgiveness, we must have a contrite heart. Without such a heart, we can never truly experience what being forgiven is all about. That was what Azariah said, “But may the contrite soul, the humbled spirit be as acceptable to you as holocausts of rams and bullocks, as thousands of fattened lambs: such let our sacrifice be to you today.” Without contrition of heart, how can we ever be grateful for the gift of forgiveness? If our hearts are not contrite and we go for confession out of fear of God, not out of conviction and certainly not out of love and remorse, there will only be temporary relief from guilt, but no change of life, as it does not spring from the realization that we have hurt those who love us. Of course, contrition of heart is not simply a feeling of guilt but sincere repentance and sorrow.

This sorrow is reflected in the desire to change and the resolution to give up our sins. If there is no real resolve not to sin again, that confession would be ineffective for our conversion. Without a real conviction that our sins are destroying our peace and happiness, we cannot truly change our lives. Only when we experience the absence of God can we then truly desire to be with Him. This desire will give us the determination to rid ourselves of our sins once and for all. Again, that was how Azariah prayed. He said, “May it be your will that we follow you wholeheartedly, since those who put their trust in you will not be disappointed. And now we put our whole heart into following you, into fearing you and seeking your face once more.”

Finally, the full reception of His forgiveness is simply to believe that we are forgiven without conditions. Although the bible tells us in many ways that our sins are totally forgiven, yet many of us simply cannot believe that God could forgive us just like that. Perhaps, we do not forgive those who have offended us without expecting some kind of compensation or conditions, hence this is the way we conceive of God’s forgiveness as well. It is difficult for most of us to believe that the justice of God is His mercy and forgiveness. For if we do, then we would not, as some do, feel the urge to confess sins that have been confessed again and again, especially when the confession was done properly and sincerely before. So we must impress upon our hearts the prayer of Azariah when he prayed, “Do not disappoint us; treat us gently, as you yourself are gentle and very merciful. Grant us deliverance worthy of your wonderful deeds; let your name win glory, Lord.”

In the final analysis, forgiveness is truly received when we enter into the depth of God’s heart, especially when we contemplate on the passion of Christ, not only in relation to ourselves, but how the Father suffered in the Son’s passion when both in a common Spirit gave themselves to us. When we understand how much the Father and the Son grieved for us when we sin, then we will stop sinning, not because we fear punishment, but because we who have been loved so much would not want to inflict a sword into the heart of our Father and our Lord Jesus by rejecting so great His merciful love.

This realization is the basis for our capacity to forgive others as well. In fact, this is the secret to the question that Peter asked, “’Lord, how often must I forgive my brother if he wrongs me? As often as seven times?’ Jesus answered, ‘Not seven, I tell you, but seventy-seven times.” We can forgive always, only because God always forgives us, regardless how sinful we are and have been. He never withdraws His love and mercy from us. Indeed, in the penitential rite, we say, “You plead for us at the right hand of the Father.” Yes, not only does Jesus forgive us our sins but He is also our advocate, pleading with the Father on our behalf as He did on the cross for our forgiveness. Hence, we can have total confidence that His prayer will be heard by the Father and that our sins will be forgiven.

Truly, we can make the prayer of the psalmist our own as we say, “Remember your mercies, O Lord. Your ways, O Lord, make known to me; teach me your paths. Guide me in your truth and teach me, for you are God my savior. Remember that your compassion, O Lord, and your kindness are from of old. In your kindness remember me, because of your goodness, O Lord.”

Written by Rev. Fr. William Goh
Spiritual Director, Catholic Spirituality Centre (CSC)
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