Today we celebrate "Laetare" Sunday which is Latin for "rejoice" taken from the opening antiphon of this Mass which says "Rejoice, O Jerusalem." During the season of Lent we should ask ourselves what we have to "rejoice" about when this season is filled with a penitential character and we are being encouraged to fast from the things of the world. As Easter draws near we have every reason to "rejoice." With the Resurrection of Christ from the dead we will be able to "rejoice" at the fact that death has been conquered. On Holy Thursday we will "rejoice" at the institution of the Holy Eucharist because Christ desires to bring nourishment within our lives. On Good Friday we will mourn the death of Christ upon the cross, but from it we will be given reason to "rejoice" because our sins have been forgiven. We "rejoice" at the reality that Lent helps us to do spiritual cleansing within our souls, so that when these days approach we will be prepared. As we prepare for these holy days that lie ahead we must be open to the mercy of God that is always present if we are willing to accept it.
In the parable of the prodigal son we see the separation that has been made with the father. Despite this separation we notice that the father was awaiting the return of his son. The father did not beat or scold his son for turning away from him, but welcomed him back ready to celebrate his conversion. This scene of reconciliation of the father with the son is the same scene that we encounter inside the Sacrament of Reconciliation. In our own sin we turn away from God and enter into the world separated from Him. Despite the separation that is caused through sin the Father remains with the desire that we will return to His mercy. In returning to His mercy we will not be cast off, but will be embraced. Through the conversion of a sinner there is every reason to celebrate because sin has been cast off in favor of the mercy of God. All the angels and saints of Heaven "rejoice" at the reality of the conversion of a sinner.
Saint Paul implores us in his Second Letter to the Corinthians to "be reconciled with God." This is an invitation that has been extended to all of us no matter how sinful that we may find ourselves to be. Through the confession of our sins we are able to turn towards the mercy of God and bring about that reconciliation that Saint Paul desires that we will find in our lives. We may be embarrassed by our sins, find ourselves trying to conquer them through our own power instead of that of God, worry due to the fact that we confess the same sins over and over, or even be so prideful that we have begun to believe that we are without sin making ourselves equal to Christ Himself. No matter our fears we must realize that our sins are not really that important; yes they must confessed in kind and number, but the important thing is returning to the mercy of God. Through the mercy of God we find reconciliation and the grace to combat sin and for that we "rejoice" at the hope of having the shackles that bind our lives removed.
With the shackles of sin removed from our ankles we can move towards the Father from whose love we have left abandoned in our sinful actions. With this true expression of liberation we can realize how simple it can be to receive God's mercy if we truly begin to trust that it is at work within our lives everyday especially within the Sacrament of Reconciliation. Looking to the cross we see the mercy that was offered through his open wounds and dripping blood. From these wounds we receive the loving embrace from the Father that is always at wait for each of His children to return to His infinite mercy. May we not fear the Sacrament of Reconciliation, but flock towards it and the mercy that is at wait for each of us. We have reason to "rejoice" through this sacrament because our souls can be restored to the purity of the state of our baptisms. For those who have been away from the Sacrament for a long time I encourage you to return to it because it can be this simple:
Bless me Father for I have sinned it has been twenty years since my last confession and these are my sins. I have missed Mass on both Sundays and Holy Days of Obligation on multiple occasions. I was aware of the Church's teaching concerning abstinence from meat on Fridays, but followed my own desires instead. I have lied on many occasions especially to my wife. I have looked at immodest images and have done impure actions with myself. I have overindulged in the use of alcohol. I have put the many concerns of the world before my relationship with God and therefore have failed to pray. While driving I have been filled with uncontrollable rage at other drivers and have had a lack of patience at red lights. I have used fowl language and have been a horrible example of a Christian to my friends. Pride has consumed my life because I notice times where I do things only to be seen and thus exalted. I have cut down my friends and fellow workers through my own words. I have had a countless amount of opportunities to give to charity, but my greed has kept me from giving as I ought. And worst of all I have received Holy Communion in the state of mortal sin. These and all the sins that I have forgotten please grant me forgiveness.
The mercy of God is this simple to receive if we are willing to return to the Father who is in wait for us.
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