March 14, 2010: 4th Sunday of Lent

What does 'reconciliation' mean to you?

Those who are in Christ are a new creation; the old has passed away, behold, the new has come. All this is from God, who through Christ reconciled us to God’s own self, and gave us the ministry of reconciliation…(2 Corinthians 5:17-18)

Reconciliation is the act of bringing things into harmony. Catholics celebrate the Sacrament of Reconciliation. We ask God’s forgiveness for our sinfulness and become harmonized with God. In music, harmony means the sounds are working together and are pleasing to our ears. We might say the notes are in sync (working together). So are we in sync when we ask God’s forgiveness and are reconciled with God. We are once again working with God. As Christians, we are also to be messengers of reconciliation in our world. St. Paul tells us, God has given us “the ministry of reconciliation.”

Action:

Read today’s gospel, the story of the prodigal son, Luke 15:11-32. It’s a beautiful story about reconciliation. We can easily think of God as the father in the story. We really don’t know how the story ends. How would you conclude this story? Think about your own life. Where could you be a minister of reconciliation?