Reconciliation with God must take place outside the confessional too, within our relationships. This might seem impossible to do while dodging those passive-aggressive shots from brother John or Aunt Sally. If nothing else, hearing our salvation history in mass readings during this period should remind us that God really is bigger than the bad attitude of our in-laws!
In tomorrow’s Gospel, God wants us to hear Jesus’ response to the Pharisees. Several times Jesus repeats ‘truly, truly’ which means LISTEN! What message does Jesus want me to hear?
That He is God’s only begotten Son and does nothing without the Father. He does God’s will. It is the Father showing the Son what He wants for us: healing, relief, love. New life.
Like the Prodigal Son, our own expectations become a barrier to both receiving and giving love. We expect others to love us beyond their capacity, their brokenness. And too often we don’t think about their similar expectations of us.
A priest once explained why God put the tree of knowledge of good and evil in the garden. I hadn’t ever thought about that…why did God put something right in their face if Adam and Eve weren’t allowed to have it? The answer: it gave them the opportunity to choose to love God.
Lent is a time of giving up the self-talk so we can hear God talk.