Divine Mercy

Divine Mercy

Rev. Jerry J. Pokorsky

We sometimes hear people say things like, “I had a run-in with a priest in Confession in 1982 and I haven’t seen the inside of a church since then.” My usual response is: 1) Maybe the priest didn’t have his morning coffee and was grouchy; or, 2) maybe the priest had the flu and couldn’t concentrate; or 3) maybe the mother of the priest just died and he was slightly preoccupied; or, 4) maybe the priest is just an insufferable jerk. Regardless, look at the bright side, you received absolution. No?

So tell me, what sin did you commit and why did you try to justify it? Confessions, after all, should be sincere.

What should a penitent expect from Jesus and, allowing for human failure, from His mouthpiece a priest in the confessional when he sincerely seeks forgiveness?

One convincing image is that of the penitent in the Parable of the Prodigal Son (Luke 15:11-32). The wayward son comes to his senses and makes his way back to the father, humbly acknowledging – though not perfectly – that he has sinned against heaven and his father. You know the rest of the story. The father welcomes him with open arms and the celebration begins. However serious the sin, a true and loving father rejoices at the repentance and return of his son.

But Jesus taught the Parable of the Prodigal Son before His Passion. It took His suffering and death on the Cross to reveal the true horror of our sins. Our sins not only ruin our lives – as we see in the Parable -- our sins in a sometimes mysterious way wound the body of Jesus, and His Mystical Body the Church. With every act of disproportionate impatience, unjust anger, lust, gluttony, envy, and, selfishness – however minor – Christ is tormented and crucified. When we gaze upon that Cross this great mystery becomes evident and should fill us with true dread for our sins.

The Resurrection of Jesus reveals His victory over sin and its horrible consequences. Before He returns to His Father, completing the mission for which He was sent, He returns for a brief time to be with His disciples, to complete their seminary formation. All are sinners who in their own way played a part in His crucifixion.

Should we ourselves endure great evil and suffering, we know how we would likely respond. Popular movies at times reveal our cultural soul. And many movies are filled with special effects vengeance when the villains are defeated. Michael Corleone settles all scores. The enemies of Clint Eastwood make his day. The enemies of Bruce Willis fall horribly into the abyss. And we feel a surge of delight with the painful demise of evil characters – unlike in real life when we are the villains.

When Christ returns after His glorious Resurrection, He exhibits no desire for vengeance despite the humiliation of the Cross. His first recorded word at the tomb is, simply, “Mary” (Jn 20:16) -- a beautiful reminder that He knows us by name. He appears to the disciples on the Road to Emmaus and patiently explains how the Messiah needed to suffer and die to fulfill Scriptures (Luke 24:13-35). And He appears to the frightened Apostles in the upper room conferring peace upon them and revealing His wounds in His glorified body. (Lk 24:35-48) There will be no acts of vengeance, no humiliations. But there is no time for complacency. And the work He requires of His Apostles is urgent.

He commissions the Apostles to hear Confessions. He breathes on them providing the gift of the Holy Spirit and beckons them to forgive sins in His name: “Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven; if you retain the sins of any, they are retained.” (John 20:22-23) It is through the Sacrament of Penance and in the forgiveness of sins that the instruments of His torture are destroyed, and will continue to be destroyed until the end of time in those modest confessionals throughout the world.

But forgiveness is not cheap. Accountability for sins forgiven remains and reparation is required. Jesus’ encounter with Peter is illustrative and represents a particular challenge to all of us.

After the Resurrection, awaiting Jesus in Galilee, Peter goes fishing with the other guys, as usual to no avail. Jesus appears on the shore and directs them to cast out their nets. (Jn 21:1-14) The ensuing superabundant catch repeats the miracle He performed when He called His disciples at the beginning of His ministry. This time, Peter does not recoil at the power of Christ as he did the first time around when he begged, “Depart from me, Lord, for I am a sinful man.” This time Peter – now known for his threefold denial -- blubbers into the water, returning to the risen Lord with joy. After three years with Jesus, Peter instinctively knows that the love of Jesus covers a multitude of sins.

Jesus continues Peter’s holy formation. After breakfast on the shore, Jesus gives Peter the opportunity to make up for his cowardice. But Peter’s reparation would not be in response to God’s wrath; it would be in response to God’s love. “Do you love me more than the others?” Jesus asks Peter. If so, “Feed my sheep.” (Jn 21:15-19) The message is clear to Peter as it is to all of us. Love indeed covers a multitude of sins. After confessing our sins, a holy resolve to increase our love for one another with God’s grace does not humiliate, it uplifts and purifies.

In all of this, Jesus reveals His definitive attitude towards repentant sinners. And He provides priests with a worthy confessional game plan. Jesus and His priest receive us in Confession with kindness and compassion. Jesus and His priest delight in our repentance like a good father delighting in the return of a wayward son. Jesus and His priest guide us in His love to repair the damage of our sins with love.

But one practical suggestion: Except for a good reason, keep your Confession short, sweet and sincere and we will do the same.