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The Catholic Telegraph
March 23, 2001The primary definition of "reconcile" in the dictionary is, "to restore to friendship or harmony." The component elements of the word mean to conciliate again, to make things or persons compatible again. "Reconciliation" (together with other words like redemption, new life, grace) expresses what God did and does for us when He gives us salvation.
The gospel reading for this Sunday of Lent is about reconciliation, about the restoration of harmony between the wayward son and his loving father. This deeply moving parable is obviously chosen for this season in order to invite us to intensify our process of personal renewal and change of heart. It calls us to seek reconciliation with our heavenly Father to whatever extent reconciliation is needed.
The second reading is an explanation of certain aspects of the salvation and forgiveness that are implicitly offered to us in the gospel parable. While its general subject is Paul’s ministry, which he felt constrained to defend in the face of the Corinthians’ scepticism about it, it also speaks about reconciliation. In fact, "reconciliation" and related words occur no less than five times in these five verses.
The passage begins with a general statement: something new is happening and that something is that we are created over into the life of Christ. This life supersedes everything that has happened previously. (There may be a slight connection here with the first reading which is concerned with the ending of the first phase of the Israelites’ journey to the promised land.)
This new creation into Christ is God’s doing. God has brought us back into contact with Himself through Christ and in Christ. Our sins no longer keep us separate from God. The proclamation of this offer of reconciliation, the responsibility for seeing that it gets presented to those to whom it is offered has been entrusted to Paul his fellow workers. They speak for God. They are "ambassadors for Christ," channels of God’s call to salvation.
Then he enunciates the content of the message he has been called to deliver for Christ: "Please be reconciled to God."
Finally, by way of summary, he proclaims the basic truth once more: Jesus’ faithfulness made up for our sins; He carried out what we should have been doing all along; the result is that we can now share His life, a life that is nothing less than the life (and therefore the holiness) of God.
There are at least three things that call for our attention in this reading. The first is that God appeals to us to accept reconciliation. God’s ministers implore us to be reconciled to God. It is not the case that God sets up an opportunity of salvation for us, tells us about it, and then stands by quietly while we decide whether to accept it or not. God pleads with us to receive His gifts. God is like the father in the parable who can’t do enough to make his wandering son feel welcome.
The second thing that calls for comment is that, although reconciliation (or salvation, or redemption) is a clear and definite thing (either you share the life of Christ or you don’t), it is not a once and for all thing. Nor is it something that is exactly the same for everybody. God calls us to a relationship. Relationships can be broken off. Relationships admit of varying degrees of intensity. Reconciliation, therefore, is an ongoing project. We have to be attentive to it as a fundamental element in our lives. Otherwise we run the risk of being distracted by less important matters and of allowing the relationship to shrivel up and die. And we also have to work at deepening and strengthening it.
It is significant that, although the Corinthians had been baptized and therefore had begun to live the life of Christ, Paul still implores them to "be reconciled to God." Reconciliation is not an inert possession but a way of being in touch with God.
There is still another aspect of reconciliation that we need to be aware of as we work through these lenten weeks of change of heart. It’s an aspect that is not explicit in this reading from Second Corinthians, but that is part of Paul’s teaching nonetheless. Being reconciled with God, coming to share the life of the risen Christ, also involves being reconciled with our brothers and sisters in the Lord. It is simply not possible to say that we love the Lord if we do not love those beloved by Him. It is profoundly inconsistent to attempt to embrace the Lord while rejecting others who share His embrace. This means that, as we examine the quality of our state of reconciliation with God and work to intensify it, we must also look at our relationships with the women and men around us. Reconciliation belongs in every aspect of our lives.
Today God says to us: "Please be reconciled with Me. Please repent. Please get back together with your brothers and sisters. Please come home. I’m waiting for you."
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Conversation Questions
What would my life be like without new creation in Christ?
With whom do I need to be reconciled?
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