Tuesday of the Thirteenth Week in Ordinary Time

Lectionary: 378

Hear this word, O children of Israel, that the Lord pronounces over you,
over the whole family that I brought up from the land of Egypt:
You alone have I favored,
more than all the families of the earth;
Therefore I will punish you
for all your crimes....

When Saint Francis sent his first followers to several Italian towns to invite others to their joyful way of life, one of them asked him, "When people ask, 'Who are you?' what should we say?" 

Obviously, he didn't say, "We're Franciscans!" That would have shut down the entire experiment then and there. Nor did he say, "We're Little Brothers or Friars Minor." That idea would come later. 

He replied, "We are penitents from Assisi."

That was the first name of his worldwide community of celibate men, women, and laity. Hearing this story before I was ordained aroused a lifelong curiosity about penance. What is it? How do we practice it? Why do so few Catholics approach the Sacrament of Penance as they had? It seemed that someone pulled the plug and a vast pool of grace emptied overnight. 

When I was asked a few months ago to present a mini-retreat on the topic of penance, I jumped at the chance. I am not sure the group shared my enthusiasm. 

I had to begin by saying, "I will probably not address your questions like, 'How should we teach second graders about the Sacrament?' I might not say anything about why we must confess to a priest, and not a layperson. I might say something about the Examination of Conscience, but I will not go through the Ten Commandments one by one. Rather, I want to address the fundamental issue of penance." 

And so I began with the principle we hear in today's harangue from the Prophet Amos, "You alone have I favored!"

That's a thorny issue for many people. Conformists don't want to be set apart from the crowd, unless it's on their own terms. They might accept recognition for their talents and achievements; they might accept flattery for their good looks, respectable family, or wealth. But they don't want to be known as favored by God. 

They don't believe God should favor anyone. "All men are created equal!" they recite like good school children. Given that indoctrination, it's hard to swallow the Judaeo-Christian doctrine of election or grace. 

And yet, American Catholics are willing to recognize Jesus as unique, and his Mother as particularly blessed. We call her "the Blessed Mother;" and her son, "the Son of God." 

But his disciples don't deserve any particular recognition. The Gospels even show us how sinful they were! One betrayed him, another denied him, and they all fled when he was arrested. (Except the women who followed at a distance.)

 

Once we are safely removed from "You alone have I favored," we can also ignore Hosea's prophetic warning, "...therefore I will punish you for all your crimes." Neither divine utterance seems to apply to us. 

We feel no particular responsibility for our blessedness and no remorse for betraying his favor. Once we dismiss our particular blessedness, we can take credit for our talents and achievements, and pity those not so fortunate. We're assured we have no responsibility to them or for them. If they're not as prosperous or successful, it's probably their own fault. ("They chose the  wrong parents.")

However, Grace, once given, is not taken back; God's covenant, like his Word, is irrevocable. The Scriptures declare this repeatedly, despite the occasional prophetic outbursts when God almost says I will divorce them.  More often, God declares "I will never forget you, my people!" and insists that he hates divorce!"  

Catholics should understand this, especially those who love their children and parents. The bonds of parent and child are physical, unbreakable, undeniable; they often appear to us when we glance in the mirror and see the resemblances to both parents. The flesh of Jesus is as real as his resurrection; he abides forever as a risen, glorified man. Baptised into his body, we eat his flesh with the Eucharist and are one with him eternally. 

Refusing to divorce us, God patiently calls us to turn away from sin. And if his promises of security, prosperity, and happiness, along with his manifold blessings, do not stir our readiness to turn away from sin; his punishment must get our attention. The warnings are there in scripture, and confirmed by many present ills. That many churches are locked night and day may be the mildest of his rebukes. The alcoholism, drug abuse, and suicide of loved ones must also get our attention. It doesn't take a weatherman to know which way the wind is blowing. Religion knows this, the world of STEM cannot. 

The Lord's call to Penance invites us to joy, satisfaction and fulfillment beyond comprehension. We have seen our destiny in the Resurrection of Jesus Christ. We have only to aspire to it.