The above question is a very interesting one to contemplate; the answer is very satisfying to hear. God cannot abide the presence of sin at all so we can know for sure that He will be banishing all sin from His presence. The next question concerns what is meant by banishment. Well, this is where the news gets even better. The Scriptures use a number of metaphors to describe what God does to our sin. Here Micah talks about sending it to the depths of the sea; you cannot get any deeper than that. The psalmist speaks of casting our sins as far as the east is from the west; there are no two distances further apart than this. Isaiah tells us that God takes our scarlet sin (obvious for all to see) and makes them white as snow. You cannot get a bigger transformation than that. Do you get the story here?
God is not at all interested in harboring judgment or unforgiveness against us; God is never petty and unforgiving. God wants us to be free from all the powers and effects of sin so that we can fulfill our potential as men and women created in His image and likeness; God is not threatened by our potential for holiness in any way as He is the source and fountain of all that is good so it is impossible for us to surpass Him.
We see these attributes in the life of Jesus who reveals to us the love of God the Father. We do not have to go anywhere to find the love of God because He is the biggest beggar in the universe and has come to us in the person of His Son, Jesus. We could not ask for any greater incentive to repent of our sins than this. God has done all that it is in His power to redeem us while still respecting the gift of free will that He has given us. It is up to each person how to respond to His generosity.
In today’s Gospel of the Prodigal Son we have an image of a father’s love. Let us sit with it awhile and reflect upon how much our Father in heaven loves us. Fr. Steve Tynan, MGL
Reflection Question:
When was the last time I took the opportunity to repent of my serious sins in the Sacrament of Reconciliation? Letus seek to use the sacrament more often.
Holy Spirit, help me to embrace the call to repentance in an ever deeper way. Inspire me to entrust my life into the loving
hands of the Father through repentance every day of my life.
St. Theodore, pray for us.
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