MONDAY OF THE THIRD WEEK OF LENT

-from Pope Francis’ Ash Wednesday homily

I. We can think of the prodigal son and realize that, for us too, it is time to return to the Father. Like that son, we too have forgotten the familiar scent of our home, we have squandered a precious inheritance on paltry things and have ended up with empty hands and an unhappy heart. We have fallen down, like little children who constantly fall, toddlers who try to walk but keep falling and need, time and time again, to be picked up by their father. It is the Father’s forgiveness that always sets us back on our feet. God’s forgiveness – in Confession – is the first step on our return journey. In mentioning Confession, I ask confessors to be like fathers, offering not a rod by an embrace.

Father Bill +