Repentance leads to Forgiveness

Repentance is the word that weaves together today’s readings.  “Repent, and believe in the Gospel.”

It is God’s providence that these readings coincide with today’s unfortunate 39th anniversary of the Supreme Court decision which legalized abortion in our country, Roe v. Wade.

If we are unsure or have any doubt over what we must repent from as a people, as a nation, God makes it clear today.  We can, as a nation, repent from the dark deeds that happen every day throughout our country by offering our prayers and sacrifices as expiation for them.

We don’t need to go looking for the ruins of Nineveh to find it; Nineveh has always been present, in every society throughout history, and is also here in our times.  The words of Jonah to the Ninehvites are the same words of Jesus to us today, “repent, repent, repent.”

Whenever God calls for repentance, he convicts us of our sins, he makes us recognize our sinfulness, but at the same time gives us hope.  There is always hope in repentance because we know, that through repentance comes forgiveness.  Repentance always leads to forgiveness.  Repentance always leads to peace in the heart.

Not long ago I overheard a man say, “I don’t need to ask for forgiveness from anyone nor from God for that matter.  I have never done anything I need to ask forgiveness for.”  May God have mercy on his soul, I thought.  An unrepentant soul is a tormented soul.  An unrepentant soul is an un-forgiven soul.  Repentance is the key to unlock the power of grace in our hearts.  Without repentance, God cannot perform His saving work in our hearts.

The story of Jonah is one of the most intriguing and fantastic stories of the Old Testament, and it revolves around repentance.  I encourage each of you to go home and read the book of Jonah tonight.  In preparation for my homily, it took me 3 minutes and 44 seconds to read the whole Book of Jonah.  Yes, I used a stopwatch.

The story of Jonah is probably familiar to you.  Jonah is called by God to preach repentance to the Ninehvites.  Jonah disobeys and goes in the opposite direction, so he is tossed into the sea where a big fish takes him to shore.  Jonah preaches, the king of Nineveh orders public penance for all people, God relents and does not destroy Nineveh.  Most stop here and ignore the rest of Jonah’s story.  Let me fill you in:
After God forgives the Ninehvites, Jonah gets angry at God for forgiving them.

Shouldn’t he rejoice at the mercy God has shown Nineveh?  No, Jonah curses God because he is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, abounding in kindness and repenting of punishment.  Jonah is so upset that God has forgiven the Ninehvites that he’d rather be dead.  Jonah tells God he ran away from him because he knew he’d be merciful to the Ninehvites.  Jonah would have preferred to see the sinful Ninehvites punished mercilessly by God rather than seeing them forgiven.

So Jonah is upset at God for showing his mercy towards sinners.  You may think it strange, but so many times we react just like Jonah.

How many times do we find it hard to rejoice at someone else’s good fortune?

How many times do we get jealous if we perceive someone else as more blessed than us?

Why do we hold on to the past sins or wrongs committed by others, even after they have repented?

Why do we find it so difficult to forgive others and allow our wounds to heal by letting go?

Jesus says, “there is more rejoicing in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who do not need to repent.”

We must rejoice along with God for those who repent .  We must also rejoice whenever we ourselves repent and receive forgiveness from God.

We must suspend judgment on others and let God dispense his mercy and forgiveness wherever he desires.
At this Eucharist, let us humbly ask the Lord for the forgiveness of our faults.  Let us also pray for the women who have had an abortion, that the Lord may touch their hearts and let them know that through repentance comes forgiveness and peace.

May the Lord help us to show his mercy and love to others, especially those who have fallen astray, those who walk far from God, so we may become instruments of God’s presence in their lives.  May Jonah be our example as we lead others to the Lord, but unlike Jonah, let us rejoice and be glad for the goodness God showers upon his people.

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