The ministry of reconciliation

The journey of Lent is a path for bringing ourselves closer to God by his grace.

It is a time for reconciliation.

Today’s second reading (2 Corinthians 5:17-21) reminds us that this work of reconciliation should not be just our reconciliation with God but our being agents of reconciliation for others as well.

Whoever is in Christ is a new creation:
the old things have passed away;
behold, new things have come.

And all this is from God,
who has reconciled us to himself through Christ
and given us the ministry of reconciliation,
namely, God was reconciling the world to himself
in Christ,
not counting their trespasses against them
and entrusting to us
the message of reconciliation.

So we are ambassadors for Christ,
as if God were appealing through us.

We implore you on behalf of Christ,
be reconciled to God.

For our sake
he made him to be sin
who did not know sin,
so that we might become
the righteousness of God
in him.

May we not be like the ostensibly obedient yet self-centered son in the Parable of the Prodigal Son in today’s Gospel (from Luke 15), but may we stand eagerly and joyfully at the Father’s side, looking for those who have gone astray and rejoicing as they return home.