The prodigal son accepting his sins before God and man was not enough to deal with his sin. He took the decision to go! “I will get up and go back to my father and say to him: Father, I have sinned against God and before you.” This is a though decision to make, yet very necessary for forgiveness. Often we find ourselves caught in shame and fear of being disgraced. We become reluctant to make this giant step though we are conscious of our sins. The prodigal son, “I will go”; he did not say “I will think over it or I will see.” He did not procrastinate because he knew that would have been the only chance he had to go up to his father for forgiveness. Once we understand that we have sinned, as taught by the church, the next thing is to go for confession because we have to repair the damages of sin in our lives.
A lot of the time we feel reluctant to go and ask for pardon both to God and man not knowing that, it may be the only occasion of our lives to do so.
This entails a lot of humility! The son said, “I no longer deserve to be called your son. Treat me then as one of your hired servants.” A proud son will say, “I will tell him after all I am still your son!” But this son put himself down to the level of a servant because he knew the effect of his sin to the father. All he wanted was forgiveness and that’s all! Even if it was rolling on the floor, or going on his knees; all that was necessary for him to do to be forgiven by his father was welcomed no matter the price.
Pride can lead us away from confession even when we have taken that strong decision to go for it. At this point we put self esteem in front of forgiveness and graces. We begin to thing of how a priest will look at us rather than how Jesus’ open arms are waiting for us. We harbour all kinds of feelings in us that bring about backsliding and refusal to go for confession. The prodigal son did not think of any other person, all that mattered was his forgives; he did not say how would my father’s servant look at me. He humbled himself and went to his father!
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