            <div id="father_cummings_title">Father Cummings Homilies</div>
            <div id="father_cummings_excerpts">Excerpts</div><br/><br/>
            <div id="father_cummings_homily_title">The Prodigal Son</div>  

            <div class="frcummings_content_paragraph">
                <p>
                    It doesn't take a great deal of imagination to see that the parable of 
                    the Prodigal Son is the perfect image of the sacrament of reconciliation. 
                    "Only the heart of Christ who knows the depth of His Father's love, could 
                    reveal to us the abyss of His mercy in so simple and beautiful a way."(Catechism 
                    of the Catholic Church) In the confessional, the priest awaits the return 
                    of prodigal sons and daughters with eager longing. It's so lovely to see 
                    a country like Italy where old priests stand beside the confessionals 
                    for long hours on the lookout, as in the parable, for a lone figure coming 
                    into view with a burden that God alone can remove. How sad it is that 
                    this embrace of the merciful Father is not sought out by many today!</p>
                  <p>Like the son in the parable, we often begin to seek forgiveness with 
                    imperfect sorrow, for selfish, fearful reasons. Or we are not aware of 
                    the full depths of our sins. Only in the graced encounter with Christ 
                    in the sacrament do we see ourselves as we truly are; there, our imperfect 
                    motives are converted into perfect contrition so that we might merit to 
                    hear the words "Your sins have been forgiven, go in peace". If we lose 
                    the sense of sin then we also lose the joy of being saved, and this is 
                    the beginning of heavenly joy. Do you experience the joy of being saved? 
                    The deep, abiding joy of belonging to God, of having been bought at a 
                    price, of being accepted by the one who said <i>"All that the Father gives 
                    me will come to me; and Him who comes to me I will not cast out. (Jn. 
                    6.37.)</i>? In this sacrament not only are our sins forgiven, but we are 
                    put back in relationship with God and the Church. There is the joy of 
                    communion with all that is holy and beautiful and true. </p>
                  <p>Let us not forget the elder brother. Even if he had not left the Father 
                    with a break, an obvious mortal sin, he stayed ostensibly close and yet 
                    his heart was far from him. He worked at pious practices without fruit 
                    or purpose. He was selfish and his pettiness grew. He did not ever check 
                    his venial sins but let them grow more numerous until the full extent 
                    of his pride and vanity was revealed by his hard attitude toward his brother. 
                    We must always humble ourselves before God or we will forget that we are 
                    sinners. This is why, if priests are to be merciful confessors, they must 
                    be penitents themselves. </p>
                  <p>In this great Sacrament we are made capable of loving. The fruits of 
                    this love are peace, joy and mercy. What then are we doing starving for 
                    these fruits in the land of egoism? Let us rise up, "come to our senses" 
                    and return to the Father again and again, month in and month out, in the 
                    Sacrament of Reconciliation. </p>
     
    
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