In the first reading we have the Lord saying to Joshua, “Today I have removed the reproach of Egypt from you.” As we confess our sinfulness and ask God’s forgiveness, he removes our reproach. How often do we ask for the forgiveness of our sins? Do we go to confession regularly? Even if we have not committed serious sins, the little sins can add up to blind us as to our behaviors. Someone once called such “spiritual glaucoma”! Without regular reflection on our spiritual life, we indeed can become blind to the sins we commit. When we confess our sins we have the opportunity to again to receive (taste) the goodness of the Lord, as the Psalm tells us.
Paul reinforces this in his letter. We are called to be reconcilers for others with God in addition to ourselves. We like Paul should say to all we know, “We implore you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God.”
Someone once asked, “Which son was the prodigal one? The one who repented and returned or the one who never left and felt he had no need of any repentance, thus was better than the other? This Gospel recognizes that sometimes we only repent when we have hit the bottom of existence. However, even if we have never had such dire circumstances in our lives, we make mistakes every day. We judge others. We mistreat others. We are prideful. We are greedy. Which of us can say we are without sin? During this Lenten season, perhaps we can look at ourselves more closely than we do at others.
Countenance of God 