At the northern tip of India’s Manipur State, there is a Mao Naga village called Pudunamai. It is close to Kohima town in Nagaland, where the decisive battle of World War II between the British and the Japanese took place.

In January 2023, Pudunamai held a celebratory community meal hosting representatives from 38 surrounding villages. Pudunamai was once at war with all of them, but a majestic monolith erected in front of the house of Movu, the king of the village, commemorates the reconciliation made by Pudunamai with all these former enemies.

The celebration of 2023 commemorated once more this significant event. Indeed, this feast was one of the greatest celebrations the village had ever held. Like the monolith itself, the feast was a way of reminding the people today that they are a reconciled people, having forgiven the offence and forgotten the wars that made them enemies. Above all it reminded them of the joy of having eaten together and having made peace with each other.

The power of forgiveness is incalculable. It will lead to reconciliation, reap abundance of blessings, fill us with hope and energy and bring us freshness in life.

On this fourth Sunday of Lent, known as ‘Laetare’ (or ‘Rejoice’) Sunday, we are reminded of the great acts of mercy and forgiveness God offered to the people of Israel and continues to offer us in Jesus today.

The first reading draws our attention to a place called Gilgal. This is the place where Joshua had erected 12 stones as a memorial for what the Lord had done. The stones prove that the people crossed the river Jordan, a river made dry by God just as God had made the Red Sea dry.

Gilgal is the place where the first celebration of the Passover was held after Israel entered the Promised Land. It thus became a place that reminded the people of God’s mercy and forgiveness and his blessing of them, despite their unfaithfulness and disobedience. Though for four decades God had accompanied them and cared for them in every way, the people proved unworthy. But God in his mercy brought them to the land he had promised. And the people, under the leadership of Joshua, immortalised this event with the erection of the memorial stones and the celebration of the Passover.

Our Lord, in the Gospel passage, through one of the greatest and best loved stories in the world, takes us to the ‘house’ of our Father. He tells how God the Father, because of his mercy, forgives the son who cut himself off from him, squandered his property, lost the dignity of his image, spoiled the gift of health, and lowered himself to the level of being among the swine.

But the realisation of his fault and coming back to his senses, followed by his rising up and returning to the Father who eagerly waited for him, shows what forgiveness and reconciliation can bring to one’s life. The son was clothed with a ‘robe’, thus restored of his sonship; the ‘ring’ placed on his finger restored his authority in the house; the ‘sandals’ put on his feet restored his freedom from slavery, and the ‘celebration’ restored his full acceptance in the family.

In many ways, known to ourselves, we are unfaithful to the heavenly Father. Through our pride and arrogance, we prefer to be cut off from the Father, losing everything that belongs to him – his property, his image in us, his dignity, strength, talent and life itself. What part of us, and what aspect of us is not a gift from our heavenly Father? Yet we prefer to lose ourselves, rather than being happy in his house.

The Church in this season of Lent, reminds us of the forgiveness our merciful Father readily gives. But what is needed is that we come back to our senses, realise his love, get up, return to his house and be part of his family and celebration.

In our second reading today, St Paul reminds us that in Christ we have been granted forgiveness and are reconciled with the Father already. We are made a ‘new creation.’ What a blessing!

Being reconciled to God, we are already in ‘Gilgal’ here and now. Having become a ‘new creation’ we are already in the Father’s house here in this church. The new Passover, the Eucharist, is our grand celebration. It is like the monolith of reconciliation in Pudunamai village.

The blessing that this village, and the parish in which it is located, has received is that it has an abundance of vocations to priesthood and religious life. This parish has given to the Church scores of men and women to serve as priests and nuns.

We must ‘taste and see’ (as our psalm says) this goodness of the Lord. Only in this way will we never cut ourselves off from the Father and always rejoice in being members of his great family.