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Note: The Gospel used for this homily comes from the scrutinies, year A.

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Back in high school English, I’m sure many of us read Nathaniel Hawthorne’s tragic novel, The Scarlet Letter, a story set in the 17^thcentury Puritan Massachusetts Bay Colony.

In the novel a young woman, Hester Prynne, becomes pregnant out of wedlock.

Shamed by her Puritan neighbors, Hester is forced to wear a scarlet “A” on her arm as a penance, reminding her and everyone around her that she’s a sinner.

Though Hester knows who the child’s father is, she refuses to reveal his identity, seeking to protect his reputation.

But at the end of the story as his identity is revealed, he confesses:

“Of penance I have had enough. Repentance, none at all.”

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Concealing his identity all of those years was like a penance, a heavy burden he wanted lifted. But he didn’t have the courage to come forward publicly and admit his transgression.

In fact, it seems like he’d do it all over again; he didn’t regret his relationship with Hester, only his inability to embrace it.

“Of penance I have had enough,” he says.“Repentance, none at all.”

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The truth is, there can be a world of difference between penance and repentance.

…between what happens on the surface and what happens in the heart.

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In the Gospel, for example, Jesus encounters a woman at a well.

Like Hester Prynne, she bears her own type of “scarlet letter.” She’s been married five times and is now in a sixth relationship, meaning the previous five men likely rejected her.

The fact that she’s drawing water from the well at mid-day, the moment when the sun was burning brightest, reveals that she’s without many friends.

The other women in town probably judge her to be a promiscuous woman and want nothing to do with her.

They would’ve gone to the well together earlier in the morning when the day was coolest.

But this woman is alone.

Of penance she’s had enough.

But repentance, none at all.

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Everything changes when she meets Jesus.

Unlike her judgmental neighbors, Jesus isn’t looking to make this woman’s life any more penitential; she already leads a lonely life. What he wants is for her to repent, to change her ways and start again.

Only then can she find a true share of human happiness.

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And she does.

As the Gospel tells us, after her encounter with the Lord, she returns to town and speaks with the very people she avoided earlier in the day, telling them about Jesus.

She isn’t afraid of them anymore, because she’s not the person she used to be.

Something in her has changed.

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So what about us?

How changed are we as a result of our Lenten practices?

Have we found ourselves growing in charity, being kinder, more patient, more empathetic towards our neighbors?

Have we experienced an increase in joy as a result of fasting and prayer?

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Or has the opposite happened?

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After 40 days of no chocolate, no Facebook, no coffee, and meatless Fridays, we can all say, “Of penance, I’ve had enough!”

But repentance???

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If we find ourselves just going through the motions this Lent, making these small sacrifices simply out of obligation or with the wrong attitude, they will bear little to no lasting fruit in our lives.

It’s only when we embrace prayer, fasting, and almsgiving with a generous heart that we’ll truly be changed.

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The good news is this:

If Lent hasn’t’ gotten off to a great start, we still have 4 weeks to go.

Let’s make it count, striving to make real spiritual growth.

We can all relate to Jeremiah, one of the great prophets of the Old Testament, because he never had it easy; his faith was constantly tested.

When God first chose him, for example, Jeremiah was young and idealistic.

Later reflecting upon that moment of his calling, he said, “When I read your words, I devoured them, O Lord! They became my joy and the happiness of my heart!”

Jeremiah was ready to save the world.

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But some years into his ministry, this same Jeremiah complained, “You duped me, O LORD!” You’ve made me a fool.

Enter our first reading (Jeremiah 18:18-20 www.usccb.org).

The Jews, even friends of Jeremiah, are plotting to kill him, because they don’t like the message he has for them: Repent. Return to the Lord.

Rather than mend their ways, they seek to kill him.

And yet Jeremiah cannot hold back. The Word of God is like a fire in his bones; he must preach it.

***

Anyone who journeys with God will feel the highs and lows of faith like Jeremiah.

You may feel close to God on your wedding day, after giving birth to a child, or even after having a small prayer answered.

We may feel far from God after losing a loved one, enduring a lukewarm marriage, or even a stressful day at work.

Wherever we are in our journeys with the Lord, let’s pray today for a faith like Jeremiah, a faith that remains strong like a fire in our bones, even when it’s tested.

 

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“Jesus took Peter, John, and James and went up the mountain to pray. While he was praying his face changed in appearance and his clothing became dazzling white. And behold, two men were conversing with him, Moses and Elijah, who appeared in glory” (Luke 9:28-36).

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By a show of hands, how many of you remember the story of Harriet Tubman and the Underground Railroad?

Harriet was born during a very dark time in our nation’s history, when slavery was legal, particularly in the South.

But after years of forced labor, she escaped from her captors, finding freedom in the North.

What makes her story so incredible is the fact that, after finding her own way to freedom, Harriet turned around and spent the next 10 years of her life helping others to do the same.

She did so using a system known as the Underground Railroad.

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By all accounts, the Underground Railroad was a dangerous journey.

It took weeks to complete, as Harriet and her “passengers” as she called them, could only move under the cover of darkness for fear of being caught… or worse, killed.

Making matters even more difficult was the fact that only Harriet knew the way. 

But at the end of her life, she’s recorded as saying, “In all of my travels, I never lost a single passenger.”

Every person that followed Harriet made it safely to the North.

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Eleven days ago we celebrated Ash Wednesday, reminding us that we are dust and unto dust we shall return.

But today’s Gospel tells us that death is not the end of our journey.

Rather, Jesus will raise us up from the ash we become.

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Remember the example of Harriet Tubman.

Just as she led hundreds of people to freedom in the North, so Jesus will lead all of us into the kingdom of God.

But only he knows the way. In order to make it, then, we must remain by his side.

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So what will it look like when we arrive, you may be wondering?

Believe it or not, the Gospel gives us several clues.

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In the most general terms, we can say that heaven will be like one massive family reunion.

For example, raise your hand if someone you love has died – and keep your hand raised if you want to see that person again.

With your hand raised, look around the church and see how many other people share your burden of loss – and your hope of the resurrection.

The Gospel assures us that you will see them again.

And here’s why: 

On that mountain, Peter not only saw Jesus, but also Moses and Elijah, men who died hundreds of years before.

Yet there they are alive again, conversing with Jesus.

And like Jesus, they, too, have a body. They, too, have a name.

When we enter the kingdom of God, our bodies are glorified – they glow like Jesus.

We even keep own names and our memories – all of those beautiful moments in life that make us who we are.

When we see our loved ones, then, we’ll know exactly who they are – no less than Peter recognized Moses and Elijah.

Again, think of heaven like one massive family reunion.

In this sense, our best days are ahead.

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There’s only one caveat.

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Jesus tells us that he is, “The Way, the Truth, and the Life.”

In order to reach his kingdom we must follow him on the way, just as Harriet’s “passengers” followed her to the North.

So set aside 10 minutes each day – especially during this season of Lent – to pray.

Allow Jesus to guide you through the twists and turns of life, knowing that he is always with you, and is guiding you towards your heavenly home, where countless angels, Saints, family members, and friends safely await us.

Rejoice, because the day will come when we can say with Peter, “Lord, it is good that we are here.”