A Reflection for the 4th Sunday of Lent (Year C).
Joshua 5:9-12 – 2 Corinthians 5:17-21 – Luke 15:1-3, 11-32.
I will leave this place and go to my father and say: ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you; I no longer deserve to be called your son (G v.18f). Today, on Laetare Sunday, the Church calls us to “rejoice!” in the divine initiative of reconciliation which we ourselves have received from God who reconciled Himself to us through Christ (2R v.18) and who no longer takes account of the faults of men (2R v.19)
The Gospel reading includes the Parable of the Prodigal Son. It features three strong personalities: an upright and obedient elder son who runs on tramlines, a mercurial but wayward younger son, and a devoted and merciful father who never gives up on his adored sons. May I encourage you to see a bit of yourself in each of these three personalities as you revisit this well-known parable, rather than siding with just one of them? We are all of us blessed with a complex mix of behaviours involving love, compassion, forgiveness, longing, resentment, jealousy and anger.
In the first part of the parable, the younger son is presented as a headstrong individual who purposely walks away from his father to ‘do his own thing’. He descends into indulging a lifestyle of sinful pleasures and squandering his share of inheritance. We’re not told much about the elder son until later, when he is presented as having been working consistently hard to fulfil his father’s will.
Imagine how the younger son felt after choosing to live as recklessly as he wanted, far beyond the reach of his father’s guiding hand, only to realize when he hit rock-bottom how foolish he had been. He accepted that he’d made a total muck of things and had behaved very badly. Nonetheless, he didn’t let shame or guilt or pride or ego get in the way of his making his way home to his father and seeking to be reconciled with him.
Now imagine how the elder son felt after having been obedient to his father all those years and having worked his socks off for him, only to discover that his reprobate brother had been welcomed back with open arms into the family. Even though this son had been slogging away in the fields all day, nobody had bothered to let him know that his brother was back, and he came home to discover celebrations for his brother in full swing.
The hero of this story is the father, who was always looking out for his sons, always loving them, and always delighting in them. Thanks be to God who, in His infinite mercy, searches for His lost children (Lk 15:4)). Thrilled at having his younger son back in the fold, the father did his utmost to keep the elder one on board. He left the party and went out to plead with his son one-to-one, giving him sound and solid reasons to come in and enjoy the banquet. This is exactly how God the Father is. He doesn’t want to lose any of his children!
Each one of us can probably relate to the younger son’s determination to go his own way. Sometimes we too take a wrong turn in life and get lost, and we too waste an awful lot of time and resources on the fleeting pleasures of this world. We are, however, absolutely assured that God the Father always welcomes us back when we turn from sin and return home to Him. Whenever we come back to Him with sorrow for our sin, He pardons and forgives us – but it’s up to us to be ‘prodigal sons’ and take the first step towards Him. Ask yourself today: (1) what tempts me to step away from God’s ever-loving presence and grace? and (2) is it my shame or my guilt or my pride or ego that puts me off from coming back to God?
Maybe you’ll agree with me that the elder son failed to appreciate just how much courage it took the younger son to acknowledge his sin, to clamber out of the hole he had dug for himself and make his way home. Maybe you’ll also agree with me that it would have been a shame for the elder son to lose everything he had worked for in right relationship with their father up to that point, simply because he was angry and not ready to let go of his jealousy of his brother and the resentment he harboured against him. Ask yourself today: (4) am I ready to heed my heavenly Father’s call to resist sins? and (5) am I ready to embrace His mercy whenever I realise that I have fallen into sin? (6) How ready are you to put an end to your self-isolation in the world and to come home to God the Father’s family in the Church? (A warm welcome awaits you!)
The 1st reading states that the Lord said to Joshua: Today I have taken the shame of Egypt (the shame of slavery) away from you (His people). This glorious message is for us too: God has taken away the shame of our slavery to sin. St Paul emphasises that God has reconciled us to Himself through Christ. Job done! Remember that in sending His Son to us, God the Father Himself took the initiative to save us. He looks out for us, eagerly waiting for our return and longing for our reconciliation with Him. In the silence of our hearts, we hear Him calling us home. May we return to Him right now and thus get to participate in His eternal banquet. Let us arise and return to Our Father! (2R v.18). Amen. God bless you.