Gospel Reflection for 31st March

The 4th Sunday of Lent

The Patient and Forgiving Parent

 We may have heard the phrase familiarity breeds contempt.  This simply means that we can take for granted and become casual and even indifferent to what we are used to.

This applies as much to scripture as it does to anything else. When we come across a gospel or parable with which we are (overly) familiar, we can be tempted to switch off because we assume we know what it’s about.

The gospel today is one such parable; The Prodigal Son. This gospel is also known as The Prodigal Father. Why is this?

The word ‘prodigal’ means ‘to waste’ or ‘to be wasteful’. So how does this apply to the gospel? The son is wasteful with his money, inheritance and more importantly with his father’s generosity and love.

According to the older son, the father is wasteful with his love, mercy, compassion and forgiveness when his son returns. He doesn’t feel his brother deserves to be welcomed home, loved or forgiven. Generally we focus on the son who left his family wasted his money, got into trouble, had a change of heart, went home, said sorry and was forgiven. But maybe we should focus our attention on this prodigal and patient parent!

When his son demands half his inheritance, implying that his father is dead to him, his father does not object or refuse his request. He freely lets him go and does not stop him.

However, it must have broken his heart as he watched his son leave home. By the end of the story when the  son is returning home we are told that his father saw him from a long way off.

Clearly his father was watching and waiting for him to return. He never gave in or gave up on his son.

This most famous of parables tells us so much about God. God loves us so much that he freely lets us do what we want; we are given free-will.

But we have to accept the consequences of our actions. God doesn’t stop loving us when we choose to walk away from him. Like the patient father in the gospel, God never gives in or gives up on us.

He watches, waits and longs for our return home. When we do return, we are greeted warmly with words, ‘I love you with an everlasting love, you are precious in my eyes and I love you.

We need to get the balance right when we are making our way through Lent. Yes, it is about us being honest and humble enough to realise and admit that we make mistakes and sin, like the son in the gospel.

But equally important for us is that we focus on God’s love, mercy, forgiveness and compassion. If we can honestly say, Lord, have mercy on me a sinner, then God who is always waiting for us to come home with welcome us with open arms.

The constant invitation from God, the call of Lent and the challenge of this gospel to each of us is ‘Come back to me with all you heart’.

Br Michael Moore OMI

Gospel, Luke 15:1-2, 11-32

The Lord of the vineyard offers us ample chance to bear fruit

Now all the tax collectors and sinners were coming near to listen to him. And the Pharisees and the scribes were grumbling and saying, “This fellow welcomes sinners and eats with them.” So he told them this parable:

“There was a man who had two sons. The younger of them said to his father, ‘Father, give me the share of the property that will belong to me.’ So he divided his property between them. A few days later the younger son gathered all he had and traveled to a distant country, and there he squandered his property in dissolute living.

When he had spent everything, a severe famine took place throughout that country, and he began to be in need. So he went and hired himself out to one of the citizens of that country, who sent him to his fields to feed the pigs. He would gladly have filled himself with the pods that the pigs were eating; and nobody gave him anything. But when he came to himself he said, ‘How many of my father’s hired hands have bread enough and to spare, but here I am dying of hunger! I will get up and go to my father, and I will say to him, “Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you; I am no longer worthy to be called your son; treat me like one of your hired hands.”‘ So he set off and went to his father. But while he was still far off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion; he ran and put his arms around him and kissed him. Then the son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you; I am no longer worthy to be called your son.’ But the father said to his slaves, ‘Quickly, bring out a robe ” the best one-and put it on him; put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet. And get the fatted calf and kill it, and let us eat and celebrate; for this son of mine was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found!’ And they began to celebrate.

“Now his elder son was in the field; and when he came and approached the house, he heard music and dancing. He called one of the slaves and asked what was going on. He replied, ‘Your brother has come, and your father has killed the fatted calf, because he has got him back safe and sound.’ Then he became angry and refused to go in. His father came out and began to plead with him. But he answered his father, ‘Listen! For all these years I have been working like a slave for you, and I have never disobeyed your command; yet you have never given me even a young goat so that I might celebrate with my friends. But when this son of yours came back, who has devoured your property with prostitutes, you killed the fatted calf for him!’ Then the father said to him, ‘Son, you are always with me, and all that is mine is yours. But we had to celebrate and rejoice, because this brother of yours was dead and has come to life; he was lost and has been found.’”