Word to the Wise
Sunday, March 18, 2007 - Fourth Sunday in Lent
[Joshua 5:9a, 10-12; 2 Corinthians 5:17-21; Luke 15:1-3, 11-32]Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you; I no longer deserve to be called your son......
SUNDAY, MARCH 18, 2007 FOURTH SUNDAY IN LENT [Joshua 5:9A, 10-12, 2 Corinthians 5:17-21 and Luke 15:1-3, 11-32] Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you; I no longer deserve to be called your son...... The parable of the Prodigal Son is one of the richest stories of God's love and mercy. It is important to note at the outset that this parable is situated in a series of parables about God's persistent search for the lost sinner: the lost sheep, the lost coin and lastly, the lost son! Thus the real focus is on God's care for a lost person. The two sons are vividly portrayed. The foolishness and blindess of the younger son are revealed in his demanding his inheritance, which he would normally be required to use to take care of his father in old age. In effect he is acting as if his father is dead! Eventually he realizes how lost he is when his very identity is lost: he is like a Gentile tending unclean animals! For this reason, he no longer considers himself a son but a servant. The older brother also has a problem with his relationship with the father. He sees it in economic and service terms. Thus one son feels he has forfeited the father's love and the other has no real notion of it. The father responds with love to both sons. He goes out to each. The younger son is restored and the older is reassured (perhaps restored too). It is not hard to find examples of this in ordinary family life when one sibling is a "black sheep" and another is the "good one." The amount of attention required by the "black sheep" can easily lead to envy and resentment on the part of the "good son." What is most important for both is to realize that the parents do not love either offspring less. The range of God's mercy and love is incredible and none of us should consider ourselves totally lost to God, nor do we have to "earn" that love and mercy. It's ours for free. Today is Laetare Sunday (Rejoice!) - could we have a better reason than to realize how great is God's mercy and love to each of us? AMEN
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