Word to the Wise
Sunday, March 14, 2010 - Fourth Sunday of Lent
[Joshua 5:9a, 10-12; 2 Corinthians 5:17-21; Luke 15:1-3, 11-32]Then let us celebrate with a feast, because this son of mine was dead, and has come to life again; he was lost and has been found.
This weekend I am beginning a parish mission at St. Joseph Parish in Ponchatoula, LA, northwest of New Orleans. The theme of the mission is "Lost and Found!" If one looks at the citation for the gospel scripture given above, one might note there is a gap there between verses 3 and 11! In that gap are two parables about a lost coin and lost sheep. Thus, the parable of the "Prodigal Son" (or Forgiving Father or Unforgiving Brother, or.....) is part of a "tryptych" (a three-paneled work of art), each panel presenting a slightly different way of looking at the same subject. The common theme of "lost and found" is obvious but one might overlook something else: rejoicing and celebration! This is why the fourth Sunday in Lent is known as "Laetare Sunday" from a Latin work meaning "rejoice." (Advent has "Gaudete Sunday" - which means the same thing.) The third panel is the story of the son who takes his inheritance and wastes it. When he comes to his senses and returns to his father, his older brother resents the celebration. In both cases, the father goes out to the son to "find" him. The allusion in the older brother to the scribes and Pharisees is clear. They can be just as "lost" as the tax collectors and sinners they disdain! Presumably there will be just as much rejoicing and celebration if scribes and Pharisees come to their senses as there would be for those others. Repentance and conversion are a profound part of Christian faith and no one of us is exempt from the need for both. As difficult as it may be to change destructive patterns in our lives, I think we can be helped by the thought that our efforts will meet with rejoicing and celebration! AMEN
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