Word to the Wise
Sunday, March 27, 2022 - 4th Sunday of Lent - C
[Josh 5:9a, 10-12; 2 Cor 5:17-21; Luke 15:1-3, 11-32]"'My son, you are here with me always; everything I have is yours. But now we must celebrate and rejoice, because your brother was dead and has come to life again; he was lost and has been found.'" [Luke]
SUNDAY, MARCH 27, 2022 FOURTH SUNDAY OF LENT - C
[Joshua 5:9a, 10-12; 2 Corinthians 5:17-21; Luke 15:1-3, 22-32. These are the Cycle C scriptures. Parishes with RCIA programs may use Cycle A scriptures. A past reflection on those can be found in the search feature of my website: <rbwords.com>.]
"'My son, you are here with me always; everything I have is yours. But now we must celebrate and rejoice, because your brother was dead and has come to life again; he was lost and has been found.'" [Luke]
The wonderful parable for today's gospel scripture is traditionally called, "The Prodigal Son!" But it could easily be called "The Loving and Merciful Father" or "the Resentful Older Brother!" We can reflect on the drama between these three characters, perhaps in the role of villagers who know about the situation and wonder how WE would act. The parable itself is part of a set of three parables on the mercy and forgiveness of God that Jesus delivers in reply to scribes and Pharisees who complain about him eating and drinking with tax collectors and sinners: the Lost Sheep, the Lost Coin, and the "Lost" Son]. They are all three concerned with "loss and recovery."
This loss and recovery theme speaks to the relationship between the father and BOTH sons. The first son, the younger one, shows all the confidence and, perhaps, arrogance of youth and may want to get out from under the authority of his father. Hmmm.... Have we ever felt that way? The second son, the older one, shows the typical complaint of the older child in regard to the younger, "You never did that for ME!" when the father welcomes back the younger son with a feast! Hmmm.....have we ever felt that way? Now comes the harder role: the father who is faced with two "lost sons." The younger one, who virtually wished his dad was dead by demanding his inheritance early, gets a feast and a new set of clothes. The older one has to be reminded that he's not being shortchanged, and must own up to his envy just as the younger son had to own up to his earlier arrogance and over-confidence. How would WE react in dealing with these two "lost sons?" Are we "lost" or are we "found?" Can we sing with confidence the last words of the famous hymn, "Amazing Grace:" "I once was lost but now I'm found; was blind but now I see?" AMEN