Word to the Wise
Saturday, March 11, 2023 - 2nd Week of Lent - Sat
[Mic 7:14-15, 18-20 and 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]
The parable of the Prodigal Son is familiar to us. Its context can easily be missed, however. Jesus tells this story in response to the complaint by the scribes and Pharisees that "This man welcomes sinners and eats with them." This complaint has been echoed by those who criticize Pope Francis because he has characterized the church as a "field hospital for the sick and wounded" and not a club for a spiritual elite. Similarly, he has been criticized for reaching out to the divorced and remarried in his document Amoris laetitia. These complaints sound very much like the complaint of the older brother in the parable who refuses to join in the joy of the prodigal's return.
At the same time, it can be revealing if we put ourselves in each of the roles in the parable. How do we feel if we are the prodigal son? The older brother? The happy father? The rejoicing villagers? Notice that the father "goes out" to both brothers. He welcomes back the prodigal and tries to reassure the older brother. It can be revealing if we ask: "What now?" If we play the prodigal son, do we really want to be treated as one of the hired servants? If we play the role of the older brother, are we going to join in the joy, or pout outside? If we are going to receive everything the father has left to give, will we share it with the younger brother? If we are the father, how would we deal with all the aftermath? After all this reflection can we sing honestly the lines from Amazing Grace: "I once was lost but now I am found; was blind but now I see!" ? AMEN