Alberic Jacovone OSB
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YEAR C
FOURTH SUNDAY OF LENT - 18.3.07
Josh 5,9-12; 2 Cor 5,17-21; Lk 15,1-3.11-32
God's loving compassion for us
The Prodigal Son. Today's story of the
'Prodigal Son' is Jesus' greatest parable & sums up the full message of
Luke's Gospel. It's a tense tale of God's 'excessive' love: a love that is
forgiving, long-suffering, unconditional, compassionate: always welcoming home.
Luke, who is an astute story teller & a master in suspense, packs the story
with surprises & hidden twists till the very end which is itself left in
suspense. In the story, both sons are strangely & amazingly at fault. Our
feelings keep shifting in a strange & conflicting way as we identify with
one or the other of the sons. In this parable, Luke's overall aim is to make us
fall in astonishment, as we discover tat God is unbelievably rich in mercy. It
also aims at silencing forever any self-righteous attitudes we may hold. All
criticisms we hold against others become an affront to God, as we claim God has
no right to condone & forgive the wrong doings of sinners. More
specifically, Jesus told the parable to condemn the grumbling self-righteous
Torah-Teachers & Pharisees -of his time & of all times-, who accused Him
to mix with unclean sinners & those hated people who extorted taxes for the
Roman Enemies. Luke himself tells the story, to teach his fellow Christians of
all times, that everyone is a welcome member of the Church: yes the weak,
sinful, pagan members (who as gentiles were treated worse than unclean pigs!),
were loved by God as much as the staunchly convinced Jewish people. The same can
be said today, as we see ourselves to be traditionalists or ritualists, as
purists or lovers of Christian art through icons, statues, paintings etc. Across
the centuries the story of 'Lost
Son' has been depicted by the greatest artists: Today, enjoy the masterpiece by
Van Rijn Rembrandt.
The Point of the Parable. This Sunday, the
Church asks to make the parable our own: through it we are asked to realize how
true it is that we are all sinners: like the younger son, we have all: gone
astray - squandered - become degraded & unclean in the pigsty of our messy
life. As sinners we all are invited to trust in God's unconditional love &
come home. But at the same time, we've all sinned like "older son":
we've been critical, resentful & self-righteous. We all are asked to realize
that we are not the only ones 'at home' in God's Church: we must forgive &
accept one another. Jesus' story proclaims
God's unconditional love for all who are lost, both in Israel (the Church) &
in the Pagan World. There will always be 2 kinds of people in our world: the
self-righteous & those who -being week- feel condemned & rejected. We
all have a share in both sides; yet, -just as we are- are all human &
worthwhile before God, all have rights & obligations. Lesson:
No end of story: In Jewish Law the 'Elder' got 2 thirds of the estate while
the 'Younger' got only one third. The one who squandered his share, regretted
the loss & returned home knowing from the start that he had lost all rights
to the estate, & the Father had nothing left to give. By the same token the
'Elder' who stayed, had no reason to be jealous & complain, since he had
received twice the amount, & should be twice the amount as generous,
grateful & forgiving. As we live, we are free to accept or reject God's gift
of love, a love which is a costly for God. This Lent, this year, as we prepare
ourselves for the Sacrament of Reconciliation for our children and for us all,
we are all invited to come home & celebrate God's unconditional love: there
is joy in forgiveness. Let's not be grumblers: people who are in the Church,
& yet exclude, resent & condemn everybody else. Let's join the party,
unlike the 'Elder Son' who in the end chose to be 'left outside'.
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