(Lk.15:11-32)
The former Archbishop of San Francisco, Abp. Quinn, once wrote: “The Catholic Church is not a museum of saints but a hospital for sinners.” All of us are sinners, frail and weak, struggling to walk on the path of holiness. Our membership in the Church does not mean that we become automatically holy. We need the grace of God every day in our life to become holy and perfect.
Today’s Gospel presents before us the through the parable of the Prodigal Son the great mercy and love of God for sinners who return to Him in repentance. The Pharisees are suspicious of Jesus because He is spending time with sinners and the outcastes of the society. For them, the division of the society is perfect: the righteous and the sinners—those who observe the law and those who violate them. Those who observe the law are the righteous and the beloved of God. Those who violate are outside the purview of God’s grace and mercy. Subverting this argument and behavior, Jesus opens their hearts to the abundant mercy and generosity of God.
The parable is also a reminder to the Jews as a nation that those who are considered gentiles and outside of the providence of God are no longer alien to the grace of God.
God’s immense love and infinite compassion are described very vividly in this parable. Day in and day out the Father is waiting for the son to return. When he returns, he is accepted totally and restored to his former status as the son of the family. The Father does not scold him nor does he ask any explanation of the time spent away from him. The love of the Father knows no bounds. The son is given all due honors. The robe, the ring and the festive banquet are symbols of the new life.
Our Lord is also giving us a slight peep into the unfathomable love of the Father. We can never measure the depth of love the Father has for each one of us. When we repent and give up our sinful life, the Lord our God accepts us totally and gives us a chance to begin our life again. How consoling and comforting it is to know that God will not abandon us even though we are sinners. We are always given opportunities to return to Him. We don’t have to feel squeamish because of the fact that we have sinned. We are not eternally condemned. There is always a chance to come back and regain our relationship with God.
“Only the heart of Christ who knows the depths of his Father’s love could reveal to us the abyss of his mercy in so simple and beautiful a way.”(Catechism of the Catholic Church, p.1439)
The parable is narrated from three perspectives: that of the younger son, that of the father and that of the older son.(Navarre Bible).
The young man’s story is a classic account of the story of every sinner. It is a parable about our lives as sinners. We become cut off from our people as well as from God through our sins. But the way is open for us to repair the damage through our repentance. Forgiveness is granted freely by God.
The second perspective is that of the Father where we are given a peep into the heart of the love of God the Father. That love has no limits. God is always ready to forgive our sins and give us the grace of being united with him. Our past sins do not become a stumbling block in our relationship with him.
The third perspective is that of the older brother. He feels offended by the overwhelming generosity of the Father. He thinks that he is not rewarded for his faithfulness and that the son who squandered everything is accepted without any punishment. In his heart, he feels that the younger son should have been punished. But God’s ways are different. It does not follow the standards of men. The generosity of God is beyond human understanding.
In the historical context, the older son represented the attitude of those Jews who thought that God should reward them for their faithfulness and that gentiles should not be offered salvation along with them.
The older son could not forgive his younger son in spite of his repentance. He has no real understanding of religion whose purpose is transform us into loving persons. His strength does not reside in God but is coming from his own small world-view.
We also belong to this category. We too become enraged that God treats the faithful as well as the unfaithful equally. We need conversion from this state of mind that is unforgiving and judgmental.
“Every human being also is this elder brother Selfishness makes him jealous, hardens his heart, blinds and shuts him off from other people and from God.” (John Paul ll).
Not only should we be faithful always in our lives abut also be free of this envy and hardness of heart. Our love for others should be totally devoid of any feelings of jealousy and selfishness.
The sacrament of Reconciliation offers us the golden opportunity of experiencing the great mercy of God. Through the Sacrament of Reconciliation, we go through the process of conversion and experience peace and joy in our lives.
This is also an occasion for us to reconcile with God by repenting our sins as well as with people with whom we are estranged.
“This parable invites us to ask ourselves three questions. Am I a person who is intolerant and unforgiving of the faults and sins of others? Am I a person who has messed up my life and is now ready to trust in God to save me? Do I really believe in a God whose loving forgiveness makes possible my conversion and repentance?(Alfred McBride,O.Praem.)
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