Today's gospel, the Prodigal Son, must surely be one of the best known and best loved stories in the whole Bible. It is a story that seems to strike a chord with everyone, whether they read, hear or see the story portrayed in one of the many famous depictions of it. This story resonates with so many people because the subject is something with which we are all familiar. We all have had a time when we have acted like the prodigal son, not necessarily in such a dramatic fashion, but we have all known times when we have been in need of the forgiveness of another, have been subject to their mercy, so to speak. Those of us who have experienced another’s refusal to forgive us know how painful this can be. What a comfort it is to hear that our loving Father in heaven will never treat us according to our faults, but instead will come towards us with arms open, longing to welcome us back into his embrace. This parable reminds us not only of our need to confess our sins to our heavenly Father, especially in this time of spiritual renewal, but also that we are called to be merciful to others, as our Father has been merciful to us. The other son, who resents the unconditional love shown to his brother by the father, reminds us of the importance of being generous and tender hearted to those who have gone astray. Let us pray that this Lent we will undergo a purification of heart, so that we more effectively embody the unconditional love and mercy of the Father for our world.
Would it be fair to say that the crucial first step in the Prodigal Son's journey back home was his recognition of his sorry state (presumably reminding us that self-examination is an essential prelude to contrition, and to confession) ?
ReplyDeleteAfter all : his father was very happy to go and meet him, and to offer him (indeed thrust upon him) unconditional love and acceptance; but he didn't go to the far country looking for him - the Prodigal Son had to start the process by setting off for home, hanging his head in shame.
What always strikes me about this parable is that the homecoming is a last resort. Only when there is no other option (apart from the current misery) does the younger son set off for home, and he does so with few expectations.
ReplyDeleteIn my own life, certainly, I have found this to be true. I anly begin to be "sorry" or contrite when it has been made very clear that I am in a mess. Most of the time my sorrow is a mixture: sorry that I have been caught out as well as realisation that I've done it again. Maybe I've gone too far this time.
There have been times when I have been reluctant to come back to confession because my motives were so mixed, but then I realised that God was that loving father in the parable. He would meet me more than halfway. He would forgive me on his terms, not my self obsessed and over-analytical ones.
What is the message? "Come home. All is forgiven. Just come." And let God sort it out.Just accept that you are forgiven as soon as you turn to make that journey back.