Fourth Sunday in Lent, March 27, 2022

Luke 15:1–3, 11–32

The tax collectors and sinners were all drawing near to listen to him, but the Pharisees and scribes began to complain, saying, “This man welcomes sinners and eats with them.” So to them he addressed this parable:

The Parable of the Lost Son

Then he said, “A man had two sons, and the younger son said to his father, ‘Father, give me the share of your estate that should come to me.’ So the father divided the property between them. After a few days, the younger son collected all his belongings and set off to a distant country where he squandered his inheritance on a life of dissipation. When he had freely spent everything, a severe famine struck that country, and he found himself in dire need. So he hired himself out to one of the local citizens who sent him to his farm to tend the swine. And he longed to eat his fill of the pods on which the swine fed, but nobody gave him any. Coming to his senses he thought, ‘How many of my father’s hired workers have more than enough food to eat, but here am I, dying from hunger. I shall get up and go to my father and I shall say to him, “Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. I no longer deserve to be called your son; treat me as you would treat one of your hired workers.”’ So he got up and went back to his father. While he was still a long way off, his father caught sight of him, and was filled with compassion. He ran to his son, embraced him and kissed him. His son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you; I no longer deserve to be called your son.’ But his father ordered his servants, ‘Quickly bring the finest robe and put it on him; put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet. Take the fattened calf and slaughter it. Then let us celebrate with a feast, because this son of mine was dead, and has come to life again; he was lost, and has been found.’ Then the celebration began. Now the older son had been out in the field and, on his way back, as he neared the house, he heard the sound of music and dancing. He called one of the servants and asked what this might mean. The servant said to him, ‘Your brother has returned and your father has slaughtered the fattened calf because he has him back safe and sound.’ He became angry, and when he refused to enter the house, his father came out and pleaded with him. He said to his father in reply, ‘Look, all these years I served you and not once did I disobey your orders; yet you never gave me even a young goat to feast on with my friends. But when your son returns who swallowed up your property with prostitutes, for him you slaughter the fattened calf.’ He said to him, ‘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.’”

Music Meditations

• Going Home—Bryn Terfel (see music meditation below)
• Great Is Thy Faithfulness—Selah
• In the Hollow of Thy Hand—Janice Kapp Perry
• Turn to Me—John Foley
• Gracious God—Jesse Manibusan
• I Heard the Voice of Jesus Say—sung by Choir of Manchester Cathedral

Opening Prayer

Lord, you have no favorites. You understand that some people need more patience and understanding than others. You understand that sometimes we are especially needy and selfish in what we desire from you or those in our life. You understand that we are, most of the time, simply doing the best we can. Help us extend that understanding to those we live with, work with, sometimes tangle with. Help us extend that understanding to ourselves so that we can bask in the joy that is your steadfast caring, forgiveness, and love.

Companions for the Journey

This is a short writing from one of the Christian or non-Christian witnesses of our tradition—a person who embodies the theme of the gospel we are studying today.

This is taken from “Living Space” 2022, a service of the Irish Jesuits:

The prodigal father

The most striking story in chapter 15 of Luke is the third parable. We normally call it the “Prodigal Son” but, in fact, the emphasis is less on the son than on the father, who clearly represents God and Jesus. No one can deny the appalling behavior of the younger son. He took all that his father generously gave to him as his inheritance and used it in leading a life of total debauchery and self-centered indulgence. Eventually, he had nothing and was reduced to living with pigs, something utterly abhorrent to the Jewish mind, and even sharing their slops, something even we would find appalling. “Served him right,” might be the reaction of many, especially the good and morally respectable. This, however, is not the reaction of the father, who has only one thought in his mind – how to get his son to come back to where he belongs. The father does not say: “This son has seriously offended me and brought disgrace on our family. May he rot in hell.” Instead, he says: “My son went away, is lost and I want so much to have him back.” And he stands at the door of his house watching and waiting… His love for his wayward son has not changed one iota.

No force

There is no force involved. The police are not sent out. Servants are not instructed to haul him back. No, the father waits. It is up to the son himself to make the crucial decision: does he want to be with his father or not? Eventually he “came to his senses”, that is, he realized the wrongness of what he had done. He became aware of just how good his father had been. The process of repentance had begun. He felt deeply ashamed of his behavior and then, most significantly of all, he turned round to make his way back to his father.

The father, for his part, filled with compassion for his son’s experiences, runs out to meet him, embraces him and brushes aside the carefully prepared speech the son had got ready. If the son had known his father better, he would have realized that such a speech was unnecessary. Immediately, orders are given to bring the very best things in the house and a banquet is laid on.

This is forgiveness, this is reconciliation and, on the part of the son, this is conversion, a real turning around of his life and a return to where he ought to be. All this, it is important to remember, is in response to the comments of the Pharisees and Scribes about Jesus mixing with sinners. This story reveals a picture of God which, on the one hand, many of us have not yet fully accepted and, on the other, a way of behavior that does not come easily to us in our own relationships with others.

No understanding

That is where the elder son comes in. He simply cannot understand what is happening. He was never treated like this and had always been a “good” boy. What kind of justice is this? One brother stays at home keeping all the rules [Commandments] and seems to get nothing. His brother lives riotously with prostitutes in a pagan land and when he comes back he is treated like royalty. He could not understand the mind of his father and some of us may have difficulties too. In some ways God is very unjust – at least by our standards. He is corrupted by love! But fortunately for us, he is like that. Supposing we went to confession one day and the priest said, “Sorry, that’s it. There can be no more forgiveness, no more reconciliations. You’ve used up your quota. Too bad.”

Of course, it is not like that. There is no limit to God’s forgiveness. As was said earlier, God is not interested in the past but only in the present. I am judged not by what I have done or not done earlier. Nor need I be anxious how I will behave in the future. I am judged by my relationship with God here and now. It was on that basis that the murderous gangster crucified with Jesus was told, “This day you will be with me in Paradise.” He is promised eternal life “this very day”. It was on the same basis that the “sinful woman”, presumably a prostitute, becomes totally reconciled with Jesus there and then and all her past behavior forgotten. “She has no sin [now] because she loves so much [now].”

All I have to worry about is whether right now I have a loving relationship with God and with all those around me through whom I come in contact with him.

What limits do we set?

There is clearly much for reflection, too, in today’s readings on how we deal with those we feel have “offended” us. In wanting to experience God’s forgiveness, we also need to learn how to be forgiving to others. Do we set limits to our forgiveness? To be reconciled with God we need to learn how to be reconciled with all those who are sources of conflict or pain in our lives.

We thank God that we have a Lord who is so ready to forgive and welcome us back again and again. But we cannot stop there. We have to learn to act towards others in the same way. “Forgive us our sins AS we forgive those who sin against us.” We, too, need to see the person in the here and now and not continue to dredge up past hurts and resentments, anger and hatred.

By imitating Jesus more, we find that our relationships improve. In so doing we are coming closer to having the mind of Jesus but we are doing something else as well. We will find that life will become a far more peace-filled and harmonious experience. It is a perfect win-win situation.

Weekly Memorization

Taken from the gospel for today’s session…

My son, you are with me always; everything I have is yours

Living the Good News

What action can you take in the next week as a response to today’s reading and discussion?

Keep a private journal of your prayer/actions responses this week. Feel free to use the personal reflection questions or the meditations which follow:

Reflection Questions

• What does the word “prodigal” mean to you?
• Do you identify more with the younger brother, the older brother or the father in the parable?
  How do you feel about the others?
  Do you think the younger brother is sincere?
  What do you make of the older brother’s reaction?
  What about the father’s response to each of his sons?
  What do your feelings about each tell you about yourself and your relationships, your moral code? Your compassion?
• How would you have handled this story if it were your parable to write?
• Have I ever, like each son at one time or another, felt “trapped” by a situation I was in and longed to break free?
  Did I stay “home”, but resentful, or did I extricate myself, sometimes disappointing another?
  Did I ever “leave home” without actually going anywhere?
  Did I withdraw emotionally from those around me?
  Was resentment ever a part of my emotional arsenal?
• Did I “return”, and what was my reception?
• Is it difficult for us sometimes to see that good things happen to people who don’t deserve them?
  Have I ever uttered “Life is unfair”?
  Have I ever felt I had to be rich or beautiful or accomplished in order to be recognized or loved?
• What does it mean to me to realize that forgiveness is a gift?
  How graciously have I ever accepted forgiveness?
  Why is it so difficult to forgive without condition?
  Is there someone in your life who needs your forgiveness?
  Do I hold grudges?
• Are there some unhealthy family patterns that I need to work to change?
• Do you need forgiveness?
  Why is it sometimes hard to say “I’m sorry,” or “I was wrong”?
• What experiences of reconciliation have inspired you in your life?
• Tim Keller (in The Prodigal God) says that the elder son’s pride in his moral record, his sense of righteousness keeps him from entering his father’s feast. Have I ever felt outraged that my steadfastness, adherence to the rules, and hard work were not sufficiently recognized or rewarded?
  How did I react?
• Was there ever a time that you were away from God your father?
  How did you get back?
• Do I understand that God’s hand is ever stretched toward me, even when I sin?
  Do I believe God always wishes me well?
  In what ways have I tried to use my “goodness” to get something I wanted from God or someone else?
• From Sacred Space: A service of the Irish Jesuits:
  Can I let God say to me: “You are always with me, and all that I have is yours”?
• How might the parable of the prodigal son help you to participate in the sacrament of reconciliation this Lent?

Meditations

Music Meditation:

Listen to “Homeward Bound” written by Marta Keen and sung by the Mormon Tabernacle Choir. How do the words of this song capture the restlessness of the son as he left home to find adventure and his fortune, to find his calling? In your life, have you ever experienced a need to go beyond the experiences of your childhood and have new adventures, new challenges?

Then listen to “Going Home”, the largo from by Antonin Dvorak’s 9th symphony, with lyrics by William Arms Fisher. A beautiful version is sung by Bryn Terfel, the legendary Welsh bass-baritone. Imagine that you are the younger son heading back to the father. Do you think he felt as sure of his welcome as the lyrics of this song suggest? What is it about home that evokes such emotion in us? Now play the song again, this time thinking of Jesus as he heads for Jerusalem and the finale of his journey abroad from his father. Where are you in your life’s journey?

A Meditation in the Dominican Style/Asking Questions:

Reflect on the part of the parable where the son realizes what a mistake he made in seeking happiness in the wrong things, and realizes also that his very life depends on returning home and to his father, and pray your responses to the Father:

After a few days, the younger son collected all his belongings and set off to distant country where he squandered his inheritance on a life of dissipation. When he had freely spent everything, a severe famine struck that country, and he found himself in dire need. So he hired himself out to one of the local citizens who sent him to his farm to tend the swine. And he longed to eat his fill of the pods on which the swine fed, but nobody gave him any. Coming to his senses he thought: “How many of my father’s hired workers have enough food to eat, but here I am, dying from hunger. I shall get up and go to my father and I shall say to him: ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. I no longer deserve to be called your son; treat me as you would treat your hired workers.’”

Did you ever stray from your true “home”, seeking happiness or validation in the wrong things? Was there ever a time that you were away from God your father? How did you get back?

Do you need forgiveness? Why is it sometimes hard to say “I’m sorry,” or “I was wrong”?

Is it difficult for us sometimes to see that good things happen to people who don’t deserve them? How do we deal with this problem?

Pray the Our Father, paying special attention to the phrase: “Forgive us our sins as we forgive the sins of others.” Why is it so difficult to forgive without condition? Is there someone in your life who needs your forgiveness?

A Meditation in the Franciscan Style/Action:

The parable of the Prodigal Son is a story that speaks about a love that existed before any rejection was possible and that will still be there after all the rejections have taken place. It is the first and everlasting love of a God who is Father as well as Mother… It is the love that always welcomes home and always wants to celebrate.

—Henri Nouwen: The Return of the Prodigal Son, p.108-109

This showing of compassion extends to showing it to ourselves.

Try to let go of some issue you have been blaming yourself for, and trust wholeheartedly in the love of God.

Try to receive the Sacrament of Reconciliation this Lent.

A Meditation in the Augustinian Style/Relationship:

Read Psalm 32 and let the words of the psalm wash over you. With which of the phrases do you most identify? Why?

Blessed is the one whose transgressions are forgiven, whose sins are covered. Blessed is the one whose sin the LORD does not count against him and in whose spirit is no deceit. When I kept silent, my bones wasted away through my groaning all day long. For day and night your hand was heavy upon me; my strength was sapped as in the heat of summer. Then I acknowledged my sin to you and did not cover up my iniquity. I said, “I will confess my transgressions to the LORD”—and you forgave the guilt of my sin. Therefore let everyone who is godly pray to you while you may be found; surely when the mighty waters rise, they will not reach him. You are my hiding place; you will protect me from trouble and surround me with songs of deliverance. I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will counsel you and watch over you. Do not be like the horse or the mule, which have no understanding but must be controlled by bit and bridle or they will not come to you. Many are the woes of the wicked, but the LORD’s unfailing love surrounds the man who trusts in him.

Literary Reflection:

Read the following poem by Wendell Berry. How does it relate to God’s forgiveness of us?

“To My Mother”

I was your rebellious son,
do you remember? Sometimes
I wonder if you do remember,
so complete has your forgiveness been.

So complete has your forgiveness been
I wonder sometimes if it did not
precede my wrong, and I erred,
safe found, within your love,

prepared ahead of me, the way home,
or my bed at night, so that almost
I should forgive you, who perhaps
saw the worst that I might do,

and forgave me before I could act,
causing me to smile now, looking back,
to see how paltry was my worst,
compared to your forgiveness of it

already given. And this, then,
is the vision of that Heaven of which
we have heard, where those who love
each other have forgiven each other,

where, for that, the leaves are green
the light a music in the air,
and all is unentangled,
and all is undismayed.

Literary Reflection:

The following poem by Father Ed Ingebretzen, captures for us the close relationship God, through Jesus has with humanity, and reaffirms our belief in God’s unending love:

“Creed”

We believe in one God implicit in a thousand faces a God who is not merely kind. He has breathed our mud and lust, graveled feet as we over stones; broken bread, bones. He Is not merely kind. Touch him he bleeds as we, also bleeds burns as we in love’s irrevocable heat. We are to God’s amazing vision crucial —this our endless agony still, endless peace. In large circles we open with God and with God we close and are just begun.

Suggested Reading:

Stanford Author Tobias Wolff has written a wonderful short story called “The Rich Brother”. It can be found in his short story collection Back in the World.

Closing Prayer

I ask you, Lord, to bless me with compassion, mercy, and understanding for those who have messed up their lives in some way. I ask you Lord, to extend your mercy and compassion toward me, to extend forgiveness for my self-absorption and for the hurts I have inflicted on others. I ask you, Lord, to help me return renewed, to strengthen my relationships with others in my life, to strengthen my relationship with you…