Saturday of the Second Week of Lent
Lectionary: 235
Lectionary: 235
Shepherd your
people with your staff,
the flock of your inheritance,
That dwells apart in a woodland,
in the midst of Carmel.
Let them feed in Bashan and Gilead,
as in the days of old;
As in the days when you came from the land of Egypt,
show us wonderful signs.
Who is there like you, the God who removes guilt
and pardons sin for the remnant of his inheritance;
Who does not persist in anger forever,
but delights rather in clemency,
And will again have compassion on us,
treading underfoot our guilt?
You will cast into the depths of the sea all our sins;
You will show faithfulness to Jacob,
and grace to Abraham,
As you have sworn to our fathers
from days of old.
the flock of your inheritance,
That dwells apart in a woodland,
in the midst of Carmel.
Let them feed in Bashan and Gilead,
as in the days of old;
As in the days when you came from the land of Egypt,
show us wonderful signs.
Who is there like you, the God who removes guilt
and pardons sin for the remnant of his inheritance;
Who does not persist in anger forever,
but delights rather in clemency,
And will again have compassion on us,
treading underfoot our guilt?
You will cast into the depths of the sea all our sins;
You will show faithfulness to Jacob,
and grace to Abraham,
As you have sworn to our fathers
from days of old.
Responsorial PsalmPS 103:1-2, 3-4, 9-10, 11-12
R. (8a) The Lord is kind and merciful.
Bless the LORD, O my soul;
and all my being, bless his holy name.
Bless the LORD, O my soul,
and forget not all his benefits.
R. The Lord is kind and merciful.
He pardons all your iniquities,
he heals all your ills.
He redeems your life from destruction,
he crowns you with kindness and compassion.
R. The Lord is kind and merciful.
He will not always chide,
nor does he keep his wrath forever.
Not according to our sins does he deal with us,
nor does he requite us according to our crimes.
R. The Lord is kind and merciful.
For as the heavens are high above the earth,
so surpassing is his kindness toward those who fear him.
As far as the east is from the west,
so far has he put our transgressions from us.
R. The Lord is kind and merciful.
Bless the LORD, O my soul;
and all my being, bless his holy name.
Bless the LORD, O my soul,
and forget not all his benefits.
R. The Lord is kind and merciful.
He pardons all your iniquities,
he heals all your ills.
He redeems your life from destruction,
he crowns you with kindness and compassion.
R. The Lord is kind and merciful.
He will not always chide,
nor does he keep his wrath forever.
Not according to our sins does he deal with us,
nor does he requite us according to our crimes.
R. The Lord is kind and merciful.
For as the heavens are high above the earth,
so surpassing is his kindness toward those who fear him.
As far as the east is from the west,
so far has he put our transgressions from us.
R. The Lord is kind and merciful.
Verse Before The GospelLK 15:18
I will get up and
go to my father and shall say to him,
Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you.
Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you.
GospelLK 15:1-3, 11-32
Tax collectors and
sinners were all drawing near to listen to Jesus,
but the Pharisees and scribes began to complain, saying,
“This man welcomes sinners and eats with them.”
So to them Jesus addressed this parable.
“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.’”
but the Pharisees and scribes began to complain, saying,
“This man welcomes sinners and eats with them.”
So to them Jesus addressed this parable.
“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.’”
Meditation: "Father,
I have sinned against heaven and you"
How can you love someone who turns their back on you and still
forgive them from the heart? The prophets remind us that God does not abandon
us, even if we turn our backs on him (Micah 7:18). He calls us back to himself
- over and over and over again. Jesus' story of the father and his two sons
(sometimes called the parable of the prodigal son) is the longest parable in
the Gospels.
What is the main point or focus of the story? Is it the contrast
between an obedient and a disobedient son or is it between the warm reception
given to a spendthrift son by his father and the cold reception given by the
eldest son? Jesus contrasts the father's merciful love with the eldest son's
somewhat harsh reaction to his errant brother and to the lavish party his
joyful father throws for his repentant son. While the errant son had wasted his
father's money, his father, nonetheless, maintained unbroken love for his son.
The son, while he was away, learned a lot about himself. And he
realized that his father had given him love which he had not returned. He had
yet to learn about the depth of his father's love for him. His deep humiliation
at finding himself obliged to feed on the husks of pigs and his reflection on
all he had lost, led to his repentance and decision to declare himself guilty
before his father. While he hoped for reconciliation with his father, he could
not have imagined a full restoration of relationship. The father did not need
to speak words of forgiveness to his son; his actions spoke more loudly and
clearly! The beautiful robe, the ring, and the festive banquet symbolize the
new life - pure, worthy, and joyful - of anyone who returns to God.
The prodigal could not return to the garden of innocence, but he
was welcomed and reinstated as a son. The errant son's dramatic change from
grief and guilt to forgiveness and restoration express in picture-language the
resurrection from the dead, a rebirth to new life from spiritual death. The
parable also contrasts mercy and its opposite - unforgiveness. The father who
had been wronged, was forgiving. But the eldest son, who had not been wronged,
was unforgiving. His unforgiveness turns into contempt and pride. And his
resentment leads to his isolation and estrangement from the community of
forgiven sinners.
In this parable Jesus gives a vivid picture of God and what God
is like. God is truly kinder than us. He does not lose hope or give up when we
stray. He rejoices in finding the lost and in welcoming them home. Do you know
the joy of repentance and the restoration of relationship as a son or daughter
of your heavenly Father?
"Lord Jesus, may I never doubt your love nor take for
granted the mercy you have shown to me. Fill me with your transforming love
that I may be merciful as you are merciful."
 The Prodigal Father |
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March 7, 2015. Saturday of the Second Week of Lent
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Luke 15: 1-3, 11-32 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. 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.´" Introductory Prayer: Lord, though I cannot see you with my eyes, I believe you are present to me now, in my innermost being, and that you know me far better than I know myself. I also know that you love me much more than I love my own self. Thank you for loving and watching over me, though I don’t deserve your love. In return, I offer you my sorrow for my sins and my hope to love you more each day. Petition: Jesus, guide me to a complete rejection of sin in my life. 1. Love: The Double-Edged Sword - Place yourself in the father´s shoes. He loves his sons, sacrifices himself for them, and has tremendous hope and fatherly pride in them. He intensely wants them to be happy and seeks what´s best for them. Above all, he wants them to respond to his love for them with the same generosity, the same intensity of self-giving. There is nothing more painful for a lover than unanswered, ignored or scorned love. Imagine how much God loves us: he sends his only begotten Son into the world, to become man––with all the limitations and suffering this entails––to die on a cross, in our place, because of our sins. 2. Forgetting to Count Your Blessings: The minute the son begins to think about himself and turn his attention away from the father´s love is the minute he begins to have problems that will lead to spiritual and material bankruptcy. Asking for his inheritance was tantamount to wishing his father´s death, since an inheritance is bestowed only after the death of one’s parents. How many times have I asked God to die by choosing my own will over his? Self-centeredness leads to ingratitude: forgetting that I have received everything from God through no merit of my own and that it will all return to him. Self-centeredness also leads to trying to find happiness anywhere except the one place it truly is found: God. 3. A Rude Awakening: Anytime we turn away from the love and grace of God and turn to sin, we lose our senses and leave God for a “distant country.” God´s will is our home, even if on the surface it may seem unpleasant. Sin blinds the intellect and weakens the will. Its every moment is a point of departure. But—every saint has a past and every sinner has a future. We can turn back to God right now. He is with us right here, right now, pouring out his grace. He ardently longs for us to respond to him, just as the father in the parable must have longed for the return of his son. I can stand up. I can return to my Father. I can bury my past in Christ. I can go to him for forgiveness. Conversation with Christ: Heavenly Father, I clearly see the many times I have said “No” to you and chosen myself. I give thanks for having such a patient and forgiving father as you. I am sorry for my lack of love for you. Now I reject sin once more and turn back to you, confident of your mercy and forgiveness. Resolution: I will say a heartfelt act of contrition, relishing God´s love and mercy for me. |
SATURDAY, MARCH 7, LUKE 15:1-3, 11-32
Lenten Weekday
(Micah 7:14-15, 18-20; Psalm 103)
Lenten Weekday
(Micah 7:14-15, 18-20; Psalm 103)
KEY VERSE: "But now we must celebrate and rejoice, because your brother was dead and has come to life again" (v 32).
TO KNOW: The "tax collectors and sinners were all drawing near" to Jesus while the "Pharisees and the scribes" were looking for ways to ensnare him (Luke 15:1-2). When the religious leaders complained that Jesus associated with sinners, he reminded them of God's unconditional love for the wayward by telling them a parable. While it is known as the Parable of the Prodigal Son, it might better be called the Parable of the Loving Father. The elder son in the story represented the self-righteous, law-abiding religious leaders, while the younger son signified repentant sinners. When the younger son squandered his father's gifts, he realized the error of his ways and returned home. While he was still a long way off, his father caught sight of him and ran out to meet him. The lad believed that he no longer deserved to be called a son; nevertheless, as he made his confession of sin, the father welcomed him back with a joyful celebration. But the elder brother referred to him, not as "my brother," but as "your son" (v 30). His attitude showed that his obedience to his father was nothing more than grim duty and not loving service. We can all apply this story of repentance and reconciliation to our own lives. How often do we waste God's gifts and feel that we have lost God's love? Yet, when we take one step toward God, we discover that He is there to meet us at the banquet table of mercy and grace.
TO LOVE: Loving Father, help me to confess my sins and amend my life.
TO SERVE: Will I participate in the Sacrament of Penance this Lent?
Optional Memorial of Perpetua and Felicitas,
martyrs
Vibia Perpetua was born to a noble pagan family. She was a convert, lay-woman, wife and mother. Perpetua was martyred March 7, 203 at Carthage with her maid, friend, and fellow convert Felicity. Perpetua, the aristocrat, and Felicitas, the slave-girl, met martyrdom hand-in-hand. An account of their last day was recorded: The day of the martyrs' victory dawned. They marched from their cells into the amphitheater, as if into heaven, with cheerful looks and graceful bearing. If they trembled it was for joy and not for fear. Perpetua was the first to be thrown down, and she fell prostrate. She got up and, seeing that Felicity was prostrate, went over and reached out her hand to her and lifted her up. Both stood up together. Rousing herself as if from sleep (so deeply had she been in spiritual ecstasy), she began to look around. To everyone's amazement she said, "When are we going to be led to the beasts?" When she heard that it had already happened she did not at first believe it until she saw the marks of violence on her body and her clothing. The people, however, had demanded that the martyrs be led to the middle of the amphitheater. They wanted to see the sword thrust into the bodies of the victims, so that their eyes might share in the slaughter. Without being asked they went where the people wanted them to go; but completed their witness with the customary kiss of peace.
Saturday 7 March 2015
Ss Perpetua & Felicity.
Micah 7:14-15, 18-20. The Lord is kind and merciful—Ps 102(103):1-4, 9-12. Luke 15:1-3, 11-32.
Micah 7:14-15, 18-20. The Lord is kind and merciful—Ps 102(103):1-4, 9-12. Luke 15:1-3, 11-32.
Today, let us focus on the
portrayal of the father in this well-known story.
The word ‘father’ can carry
with it associations of power and domination. The father in the parable begins
to break apart these associations and give new meaning to words like
‘authority’ and strength’.
The father’s love for his sons is such that there is nothing he has that he withholds from them. Whatever he has, he gives unconditionally. The father is so freed by his love that he can allow his sons to be free. His one delight is that his love for them should find a home in their hearts. This love brings life to the dead.
The father’s love for his sons is such that there is nothing he has that he withholds from them. Whatever he has, he gives unconditionally. The father is so freed by his love that he can allow his sons to be free. His one delight is that his love for them should find a home in their hearts. This love brings life to the dead.
MINUTE MEDITATIONS
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Share God’s Love
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One of our Lenten resolutions this year ought to be to get over
our fear of sharing the Good News, to be aware of the spiritual needs of those
around us, and to share God’s love. More people are looking than you think.
“The fields are already white for harvest” (John 4:35).
March
7
Sts. Perpetua and Felicity
(d. 203?)
Sts. Perpetua and Felicity
(d. 203?)
“When my father in his affection for me was trying to turn me from
my purpose by arguments and thus weaken my faith, I said to him, ‘Do you see
this vessel—waterpot or whatever it may be? Can it be called by any other name
than what it is?’ ‘No,’ he replied. ‘So also I cannot call myself by any other
name than what I am—a Christian.’”
So writes
Perpetua, young, beautiful, well-educated, a noblewoman of Carthage in North
Africa, mother of an infant son and chronicler of the persecution of the
Christians by Emperor Septimius Severus.
Despite
threats of persecution and death, Perpetua, Felicity (a slavewoman and
expectant mother) and three companions, Revocatus, Secundulus and Saturninus,
refused to renounce their Christian faith. For their unwillingness, all were
sent to the public games in the amphitheater. There, Perpetua and Felicity were
beheaded, and the others killed by beasts.
Perpetua’s
mother was a Christian and her father a pagan. He continually pleaded with her
to deny her faith. She refused and was imprisoned at 22.
In her
diary, Perpetua describes her period of captivity: “What a day of horror!
Terrible heat, owing to the crowds! Rough treatment by the soldiers! To crown
all, I was tormented with anxiety for my baby.... Such anxieties I suffered for
many days, but I obtained leave for my baby to remain in the prison with me,
and being relieved of my trouble and anxiety for him, I at once recovered my
health, and my prison became a palace to me and I would rather have been there
than anywhere else.”
Felicity
gave birth to a girl a few days before the games commenced.
Perpetua’s
record of her trial and imprisonment ends the day before the games. “Of what
was done in the games themselves, let him write who will.” The diary was
finished by an eyewitness.
Comment:
Persecution for religious beliefs is not confined to Christians in ancient times. Consider Anne Frank, the Jewish girl who, with her family, was forced into hiding and later died in Bergen-Belsen, one of Hitler’s death camps during World War II. Anne, like Perpetua and Felicity, endured hardship and suffering and finally death because she committed herself to God. In her diary Anne writes, “It’s twice as hard for us young ones to hold our ground, and maintain our opinions, in a time when all ideals are being shattered and destroyed, when people are showing their worst side, and do not know whether to believe in truth and right and God."
Persecution for religious beliefs is not confined to Christians in ancient times. Consider Anne Frank, the Jewish girl who, with her family, was forced into hiding and later died in Bergen-Belsen, one of Hitler’s death camps during World War II. Anne, like Perpetua and Felicity, endured hardship and suffering and finally death because she committed herself to God. In her diary Anne writes, “It’s twice as hard for us young ones to hold our ground, and maintain our opinions, in a time when all ideals are being shattered and destroyed, when people are showing their worst side, and do not know whether to believe in truth and right and God."
Quote:
Perpetua, unwilling to renounce Christianity, comforted her father in his grief over her decision, “It shall happen as God shall choose, for assuredly we depend not on our own power but on the power of God.“
Perpetua, unwilling to renounce Christianity, comforted her father in his grief over her decision, “It shall happen as God shall choose, for assuredly we depend not on our own power but on the power of God.“
LECTIO DIVINA:
LUKE 15,1-3.11-32
Lectio:
Saturday, March 7, 2015
Lent Time
1)
OPENING PRAYER
Faithful Father, you are our God
of grace, mercy and forgiveness.
When mercy and pardon
sound paternalistic to modern ears,make us realize, Lord,
that you challenge us to face ourselves
and to become new people,
responsible for the destiny of ourselves
and for the happiness of others.
Make us responsive to your love
through Christ Jesus our Lord.
of grace, mercy and forgiveness.
When mercy and pardon
sound paternalistic to modern ears,make us realize, Lord,
that you challenge us to face ourselves
and to become new people,
responsible for the destiny of ourselves
and for the happiness of others.
Make us responsive to your love
through Christ Jesus our Lord.
2)
GOSPEL READING - LUKE 15, 1-3. 11-32
The tax collectors and sinners, however, were all crowding round
to listen to him, and the Pharisees and scribes complained saying, 'This man
welcomes sinners and eats with them.' So he told them this parable:
'There was a man who had two sons. The younger one said to his
father, "Father, let me have the share of the estate that will come to
me." So the father divided the property between them. A few days later,
the younger son got together everything he had and left for a distant country
where he squandered his money on a life of debauchery.
'When he had spent it all, that country experienced a severe
famine, and now he began to feel the pinch; so he hired himself out to one of
the local inhabitants who put him on his farm to feed the pigs. And he would
willingly have filled himself with the husks the pigs were eating but no one
would let him have them. Then he came to his senses and said, "How many of
my father's hired men have all the food they want and more, and here am I dying
of hunger! I will leave this place and go to my father and say: Father, I have
sinned against heaven and against you; I no longer deserve to be called your son;
treat me as one of your hired men." So he left the place and went back to
his father.
'While he was still a long way off, his father saw him and was
moved with pity. He ran to the boy, clasped him in his arms and kissed him.
Then his son said, "Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you.
I no longer deserve to be called your son." But the father said to his
servants, "Quick! Bring out the best robe and put it on him; put a ring on
his finger and sandals on his feet. Bring the calf we have been fattening, and
kill it; we will celebrate by having a feast, because this son of mine was dead
and has come back to life; he was lost and is found." And they began to
celebrate.
'Now the elder son was out in the fields, and on his way back,
as he drew near the house, he could hear music and dancing. Calling one of the
servants he asked what it was all about. The servant told him, "Your
brother has come, and your father has killed the calf we had been fattening
because he has got him back safe and sound." He was angry then and refused
to go in, and his father came out and began to urge him to come in; but he
retorted to his father, "All these years I have slaved for you and never
once disobeyed any orders of yours, yet you never offered me so much as a kid
for me to celebrate with my friends. But, for this son of yours, when he comes
back after swallowing up your property -- he and his loose women -- you kill
the calf we had been fattening."
'The father said, "My son, you are with me always and all I
have is yours. But it was only right we should celebrate and rejoice, because
your brother here was dead and has come to life; he was lost and is
found." '
3)
REFLECTION
• Chapter 15 of Luke’s Gospel is enclosed in the following
information: “The tax collectors and sinners, were all crowding round to listen
to him, and the Pharisees and Scribes complained saying: This man welcomes
sinners and eats with them” (Lk 15, 1-3). Immediately Luke presents these three
parables which are bound together by the same theme: the lost sheep (Lk 15,
4-7), the lost drachma (Lk 15, 8-10), the lost son (Lk 15, 11-32). This last
parable constitutes the theme of today’s Gospel.
• Luke 15, 11-13: The decision of the younger son. A man had two
sons. The younger one asks for the part of the estate which will be his. The
father divides everything between the two and both receive their part. To
receive the inheritance is not any merit of ours. It is a gratuitous gift. The
inheritance of the gifts of God is distributed among all human beings, whether
Jewish or Pagans, whether Christians or non Christians . All receive something
of the inheritance of the Father. But not all take care of it in the same way.
In this same way, the younger son leaves and goes to a distant country and
squandered his money on a life of debauchery, getting away from the Father. At
the time of Luke, the elder one represented the communities which came from
Judaism, and the youngest represented, the communities from Paganism. And today
who is the youngest and who the less young?
• Luke 15, 14-19: The disillusionment and the will to return to
the Father’s home. The need to find some food makes the young man lose his
freedom and he becomes a slave and takes care of the pigs. This was the
condition of life of millions of slaves in the Roman Empire at the time of
Luke. The situation in which he finds himself makes the young man remember how
he was in his Father’s home. Finally, he prepares the words which he will say
to his Father: “I no longer deserve to be called your son! Treat me as one of
your hired men!” The hired man executes the orders, fulfils the law of servants.
The younger son wants to fulfil the law as the Pharisees and the Scribes of the
time of Jesus wanted (Lk 15, 1). The missionaries of the Pharisees accused the
Pagans who were converted to the God of Abraham (Mt 23, 15). At the time of
Luke, some Christians who came from Judaism, submitted themselves to the yoke
of the Law (Ga 1, 6-10).
• Luke 15, 20-24: The joy of the Father when he meets his
younger son again. The parable says that the younger son was still a long way
off from the house, but the Father sees him, and runs to the boy, clasps him in
his arms and kissed him. The impression given by Jesus is that the Father
remained all the time at the window to see if his son would appear around the
corner. According to our human way of thinking and feeling, the joy of the
Father seems exaggerated. He does not even allow his son to finish his words,
what he was saying. Nobody listens! The Father does not want his son to be his
slave. He wants him to be his son! This is the great Good News which Jesus has
brought to us! A new robe, new sandals, a ring on his finger, the calf, the
feast! In the immense joy of the encounter, Jesus allows us to see how great
the sadness of the Father is because of the loss of his son. God was very sad
and the people now become aware of this, seeing the immense joy of the Father
because of the encounter with his son! It is joy shared with all in the feast
that he has prepared.
• Luke 15, 25-28b: The reaction of the older son. The older son
returns from his work in the fields and finds that there is a feast in the
house. He refuses to enter. He wants to know what is happening. When he is told
the reason for the feast, he is very angry and does not want to go in. Closing
up in himself, he thinks he has his own right. He does not like the feast and
he does not understand the why of his Father’s joy. This is a sign that he did
not have a great intimacy with the Father, in spite of the fact that they lived
in the same House. In fact, if he would have had it, he would have remarked the
sadness of the Father for the loss of his younger son and would have understood
his joy when his son returned. Those who live very worried about the observance
of the Law of God, run the risk of forgetting God himself! The young son, even
being far away from home, seemed to know the Father better than the older son
who lived with him. Because the younger one had the courage to go back home to
his Father, while the older one no longer wants to enter the house of the
Father. He is not aware that the Father without him, will lose his joy. Because
he, the older son, is also son as much as the younger one!
• Luke 15, 28a-30: The attitude of the Father and the response
of the older son. The Father goes out of the house, and begs the older son to
enter into the house. But he answers: “All these years I have slaved for you
and never once disobeyed any orders of yours, yet you never offered me so much
as a kid for me to celebrate with my friends. But for this son of yours, when
he comes back after swallowing up your property, he and his loose women, you
kill the calf we had been fattening”. The older son also wants feast and joy,
but only with his own friends. Not with his brother and much less with his
Father, and he does not even call brother his own brother, but rather “this
your son”, as if he were no longer his brother. And he, the older brother,
speaks about prostitutes. It is his malice which makes him interpret the life
of his younger brother in this way. How many times the older brother interprets
badly the life of the younger brother. How many times, we Catholics interpret
badly the life and the religion of others! The attitude of the Father is the
contrary! He accepts the younger son, but does not want to lose the older son.
Both of them form part of the family. One cannot exclude the other!
• Luke 15, 31-32: The final response of the Father. In the same
way, like the Father who does not pay attention to the arguments of the younger
son, in the same way he does not pay attention to those of the older son and he
says: “My son, you are with me always and all I have is yours, but it was only
right we should celebrate and rejoice, because your brother here was dead and
has come to life; he was lost and is found!” Is it that the older son was
really aware that he was always with his Father and to find in his presence the
reason for his joy? The expression of the Father: “All I have is yours!”
includes also the younger son who has returned! The older brother does not have
the right to make a distinction, and if he wants to be the son of the Father,
he has to accept him as he is and not as he would like the Father to be! The
parable does not say which was the final response of the older brother. It is
up to the older son, whom we are, to give it!
• The one who experiences the gratuitous and surprising
irruption of the love of God in his life becomes joyful and wishes to
communicate this joy to others. The salvation action of God is a source of joy:
“Rejoice with me!” (Lk 15, 6.9). And from this experience of God’s gratuitousness
emerges the sense of feast and joy (Lk 15, 32). At the end of the parable, the
Father asks to be happy and to celebrate, to feast. The joy is threatened by
the older son, who does not want to enter. He thinks he has the right to joy
only with his own friends and does not want to share the joy with all the
members of the same human family. He represents those who consider themselves
just and observant, and who think that they do not need any conversion.
4)
PERSONAL QUESTIONS
• Which is the image of God that I have since my childhood? Has
it changed during these past years? If it has changed, why?
• With which of the two sons do I identify myself: with the
younger one or with the older one? Why?
5)
CONCLUDING PRAYER
Bless Yahweh, my soul,
from the depths of my being, his holy name;
bless Yahweh, my soul,
never forget all his acts of kindness. (Ps 103,1-2)
from the depths of my being, his holy name;
bless Yahweh, my soul,
never forget all his acts of kindness. (Ps 103,1-2)
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