Homily - Palm Sunday of the Lord's Passion (Year C)

Palm Sunday of the Lord's Passion (Year C)

 

After five and a half weeks of preparation, we now enter into the climax of the Lenten season viz. Holy Week, the chief week of the Liturgical Year. Today is the first day of Holy Week and it is called “Palm Sunday of the Lord's Passion.” In a way, the whole week from today until Easter Sunday should be seen as one unit – viz. the celebration of the Paschal Mystery, which is the passion, death and resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ. As we are in Liturgical Year C, our Gospel Readings of today are taken from St. Luke's Gospel.

Now, today's celebration is a lengthy one, and it is divided into two distinct parts - the Procession with Palms and the Holy Mass proper.

PART I – The Procession with Palms

 

Gospel Reading: Luke 19:28-40

In the first part, the prevailing atmosphere is one of joy and the vestments in today's liturgy are a triumphal 'red' and not 'violet' which has prevailed during the other days of Lent. This is because the reading from the Gospel in this part recalls the triumphal entry of Jesus into Jerusalem as King - the decisive step to complete his work as our Messiah: to suffer, to die, and to rise again. Earlier, the Evangelist Luke had pointed out that Jesus had "set his face towards Jerusalem.” So, the ritual commemoration of the Lord’s entrance into Jerusalem at the beginning of today's Mass is basically geared toward the Paschal Mystery.

Now, St. Luke’s account of the Messianic entry into Jerusalem depicts the 'humble, peaceful & victorious' character of Jesus’ Kingship. Riding on a 'colt,' the coming of Jesus evokes the prophecy of the Prophet Zechariah, “See now, your king comes to you; he is victorious, he is triumphant, humble and riding on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey.” The Messiah is to be a 'humble' and 'peaceful' ruler who would bring about the fulfillment of God’s kingdom by his life-giving death on the cross.

Again, St. Luke provides a straightforward account of Jesus’ entry into Jerusalem that is close to the other gospels, except in one tell-tale variation. As Jesus rode along, instead of palms, St. Luke mentions “the people were spreading their cloaks on the road.” Now, a cloak was a person’s costliest piece of clothing and this symbolic gesture was a sign of a 'royal' welcome. However, from St. Luke’s perspective the action of spreading the cloaks on the road has a deeper meaning of discipleship. True to St. Luke's theme of rich and poor, it fundamentally refers to people’s response to Jesus the King by means of the use of their possessions which is at their disposal. But even here there is shadow. For not all are spreading their clothes on the ground for Jesus to walk over. His enemies are watching and what they see only gives greater urgency to their desire to see the end of Jesus. In one way, they will succeed with a frightening ruthlessness to destroy Jesus; but of course, they will also fail utterly. And our presence here today is proof enough of that.

And again, when Jesus was approaching the slope of the Mount of Olives, the whole group of disciples joyfully began to praise God at the top their voice for “the mighty deeds they had seen.” This is a summary statement of Jesus’ ministry to the blind, lame, crippled, and poor in fulfillment of the Scripture. The ecstatic proclamation of the crowd of disciples avowed the royal character of the one approaching and the object of their blessing: “Blessed is the king who comes in the name of the Lord. Peace in heaven and glory in the highest.” Some Pharisees then ask Jesus to stop the singing, but Jesus tells them that if these people went silent, “the stones would shout out.” This scene is important for, in a few days' time, the same triumphant Jesus will be reduced to a battered wreck of humanity, calling forth the words of Pilate: "Look, it is a human being!"

So, as we process through our Church now, with our palms in our hands, let us also sing with enthusiasm: 'Christ conquers, Christ is king, Christ is our ruler.' However, there is a difference in our case; for we know the end of the story and what is to come. And because of that, we sing with even greater conviction about the greatness of Jesus and a realization of just why he is our King.

PART II – The Holy Mass

 

First Reading: Isaiah 50:4-7 Second Reading: Philippians 2:6-11 Gospel Reading: Luke 22:14-23:56

The second part of the liturgy of “Palm Sunday of the Lord's Passion” shifts to a more somber tone. We just now had the solemn reading of 'The Passion and Death of Jesus' according to St. Luke. It is quite clear then that today we reflect upon a paradox of triumph and tragedy: the triumphal entry of Jesus into Jerusalem on the one hand and the Gospel proclamation of the passion and death of Jesus on the other. After the apparent triumph of Jesus' messianic entry into Jerusalem, the passion awaits. And even in the tragedy of Good Friday there is the triumph of Easter.

 

Why do we today, on Palm Sunday, read out the Passion of Jesus? It seems out of place, since Jesus did not die on Palm Sunday and it seems inappropriate, since Sunday is supposed to be a day of rejoicing and not a day of mourning. Yet, after the joyful episode of the palms, there follows the stark, terrible reality of the passion, and if we go deeper and delve into the the paschal mystery, it is indeed fitting to read the Passion of our Lord Jesus today, for we must realize that the triumphant arrival of Jesus Christ into Jerusalem was one with his death on the Cross. Also, there is a sort of parallelism as well as contradiction between the two. On Palm Sunday, Jesus climbed up Mount Zion; in his passion, he climbed Mount Calvary. On Palm Sunday, Jesus was carried into Jerusalem; in his passion, he walked carrying his cross. On Palm Sunday, a crowd lined the streets to praise our Lord; a crowd lined the way of the cross too. On Palm Sunday, the crowd took off their cloaks and laid them on the road to honor Jesus; before the cross, Jesus was stripped of his cloak. On Palm Sunday, everyone praised Jesus, calling out “Hosanna!” In his passion, Jesus was insulted, mocked, and laughed at.

Moreover, Palm Sunday is the key to understanding the Passion of Jesus Christ, and also the Passion of Jesus Christ is the key to understanding Palm Sunday. We stand with palms in our hands because we want to worship God and give him the honor that is his due. We also stand as sinners. We are the reason that Jesus died on the cross. We praise God and ask his forgiveness. On the one hand, we imagine that we are already up in heaven praising Jesus. On the other hand, we allow the demons to pull us down to Hell. Are we part of the crowd praising Jesus or are we part of the crowd demanding that he be crucified? Both. Let us not imagine that we are so good that we would never have gone along with his death. Every time we commit sin, we stand with the crowd yelling, “Crucify him! Crucify him!” Indeed, his blood is on us, and that blood saves us.

 

Let us now consider the three Scripture Readings of today:

 

In the First Reading from the Book of the Prophet Isaiah, we hear about the 'suffering servant of Yahweh.' It is easy for us as Christians to identify this servant with Jesus. When he was made to suffer, despite his innocence he did not rebel or seek revenge against his enemies. He trusted that God was at his side and knew that he would "not be put to shame." On this Palm Sunday of the Lord's Passion, we honor 'the Suffering Servant' who laid down his life for us.

The Second Reading from Paul's Letter to the Philippians is a Christological hymn, which is a summary of 'the great mysteries of our redemption,' and it rightly serves as a preview of the events of Holy Week. It describes how Jesus, though Son of God, “emptied himself'” of divine glory and took the form of a man like us except sin. Out of love and obedience, he willingly accepted his death, “even death on a cross.” Because Jesus humbled himself and did not cling to any of his special privileges as God's Son, “God greatly exalted him and bestowed on him the name which is above all name.” We are called to have the same attitude of humility and obedience as Christ our Lord had.

This Palm Sunday, Gospel Reading of the Passion of the Lord is taken from St. Luke's Gospel. Actually, St. Luke portrays Jesus in death as he had been all during his life, viz., in deep communion with the Father, forgiving and healing, and willing to give his life in atonement for the sins of others.

While each of the evangelists includes the essential elements of Jesus’ passion in his narrative, each of them also shapes his account in accord with his own unique sources and pastoral concerns. Following are some of the unique features in Luke’s account of the Passion of the Lord which we just heard and we have to pay attention to:

St. Luke in his Gospel presents Jesus as 'the Savior of mankind.' So, in his passion narrative too, he tells that Jesus suffered and died to save mankind. So, this is not just the tragic story of one man; this is a story of a Savior who is fulfilling a mission.

From the outset, St. Luke also establishes Jesus’ death as an 'innocent' martyr. From the beginning of Passover at sunset on Thursday until the beginning of Sabbath at sunset Friday, St. Luke tells the story of an innocent man who was betrayed, denied and abandoned by friends, unjustly charged by a frenzied mob led by threatened religious leaders and abetted by weaseling politicians. In line with his overall intention to demonstrate that Christianity is no threat to the Roman Empire, St. Luke repeatedly points to the innocence of Jesus. Only in St. Luke’s narrative does Pilate pronounce Jesus innocent three times. Again, only St. Luke has Herod declaring Jesus’ innocence. We also notice the centurion’s statement, “Surely, this was an innocent man.” Even one of the criminals crucified with Jesus attests his innocence, “We are only paying the price for what we’ve done, but this man has done nothing wrong.”

St. Luke also affirms the fact that the 'forgiving' power of God was already at work in Jesus before his death. His enemies humiliate him, strike him, scourge him. Soldiers make a crown with thorns, a crown for the 'King of the Jews,' Herod mocks him. Through it all there is Jesus and for his part, he does not strike back, he does not scold, he does not accuse or blame. At every turn in this tangled web, in response to every individual and the crowds who caused his suffering and death, Jesus forgives! The most remarkable is Jesus’ readiness to forgive his executioners. On the cross, he forgave those who put him to death and promised paradise to one of the criminals who died with him. Another is his capacity to go out to others: to ‘turn towards’ the women of Jerusalem, to acknowledge their grief, and to express his own concern for them.

Finally, right from the beginning of his ministry in the synagogue of Nazareth till his death on the cross at Calvary, Jesus is 'Spirit-filled' and he is always in union with God through 'prayer.' The Lukan Jesus is the rejected prophet, but he is the one who trusts utterly in God. Jesus seems to be the victim, but all through, he is in fact, the master. He is master of the situation because he is master of himself. We notice, St. Luke’s depiction of Jesus at prayer on the Mount of Olives lays less stress on his being troubled and sorrowful and more on his union with God. Indeed his prayer to his Father is answered in the form of an angel sent to strengthen him. This strength saw him through to the end, such that, just before he died Jesus prays, “Father, into your hands I commend my spirit.”

So, as we go through this day and this week, let us look very carefully at Jesus our Savior. We watch, not just to admire, but also to learn, to penetrate the mind, the thinking, the attitudes and the values of Jesus so that we, in the very different circumstances of our own lives, may walk in his footsteps.

If we are to be his disciples, he invites us to walk his way, to share his sufferings, to imitate his attitudes, to empty ourselves, to live in service for others – in short, to love others as he loves us. This is not at all a call to a life of pain and misery. Quite the contrary, it is an invitation to a life of deep freedom, peace and happiness. If it were anything else, it would not be worth considering. And this is the Good News of today.

                                                       *********************************

Homily - 5th Sunday of Lent (Year C)

5^th Sunday of Lent (Year C)

First Reading: Isaiah 43:16-21           Second Reading: Philippians 3:8-14          Gospel Reading: John 8:1-11

“NEITHER DO I CONDEMN YOU. GO, AND FROM NOW ON DO NOT SIN ANY MORE.”

 

Once a mother sought from Napoleon the pardon of her young and only son, who was in the French army. The Emperor said it was the man's second offense, and justice demanded his death.

“I don't ask for justice,” said the mother. “I plead for mercy.”

“But,” said the Emperor, “he does not deserve mercy.”

“Sir,” cried the mother, “it would not be mercy if he deserved it, and mercy is all I ask.”

“Well then,” said the Emperor, “I will have mercy.” And her son was saved.

Yes, Jesus too gives us mercy. And we do not deserve it.

Today is the 5th Sunday of Lent, and it is the last Sunday before Holy week. A week from today, we will be celebrating Palm Sunday which ushers in Holy Week. Today, we take a little rest from the Gospel of St. Luke and look at an incident from the Gospel of St. John, but it, too, is something which is in the same thematic vein that we have been looking at this Lent, i.e. it continues to underline the radical nature of God’s compassion and forgiving love. All is not lost for the sinner, however big his/her offense may be. There is always mercy, forgiveness and conversion.

Today's Gospel Reading is the episode of “The Woman Caught in Adultery.” The actual story is a little bit of problem, however, for it does not appear in the earliest known manuscripts we have of the Gospel of St. John, while it has even been found in texts of St. Luke’s Gospel as well. Many scholars think, therefore, that it properly belongs to the Gospel of St. Luke, because it reflects themes that are dear to St. Luke, such as, concern for sinners, interest in women, and the compassion of Jesus. They surmise that it may have initially been censored because of its delicate subject matter, only to find itself, eventually, awkwardly inserted into the Gospel of St. John.

“Teacher, this woman was caught in the very act of committing adultery.”

The scribes and Pharisees brought a woman to Jesus and making her stand in the middle, they said to him: “Teacher, this woman was caught in the very act of committing adultery. Now, in the law, Moses commanded us to stone such women. So what do you say?”

Now, we are told nothing of the precise circumstances of the woman ‘taken in adultery.’ We do know that she could not have been ‘taken’ alone; there would have also been a man somewhere in the wings who was at least as guilty as the woman. But only the woman is ‘brought’  to Jesus in the public arena, a spectacle for the assembled crowd. Here the social context is also important. Adultery was seen as an affront to the honor of the man. This was a male dominated society. Women were mere possessions. As we know, it takes two to commit adultery, but the Jewish laws were only against women.

Outwardly, it seemed to be a warranted act against a lawbreaker and this woman should have been brought normally to the Sanhedrin, a group of religious elders who pass judgment on most cases (However, the Romans had taken away the Jewish rights to capital punishment; so, they were not allowed to kill anyone or they would be going against Roman law). In this case, however, the scribes and Pharisees in question were more interested because of the fortuitous opportunity it offered them to discredit Jesus. So, they brought her to Jesus. The Gospel writer explains: “They said this to test him, so that they could have some charge against him.” The scribes and Pharisees were pointing their fingers at the adulterous woman as 'the accused,' but their real intent was to build a case against Jesus, the one they truly wished to accuse. The sinful woman was being used as a pawn in their ploy to trap Jesus in a very difficult case, in which any solution he would give would work to his disadvantage. If, as they suspected, he counseled mercy and forgiveness, and exempted the woman from Jewish law, they could accuse him of publicly flouting the Law and undermining social standards, and he would lose credibility as a religious leader. If, on the other hand, he affirmed the Law and condemned the woman, he would be seen to be complicit in the woman's murder, and to contradict the values he proposed to others – and hence lose face before the crowd, and also he would be in defiance of Roman authorities and be accused as a rebel. It was a dilemma - and the trap appeared inescapable.

“Let the one among you who is without sin be the first to throw a stone at her.”

Jesus did not dignify their manipulation with a response. He responded by not responding. His response to the quandary was a symbolic action, by which he took away their power over the woman. According to the Gospel writer: “Jesus bent down and began to write on the ground with his finger.” First of all, he slowed them down. They came, a group of them together, strong and certain in their judgment. There was a moment of silence while Jesus wrote with his finger in the dust. He wasn’t writing words for them to read, but giving them time to realize what they were doing.

But the leaders were insistent and kept asking Jesus to provide a ruling concerning the woman’s fate, and the crowd was waiting for the go signal. At last, Jesus arose and surprised them all by suggesting that the innocent party begin the execution - “Let the one among you who is without sin be the first to throw a stone at her.” By saying this he poured water on the group’s ardor to stone the woman. Definitely, he did not tell them that the woman was innocent of the charge. Rather, he subverted their ploy by confronting them with their own sinfulness; he forced them to go over their own personal histories of sin and if they found themselves innocent, then they could cast the first stone.

After he had given his statement, however, Jesus bent down again and wrote on the ground, in a symbolic action made more powerful and meaningful by the words he had just spoken. He gave them more time in total silence. They had come with one voice condemning. Now each of them thought about the challenge Jesus put to them. To their credit, not one of them took up the challenge. The oldest members of the group were the first to recognize how Jesus had played the trump card. They were the first to react and one by one, all slipped away quietly out of his sight till Jesus was alone with the woman.

For centuries, speculation has been rife as to what Jesus actually wrote or traced on the ground. But there is no sure way of knowing what Jesus wrote; it may be that he merely wished to show he was unmoved by the accusations of the self-righteous and refused to walk into their all too obvious trap.

 

“Neither do I condemn you. Go, and from now on do not sin any more.”

The last scene of today’s Gospel episode portrays with exquisite beauty the poignant encounter between the adulterous woman and Jesus, the source of forgiveness and grace. One by one the accusers had left the place. Only the woman remained, still waiting for the rest of her sentence. She was finally accorded the dignity of responding for herself. Jesus straightened up and asked her two questions that would gently underline her astounding experience of salvation: “Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?” When the redeemed woman answered that there was no one, Jesus exercised his authority, not as a judge, but as a savior. Unlike the Pharisees and Scribes, upholders of the Law, he refused to condemn her. “Neither do I condemn you. Go, and from now on do not sin any more.”

By saying this Jesus didn't mean that the woman didn’t do any wrong. No way did Jesus approve of her sin, but instead, he showed mercy to her and pardoned her. And he readily gave her a compassionate admonition that would radically set her on the road of conversion and restoration. She was freed from the burden of condemnation and was sent on her way - contrite and resolute, not only to obey the law for the law’s sake but to renew her conscience and to reform her behavior according to the loving mercy that had been shown her.

And, as for the woman’s accusers, Jesus redirected their judgmental frame of mind. Instead of judging others, they should judge themselves. Jesus did not condemn them either, but he helped them to come to their senses and realize their sinfulness.

Two kinds of sinners...

We might say there are two kinds of sinners in today’s Gospel passage. First, there is the woman who was caught in the act of adultery, a very serious matter. But in this story, the Scribes and Pharisees are also sinners, not in their own eyes, of course, but in the eyes of Jesus and his Gospel. They are totally lacking in the compassion that God displays and which he expects his followers to have. They are proud and arrogant, they give themselves the prerogative to sit in judgment on others.

Now, the Israelite people – they were God's chosen people. God established a covenant with them and made them His own. The relationship of God with the Israelite people was often looked upon as a marriage – Israel the bride and God the bridegroom. But it happened so often that the Israelite people were unfaithful to the covenant; many times they abandoned their God and went after pagan gods. They behaved like an adulterous wife. They actually prefigure 'the adulterous woman' of today's Gospel passage. But God out of compassion, love and mercy for them, ever sought for them and always forgave them. In the First Reading of today from the Book of the Prophet Isaiah, the author delivers a message of great hope and promise to the Israelite people who are in exile. The prophet exhorts his fellow Israelites to look to the past and to remember the wondrous acts of their God, all through the stages of their development as a people. But, while reminding his contemporaries of their history, he challenges them not to 'dwell' in the past for its own sake, but to take 'hope' from the past and look for similar divine acts of mercy and power in the future: “The things of long ago consider not; see I am doing something new!” i.e. God will transform their future and usher in a new age.

Again, St. Paul – a jealous and self-righteous Pharisee, who took pride in the Jewish religion and persecuted the first Christians. In his earlier life, he just acted like 'the Scribes and Pharisees' in the Gospel passage of today. But his encounter with the Risen Lord on the road to Damascus brought him down to his senses, and later he became a zealous apostle ready to suffer and give his life for Christ. In the Second Reading of today in his Letter to the Philippians, St. Paul says - “I want to know Christ and the power of his resurrection and the sharing of his sufferings by becoming like him in his death.” He further recalls that he has given up everything to make room for Christ in his life. He knows it isn't easy to do this. But in the end, he will share in Christ's Resurrection. That is why Paul describes himself as a runner, pushing on toward the finish line.

 

… and they represent all of us.

As a penitential season, Lent is an invitation for us to recall our sinfulness in a particular way. The woman in this story is not just an isolated sinner. She represents all of us. She represents every person who has sinned. She represents you and me. But, the real focus of the narrative should be on the attitude of the self-appointed, righteous ones, the Scribes and Pharisees, whose harsh judgment of the woman clouded their consciences to their own sinfulness. They are sinners too, and also represent you and me. We sin in both ways - when we hurt others by indulging our desires at their expense and when we hurt others by setting ourselves up as superior and better than they.

The image of Jesus, though, is one of kindness and hope with the woman caught in adultery, so also with the Scribes and Pharisees. He doesn’t say that the woman didn’t sin, or the Scribes and Pharisees were innocent. And, he neither condemned them nor punished them; instead he showed them his compassion and mercy, and exhorted to sin no more. Jesus offers that same compassion and mercy to each one of us, and also says to us - “NEITHER DO I CONDEMN YOU. GO, AND FROM NOW ON DO NOT SIN ANY MORE.” He does not expect perfection of us. However, he expects us to strive for perfection. And this is today's Good News.

                                 

                                                             ****************************

Homily - 4th Sunday of Lent (Year C)

4^th Sunday of Lent (Year C)

                                           ( “LAETARE SUNDAY” )

First Reading: Joshua 5:9a, 10-12    Second Reading: 2 Corinthians 5:17-21    Gospel Reading: Luke 15:1-3, 11-32

"HAPPY ARE THOSE WHOSE TRANSGRESSION IS FORGIVEN, WHOSE SIN IS COVERED!"

Today is the 4th Sunday of Lent, and as the Liturgical tradition holds - it is rather unique, as evidenced by the rose colored vestment and the flowers adorning the Altar. Like the 3rd Sunday of Advent ('Gaudete Sunday'), the 4th Sunday of Lent is a break in an otherwise penitential season and it marks the halfway in our Lenten preparation for Easter. The 4th Sunday of Lent customarily is called "Laetare Sunday," and it takes its name from the opening words of today's Mass, the Introit's 'Laetare, Jerusalem.' The Latin word 'Laetare' means 'rejoice.' So, today the Church rejoices in joyful anticipation of the Easter mystery. We look ahead with joyful hope to what awaits—the celebration of the resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ. It is almost as if we have reached the crest of the hill and now can see our destination in view.

Although Lent is a season of penance, we have much about which to rejoice at this momentary mid-juncture. Very appropriately, each of the three Scripture Readings characterizes one of the many facets of Easter joy. They all anticipate the joy of Easter and the happiness that reconciliation brings.

The First Reading from the book of Joshua describes the joy and gladness of the Israelite people as they settle in the new land, promised to them. Formerly a wandering people, on the move from oasis to oasis, making their way through the wilderness and depending on manna for food, they are henceforth a settled people. This process of settling is signified by the ceasing of the manna. As an established population, they now become growers of their own food in their own land and joyfully celebrate for the first time the feast of their freedom in their own land.

With the arrival in the promised land, the Israelite people are now children of God, their Father, at home in their own land. God has removed the 'reproach of Egypt' and a new way of life is initiated to them. However, a new stage in Israel’s development and their increased independence in Canaan isn't a lessening of their need for God, but an opportunity for more active cooperation with His blessings.

In the Second Reading of today, St. Paul writes to the Corinthians about the joy of reconciliation. He joyfully proclaims that 'in Christ' God has reconciled mankind to Himself without counting their trespasses. Using himself as an example, St. Paul describes life before Christ and life in Christ. By 'in Christ,' he meant the radical and continuing process of transformation of the life of faith; but even more than a transformation, he understood his life 'in Christ' as a new creation.

Besides his personal witness as an apostle for Christ, Paul regarded the ministry of reconciliation as one of his foremost privileges. As a preacher of the gospel and a teacher of Christian values, and by virtue of his personal conversion, Paul had become an 'ambassador' of God’s reconciliation. His life and his mission were sacramental; i.e. a living sign of what God had done for all peoples in Christ; and he believed that all believers were honored to be charged with the same mission - that of being living sacraments of God’s reconciliation.

The Gospel Reading of today from St. Luke relates one of the most beautiful and well-known parables of Jesus, “The Parable of the Lost Son.” This parable is unique to St. Luke. It is the third of the parables taken from the evangelist Luke’s trilogy on God’s mercy. The other two being - 'The Parable of the Lost Sheep' and 'The Parable of the Lost Coin.' The three parables are situated in a context of controversy against the Pharisees and Scribes who resent Jesus' practice of table fellowship and consorting with sinners. In these parables, Luke champions the theme that God’s mercy breaks through all human restrictions of how God should act towards sinners. God’s mercy, indeed, is as foolish as a shepherd who abandons ninety-nine sheep to save one, as a woman who turns her house upside down to recover a paltry sum, and as a Jewish father who joyfully welcomes home his wastrel son who has become a Gentile. Inevitably, all the three parables have a joyous and happy ending. There is great rejoicing over the lost ones having been found.

Now, 'The Parable of the Lost Son' is a very moving and eloquent story of a father and his two sons. Through this parable, Jesus not only illustrates God’s special and unconditional love for the wretched who repent, but also the correct attitude of the community toward them. The younger son asks for his share of his inheritance and leaves his family and home in search for happiness and fulfillment in life. The only problem was that he thought he could find them in what the parable calls a life of debauchery. He soon squandered his money, his morals and even his Jewish religious heritage. He eventually ended up living with the pigs in the pig sty, so desperate was his situation. As he reached this rock bottom state, he eventually 'came to his senses,' admitting his guilt and feeling terribly sorry for his mistakes. He finally decided to return home to his father. He no longer had any legal claim upon his father; those rights had ceased when he demanded his inheritance. Therefore, the son's resolve to return home indicated that he was totally reliant on his father’s mercy and goodness.

How moving is the scene that follows! Apparently, the father had been waiting for his wayward son, for amazingly, while he was 'still far off,' the father ran to meet him. Without waiting for the son’s confession of wrongdoing, the father embraced him in warm welcome. Even when the son tried to admit his guilt, the father interrupted his recitation to order that a party be prepared. What is more, he restores his son’s dignity by giving him the finest robe, placing a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet. The robe and ring and shoes were a sign that the son would not be received into the house as a servant but in his former status as son. Slaughtering of a fatted calf was an indication of an extravagant feast and rejoicing, which was done only on great occasions.

The joy of the father in the return of his son is so unmitigated and intense that it must be expressed in a celebration. On one hand, it reaches out beyond the story setting to those who heard Jesus and read Luke, teaching a lesson of God's magnanimous and unconditional love expressed in His merciful forgiveness; and on the other hand, there is a clear Easter motif in the compassionate Father’s call for celebrating and rejoicing. “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.” Indeed, the conversion of a repentant sinner is a paschal experience. It is an intimate participation in Christ’s saving death and resurrection.

Perhaps the saddest part of the story, even more pitiable than the prodigal son, is the resentful and arrogant older brother who refused to enter into the joy of the occasion. Because the bulk of the narrative is centered on the younger son, the fact that the story is actually a double-edged parable has sometimes been overlooked. In the father’s treatment of the younger son, the lesson of divine mercy offered reassurance to sinners. In the interchange between the older brother and the father, a stern warning was issued to the self-righteous whose resentment hardened them against the joy of God’s magnanimous goodness. Sounding very much like the Pharisee who despised the sinful publican and proudly recounted his good deeds before the Lord, the elder son cataloged his virtues before his father. But this was not the point. The father did not compare his sons to one another or measure one’s goodness against the other. Instead, he wholeheartedly gave his love to each according to their need. By calling the older son to rejoice in his brother’s return, the parable challenged those who thought themselves righteous and upright to look upon those less sure of themselves with compassion.

The Gospel parable of today is commonly known as 'The Parable of the Prodigal Son,' for obvious reason. The younger son is prodigal by senselessly spending all his inherited wealth. But it is a misnomer, for the popular name fails to indicate that the father has two lost sons, not one. The resentful elder son, however, did not know that he was lost. Though physically near, he was just as lost as the one who had set off for a distant country squandering his inheritance in a dissolute life.

There are others who feel it more appropriate to call this story, 'The Parable of the Prodigal Father.' For them the point made in the story is not how bad the boys are, but rather how good the father is. It is the father who is excessive and extravagant and immoderate, anything but frugal with his forgiveness and mercy. It is the father who squanders love and reconciliation on his two sons. The father is the true spendthrift here, sparing no cost of labor to celebrate the homecoming of the wayward younger son. Also, with similar prodigality, his offering of everything to the older son, who is reluctant to forgive his younger brother, makes the father all the more generous.

In the parable, actually, we are given a most beautiful description of our heavenly Father. The father is outside of the house waiting for the younger son to return; and when the son returns, he runs to him, clasps him in his arms, kisses him, brings him in and throws a party for him. There is no negotiation, condition or fine print - just pure acceptance and total forgiveness. Similarly, when we return to God, He does the same to us and throws a party for us.

Again, not only does the father come out of the house once, but he comes out a second time to try to persuade the elder son to come in. In the same way, our heavenly Father welcomes each of us to his party. The most beautiful words in the parable, perhaps, is what the father says to the elder son, “All I have is yours.” Our heavenly Father says the same thing to us too, “All I have is yours.” This is a most beautiful promise and invitation. We are, however, not told at the end of the parable whether or not the elder son went in to the party. After reading this parable, we also have a choice to make - Will we stay outside or will we go in to enjoy the Father’s party?

The Holy season of Lent is about our coming home to God in the sacrament of reconciliation, regardless of what sets us apart. The road to reconciliation is a hard road to take, for guilt is never easy to admit; but when the guilty one knows that a loving Father with open arms waits to welcome him/her home, the road to repentance becomes easier and shorter.

The story is told about how someone asked Abraham Lincoln how he was going to deal with the rebellious southerners when in the aftermath of defeat, they returned to the Union of the United States. Lincoln responded to the inquiry by saying, “I will treat them as if they had never been away.”

God, our Father, too treats us, the sinners, the same way - as if we had never been away. "HAPPY ARE THOSE WHOSE TRANSGRESSION IS FORGIVEN, WHOSE SIN IS COVERED!"

What are we waiting for? Let us hurry up and go home to the Father. For, even before we take the first step towards the Father, He is already there ready to welcome us. Even as we attempt to say our words of confession, He already forgives us. Even as we accept the punishment due to us, He is there to put the finest robe on our shoulders, rings on our fingers and sandals to our feet. He is so glad to have us back home, to celebrate our coming home He throws a party and invites everyone to participate in it and to rejoice with Him. And this is the Good News of today.

 

                                                               ***************************