The Fourth Sunday of Lent, Year C, gives us the
beautiful parable of the "Prodigal Son". Prodigality is a word that indicates over the top expressions of
one's favour; extravagant and lavished. It is the father's prodigality of forgiving love that inspires the title of this
parable. It might also be known as, The Parable of “The Wayward Son” or “The Parable
of the Prodigal Father” or the Parable of the “Indignant Elder Brother”.
Let us look at the three central figures of
Jesus’ parable.
First,
the Younger Son – clearly, he has no appreciation or understanding of his
father’s love for him. He is in love with himself.
"Father, give me the share of the property
that will belong to me.' So he divided his property between them. A few days
later the younger son gathered all he had and traveled to a distant country,
and there he squandered his property in dissolute living.
A famine breaks out – he is in desperate
condition – finally decides to return home – hoping he might get a servant’s
job and thus save himself - he fashions a job application he thinks his father
might accept and heads home.
"Father, I have sinned against heaven
and before you; I am no longer worthy to be called your son; treat me like one
of your hired hands."
In theological terms we might call this “Imperfect
Contrition”. “I’m sorry so I can save myself”.
Second,
we look at the father – perhaps he has been going every day to the edge of his
property, in hopes of seeing his son’s return – and this day he does see him –
a retched, miserable mess – coming up the road.
With extreme Prodigality he lavishes his son
with unconditional love – the day no doubt that the son realizes his father’s
true love for him.
Now we
look at the older son – a son to make a father proud – but he too does not
understand that the father loves him.
For all these years I have been working like
a slave for you, and I have never disobeyed your command; yet you have never
given me even a young goat so that I might celebrate with my friends.
He fails to understand what his inheritance is
all about – that it too has been given to him by a loving father.
And he fails to see the younger son as his
brother;
But when this son of yours came back, who
has devoured your property with prostitutes, you killed the fatted calf for
him!
Might we not see a similarity with some of today’s
older, faithful, practicing Catholics, complaining about Pope Francis and his
Year of Mercy – his insistence on our need to extend forgiveness to the wayward
in today’s Church?
Then the father said to him, "Son, you
are always with me, and all that is mine is yours. But we had to celebrate and
rejoice, because this brother of yours was dead and has come to life; he was
lost and has been found.' "
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