Fourth Sunday of Lent
Reading
I
Jos 5:9a, 10-12
The LORD said to Joshua,
"Today I have removed the reproach of Egypt from you."
While the Israelites were encamped at Gilgal on the plains of Jericho,
they celebrated the Passover
on the evening of the fourteenth of the month.
On the day after the Passover,
they ate of the produce of the land
in the form of unleavened cakes and parched grain.
On that same day after the Passover,
on which they ate of the produce of the land, the manna ceased.
No longer was there manna for the Israelites,
who that year ate of the yield of the land of Canaan.
Responsorial
Psalm
Ps 34:2-3, 4-5,
6-7
R. (9a) Taste and see the goodness of the Lord.
I will bless the LORD at all times;
his praise shall be ever in my mouth.
Let my soul glory in the LORD;
the lowly will hear me and be glad.
R. Taste and see the goodness of the Lord.
Glorify the LORD with me,
let us together extol his name.
I sought the LORD, and he answered me
and delivered me from all my fears.
R. Taste and see the goodness of the Lord.
Look to him that you may be radiant with joy,
and your faces may not blush with shame.
When the poor one called out, the LORD heard,
and from all his distress he saved him.
R. Taste and see the goodness of the Lord.
Reading II
2
Cor 5:17-21
Brothers and sisters:
Whoever is in Christ is a new creation:
the old things have passed away;
behold, new things have come.
And all this is from God,
who has reconciled us to himself through Christ
and given us the ministry of reconciliation,
namely, God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ,
not counting their trespasses against them
and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation.
So we are ambassadors for Christ,
as if God were appealing through us.
We implore you on behalf of Christ,
be reconciled to God.
For our sake he made him to be sin who did not know sin,
so that we might become the righteousness of God in him.
Gospel
Lk 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.'"
Today’s First Reading brings the people of Israel to the end of an era. Just as the Exodus from Egypt began with the Passover so too does the entrance into the promised land begin with a Passover celebration. There is no longer a need for the miraculous manna. Once the Israelites cross into the promised land they will eat of its bounty. No real detail is given of this Passover observance. However, because there is no mention of the Passover lamb, most scholars believe that the reference is to the much older celebration of Unleavened Bread (see Exod 23:15; 34:18). Eventually, this ancient ritual would be combined with the sacrifice of the lamb. With this celebration, the period of wondering is over for the people.
In the Second Reading, Paul assures us that through Christ’s resurrection all things are now restored. All things are new in Christ. Through Christ’s death and resurrection, a new creation has taken place: “Whoever is in Christ is a new creation”. Through Christ, God also reconciled the world to himself and brings us to holiness. All who live in the community of Christ are called to reconciliation (forgiveness) but God will not obstruct our freedom to reject his grace: “We implore you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God”. All members of Christ’s body are also mediators of the grace of God’s saving love.
Today’s Gospel presents us with what is perhaps the most well known of all the parables – The Prodigal Son. The title is actually misleading since the focus of the parable is not either of the sons but rather the love of the father. In essence, it is the story of God’s unconditional love for everyone.
According to the Law found in Deuteronomy 21:17, first born sons are entitled to twice the share of inheritance which means the younger and wasteful son would only receive one third. Additionally, Jewish law stipulated that the inheritance be distributed upon the death of the father. By demanding his inheritance before his father’s death and leaving home, the younger son is severing all ties with his family. It also means that the value of the estate is substantially decreased and would affect the older brother’s share. The younger brother squanders all of the inheritance. To add insult to injury, the younger brother even looses his identity as an Israelite and one of God’s chosen people by taking on the job of feeding swine. This is the final straw and he decides to return home at least as a servant.
Instead of being received with suspicion, his father, who has apparently been waiting for his return, runs to meet his son and showers him with kisses. The son is dressed in the finest robe, and a ring is placed on his finger and shoes on his feet, all signs of being a member of the family and not a servant. The father does not ask for nor does he require an explanation. The only thing the father wants is reconciliation . That, however, appears to be very difficult for the older son who in his anger and self-righteousness refuses to even acknowledge his brother: “But when your son returns”. The father invites his older son into reconciliation by going out to him just as he did to his younger son. The older son, apparently remains unmoved.
Due to the nature of my ministry, I am very often involved in the grieving process of countless families. These are some of the most difficult moments for me as deacon, especially when the family has been holding grudges against the deceased. I can recall so many instances when a brother or sister cries and is beyond consolation because they never reconciled themselves with the person who lies in the coffin. This scene is even more heart wrenching when the person in the coffin is their mother or father. I remember one particular situation when at the graveside service, at the moment the coffin reached the bottom of the grave, the daughter of the woman became almost hysterical and amid tears and sobs told everyone that even though she had refused to speak with her mother for many years, she still loved her. She then began to yell into the grave asking her mother to forgiver her. It was without a doubt one of the saddest moments I had ever witnessed because there could be no reconciliation. The daughter’s anger and obstinate refusal to reconcile with her mother was buried in the coffin with her mother, and the daughter was left with emptiness caused by her hardened heart. Imagine the how the mother must have suffered, perhaps waiting day after day for her daughter to call and the resulting pain from seeing her family divided. Scenes like this one have regrettably been taking place since the beginning of humanity and will no doubt continue to be with us; hence the purpose of Jesus’ wonderful story of the Prodigal Son.
For many who listen to this Sunday’s Gospel story of the Prodigal Son, the message will be one of a wayward son who realizes the error of his ways and returns home only to be received with the open arms of his father. Though this is true, there are two other sides to this story. There is also the older brother who always remained faithful to his father. He was appalled at his brother’s behavior and even more so upon his brother’s return. He refused to reconcile with his brother and in his pigheaded resistance even isolated himself from the father’s love: “He became angry, and he refused to enter the house”.
Then there is the father. His love for his younger son is so great that he does not refuse his request for the inheritance even though he knows that it will result in his son leaving. He waits everyday to hear from his child, looking into the distance and keeping a vigil hoping that one day the young son will return. Then the day finally arrives. He sees his son, and without hesitation he runs to him with open arms and kisses him – all has been forgiven. His son has returned. Then when his older son refuses to come and share in this joyous moment, the father pleads with him to find compassion in his heart: “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." The love for both of his sons is so great that all he desires is reconciliation and that they may see each other through eyes of love and compassion.
There is no doubt that Jesus was describing God the Father and the love he has for everyone. All are welcome back home again, all can be forgiven, and all can be reconciled. God awaits the return of the sinner and is ready to shower them with his affection. God the Father also asks that we open our hearts and allow others to reconcile themselves with us. Reconciliation can only become a reality when love exists and reconciliation must occur among people. We cannot reconcile ourselves with someone if we refuse to speak and look at them. In the same way, no one can be reconciled with us if we do not allow them to. Pride and self righteousness become an insurmountable obstacle that isolates us from those we love just as the older brother isolated himself from his younger brother and even his father. We must not wait until it is too late to seek reconciliation and express our love to others. We must be like the father in the story of the Prodigal Son who is always waiting and ready to forgive and love. We must be one to run and welcome those who have hurt us with their words and actions; we must be the one to offer forgiveness and reconcile ourselves with everyone.
New American Bible; Brown, R. K., and Comfort, P. W. (trans.) and Douglas, J. D., (ed.) “The New Greek-English Interlinear New Testament”; United States Conference of Catholic Bishops; Commentaries: Googan, M. D., “Joshua” Polzin, R., “Moses and the Deuteronomist”; Murphy-O’Connor, J., St. Paul’s Corinth: Texts and Archaeology”; Theissen, G., “The Social Setting of Pauline Christianity: Essays on Corinth”; Fitzmyer, J. A., “The Gospel According to Luke”; LaVerdiere, E., “Luke”; Maddox, R., “The Purpose of Luke-Acts”; “The Collegeville Bible Commentary”; Brown, Raymond E., S.S., “Introduction to the New Testament”; Brown, Fitzmyer, and Murphy (ed.) “The New Jerome Biblical Commentary”.
Deacon Lazaro J. Ulloa