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.’”
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Homily
As I read the Gospel passage for this weekend and began reflecting on the theme of forgiveness I could not help but remember an article which I read about Hilary Clinton’s appeal to so many women who saw in her the validation of their response to the situation of unfaithful husbands. Many thought that she should have dumped Bill Clinton. She did not. Many of course still think that she did not dump him because of political ambition. Perhaps I am a starry eyed dreamer but I would like to believe that the ability to forgive, one of the dimensions of love, is still present amongst us.
According to St. Paul the vocation of marriage has as its purpose the imaging of the totally selfless love of Christ for his Church a love which found its deepest expression in Jesus’ self donation on the cross. There are many dimensions to Christ’s love. The first is fidelity, constancy in love in spite of the many transgressions of which the church and we as members of the Church are culpable. This constancy in love or fidelity depends on anther dimension of Christ’s love which is forgiveness.
The Gospel reading for today describes for us in very poignant terms the constancy in love and the forgiveness which characterize the Father and Christ and which we are called to imitate and image for the world.
The Gospel story is the story of a family which has two sons. The younger with the impetuosity of youth, rejects the value system which he has been taught and goes off on his own to seek fame and fortune. The other stays at home with the Father. As happens so often in a very cruel world, the younger son loses all that he had. He loses all his money. He loses his dignity. He is treated worse than swine, for the Jews the most unclean of animals. In a moment of Grace he decides to return home to seek his father’s forgiveness and be accepted back as a servant. The Father would have none of that. He recognizes his beloved son when he is still a long way off; he runs to him, embraces him, quiets his son’s protestations and restores him to the dignity of a Son. He asks nothing in return. He doesn’t even demand fidelity in the future.
The elder son cannot forgive. He refuses to celebrate his brother’s return. For him the brother’s sin was unpardonable. As far as he was concerned his brother was dead and would remain dead.
The father seeks to rebuild his family exhorting his elder son to enter and celebrate his brother’s return. “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.”
According to St. Paul the vocation of marriage has as its purpose the imaging of the totally selfless love of Christ for his Church a love which found its deepest expression in Jesus’ self donation on the cross. The Gospel story tells us that no love can image Christ’s love unless it is a love which is constant and forgiving. This is the love which ultimately all of us are called to live. So often we are like the elder son, consigning persons and often previously loved ones to death.
We must be like our heroes in the faith, the saints who loved as the Father did. May all of us, You and I, make the journey from elder son to Father.
Prayer
All powerful and ever-loving God the vocation to self donation is not lived by many in spite of the spirit given to us in baptism and confirmation. It is the witness which our world needs more than ever. Help us your people to understand this vocation. Help us to accept it with enthusiasm. Help us to live it with joy. We ask this through the intercession of Mary, our Mother and your Son Jesus. Amen
