4th Sunday of Lent (Cycle C, Year I)
Community Word: Being a community of believers, we are raised with Christ as we reform our ways and bear fruit.
Theme: We reform our ways and bear fruit when we welcome our lost brethren back to Christ.
Promise: “When the poor one called out, the Lord heard, and from all his distress he save him.” (Ps 34:7)
Reflection:
The term ‘empty nest’ refers, not only to the nests of birds from which hatchlings have flown, but to human dwellings from which the children have left to make a home, or life, or their own apart from their parents. ‘Losing’ a child in this way, while the most natural thing in the world, give parents many sleepless nights wondering how the child is faring.
Is he/she in good health; is he/she getting sufficient rest, enough to eat? Does he/she continue to pray, to maintain a relationship with the Lord? These are among the many questions parents grapple with when their children fly the coop, so to speak.
But what about the over-staying child or the child to whom parents entrust the many responsibilities of family businesses, or rely on to help meet their temporal needs, and who as a result, become so obsessed with himself or herself, he/she is convinced the world revolves around him/her. The elder brother in this parable was so wrapped up in his own world; he had forgotten what family is all about. Do we as parents, feel the same compassion and love for this older son who is always there for us, as we do for the errant younger child who left us?
The Parable of the Prodigal Son, which is the Gospel Reading this Sunday, points us to the meaning of love, compassion, mercy and forgiveness. What we have in this story are three characters… two ungrateful sons, and an extravagant father. We tend to relate to either the prodigal son, or the self-righteous elder brother, and frequently forget the father who is actually the main character of the narrative. Let’s ask ourselves. Are we as extravagant with our children, as this father is, nurturing them physically, as well as spiritually in the words of life of Jesus?
The 1st reading, taken from Joshua 5:9, tells us: “Today I have removed the reproach of Egypt from you”. Here, we have a parent who exemplifies three virtues – love, compassion (or mercy), and forgiveness, all of which are antidotes for pain and suffering, whether of mind, body, or spirit.
In the course of growing up, we frequently disobey, or hurt our parents. The younger son in this parable showed little regard for his father when he demanded his inheritance and left his father’s house, lured by the seductions of the material world and his need to satisfy his cravings. His eventual realizations of his wrongdoing came the hard way, bringing him to repentance, humility, and the decision to seek forgiveness and reconciliation with his father. On the other hand, in his self-righteous indignation, the elder brother likewise failed to demonstrate love and affection for his father who however, showed his love for both his sons – by his actions for the younger son, and through his reassuring words to his elder son. This scenario also illustrates mercy and its opposite – unforgiveness – on the part of the elder brother who, while he himself had not been wronged, hardened his heart against both his brother and father in resentment and anger, isolating himself in his estrangement.
This parable shows us that God does not want any of His children to be separated from Him. It also gives us a vivid picture of God, and what He is like. He is kinder than we human beings can be, as demonstrated by His resentful elder son. Neither does He lose hope or give up on us. Rather, He rejoices in finding the lost.
It is our selfishness and self-centeredness that separates us from God. St. Paul’s 2nd letter to the Corinthians tells us, “If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old order has passed away; now all is new.” As Catholics, we are even more blessed because we have the Sacrament of Reconciliation (2 Cor 15:18) to fall back on. And as we repent and confess our sins, we cause “all heaven to rejoice!” (Lk 15:7,10).
Prayer
Lord Jesus, fill me with your transforming love so that I may become more forgiving and merciful. Cause me to call on You each time I sin, so that I may be reconciled with the Father. Let Your Holy Spirit always convict me of every wrongdoing I succumb to, so that I may not be separated from Your everlasting love. Amen.
Reflection Questions:
1. If I were to place myself in a scenario similar to that of today’s Gospel, who of the three characters in the story would I be? Would I be the prodigal son, the self-righteous elder brother, or the father? Why?
2. Do I exercise the five “R’s” every time I sin? (recognition, remorse, resolve, reformation, restitution)
This Week’s Daily Mass Reading Guide:
March 10, 2013 (Sun) Jos 5:9,10-12/Ps 34:2-7/2Cor 5:17-21/Lk 15:1-3,11-32
March 11, 2013 (Mon) Is 65:17-21/Ps 30:2,4-6,11-13/Jn 4:43-54
March 12, 2013 (Tues) Ez 47:1-9,12/Ps 46:2,3,5,6,8,9/Jn 5:1-16
March 13, 2013 (Wed) Is 49:8-15/Ps 145:8,9,13,14,17,18/Jn 5:17-30
March 14, 2013 (Thur) Ex 32:7-14/Ps 106:19-23/Jn 5:31-47
March 15, 2013 (Fri) Wis 2:1,12-22/Ps 34:17-21,23/JKn 7:1,2,10,25-30
March 16, 2013 (Sat) Jer 11:18-20/Ps 7:2,3,9-12/Jn 7:40-53
“Ignorance of the Bible is ignorance of Christ. Read your Bible daily!”
