March 31, 2019

4th Sunday of Lent C
Joshua 5: 9-12; 2 Corinthians 5: 17-21; Luke 15: 1-3, 11-32
How am I loving? Do I tend to be jealous of what others have? Do I feel that I am deserving? Do I look to God
to supply me with all my desires? Do I take time to assess the gifts that the Holy Spirit has given me? Do I
review what those close to me tell me about myself…ex. ‘You are so kind…you seem to always pick me up…
you are always present to me…You are sincere in your caring…I know that I am special to you…You never
disappoint me in figuring out my needs and responding to them…you are a dear friend. This list goes on and
on because the Holy Spirit’s giving goes on and on. Do I reflect on being grateful?…Do I feel that ‘I’m good at
these things and I’ve developed these talents myself…OR…am I grateful to the Holy Spirit for continually
coming to my aid so that I can respond with love and caring?’
In my experience I have witnessed defining moments when people ‘grow up’. I have discovered countless of
these moments down through the years. Each time, the Holy Spirit is leading me closer to the meaning of God’s
love and the meaning and direction of the life plan that God has for me. Some of these moments have been
sudden revelations, some slow, sometimes painful or embarrassing times when I have discovered what God’s
total love for me is all about. They have encompassed all sorts of moments:
- when I was very upset because I had to change plans…I was unhappy and responded rudely showing my
selfishness
- when I was embarrassed and saw for a second who I actually was rather than who I thought I was or wanted
to be or really wanted other people to think I was.
- the times I walked away in anger because I wasn’t the center of attention or I was being laughed at or
ridiculed instead of seeing the truth of myself others observed.
After forty years of wandering in the desert, the first reading tells how the Israelites had finally arrived at the
Jordan River to go into the Promised Land. The generation that had left Egypt had died off because of their
total lack of trust in God. Now their descendants, since they have shown definite signs of faith, are set to enjoy
God’s promises. They have accepted circumcision which was a sign of the covenant God imposed on Abraham
and his descendants. (Joshua 5: 1-8.) Their families had left Egypt…God had rescued them…they continually
objected to God’s plan…they had problems believing in God’s plan of leading them into a land of abundance.
This generation had faith. They no longer need the manna that fed them. Now they begin a journey of inner
faith…they have put God first in their lives…God is with them, cares for them and is leading them to Himself.
He is now preparing them and their descendants for His continued revelation and understanding of the Messiah,
Jesus, God with them and leading them to Himself.
Paul explains this discovery by showing how through Christ our bond with God has been restored. The people
had rejected God’s love and God’s plan. You would think that it would be up to the people to begin
reconciliation. God was the offended party, the generation of people wandering in the desert constantly
betrayed God and worshipped idols…shouldn’t they ask for forgiveness? They did but it was never totally
sincere. Paul shows how God has reversed the need for forgiveness and initiated reconciliation: “God was
reconciling the world to Himself in Christ, not counting their trespasses against them and entrusting to us the message of
reconciliation.” Paul is telling the Corinthians and each of us that now WE are entrusted to the task of Living the
Gospel of Love. This is God’s plan from all eternity. Paul says that we are the “ambassadors for Christ” bringing
the Good News of God’s love to the world. Am I aware of this responsibility? Do I live this responsibility? Do
I take time to think more of myself than this direct mission from God? What keeps me on track?
Jesus presents such beautiful story of God’s constant love and His leading us always closer to Himself in spite
of my disruptive tendencies. The story of the Prodigal Son.
[Side note — Henri Nouwen’s Return of the Prodigal Son, A story of Homecoming is beyond GREAT. New Oxford
Review describes it in this way: “The Return of the Prodigal Son is beautiful book, as beautiful in the simple clarity of its
wisdom as in the terrible beauty of the transformation to which it calls us.”]
The parable of the Prodigal Son is only found in Luke’s gospel. He constantly emphasizes God’s forgiveness.
Luke is absolutely convinced that anyone who is willing to repent and return to God is totally assured of God’s
absolute forgiveness. In Luke’s story we see that God’s forgiveness is much more radical than we see in his
other gospel stories. When we read the story, and we should do this constantly, we see that the main character is
not the two sons but the father. We might want to say that the father was not very successful in training and
raising his children. But the reality is the opposite: look at the total, unconditional love of the father. The
younger son is referred to as the Prodigal son, but nowhere in the New Testament is this word found. The son
does live a life of irresponsibility, shaming the family name. But he comes to his senses…this is the story of
my life…I’m sure I’m not alone. He did not repent at first…he just ’came to his senses.’ Once he decides to
return home, his life changes so much. His father treats him as God treats each person all the time…He will
not hear of repentance or even an apology…He just loves. This tells us exactly what God is like. Do I
realize this? Along comes the older son who is wrapped up in the ‘poor me’s’ and does not realize his father’s
constant love…he just cares for himself and can’t see that true love entails forgiveness.
Sunday Homily Helps gives this beautiful application: “God does this for us. All have been the younger son at
some time. We’ve known the pain of estrangement, the feeling of unworthiness, the desire to come home.
A. The priest in the confessional is there to welcome us home and invite us back to the banquet. Confessors sin also.
B. We do not have to be perfect to come home; we only have to be sorry for our sins and desire to love God more
The Church, after all, is not a hotel for saints. It is a hospital for sinners.
C. We are all sinners who want to be more holy—the priest in the confessional as well as the one confessing. If you
have been away Lent is a good time to come home.”
So I reflect on:
• How can I hear today’s reading as being addressed directed toward me?
• With whom do I need to be reconciled?
• What riches have I squandered?
• What experiences of being forgiven stands out for me?
Sacred Space 2016 states: (used old issue)
“So many of Jesus’ parables, like this one, startle their hearers with their shocking picture of God’s inclusive love…Every
single person is important to God. Do you feel that way about yourself? Do you treat others with that same awareness?
The Pharisees and scribes resented Jesus when He dared to welcome sinners. Like the older son in the story, they were
insiders, the faithful ones who felt they had earned God’s favor. Now they were being asked not to exclude those who had
sinned but to rejoice over their repentance. God calls us to look for opportunities to overcome our prejudices and desire to
exclude and instead to embrace God’s mercy.”