The Prodigal Son
As the Gospel begins today, we hear about how our Lord is eating with sinners and tax collectors. Now I must admit that as much as I'd love to follow in the footsteps of our Lord, it seems like there must not be very many sinners and tax collectors in state college, because I never seem to get invited out to dinner….
But back to the Gospel, we've heard today's Gospel so many times….The story of the prodigal son is probably one of our favorite stories. So many of us can relate to the story. There are so many in our church who have had incredible conversion stories and returned to the Church. Yet, at the same time, we do always seem to talk about the story as if we were the boy who squandered his inheritance. Certainly, that's one very good way to look at the story, but I'd invite us today to look at it just a little differently. For a while now, Our Lord has been preaching the gospel to the poor, healing the sick, and the people are starting to really follow him. Today's gospel begins with our Lord eating with sinners and tax collectors, presumably because they've heard what he has to say, and really want to hear more. He's eating with them to celebrate how far they've already come.
But back to the Gospel, we've heard today's Gospel so many times….The story of the prodigal son is probably one of our favorite stories. So many of us can relate to the story. There are so many in our church who have had incredible conversion stories and returned to the Church. Yet, at the same time, we do always seem to talk about the story as if we were the boy who squandered his inheritance. Certainly, that's one very good way to look at the story, but I'd invite us today to look at it just a little differently. For a while now, Our Lord has been preaching the gospel to the poor, healing the sick, and the people are starting to really follow him. Today's gospel begins with our Lord eating with sinners and tax collectors, presumably because they've heard what he has to say, and really want to hear more. He's eating with them to celebrate how far they've already come.
Yet he's accused of giving scandal, after all, he's eating at their homes, he's associating with people who haven't exactly been the best at practicing their faith. Then, he addresses three parables in a row, all with the same theme to those people who said he was associating with "the wrong crowd." They were people who had been cast out by the society. Of course, in our world, we NEVER cast out the "less desirable" people. We NEVER simply pretend they don't exist and simply think that as long as we keep them our of our neighborhood, maybe they'll just disappear. We would NEVER do things like that…
But then, let's look at Just what our Lord says in those parables. First, the lost sheep. The shepherd who has 100 sheep, leaves his 99 sheep, to go find that one lost sheep. That lost sheep really is his, he takes care of it because it is lost, because it is alone, because he loves it and it is his responsibility, and he rejoices when he finds it. Then, the woman who loses a coin, searches her whole house to find it, and celebrates when she does. After all, it's her coin.
Then finally, the most powerful of the three parables, the prodigal son, the son leaves, taking all of his belongings and squanders them. His lifestyle soon falls apart and he realizes just how rough he has it. Then, when he returns home, he expects to find a father who will chastise him for all he has done wrong, and put him in the place of a servant. Yet, that father welcomes him back with open arms.
It seems like the shepherd, the woman, the father, and our Lord all understood something that the pharisees were missing, and very often we can miss too. We often talk about the glamor of evil, but the cold reality is that sin makes us miserable. We might get a momentary rush, we might get a few moments of joy, but then more often then not, they're followed by more than a little misery. We might spend our time chasing after that elusive one moment of pleasure, but if we really take a hard look, we find like that young man, the food the swine eat is better than what most people in those times labor for.
Then, if we know that, certainly if we find ourselves in that situation, God gives us forgiveness, like the father did for his son. Certainly God celebrates. When we confess our sins, we're even invited to share at his table, here at the mass, as right here among us, our Lord is present among us, who are all sinners. But as important as that message is, I believe our Lord wants us to take it a step farther. After all, remember, what started our Lord on the parable in the first place was the accusation that he was eating with sinners and tax collectors.
The reality is that most people who truly need to hear this message aren't here. Of course you know that God forgives you in the sacrament, that's why you're here at mass. Of course you've found your way home. But what about your brother, sister, mother, father, son, daughter, niece, nephew, cousin or friend who finds themselves in sin. When we encounter them, what do we do. Are we like the pharisees, who step in to point out their sin, to tell them just how bad they really are, only to have them decide that there's no way they could ever really be a saint, so they might as well just accept that they're headed downstairs? Do we take every opportunity to remind every sinner we see just how bad and sinful the are? Or do we do as our Lord did and look for even the tiniest sign of progress, and celebrate. Do we search out that one lost sheep and celebrate when we find it, do we seek out the Lost coin and throw a party, when someone close to us does their best to admit where they went wrong, even if it's a guarded attempt, do we do as that father did for his son, and welcome them back with open arms, letting them know that any step they could possibly take away from sin, is always worthy of celebration, because if we do, if we encourage those around us that there is real joy in the Christian life, then just maybe they might continue on the path and come back to us.
But then, let's look at Just what our Lord says in those parables. First, the lost sheep. The shepherd who has 100 sheep, leaves his 99 sheep, to go find that one lost sheep. That lost sheep really is his, he takes care of it because it is lost, because it is alone, because he loves it and it is his responsibility, and he rejoices when he finds it. Then, the woman who loses a coin, searches her whole house to find it, and celebrates when she does. After all, it's her coin.
Then finally, the most powerful of the three parables, the prodigal son, the son leaves, taking all of his belongings and squanders them. His lifestyle soon falls apart and he realizes just how rough he has it. Then, when he returns home, he expects to find a father who will chastise him for all he has done wrong, and put him in the place of a servant. Yet, that father welcomes him back with open arms.
It seems like the shepherd, the woman, the father, and our Lord all understood something that the pharisees were missing, and very often we can miss too. We often talk about the glamor of evil, but the cold reality is that sin makes us miserable. We might get a momentary rush, we might get a few moments of joy, but then more often then not, they're followed by more than a little misery. We might spend our time chasing after that elusive one moment of pleasure, but if we really take a hard look, we find like that young man, the food the swine eat is better than what most people in those times labor for.
Then, if we know that, certainly if we find ourselves in that situation, God gives us forgiveness, like the father did for his son. Certainly God celebrates. When we confess our sins, we're even invited to share at his table, here at the mass, as right here among us, our Lord is present among us, who are all sinners. But as important as that message is, I believe our Lord wants us to take it a step farther. After all, remember, what started our Lord on the parable in the first place was the accusation that he was eating with sinners and tax collectors.
The reality is that most people who truly need to hear this message aren't here. Of course you know that God forgives you in the sacrament, that's why you're here at mass. Of course you've found your way home. But what about your brother, sister, mother, father, son, daughter, niece, nephew, cousin or friend who finds themselves in sin. When we encounter them, what do we do. Are we like the pharisees, who step in to point out their sin, to tell them just how bad they really are, only to have them decide that there's no way they could ever really be a saint, so they might as well just accept that they're headed downstairs? Do we take every opportunity to remind every sinner we see just how bad and sinful the are? Or do we do as our Lord did and look for even the tiniest sign of progress, and celebrate. Do we search out that one lost sheep and celebrate when we find it, do we seek out the Lost coin and throw a party, when someone close to us does their best to admit where they went wrong, even if it's a guarded attempt, do we do as that father did for his son, and welcome them back with open arms, letting them know that any step they could possibly take away from sin, is always worthy of celebration, because if we do, if we encourage those around us that there is real joy in the Christian life, then just maybe they might continue on the path and come back to us.
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