Prodigal Son
My dear brothers and sisters in Jesus Christ,
The parable of the Prodigal Son has been called the greatest short story ever written and has even received the title Evangelium in Evangelio, "the Gospel within the Gospel."
There are three characters in this parable that Jesus wants us to examine. Actually, Jesus is presenting them to us so that we might in them look at ourselves.
The first is the younger son. The first condition to look at is the son’s radical departure from his father. Deadly sin does that. It radically separates us from our heavenly Father. The son goes into a FAR country. There is sometimes much meaning in a single word. He went into a FAR country; it was far away, a land full of debauchery and uncleanness, FAR away from God, FAR away from salvation. For us, says St. Augustine, "the far country" is forgetfulness of God.
The second thing we need to see is that when we walk away from God, while at the same time taking everything we can get from Him, we end up in the slop with the pigs. We end up in a state of spiritual poverty, and with an unrelieved hunger in our souls that all of the pleasures of this world cannot satisfy.
You may know an Aesop Fable called ‘the Goose That Laid the Golden Egg’
A man and his wife owned a very special goose. Every day the goose would lay a golden egg, which made the couple very rich.
"Just think," said the man's wife, "If we could have all the golden eggs that are inside the goose, we could be richer much faster."
"You're right," said her husband, "We wouldn't have to wait for the goose to lay her egg every day."
So, the couple killed the goose and cut her open, only to find that she was just like every other goose. She had no golden eggs inside of her at all, and they had no more golden eggs.
Finally, we must admit we have done wrong. This is the hardest thing in the world for many people to do. Countless numbers of people simply cannot admit that they have done anything wrong.
All addicted people live in denial the way pigs live in slop. They simply tell themselves that the slop smells like perfume and anyone who says that it's slop is an idiot and a fool. This younger son somehow came to his senses and began to recognize the truth.
A man cannot be saved unless he comes to himself. We need to do two things. One is to know God, and other is to know ourselves. The two are learned in parallel. If you learn only of God, you will be filled with pride, and your soul will be paralyzed. If you know only about your sins and your unworthiness and know little about God, you will be filled with discouragement and fear, or escapism, and your soul will be paralyzed, unable to do good.
Picture to yourself this young man, alone, hungry, penniless, far from home. We may sin with others but we pay the price alone. St. Augustine put it so simply, "My heart was made for you, O Lord, and it will not rest until it rests in you."
Next character is elder brother. Just like the Pharisees, the older son was obedient, faithful, hard working…and judgmental. He looked down his nose at anyone who did not measure up—even, his younger brother. Just like the Pharisees, he mistakenly thought that the Father loved him because of his hard work and obedience, and therefore could not possibly love anyone who was disobedient and sinful. He thought it was proper to hate the sin and hate the sinner.
Is not the sin of the elder son far greater than all the sins of the prodigal son? He could not forgive his own brother. He could not rejoice with his father who was so happy to have his son back. How many times have we been jealous, envious, and angry because God gave someone else what we thought was due to us?
Finally, the attitude and love of the father, the most important figure in this parable. What a surprising father! What a loving God! The story teaches us that we are loved for who we are, and not just for the way in which we behave. God does not lose hope or give up when we stray.
Our heavenly Father comes out to welcome each of us to his party. The father says to the elder son, “all I have is yours”. Our heavenly Father says to us, “All I have is yours”. This is a most beautiful promise and invitation.
We need to accept the loving offer of our Heavenly Father: “All I have is yours”.
The woods are lovely, dark and deep. But I have promises to keep, And miles to go before I sleep, And miles to go before I sleep. (Robert Frost in Stopping By Woods On A Snowy Evening). Dear brothers and sisters we are half way through our Lent, during the rest of Lent let us try to make every effort to answer that invitation from our heavenly Father, “All I have is yours." Each Lent offers the sinner a chance to return home with a confession of sins, where he will find welcome and open-armed love. We have a choice to make, will we stay outside or will we go in to enjoy the Father’s party.
In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.
Amen.
My dear brothers and sisters in Jesus Christ,
The parable of the Prodigal Son has been called the greatest short story ever written and has even received the title Evangelium in Evangelio, "the Gospel within the Gospel."
There are three characters in this parable that Jesus wants us to examine. Actually, Jesus is presenting them to us so that we might in them look at ourselves.
The first is the younger son. The first condition to look at is the son’s radical departure from his father. Deadly sin does that. It radically separates us from our heavenly Father. The son goes into a FAR country. There is sometimes much meaning in a single word. He went into a FAR country; it was far away, a land full of debauchery and uncleanness, FAR away from God, FAR away from salvation. For us, says St. Augustine, "the far country" is forgetfulness of God.
The second thing we need to see is that when we walk away from God, while at the same time taking everything we can get from Him, we end up in the slop with the pigs. We end up in a state of spiritual poverty, and with an unrelieved hunger in our souls that all of the pleasures of this world cannot satisfy.
You may know an Aesop Fable called ‘the Goose That Laid the Golden Egg’
A man and his wife owned a very special goose. Every day the goose would lay a golden egg, which made the couple very rich.
"Just think," said the man's wife, "If we could have all the golden eggs that are inside the goose, we could be richer much faster."
"You're right," said her husband, "We wouldn't have to wait for the goose to lay her egg every day."
So, the couple killed the goose and cut her open, only to find that she was just like every other goose. She had no golden eggs inside of her at all, and they had no more golden eggs.
Finally, we must admit we have done wrong. This is the hardest thing in the world for many people to do. Countless numbers of people simply cannot admit that they have done anything wrong.
All addicted people live in denial the way pigs live in slop. They simply tell themselves that the slop smells like perfume and anyone who says that it's slop is an idiot and a fool. This younger son somehow came to his senses and began to recognize the truth.
A man cannot be saved unless he comes to himself. We need to do two things. One is to know God, and other is to know ourselves. The two are learned in parallel. If you learn only of God, you will be filled with pride, and your soul will be paralyzed. If you know only about your sins and your unworthiness and know little about God, you will be filled with discouragement and fear, or escapism, and your soul will be paralyzed, unable to do good.
Picture to yourself this young man, alone, hungry, penniless, far from home. We may sin with others but we pay the price alone. St. Augustine put it so simply, "My heart was made for you, O Lord, and it will not rest until it rests in you."
Next character is elder brother. Just like the Pharisees, the older son was obedient, faithful, hard working…and judgmental. He looked down his nose at anyone who did not measure up—even, his younger brother. Just like the Pharisees, he mistakenly thought that the Father loved him because of his hard work and obedience, and therefore could not possibly love anyone who was disobedient and sinful. He thought it was proper to hate the sin and hate the sinner.
Is not the sin of the elder son far greater than all the sins of the prodigal son? He could not forgive his own brother. He could not rejoice with his father who was so happy to have his son back. How many times have we been jealous, envious, and angry because God gave someone else what we thought was due to us?
Finally, the attitude and love of the father, the most important figure in this parable. What a surprising father! What a loving God! The story teaches us that we are loved for who we are, and not just for the way in which we behave. God does not lose hope or give up when we stray.
Our heavenly Father comes out to welcome each of us to his party. The father says to the elder son, “all I have is yours”. Our heavenly Father says to us, “All I have is yours”. This is a most beautiful promise and invitation.
We need to accept the loving offer of our Heavenly Father: “All I have is yours”.
The woods are lovely, dark and deep. But I have promises to keep, And miles to go before I sleep, And miles to go before I sleep. (Robert Frost in Stopping By Woods On A Snowy Evening). Dear brothers and sisters we are half way through our Lent, during the rest of Lent let us try to make every effort to answer that invitation from our heavenly Father, “All I have is yours." Each Lent offers the sinner a chance to return home with a confession of sins, where he will find welcome and open-armed love. We have a choice to make, will we stay outside or will we go in to enjoy the Father’s party.
In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.
Amen.
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