Greetings, all!
I’m thankful for the
opportunity to guest blog and share some thoughts on this Sunday’s
gospel reading: the story of the Prodigal Son. (Note: if the parish
where you worship this weekend is using the Year A readings for the
Scrutinies, you’ll hear John’s account of Jesus healing the man
born blind. I would encourage you to spend some time meditating on
the Prodigal Son anyway!) We all know the story, which is found in
Chapter
15 of Luke’s Gospel. A wealthy man has two sons,
one leaves with his inheritance, spends everything, is forced to work
as a laborer for basically nothing, returns home to beg forgiveness,
and becomes the guest of honor at a feast because his father is so
overjoyed that he has come home. Over the next couple of days, I’d
like to offer some reflections on this story and what it reveals to
us about our Father’s deep love and mercy and our relationship with
Him.
Today, we’ll look at the Prodigal Son
himself. Many preachers have picked up the theme that this story is
not about either son but about the Father, yet I suggest that in
looking at each son and his relationship with their father, we can
see more clearly our Father’s love and the way He seeks to work in
our lives. The Prodigal Son is clearly a sinner. Some have argued
that the son’s actions (taking his inheritance and hitting the
road) are a blatant statement that he wishes that his father were
dead. There is obvious disrespect and disobedience here. But does
this make the son a bad person? Should we write him off? Sin, by
definition, damages our relationship with God and with other people.
It is so easy for us to separate ourselves from the Father’s love,
which makes us misguided, not unredeemable. The son does not realize
any of this until he has hit rock bottom. He doesn’t understand
that he built a wall between himself and his father until he
recognizes that his choices were the reasons for his poverty and
unhappiness. But there is hope. Through his trials, the son
develops the virtues of humility and courage. Ultimately, he humbles
himself and realizes that he has constructed a solid brick wall
between himself and the Father and he has the courage to begin the
journey home and seek reconciliation with his Father. Neither of
these things is easy to do, but virtue can only be cultivated through
difficulty, and the son grows in virtue in the process of repentance.
St Peter experienced something similar.
He denied his Best Friend three times in his Friend’s hour of
need. As the Gospels tell us, he wept bitterly when he realized the
depth of his sin. Have you ever experienced this? I know I have.
Peter and the Prodigal Son show us that we do not need to be afraid
when we find ourselves in these places because the Father wants all
of us to be with Him, even if we have separated ourselves from His
great love through our sinfulness. Through the death of Christ and
the sacraments of the Church, we can be restored, just as the
Prodigal Son was restored when he returned home. In these moments,
let us ask the Holy Spirit to increase humility and courage in us so
that we will be open to the Father’s love, mercy, and healing.
Have a humble and courageous day!
In Christ,
Gillian Bourassa, Class of 2009
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