The texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today offer a vision of the nature of God and a challenge for us to reject the patterns that have kept us from living fully as a merciful and giving follower of Christ.
 |
| Source: https://www.thinkingfaith.org/sites/default/files/styles/article_full_687/public/field/image/20100310_TheProdigalSon.jpg?itok=tUPaaVnL |
The final lines of the Book of Micah contain a hymn of praise for the incomparable God, who pardons sin and delights in mercy.
* [7:18–20] The final lines of the book contain a hymn of praise for the incomparable God, who pardons sin and delights in mercy. Thus the remnant, those left after the exile, is confident in God’s compassion and in the ancient promises sworn to the ancestors.1
In Psalm 103 a hymn begins by praising God for personal benefits (Ps 103:1–5), then moves on to God’s mercy toward all the people.
* [Psalm 103] The speaker in this hymn begins by praising God for personal benefits (Ps 103:1–5), then moves on to God’s mercy toward all the people (Ps 103:6–18). Even sin cannot destroy that mercy (Ps 103:11–13), for the eternal God is well aware of the people’s human fragility (Ps 103:14–18). The psalmist invites the heavenly beings to join in praise (Ps 103:19–22).2
The Gospel from Luke is entitled the Parable of the Lost Son.
* [15:1–32] To the parable of the lost sheep (Lk 15:1–7) that Luke shares with Matthew (Mt 18:12–14), Luke adds two parables (the lost coin, Lk 15:8–10; the prodigal son, Lk 15:11–32) from his own special tradition to illustrate Jesus’ particular concern for the lost and God’s love for the repentant sinner.3
Jack Mahoney SJ reflects on the actions of the “prodigal son” and his jealous brother.
In trying to understand the motive of the prodigal son we may be helped by St Ignatius Loyola who ends his Spiritual Exercises by exploring what genuine love is like. As he observes at the very start of his analysis, ‘love should be shown more in deeds than in words.’ Luke was aware of this in reporting in the Acts Paul’s preaching to all who would listen, ‘that they should repent and turn to God and do deeds consistent with repentance’ (Acts 26:20). The acid test of real repentance, then, is the willingness to show it in one’s behaviour, an attitude which traditional moral theology has called ‘a firm purpose of amendment.’ That is on the son, or the penitent’s, side. What we cannot detract from is the eager willingness on the father’s side, that is, God’s side, to go the extra mile to forgive, responding generously to the slightest hint of repentance.4
Angela Maynard urges us to take some time today to think about times when we felt worn, torn or tattered, and reflect on how Jesus was present during those times.
Isn’t that what the image of the good shepherd is all about? The gospel teaches us to love one another no matter what. Jesus shows us how to do this throughout the gospels. Jesus is not only shepherding us through life, always by our side, but loves us no matter what. If we stray off course, we can look to Jesus for guidance and forgiveness. No matter how worn, torn, or tattered we become Jesus will always be by our side5.
In the Daily Reading and Meditation, Don Schwager asks ”How can you love someone who turns their back on you and still forgive them from the heart?” He explains that the prophets remind us that God does not abandon us, even if we turn our backs on him (Micah 7:18). He calls us back to himself - over and over and over again. Jesus' story of the father and his two sons (sometimes called the parable of the prodigal son) is the longest parable in the Gospels. Don Schwager quotes “Life through death,” by Augustine, Bishop of Hippo, 354-430 A.D.
"Did you make it possible for yourselves to merit God's mercy because you turned back to him? If you hadn't been called by God, what could you have done to turn back? Didn't the very One Who called you when you were opposed to Him make it possible for you to turn back? Don't claim your conversion as your own doing. Unless He had called you when you were running away from Him, you would not have been able to turn back." (Commentary on Psalm 84, 8)6
The Word Among Us Meditation on Luke 15:1-3, 11-32 declares If you had to use only ten words to describe the whole message of Christianity, you would be hard pressed to do better than this single sentence from the parable of the prodigal son. “He ran to his son, embraced him and kissed him.” (Luke 15:20)
Yet throughout history, no matter how far his people have wandered from him, God has been like the father in this parable: always watching and waiting for them to take the first step back to him. God doesn’t wait for us passively: he is always seeking, searching, calling out to us, and offering us whatever grace we need to make the journey back. Then he eagerly watches so that he can run to meet us when we do.7
Friar Jude Winkler sets the pardon and mercy of God expressed by Micah in the geography of the Promised Land. What is “prodigal” in Luke’s parable is the very generous father. Friar Jude cautions that we might reflect on the selfishness of the older son who is too concerned about his inheritance being reduced by the generosity to his brother.
Fr. Richard Rohr, OFM, describes a process of “discharging your loyal soldier” that may be helpful as we move into the spiritual environment of the second half of life with a prodigal attitude towards forgiveness. As Ken Wilber suggests, we need to “transcend and include” as we grow, recognizing the value of what has come before while shedding old skins and identities that no longer fit us.
With tenderness, notice how at various times in your life you’ve fixated on different priorities, different measures of right and wrong, different sources of meaning and belonging. Give thanks for the lessons you learned at each phase that helped you survive, succeed, and become who you are today. Ask yourself what beliefs you may be ready to lay to rest, ways of thinking and acting that no longer serve your maturing awareness of reality8.
We ponder the extent to which we forgive and give. Jesus example does not set a limit on this. We receive and give mercy through the inspiration and help of the Holy Spirit.
References
1
| |
2
|
(n.d.). Psalms, chapter 103 - usccb. Retrieved March 23, 2019, from http://www.usccb.org/bible/psalms/103:13
|
3
| |
4
|
(2010, March 10). The prodigal son and his jealous brother | Thinking Faith: The online .... Retrieved March 23, 2019, from https://www.thinkingfaith.org/articles/20100310_1.htm
|
5
|
(n.d.). Creighton U Daily Reflections - OnlineMinistries - Creighton University. Retrieved March 23, 2019, from http://onlineministries.creighton.edu/CollaborativeMinistry/daily.html
|
6
|
(n.d.). Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations. Retrieved March 23, 2019, from https://dailyscripture.servantsoftheword.org/
|
7
|
(2019, March 22). 2nd Week of Lent - Mass Readings and Catholic Daily Meditations for .... Retrieved March 23, 2019, from https://wau.org/meditations/2019/03/23/
|
8
|
(n.d.). Daily Meditations Archive: March 2019 - Daily Meditations Archives .... Retrieved March 23, 2019, from https://cac.org/category/daily-meditations/2019/03/
|
No comments:
Post a Comment