The texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today exhort us to be open to transform hurt and pain in our relationships to celebration as the Spirit leads us to reconciliation and new life.
The reading from the Prophet Micah proclaims God’s Compassion and Steadfast Love.
* [7:14–17] A prayer that God will care for the people as in ancient days (v. 14) is answered (vv. 15–17) when the Lord promises to do marvelous things. The nations shall be afraid and turn to the Lord.
* [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. (Micah, CHAPTER 7 | USCCB, n.d.)
Psalm 103 offers Thanksgiving for God’s Goodness.
* [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). (Psalms, PSALM 103 | USCCB, n.d.)
The Gospel of Luke presents the Parable of the Prodigal and His Brother (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. (Luke, CHAPTER 15 | USCCB, n.d.)
Suzanne Braddock comments on one aspect of the gospel for today…the image of the father seeing from afar his wayward son returning.
I can picture the father eagerly sighting him who he had waited for perhaps for years. He runs to embrace his son…..he is all love, all forgiveness, all joy that his son has returned. I hope all that read this may have experienced something like this from a parent. Surely we can all hope to experience this from our loving Lord. I remember a wonderful father figure whom I used to visit many miles away. His kindness and wisdom molded me in many ways, and when he was struck with cancer I made the trip to see him often. Even as he weakened, he was determined to go outside and wait on his lawn for me to arrive, and to follow me with his gaze as I drove away. His fidelity and compassion always reminded me of the father of the prodigal son. He is gone to be with his loving Lord now, but when guests leave my house I always wait outside for them until they are out of sight. (Braddock, 2024)
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) (Schwager, n.d.)
The Word Among Us Meditation on Luke 15:1-3, 11-32 comments that no matter where we find ourselves, today’s Gospel urges us to “come home.” Whether it’s returning to the Church or to an estranged loved one, Jesus is inviting us to take the next step toward reconciliation. At the same time, he is also urging us to be like the father and welcome back into our lives those who have become separated from us.
Is something holding you back from this kind of reconciliation? Are you afraid of the reception you might get from those you have hurt? Or perhaps sadness over your separation has clouded your perspective so that you can’t imagine opening your arms and your heart to the returning “prodigal.” Today, take one step closer to forgiving and embracing, and see where the Lord takes you.
“Father, show me the way home to you!” (Meditation on Luke 15:1-3, 11-32, n.d.)
Friar Jude Winkler discusses the tremendous restoration promised by God to Israel in the passage from Micah. God would present “chased and emet” as faithfulness and mercy to the exiles. The prodigal, or generous, father in the Gospel awaits the son who in taking his inheritance was saying to him “I wish you were dead.” Friar Jude reminds us that even if our contrition often is like that of the returning son, God offers us compassion and mercy so we might learn and share with others.
Fr. Richard Rohr, OFM, introduces Buddhist teacher Thich Nhat Hanh who offers instructions for softening our anger by letting it “cook”.
Your anger is like that—it needs to be cooked. In the beginning it is raw. You cannot eat raw potatoes. Your anger is very difficult to enjoy, but if you know how to take care of it, to cook it, then the negative energy of your anger will become the positive energy of understanding and compassion.
You can do it. It is not something only a Great Being can do. You can do it, too. You can transform the garbage of anger into the flower of compassion.… The secret is to continue the practice of mindful breathing, the practice of mindful walking, generating the energy of mindfulness in order to embrace your anger.
Embrace your anger with a lot of tenderness. Your anger is not your enemy, your anger is your baby. It’s like your stomach or your lungs. Every time you have some trouble in your lungs or your stomach, you don’t think of throwing them away. The same is true with your anger. You accept your anger because you know you can take care of it; you can transform it into positive energy. (Rohr, 2024)
We ponder offense and forgiveness as we invoke the guidance of the Holy Spirit to move to reconciliation while our “son” is still a long way off.
References
Braddock, S. (2024, March 2). Creighton U. Daily Reflection. Online Ministries. Retrieved March 2, 2024, from https://onlineministries.creighton.edu/CollaborativeMinistry/030224.html
Luke, CHAPTER 15 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Readings. Retrieved March 2, 2024, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/luke/15?1
Meditation on Luke 15:1-3, 11-32. (n.d.). The Word Among Us: Homepage. Retrieved March 2, 2024, from https://wau.org/meditations/2024/03/02/904852/
Micah, CHAPTER 7 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Readings. Retrieved March 2, 2024, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/micah/7?14
Psalms, PSALM 103 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Readings. Retrieved March 2, 2024, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/psalms/103?1
Rohr, R. (2024, March 2). When Anger Meets Love: Weekly Summary — Center for Action and Contemplation. Center for Action and Contemplation. Retrieved March 2, 2024, from https://cac.org/daily-meditations/when-anger-meets-love-weekly-summary/
Schwager, D. (n.d.). Father, I Have Sinned against Heaven and You. Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations – Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations. Retrieved March 2, 2024, from https://www.dailyscripture.net/daily-meditation/?ds_year=2024&date=mar2
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