Daily Reflections - March 10, 2012

Prodigal People

 

Welcome the three prodigal persons: a father and two sons.

The younger son takes the money and runs. He wastes all that he has on partying and fast living. He was happy — for a while. After all, what is sinful initially looks good. Remember Eve in Paradise? It says that she looked up and saw that the fruit was good to eat, pleasing to the eyes.

And so he squandered his birthright in loose living. He represents every sinner because in sin we squander our human and divine birthright. Sin promises a life of happiness, satisfaction and excitement, but in the end, all one gets are misery, dissatisfaction, discouragement, depression, and a loss of the sense of personal dignity that belongs to us as God’s children.

Enter the father who so loves that he lets his rascal son have whatever he wanted. In fact, we can say he even spoiled the boy. This makes us change our common image of God whom we usually think as a very stern, demanding father, always ready to whip us into line. This is very far from the image of God that Jesus gives us in this parable. Here, God is presented as a tender loving father who is easy on his children and always ready to forgive, no matter what.

And there is the older brother who cannot forgive his younger brother. Do you realize that the story is open-ended? Did the older brother go inside and join the celebration?

Jesus does not tell us. Open-ended stories want the reader or listener to provide his own ending. That means that Jesus is asking you and me: Are you ready to forgive like the father, or are you like the self-righteous older brother?

As Christians we believe in a God of love and compassion. The challenge for us is to be people of love and compassion, to be like the prodigal father in the parable and not like the uncompromising older brother in a world full of prodigal sons and daughters.  Fr. Rudy Horst, SVD

 

REFLECTION QUESTIONS: Do you easily forgive? Do you approach God trusting in His limitless love and compassion?

 

Lord Jesus, Your words give me courage to approach God, despite my wrongdoings. Help me also to be as forgiving towards my fellowmen as the Father is.