Fourth Sunday of Lent (C) [Lk 15:1-3.11-32]
30.03.2025
The
Parable the Prodigal Son (or the Merciful Father)
1.
Theme in brief:
Boundless
mercy of God towards a repentant sinner.
2. Focus Statement:
Our God
is a loving and compassionate Father, who goes in search of sinners who rebel
against him, and unconditionally forgives them, when they return to him with a
repentant heart.
3.
Explanation of the text
The parable of today’s gospel is traditionally called the Parable of the Prodigal Son, because the younger
son in this story spent prodigally or wastefully (“squandered”) his share of his
father’s property in “dissolute” (immoral) living (15:13). But it can
very well be called the Parable of the Compassionate Father and the Angry Elder Brother
because the central figure in this story is the merciful father and secondarily
a resentful elder son. This parable, considered to be a gem among other
parables told by Jesus, vividly illustrates the falling away of a sinner from God; his/her
dramatic return
to God; and God’s compassionate embrace of the penitent sinner. It is understood
that the father in this parable represents the boundlessly compassionate God the Father;
the younger son, the repentant and remorseful sinners; and the elder son, the just
ones.
In
Jesus’ context, the elder son represents the scribes and Pharisees whose objection
to Jesus’ behaviour is put in the mouth of elder son. Hence, Luke makes it clear in the
beginning itself that Jesus gave this parable in response to their grumbling
at his too-friendly attitude towards tax-collectors and sinners and his free mixing
with them (15:1-2). For them Jesus’ welcoming attitude and table-fellowship
with this type of despised people (15:2) amounted to approving their behaviour. In our
context, this could be the story of a broken family with the estrangement
of both the sons: the younger son's rebellious departure from the father's home and the
elder son's rebellious objection to his father’s behaviour even though he
never left home.
We
could raise some relevant questions on the content of this parable and find answers
that could lead us to repentance and conversion in this Lenten Season:
(1) What is sin? In
this parable sin is symbolized by the younger son’s running away to a distant country
(15:13). This indicates that sin is a
breakage
of the love-relationship with God and neighbours (family and community). From afar,
“the distant country” looks very appealing and attractive. So also pleasures of
sin. By demanding the share of the property from his father – which is normally
divided in Jewish society after the death of one’s father – the younger son
commits the shameful act of treating his father as if he is dead. Thus, he cuts off
the family relationship
for good. Sin is a refusal of God’s love, a rebellion against him and a craving
for independence
from him. It is like squandering our Father’s wealth in loose (dissolute) living just as the younger son did (15:13).
(2) What are the consequences of sin? Metaphorically, sin gives
rise to a severe ‘famine’ in human hearts, families and communities
(15:14). It alienates
them from God and neighbour. A sinner gradually goes down to the lowest level
of debasement
symbolized by the younger son’s twofold degradation: (1) selling himself as a slave to a
pagan citizen of a distant country (15:15) in spite of being a Jewish boy which
is unimaginable; and (2) feeding pigs that were considered impure animals and
forbidden by Jewish law (15:15). He begins to live like pigs by coveting the
pods eaten by those impure animals (15:16). [Feeding pigs is an unpardonable
crime in Jewish society.]
(3) What is repentance? This parable indicates that it is a decision to “get up” (15:18) and return
to the loving embrace of a Compassionate Father. The journey home begins with “coming to one’s
senses” (15:17), as the younger son does in this story. He realizes
that he must “get
up” and go to his father and ask for mercy (15:18). Thus, he takes a decisive
action
to come out of his wretched condition. It is like a self-encounter and a self-awakening.
It is a decision to set right the things he has done wrong. It is coming to the
realization of the terrible consequences of one’s wrongdoings and confessing
one’s unworthiness
to be called God’s “Beloved”. The prodigal son reflects on the contrast between
his empty-stomach, in spite of being a beloved son of his father, with the
full-stomach of his father’s hired servants (15:17).
(4) Who is God? The
image of God presented by Jesus in this parable is quite contrary to what is
presented to us or what we imagined in our childhood. In those days we thought
of God as a stern task-master who punishes us when we sin against
him, or disobey him and our parents. The father of this story represents God who
is an infinitely
and boundlessly
loving and merciful
Father (Parent) waiting to receive his rebellious children in such a loving
embrace as if they had never gone astray! Here he is depicted as the father who
sees his returning wayward son when he is “still far off” (15:20) and finds it
difficult to contain himself. He is “filled with compassion” and runs to embrace the
son whom he had feared dead (15:20). Though the son had rehearsed well the
words of repentance and remorse to be confessed before his father, the father
cuts his words in the middle before he could finish what he had rehearsed (compare
15:18-19 with 15:21) and orders for the best robe, ring and sandals for his
feet (15:22).
Unlike any other father
in the world who would have rebuked/ warned/ called for a meeting/ punished
before admitting such a son into the house, this father goes beyond this normal
way of dealing with such sons. Though the son had expected to be treated as a
servant, he is treated with robe, ring and shoes – symbols of dignity
of a son, because servants are not allowed to use these things. Not only his sonship
is restored but also his community membership by ordering the slaughter of a “fatted
calf” (15:23) – symbolizing a community meal.
(5) Why does the elder son resent? He resents because he represents ‘world’s way of thinking’,
according to which a sinner/ criminal /offender deserves not mercy but punishment
and those who refuse to rejoice at the conversion of such people. He does
not consider the younger son as his brother, but refers to him only as
"this son of yours" (15:30), though the servants tell him “your
brother” has come home (15:27). He stubbornly refuses to enter the house and
join in the party thrown by his father (15:28) and exhibits his open resentment
towards his father.
4.
Application to life
According to “The New
Interpreter’s Bible,” today’s parable is like a fine spiritual garland in which all
the following truths are intertwined: adolescent rebellion, alienation from family, the appeal
of the new and foreign, the consequence of foolish living, the warmth
of home remembered, the experience of self-encounter, awakening, repentance,
the joy of reunion,
the power of forgiveness,
and the indignation
of the elder brother.
Both the younger and elder sons are very much alive till today. Younger son
represents those who take freedom to mean doing anything they want without thinking how much
it would hurt others who love them so much. He represents those who do not care
for responsibility
and accountability
and react belligerently to any supervision of their conduct by others. They
imagine about greener pastures in a ‘distant country’ away from the control
of any authority – God or man. They begin to fall away from God by
allowing sinful desires of their body and mind to take possession of their heart. Once
this happens, God’s commandments and Jesus’ gospel-values will become bitter
pills against the desire for a greater license. Then they begin to lose taste
for spiritual things such as prayer and sacraments and foolishly come to the
conclusion that greater ‘happiness’ consists in greater satisfaction
of their passions.
A
separation
from God will gradually lead to a separation from fellowship of the community
and the Church. Then human relationships will be valued very low compared
to the self-enjoyment. Such persons begin to squander (waste prodigally) our
Heavenly Father’s “wealth or property” – their natural and
supernatural gifts. They use their natural gifts, talents, time, powers, health
and wealth to their own selfish and dissolute and dissipated living.
Our
sins
considerably weaken, or in the case of serious/mortal sins, destroy our
greatest
spiritual wealth, namely faith and love. If we have fallen into the trap of
addictions, egoism, unforgiving attitudes, desire for revenge, group conflicts,
criminal acts, violence, infighting, marital infidelity, unfaithfulness to our
vocation and compromising with corrupt practices, is it not a sign that we have
left our Father’s home to a distant country? Quite often lack of depth in our
faith-commitment leads us to dissolute/ debauched/ dissipated living and
further moral
degeneration. Having cut off from God’s love, it becomes easy for
sinners to fall prey to the slavery of their lowest passions. This is
signified by the feeding the impure and forbidden animals, namely pigs.
But
a moment comes when sinners, with the help of God’s grace, feel the emptiness
and spiritual
hunger in their heart which they cannot fill up or satisfy. There is
a severe ‘famine’
(unrest or lack of peace) and a hunger for genuine love in a sinner’s heart. This could
result in “coming
to one’s senses” gradually. Yes, God often uses adversity and misery
to bring us to our senses. This could move sinners to a decision to “get up” from this
degradation, resolve to set right the things they have done wrong, take action
to return to the Merciful Father and confess that how wrong and foolish
their conduct has been. Repentance involves a genuine sorrow
for breaking off love-relationship with God and neighbours and a longing for reunion
with God. Though the prodigal son loses everything, he does not lose faith
in his father’s mercy.
Heart of hearts he knows his father is in search of him and will surely be
merciful and forgive him.
Therefore,
like him, as sinners we need to approach our infinitely Merciful Father,
especially in this Season of Lent, with firm faith in his boundless compassion
towards the lost ones. Our repentance must be based not on fear of God’s punishment
or the guilt
of breaking his commandments, but on our foolishness to have stubbornly rejected
his offer of love again and again; having turned out to be his unworthy
and ungrateful children. It is the hope and assurance of his loving embrace and
unconditional
forgiveness that leads us to make a firm resolve to return home or
make a U-turn
towards God with a greater zeal for spiritual exercises and works of
mercy. When our repentance is sincere God re-clothes us with the ‘robe’ of his sanctifying
grace, puts on us the ‘ring’ of restoration to the dignity
of God’s children and gives us ‘shoes’ to walk once again in his ways. The word “mortal sins”
– or sins that destroy divine life in us – traditionally used for serious sins has
its foundation in today’s parable where the father says that his son “was dead
and has come to life” (15:32). If serious sin is a spiritual death, repentance
is a painful way of the cross and conversion is our resurrection.
The elder son
thinks that his father prefers the returned prodigal to himself – the faithful,
obedient
and industrious son. According to world’s way of thinking, an offender deserves
punishment;
but from this story we come to know that according to Jesus an offender also deserves
our mercy. There are many elder sons and daughters today, who are lost while still
at home. They are those who go through all religious practices meticulously and
are very pious
but judge or condemn sinners and wrongdoers severely, are angry, resentful,
bitter, jealous,
rude at the ‘younger sons’ (remember the words, “this son of yours”). There is
a Pharisee in many of us who says: “I am not like them!” This story is left
without a proper ending. There is total silence whether the elder son came in
and joined the party or not. I suppose, it is done purposely because it is up
to elder sons in you and me to decide whether we want to join the party and rejoice
with the forgiven sinners.
5.
Response to God's Word
With which of the two
sons do I identify myself: with the younger one or with the older one? Why? What
prevents me from taking decisive action to return to the Lord? Is it pride or
fear of losing friends/privileges/pleasures? Am I faithful to my vocation
(marriage, religious life, priesthood, etc.)? What decision am I going to take
to restore the broken relationships with God and neighbour? Like the prodigal
son, each one of us can ask: “Am I worthy to be called a Christian disciple, a
father, a mother, a brother, a sister, a son, a daughter, a neighbour, a leader,
a priest, a religious…..?” Can the elder son in me come home? Can I be found as
the younger son was found?
6. A Prayer
O boundlessly merciful and
unconditionally forgiving God, how can I call you my dear Daddy? Quite often I
have left the warmth of your home to a distant country and have squandered my
spiritual wealth. Quite often, lack of depth in my faith-commitment has led me
to live a dissipated life. Increase my hunger for your love so that I can ward
off the severe ‘famine’ for genuine love or unrest in my heart. Let not the
false promises of the world and its standards allure me to moral and spiritual
degeneration. Grant that my longing for a reunion with you may motivate me to
trace back my steps to your love and mercy. Though I am not worthy to be called
your son/daughter, accept us as I am. Let me hear again your gentle voice
calling me: You are my beloved. I am well pleased with you. Amen.
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