Jos 5:9-12; Ps 33(34); 2 Cor 5:17-21; Lk 15:1-3,11-32
The Return
Dear friends, today we begin the fourth week of Lent. We continue to remind ourselves about the three most important Lenten observances, namely, intensified prayer, Fasting/Repentance, and Almsgiving. These things will lead us to a closer relationship with God. Today’s readings are talking to us about “The Return”. To return is to go back to where we came from. We all came from God. If you are not close to God, then the message for you today is return! Do you think you are close to God?
God created us for himself and conditioned us to return to him when our time on earth expires. However, we must be reminded that though God wants us to return to him, he has given us the freedom to choose whether we want to or not. If we decide not to return to him, then we lose ourselves.
In the first reading, the people of Israel celebrate their first Passover to mark the day when they were saved from a life of slavery in Egypt. This day concluded the whole journey of salvation that lasted for forty years. It means that the salvation of the Israelites was more than the action of removing them from Egypt safely; it was a journey back to God’s care. The people had to undergo a cleansing process from all contamination in Egypt. We, too, have been saved from our contamination with sin through baptism. Though redeemed, we must choose to return to God through the way of our life. The return journey to God, which begins here on earth, can be compared to walking on a field full of landmines. We must walk carefully, with calculated steps, to make it across.
Baptism is not a direct ticket to heaven, as many are misled to think. What we acquire through baptism is only the candidature for heaven. How we live after baptism is the process that will determine whether we will make it there. Jesus paid the ticket with his death on the cross; however, we must make the journey ourselves. Do you think your choices are leading you back to God or away from him?
As St. Paul reminds us that we who have been baptized have become ambassadors of the Good News of salvation to others. We can compare the kingdom of God with an oasis. If there is an oasis and no one knows about it, then it does not help the desert dwellers who struggle to find water. Jesus came to bring the Good News about the kingdom of God, which is full of every good thing that every human being desires. He tried to tell everyone, but very few listened to him. To those who believed, he left this task when his time had come to go back to the Father. We, too, are called to testify about the salvation we have received in Christ to others and bring them to taste for themselves. The psalmist sings, “Taste and see that the Lord is Good”. Without tasting, there is no conviction. Do you tell people about the good things you have discovered as a believer in Christ?
A family is an institution that is built over a long period with a lot of struggles. However, once it is well established, it becomes for its members the anchor, the kingpost, the last result. We must also admit that families are not only built from blood relationships. Families are built out of love. With love comes dignity, freedom, care, a sense of belonging, and respect. When we desert our families, we lose all this. When we are baptized, we become part of the family of God. The story of the Prodigal Son in today’s Gospel is a clear demonstration of what returning means. This is someone who had left his home, his father, his brother, and the servants, and decided to go far, thinking that there was a better life somewhere else. It was not too long before his fantastic world came down, crumbling for lack of a strong structure. Many people take their family for granted. We are told that after experiencing very severe self-imposed sufferings, he finally gathers the courage to go back home. This is what makes this son a role model for all of us – the courage to decide to go back from wherever we have strayed.
The compassion of our God is demonstrated in the actions of the father of the Prodigal Son. Despite the pain of seeing his son go astray, the father did not deny him the freedom to choose. However, painfully, he waited for his return day and night. When this day comes after a very long wait, the father’s joy is tremendous. He does not care about the rehearsed apology of the son, but he quickly restores him to the dignity of the son. He did not want anyone to see his son in such a humiliating position. This is symbolized in the dressing with the best robe, a ring put on his finger, the sandals on his feet, and the feast to celebrate his return.
In the same story, we have the figure of the elder son. We are told that he refused to join the party when he was told that his lost brother had come back. It is interesting to learn that though he remained with his father, he was never a happy son. He hated his brother and was disappointed in his father. He was at home, but he never belonged. He was like a prisoner in his own prison. He never cared about his father but about his friends. Maybe he was waiting for his father to die and inherit all the properties. Does this sound familiar in our own families? Who among the two would you prefer, the one who went astray and returned repentant, or the one who stayed but was dissatisfied?
Dear friends, let us not wait until our condition is as pathetic as that of the Prodigal Son, who was living and eating with pigs, for us to make that important decision to go back home. When we choose to remain, let us make the best of it. “In the same way, I tell you, there will be more rejoicing in heaven over one sinner repenting than over ninety-nine upright people who do not need repentance” (Lk 15:7).
Have a blessed Sunday.
Fr. Lawrence Muthee, SVD
SVD JAMBO KENTAN 