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| “The Return of the Prodigal Son” by Rembrandt Harmenszoon van Rijn, c. 1669 |
Reading I: Micah
7:14-15, 18-20
Shepherd your people with
your staff,
the flock of your
inheritance,
That dwells apart in a
woodland,
in the midst of Carmel
Let them feed in Bashan and Gilead ,
as in the days of old;
As in the days when you came
from the land of Egypt
show us wonderful signs.
Who is there like you, the
God who removes guilt
and pardons sin for the
remnant of his inheritance;
Who does not persist in anger
forever,
but delights rather in
clemency,
And will again have
compassion on us,
treading underfoot our guilt?
You will cast into the depths
of the sea all our sins;
You will show faithfulness to
Jacob,
and grace to Abraham,
As you have sworn to our
fathers
from days of old.
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Commentary on Mi
7:14-15, 18-20
This is the very
end of the Book of the Prophet Micah. In
the previous chapters he has chastised and condemned the excesses and
corruption of Jerusalem and Samaria
The passage is
actually parts of two different petitions of prayer. The first is a prayer to Yahweh probably
dating from the time of return from exile, there is a note of longing that
comes through. The second petition is Israel Israel
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Responsorial Psalm: Psalm
103:1-2, 3-4, 9-10, 11-12
R. (8a) The Lord is kind and merciful.
Bless the LORD, O my soul;
and all my being, bless his
holy name.
Bless the LORD, O my soul,
and forget not all his
benefits.
R. The Lord is kind and merciful.
He pardons all your
iniquities,
he heals all your ills.
He redeems your life from
destruction,
he crowns you with kindness
and compassion.
R. The Lord is kind and merciful.
He will not always chide,
nor does he keep his wrath
forever.
Not according to our sins
does he deal with us,
nor does he requite us
according to our crimes.
R. The Lord is kind and merciful.
For as the heavens are high
above the earth,
so surpassing is his kindness
toward those who fear him.
As far as the east is from
the west,
so far has he put our
transgressions from us.
R. The Lord is kind and merciful.
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Commentary on Ps
103:1-2, 3-4, 9-10, 11-12
Continuing the theme of
forgiveness, Psalm 103 is a song of praise and thanksgiving to God for his
mercy. It recognizes both God’s mercy
and our need, as sinners, for it. The
psalmist rejoices in God’s saving help following a period of adversity.
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Gospel: Luke
15:1-3, 11-32
Tax collectors and sinners
were all drawing near to listen to Jesus,
but the Pharisees and scribes
began to complain, saying,
“This man welcomes sinners
and eats with them.”
So to them Jesus addressed this
parable.
“A man had two sons, and the
younger son said to his father,
‘Father, give me the share of
your estate that should come to me.’
So the father divided the
property between them.
After a few days, the younger
son collected all his belongings
and set off to a distant
country
where he squandered his
inheritance on a life of dissipation.
When he had freely spent
everything,
a severe famine struck that
country,
and he found himself in dire
need.
So he hired himself out to
one of the local citizens
who sent him to his farm to
tend the swine.
And he longed to eat his fill
of the pods on which the swine fed,
but nobody gave him any.
Coming to his senses he
thought,
‘How many of my father’s
hired workers
have more than enough food to
eat,
but here am I, dying from
hunger.
I shall get up and go to my
father and I shall say to him,
“Father, I have sinned
against heaven and against you.
I no longer deserve to be
called your son;
treat me as you would treat
one of your hired workers.”’
So he got up and went back to
his father.
While he was still a long way
off,
his father caught sight of
him, and was filled with compassion.
He ran to his son, embraced
him and kissed him.
His son said to him,
‘Father, I have sinned
against heaven and against you;
I no longer deserve to be
called your son.’
But his father ordered his
servants,
‘Quickly, bring the finest
robe and put it on him;
put a ring on his finger and
sandals on his feet.
Take the fattened calf and
slaughter it.
Then let us celebrate with a
feast,
because this son of mine was
dead, and has come to life again;
he was lost, and has been
found.’
Then the celebration began.
Now the older son had been
out in the field
and, on his way back, as he
neared the house,
he heard the sound of music
and dancing.
He called one of the servants
and asked what this might mean.
The servant said to him,
‘Your brother has returned
and your father has
slaughtered the fattened calf
because he has him back safe
and sound.’
He became angry,
and when he refused to enter
the house,
his father came out and
pleaded with him.
He said to his father in
reply,
‘Look, all these years I
served you
and not once did I disobey
your orders;
yet you never gave me even a
young goat to feast on with my friends.
But when your son returns
who swallowed up your
property with prostitutes,
for him you slaughter the
fattened calf.’
He said to him,
‘My son, you are here with me
always;
everything I have is yours.
But now we must celebrate and
rejoice,
because your brother was dead
and has come to life again;
he was lost and has been
found.’“
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Commentary on Lk
15:1-3, 11-32
The topic of
repentance and forgiveness comes to a climax with St. Luke’s Parable of the
Prodigal Son, one of the two “Parables of Mercy” found in this section,
distilling the essence of the Good News.
Found only the St. Luke’s Gospel, the
imagery is instantly clear that this is to be an analogy. The father in the story represents God and
the Prodigal Son us, when we repent our sins.
Interestingly, the older brother is also us when we do not forgive those
who have also sinned. We are
given the picture of the loving father welcoming his son home, an allusion used
also in the parable of the Lost Sheep (Luke
15:3-7). The invitation
implicit is; those who seek forgiveness find it in God.
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Reflection:
The Prophet Micah’s oracle
tries to tell us something of the depth of God’s love and mercy. The parable of the Prodigal Son told by Jesus
provides a living example of the unwavering love of God for his children. It is one of the great pillars of our faith
and a core reason Jesus was sent as man to walk among us – it is the notion
that God’s forgiveness is endless; his embrace is unreserved.
All of this we know, we have
been taught, the Church has provided an avenue for it; yet why is it so
difficult for us to accept it? Oh, we do
not mean intellectually. Intellectually
we know that God’s invitation is always there; his hand always
outstretched. Intellectually we know
that by dying on the cross, Jesus offered the great sacrifice of atonement that
removed the stain of death brought upon us by Adam’s fall from grace. Intellectually we know that the repentant
sinner is loved and cherished by God, even if that person only repented at the
last moment of their life.
But when it comes down to our
hearts, we cannot simply let go of our sin and allow the loving Father to
welcome us home and embrace us. There is
in us that dark corner of our souls that holds back, that tells us “wait, the
sins we have committed are unforgivable” or “wait, the sin we have committed
gave us enjoyment and we may want to go there again – don’t go back just
yet.” These warring emotions battle
within us, keeping us from accepting the loving embrace, keep us from offering
our selves wholly to the Father who wants us to come home.
It is one of the most
difficult things we can do; accept forgiveness for our sins. Part of the reason for this is that before we
can fully accept the Father’s forgiveness we must accept that his forgiveness
is truly there. Then and only then can
we forgive ourselves as well. It is only
when our faith allows us to accept that God forgives our most vile faults that
we can live in freedom from sin. It is
only in turning away from those sins that we can come home to our loving
Father.
The parable of the Prodigal
Son is one that, for all of us, should embody our Lenten Journey. It is, after all, a journey home to the
Father, after we have once more squandered our inheritance.
Pax
[1]
ALTRE
[2]
The picture is “The Return of the Prodigal Son” by Rembrandt Harmenszoon van
Rijn, c. 1669
[3]
The readings are taken from the New American Bible with the exception of the
Psalm and its response which were developed by the International Committee for
English in Liturgy (ICEL). This re-publication is not authorized by USCCB and
is for private use only.
[4]
Jerome Biblical Commentary, Prentice Hall, Inc., © 1968, 17:33, pp. 289
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