Rembrant: c: 1662 Return of the prodigal sonRecently an adult spoke to me about how challenging it is for him to read the gospels. He has heard them so often that he no longer finds interest in them. They don’t stir him. During the conversation I asked him if he thinks himself to be a sinner. The response without any thought was, “Of course I am a sinner.” Let me ask you this then: When was the last time you received the Sacrament of Reconciliation? Then the pause that I wanted happened. The response came: “Well, I confess my sins to God.” “Well, when did that last happen ... and be specific with me,” was my response. “Ughhhhhh. I really cannot remember.” “Well, could you ever think that the gospels really are not interesting to you because you really don’t find Jesus Christ interesting, because you really don’t think much about your being a sinner? You know it is very easy to say, “Oh, yes, I am a sinner.” That, you know is a boilerplate answer that really has about as much depth and meaning as the veneer on a counter top.”
Quite frankly I was now expecting an explosion because I had backed my friend into a corner. But the opposite did happen. “Well, maybe I should seriously think more about my life.” “You bet,” I said, hoping my rather serious tone would make him realize his needs. “And while you are at it, open your Bible – you have one don’t you? – (another long pause) and read St. Luke’s story of the Prodigal Son.
None of us is free from the temptation to find as tiring or dull that which we hear or do often. I believe as adults, as parents, we are often able to point this out to youngsters. Music lessons, studying, doing school homework, keeping a bedroom simply civilized, forget the neatness.
The story Jesus used to confront the scribes and Pharisees who disliked Jesus’ associating with sinners and tax collectors is always one that can teach us about ourselves as sinners.
Have you ever asked yourself if you resemble the prodigal son? Most likely you did not take your inheritance and become something of a waste. However, have you ever considered your desires to be the most important things in the world? Is it simply not having something that is the separator between myself and true happiness? Looking at our lives, we might come to recognize that sin is like a coin: one side is me the other is God. One side is selfishness, the other is a prodigal Father ... just pouring out forgiveness and love.
And think of that father in the story for a moment. Can you imagine how many times his Dad went out at the end of a tiring day to gaze into the distance, looking and hoping for a son. Many might have given up on a young man but most often, deep in his heart, a father always hopes and longs for a moment of reconciliation.
The third major character, the brother, is a model of what we don’t want to be. Do we harbor a dislike that borders on genuine hatred for those who have more success that we have ourselves or for those who have less than we do but who are given special exemptions or assistance. Like the brother, do we ever find our minds rejection our sisters and brothers, created by the same God who brought us into this world, do we reject them by our unchristian words and actions?
Jesus forgives not just sinners but ALL sinners, even the toughest character we might meet. We must, as Jesus calls us, seek a reconciliation with all those for who we hold a kind of alienation in our hearts. We must celebrate God’s reconciliation with us at the altar where we experience the fullness of God’s freely given love and forgiveness.
Quite frankly I was now expecting an explosion because I had backed my friend into a corner. But the opposite did happen. “Well, maybe I should seriously think more about my life.” “You bet,” I said, hoping my rather serious tone would make him realize his needs. “And while you are at it, open your Bible – you have one don’t you? – (another long pause) and read St. Luke’s story of the Prodigal Son.
None of us is free from the temptation to find as tiring or dull that which we hear or do often. I believe as adults, as parents, we are often able to point this out to youngsters. Music lessons, studying, doing school homework, keeping a bedroom simply civilized, forget the neatness.
The story Jesus used to confront the scribes and Pharisees who disliked Jesus’ associating with sinners and tax collectors is always one that can teach us about ourselves as sinners.
Have you ever asked yourself if you resemble the prodigal son? Most likely you did not take your inheritance and become something of a waste. However, have you ever considered your desires to be the most important things in the world? Is it simply not having something that is the separator between myself and true happiness? Looking at our lives, we might come to recognize that sin is like a coin: one side is me the other is God. One side is selfishness, the other is a prodigal Father ... just pouring out forgiveness and love.
And think of that father in the story for a moment. Can you imagine how many times his Dad went out at the end of a tiring day to gaze into the distance, looking and hoping for a son. Many might have given up on a young man but most often, deep in his heart, a father always hopes and longs for a moment of reconciliation.
The third major character, the brother, is a model of what we don’t want to be. Do we harbor a dislike that borders on genuine hatred for those who have more success that we have ourselves or for those who have less than we do but who are given special exemptions or assistance. Like the brother, do we ever find our minds rejection our sisters and brothers, created by the same God who brought us into this world, do we reject them by our unchristian words and actions?
Jesus forgives not just sinners but ALL sinners, even the toughest character we might meet. We must, as Jesus calls us, seek a reconciliation with all those for who we hold a kind of alienation in our hearts. We must celebrate God’s reconciliation with us at the altar where we experience the fullness of God’s freely given love and forgiveness.
