To listen to this homily, click here.
The beautiful thing about our gospel today, the story of prodigal son, is that it is such a human story. Many human emotions and desires we know so well are explored and explained. The so-called prodigal son wants to leave home, go his own way, and find independence from family and responsibility. Where the prodigal son goes wrong is by using his newfound independence to reject the values parents spend so much time and effort teaching. He chases a mirage, the illusion of a life with only pleasure, autonomy, and self-centeredness.
This desire to leave home and to be on one's own is absolutely normal, necessary, and good when it is based in virtue. But unfortunately it is often motivated by naive assumptions and short-term thinking. Frequently during teenage years, children feel their parents no longer love them and that they are unnecessarily strict, always finding new and terrible ways to afflict and torture them. Often young people don't recognize that the changes going on are within themselves and it may not be their parents who are acting differently at all.
Returning to our parable. It had all gone very wrong for the prodigal son. It seemed like a smart move to take his inheritance and move on with his life. Never mind that he still had a responsibility to work the land his father had given him and support his father. Never mind that the land was a sacred portion of the family's heritage, not to be sold; the son had his own life and desires; so he sold it and moved on to what he hoped were greener pastures. He had a wild time, and made a lot of friends, all of whom forgot who he was when the money ran out. He found himself in the worst situation of his life, dreaming of stealing food thrown to pigs. Eventually, after exhausting all other options, he decided to return home. He anticipated shame and disgrace; he knew he deserved nothing but was willing to beg for the life of a servant. His concept of mercy could not imagine a return to sonship. But he was wrong! His homecoming was more than he could ever have imagined.
Each of us has moments in life where we make mistakes and become the prodigal son. We call these sins and it’s usually because we try to convince ourselves that something we know to be wrong, is, in this case, right. If we have the honesty to admit it, we soon realize we are no longer happy. We can't be at war with God and at peace with ourselves. We can try, but it won't work. In what areas of life are we still separated from God by our obsession with pleasure, independence, selfishness, and control? Where do we still live the life of the prodigal son, wandering away from responsibilities to God and neighbor, stuck in the misery of sin? As a priest who has the privilege of hearing confessions, I get to see many moments of transformation, when someone returns to the Father and experiences his embrace of forgiveness and peace. God wants that moment for each and every one of us!
The Forgiving Father runs out to meet his son. How many days he must have watched the road hoping to see his son coming back and yet saw nothing! But he never stopped watching, waiting, and hoping! He doesn’t even let the Prodigal to finish his little speech about how unworthy he is or why he should only be considered a slave. The Father is overwhelmed with joy and immediately starts to celebrate. How often do you and I try to love like the father? Are we people who welcome back those who are separated from God and others? Are we compassionate to the weak and sinful? Do we do everything we can to help them return to God’s family? Are we able to forgive the wrongs done to us and others or are we harsh christians who complain that Jesus welcomes sinners into his Church?
I think most of us sympathize with the elder son. He did the right thing his whole life by working his portion of the Father’s property. He suffered through his brother's insulting of their dad. There is nothing that gets us angrier than when someone we love is offended. But he let this anger control him. It seems that much of his service to the Father was served in resentment. It may have been quiet and unspoken but it was bubbling under the surface until this very moment. How many Christians, how many of us, serve God externally but in our heart, we are bitter, disappointed, and feel unrecognized by God? How many of us feel self-righteous and disgusted by the way God seems to welcome sinners and share his mercy those who don’t seem to deserve it? Shouldn’t they have to pay for what they have done? Are we secretly jealous of the prodigal son because he did what we wanted to do?
The end of the parable is tragic and ironic. A banquet is thrown, but the elder son refused to enter. The Father who had every reason to remain angry, is not. However, elder brother refuses to forgive his sibling and his father. His angry that his father’s heart is not as small as his! By refusing to participate, the Elder Son separated himself from the Father's love. At the conclusion of the parable, only the Elder Son is absent from the banquet. And he is absent by his own choice, he has excluded himself.
We all have battle stories. We have all had people who have consciously and callously hurt us. But if we don't forgive those who have hurt us, we will be keeping ourselves out of the banquet of God's love. We have also hurt others and caused pain throughout our lives. If we want to receive God's forgiveness, we have to give God's forgiveness. If we don't forgive and ask to be forgiven, we will end up standing outside the banquet griping and grousing, separated from God's love.
"This man welcomes sinners and eats with them” is the criticism we hear of Jesus. It’s absolutely true, thank God! He welcomes us and eats with us here in the Eucharist. He shows us a better way to live, a way of life free from sin and misery. The Parable of the Prodigal Son, Forgiving Father and Elder Brother is a brilliant depiction of our human condition, our foibles, and the unlimited compassion God offers us if we are willing to turn from sin and hatred. May our parish family be defined by receiving and sharing this forgiveness and so we can enjoy the freedom and peace it brings!
