The Gospels for the third and fourth Sundays of Lent are complementary. Last Sunday, Jesus called for repentance for the forgiveness of sins in the parable of the fig tree and in his discussion of the Galileans Pilate had put to death. Today, in the parable of the prodigal son, Jesus also addresses repentance and forgiveness. This fourth Sunday of Lent is also called Laetare Sunday, from the Latin word to rejoice. Today’s celebration inspires us to hear this Gospel of the prodigal son in the light of the joy that comes from repentance and forgiveness.
There is a story told of a young man named Paco who ran away from his home in rural Spain in the 1920s. He ran away to the capital city of Madrid, working in a restaurant at a hotel where struggling bull fighters lived. Paco had the dream of becoming a bull fighter one day himself. No one knew why Paco left home. Was he kicked out of the house by his father? Did Paco and his father have an argument that caused Paco to run away? Paco’s family knew he was in Madrid, but had no idea where. Paco’s father was very worried about his son, worried that something terrible would happen to him, worried that he would get into trouble. The father wanted to reach out to his son, but had no idea where to start to look for him. The father took out an advertisement in the local newspaper in Madrid, El Liberal. The advertisement read,“Paco, meet me at the Hotel Montana at noon on Tuesday. All is forgiven! Love, Papa.” Paco was a very common nickname in Spain. When the father went to the Hotel Montana at noon, there were hundreds of young men named Paco waiting for their fathers, waiting for the forgiveness they never thought was possible. There are so many in this world who are in need of forgiveness and reconciliation, aren’t there?
Paco’s father cared about the welfare of his son, of wanting to unite with him, not wanting to dredge up his past sins and to punish him for his past. The father wants Paco to make the choice of wanting a relationship with him. Paco’s father is similar to the father in the parable of the prodigal son. The Father does not want to force his son to come back. He does not send out the police to get him. Servants are not instructed to haul him back. No, the father waits. It is up to the son himself to make the crucial decision: does he want to be with his father or not?
We as disciples of Christ are judged by our relationship with God in the here and now, as God wants to forgive us for our past sins. Do we want a relationship with God right now on our journey? It was on that basis that the thief who was being crucified with Jesus was told, “This day you will be with me in Paradise.” The thief is promised eternal life “this very day.” What should concern us right now on our journey of faith is whether or not we are currently in a loving relationship with God, if we are reconciled with him.
Through today’s readings, we are called to think of how we practice forgiveness to others, to those who have offended us. In wanting to experience God’s forgiveness, we also need to learn how to be forgiving to others. However, all too often, we want to place limits on our forgiveness. To be reconciled with God, we are called to learn how to be reconciled with all those who are sources of conflict or pain in our lives.
We thank God that we have a Lord who is so ready to forgive and welcome us back again and again. But we cannot stop there. We ask God to “forgive us our sins as we forgive those who sin against us.” It is too easy for us to cling to our past hurts, resentments, anger, and hatred. By imitating Jesus more, we find that our relationships improve. Martin Luther King Jr stated that “forgiveness is not an occasional act; it is a constant attitude.” Yes, as disciples of Christ, forgiveness is a way of life.
Author Sarah Ban Breathnach states: “Forgiveness is a form of gratitude. When we forgive others, we show them the mercy that we have often received and been thankful for.” The forgiveness and mercy we have received from God, as well as the forgiveness and mercy we have received from others.
Perhaps there is a resentment or ruptured relationship with God or with one of our brothers and sisters that is weighing heavily on our hearts. May our God of love and mercy reach out to our hearts today in the message of the parable of the prodigal son. May we see this as a call to action.
No comments:
Post a Comment