Gospel Reflection For The 2nd day of March in the year of Our Lord, 2024
Gospel
Luke 15:1-3, 11-32
1 Now the publicans and sinners drew near unto him to hear him. 2 And the Pharisees and the scribes murmured, saying: This man receiveth sinners, and eateth with them. 3 And he spoke to them this parable, saying:
11 And he said: A certain man had two sons: 12 And the younger of them said to his father: Father, give me the portion of substance that falleth to me. And he divided unto them his substance. 13 And not many days after, the younger son, gathering all together, went abroad into a far country: and there wasted his substance, living riotously. 14 And after he had spent all, there came a mighty famine in that country; and he began to be in want. 15 And he went and cleaved to one of the citizens of that country. And he sent him into his farm to feed swine.
16 And he would fain have filled his belly with the husks the swine did eat; and no man gave unto him. 17 And returning to himself, he said: How many hired servants in my father's house abound with bread, and I here perish with hunger? 18 I will arise, and will go to my father, and say to him: Father, I have sinned against heaven, and before thee: 19 I am not worthy to be called thy son: make me as one of thy hired servants. 20 And rising up he came to his father. And when he was yet a great way off, his father saw him, and was moved with compassion, and running to him fell upon his neck, and kissed him.
21 And the son said to him: Father, I have sinned against heaven, and before thee, I am not now worthy to be called thy son. 22 And the father said to his servants: Bring forth quickly the first robe, and put it on him, and put a ring on his hand, and shoes on his feet: 23 And bring hither the fatted calf, and kill it, and let us eat and make merry: 24 Because this my son was dead, and is come to life again: was lost, and is found. And they began to be merry. 25 Now his elder son was in the field, and when he came and drew nigh to the house, he heard music and dancing:
26 And he called one of the servants, and asked what these things meant. 27 And he said to him: Thy brother is come, and thy father hath killed the fatted calf, because he hath received him safe. 28 And he was angry, and would not go in. His father therefore coming out began to entreat him. 29 And he answering, said to his father: Behold, for so many years do I serve thee, and I have never transgressed thy commandment, and yet thou hast never given me a kid to make merry with my friends: 30 But as soon as this thy son is come, who hath devoured his substance with harlots, thou hast killed for him the fatted calf.
31 But he said to him: Son, thou art always with me, and all I have is thine. 32 But it was fit that we should make merry and be glad, for this thy brother was dead and is come to life again; he was lost, and is found.
Today’s Gospel is the familiar story of the Prodigal Son. It is, of course, fitting for Lent. No matter how foolish we have been, no matter what we have done, God longs to forgive us and welcome us back into His family. With contrition and through the Sacrament of Penance, we have an easy and effectual means of being like the Prodigal Son however often we stumble. The Bible tells us that God and all of the host of heaven rejoice when a sinner repents. These messages, most of us know and they are a comfort as well as instructive.
But, what of the older brother? Surely, we can understand his feelings. His story is just as human as that of the Prodigal Son, and surely we can identify. Most every family has had the equivalent of a “black sheep” or rebellious member and one who is patient, self sacrificing and responsible. I doubt there has ever been an instance when the responsible son, daughter, etc. didn’t snap and yell, “You got everything and wasted it! I stayed. I sacrificed! I gave up my dreams to be responsible while you have brought nothing but heartache to this family!” I feel confidant that nearly everyone reading this knows of such family situations. It is so very unfair. But, such is life. The parents love both brothers. The one who is responsible and reliable often gets overlooked, although his inheritance is secure in this story (that is not always the case in every situation)… and sometimes the irresponsible brother destroys all the family has through bad decisions or outright malicious greed. But, in a family, it really doesn’t matter in terms of love.
A good parent may hate what a child does and who they have become, but they still love the child and are ready to forgive over and over and over. It is much harder for the responsible brother. How many times did he go without even simple enjoyments in life and sacrifice for his family? We may also think of Mary and Martha, the sisters who had a dispute because one was serving Jesus and His companions while the other was simply sitting and listening to His teaching.
The problem is that our human view is very limited. The Prodigal Son could not see the big picture. He wanted temporal pleasure and was not patient enough to wait for the greater reward. But, his brother’s view is also limited. He is justly angry at unfair treatment even though his reward will be far greater in the long run. This comes on the heels of our Lord telling us we must forgive our brother, essentially, an unlimited number of times. Being a Christian just gets harder the deeper you go, doesn’t it? The bottom line is that nothing is more important than family. We are God’s family through adoption through Jesus Christ. God will forgive us every time if we repent and come home. The Bible teaches us that the righteous man will have greater rewards in heaven. We must keep that in mind. All have sinned, but some greater than others. God welcomes us all home. When the reward is inexhaustible, why should we resent sharing it?
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Gospel passages are taken from the Douay Rheims Bible.