Exodus 32:7-11,13-14 I Timothy 1:12-17 Luke 15:1-32

Every saint has a past and every sinner has a future … Have you taken note of the statue outside the confessional here at St. Ann Church? It is Rembrandt’s return of the prodigal son. In today’s Gospel, St. Luke has two wonderful parables of Jesus: the woman with the lost coin and the man with the lost son. Firstly, the woman teaches us about persistence … lighting a lamp and sweeping the house, searching carefully until she finds the lost coin. Secondly, the father gives us hope when we feel like things may be hopeless … I will rise and go to my father. The father teaches us about a shepherd’s care. The father also teaches us about the possibility of rejection. Children sometimes reject their parents out of selfishness … “Father give me the share of your estate that should come to me.” To be honest, if I acted like this toward my mother and father, I’m not sure I would get my share of the property. Instead, I would get my share of “who do you think you are” and my mother using whatever was nearest to her at the time to beat me – the broom, the poker for the fireplace, or an oversized spatula.

I think the story of the lost son points to a certain selfish, self-centered, egocentric and greedy attitude whereas the father is prayerful and looks out the window daily to see if his son is coming home. We are all a bit like the lost son. We are sometimes demanding and want things our own way. We tend to obey ourselves over God. We tend to pleasure and indulge ourselves only to feel “naked and ashamed” like Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden. Satan always says: Look at your sin but God says: Look at my Son. In spite of our sins and our stubbornness, Jesus Christ is willing to welcome us back. I share the following thought: “I have discovered that trouble is one of God’s great servants because it reminds us how much we continually need him.” We have all suffered the consequences of sin, and for that very reason, we must learn from the forgiving father to be compassionate and hopeful of the pitiable state of others in life. Sin doesn’t necessarily have the stench of a smelly pig but it burrows into the soul and drags us down. The son reflects on his life and realizes that apart from God, there is no hope. Repentance and regret bring him to his senses and he comes home prepared to confess and be one of his father’s servants. His confession ended a life of slavery to sin. The forgiving father is not worried about the dirty clothes and the pig smell. The son is washed clean, clothed, sandals put on his feet [servants did not wear shoes or sandals or rings] and a ring on his finger - a sign of his sonship and acceptance!

The older son, who was always obedient and dutiful, ends us angry and jealous toward his younger brother and takes it out on his father for yielding and surrendering to the younger son who squandered his share of the estate. Not only was he angry, but he sulked … The picture of the older brother isn’t so pretty anymore. He refused to go into the party … heaven. Would you refuse to go into heaven because there was someone there you thought should not be there?

Reflection: Fr. Billy