A Prodigal Son

The Prodigal Son story has to be one of my favorites from Luke's Gospel, and during the season of Lent.  The two parts that stand out for myself, are the dire desperation of the son, as he longs for the food which the hogs are eating, and the intense unconditional love of the father.  This is sort of like one of those good confession moments, when we realize the depth of our sin, we are always surprised by the unwavering love of God the Father.  The story makes clear that God has, and will continue to, give us his unconditional 'Yes'  This strong affirmation of us, as children of God, hopefully can draw out an unconditional 'Yes' on our part as well.  God loves us more than we can imagine.

Lent is the time to ponder the new life that God wants to give us.  St. Paul will reiterate that through Jesus Christ we have become a new creation.  We are called to make a faithful response to the Father's love.  Such a response is the difference between the Kingdom, or condemnation.  Those who make faithful responses can lead peoples out of the desert, bring healing, instill peace, and create a place where communion and revelation of goodness and truth are made known.  This sort of response requires a mature faith.  We have to have a spirituality that is deeper than a finger bowl. 

The younger son struggled with sin and evil, and discovered the love of his father when he returns home.  The older son followed rules and regulations, and most likely never took a risk in his faith, and perhaps never really experienced a love relationship with his father - only a 'legal' one.  Our challenge is to struggle with the messiness of life and to search the heart of God. The best way to know this sort of love is to continue to contemplate, reflect, pray, to the one who gives us life.  More so, we come to know love when we act in love and mercy, and have the same passion for life, as the Father in heaven has for us.

It is all to easy to get used to being with hogs, or sitting by a well with an empty bucket, or even being bound up, in a tomb.  These experiences can begin to seem normal.  Jesus Christ offers us that these are not normal, nor desired by God the Father who runs down the road to greet us.  Hogs are great over coals, with tangy barbecue sauce, but not good dinner companions.  Jesus shows us a way of piety and righteousness that leads us to the Father's house.