SATURDAY 2nd WEEK OF LENT

                   

1.Micah 7:14-15.18-20

Gospel:Lk15:1-3.11-32

                   REFLECTIONS AND MEDITATIONS

" The parable of the Lost Son"

From the church archive, the story is told about St. Polycarp in the year 155. St Polycarp when was arrested and asked by the proconsul to give up his faith, he replied:" For so many years I have served Christ and He has done me nor wrong. How then can I blaspheme my King and Savior? You threaten me with a fire that burns for a season and after a little while is quenched; but you are ignorant of the fire of everlasting punishment that is prepared for the wicked." These are the words of a man who despite his being threatened with painful death was in full touch of his senses.

In the gospel today we are told about the parable of prodigal young son while living a profligate life was out of his senses. It was only later, when all his inheritance was consumed, that he came to his senses: " I will get up and go to my Father and say, ' Father, I have sinned against God and against you..." In comparison the Older son was not also fully in touch with his sense. He did not realize what he had. He had been with his father many years and yet ironically, he found himself envying his brother.

Dear brothers and sisters, we can be the young son who messes things up then later realizes that he needs to return to the father with humble and repentant heart. Or we can be the older son who experience much joy and freedom but later finds himself jealous or even angry at other people's fortunes.

We are challenged by the gospel reading today that  to which sons do we indentify ourselves closely? Lent is the perfect time to be in touch once again with our senses. We may be the most faithful Christians or the most unfaithful believers, but it doesn't matter. Like the father in the parable, our heavenly Father is eager to run to us, embrace us and clothe us with his love and grace. The father's love will bring us back to our senses.

Prodigal is defined in the dictionary as lavish and overflowing. The word ' prodigal' describes three characters in the gospel. First is the prodigal son because he was overflowing with sin, vice and ingratitude. Second is the father, because he was overflowing with mercy. He was lavish with forgiveness and love. Third is the eldest son who was overflowing with work. He believed that by working , he could express his love for his father.

The gospel presents us with three prodigal persons: prodigal in sin, prodigal in forgiveness and prodigal in duty. If we have to be extravagant, lavish and prodigal, let it be a result of goodness, prodigal in forgiveness and lavish in mercy. It is better to be lavish in goodness than be criticized for being bad. If we must be lavish, let us be lavish in goodness.

Finally let us learn a lesson from today's parable that the father's emotional response to his young son was one of compassion. The father in the parable is an image of God. The parable suggests that God's compassionate love is always at work bringing people from some form of death to new life. In contrast to the father, the elder son considered his brother dead and was happy to see him  remain in his self-imposed tomb. Whereas the father's response to his son was one of compassion, while the elder brother's response  to him was one of anger. The parable challenges us to embody in our ways of relating to others the life-giving presence of the father's compassion rather than the deadening presence of the elder son's anger.