4th Sunday of Lent
This man welcomes sinners. (Luke 15:2)
Isn’t it ironic that this story, which is one of the best loved in all of Scripture, has a somewhat misleading title? Rather than calling it the parable of the prodigal son, we should call it the parable of the forgiving father. This is not a story only about one son. It’s a story about two sons and their father. And as a parable, this story tells us about our heavenly Father’s infinite love for us.
The parable of the prodigal son has two distinct goals: it shows us that God wants everyone to know his love, and it shows us that God wants those who know his love to experience it more deeply.
In a sense, the prodigal son was “dead” because of the sins he had committed when he was away from home. But the moment he came back, it’s as if he had come back to life. Jesus used this fellow to describe people who have not accepted the love that God has for them. They need to turn and come home to him. They need what we would call an “initial conversion.”
These are the people God asks us to lift up in prayer in a special way—especially our loved ones who are far from the Lord. May they all experience an initial conversion!
The prodigal son’s older brother, however, was already “alive.” He was faithful and hardworking. But he also needed a conversion. He may have been obedient to his father, but a lot of sinful thoughts still occupied his mind. This fellow needed “ongoing conversion,” a deeper turning away from his habits of resentment, anger, and self-righteousness.
Even if we believe in Jesus, pray every day, and go to Mass regularly, we still need ongoing conversion. We can be trying our best to live good lives and to care for our families. But we can fall into judgmental, self-righteous, self-centered ways of thinking. And so God asks us to keep turning to him for help and healing.
God welcomes home everyone who comes to him. No matter how big or small our sins, he is always waiting with open arms.
“Thank you, Father, for welcoming me home.”
Joshua 5:9-12
Psalm 34:2-7
2 Corinthians 5:17-21
