Reading II
Brothers and sisters:
Whoever is in Christ is a new creation:
the old things have passed away;
behold, new things have come.
And all this is from God,
who has reconciled us to himself through Christ
and given us the ministry of reconciliation,
namely, God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ,
not counting their trespasses against them
and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation.
So we are ambassadors for Christ,
as if God were appealing through us.
We implore you on behalf of Christ,
be reconciled to God.
For our sake he made him to be sin who did not know sin,
so that we might become the righteousness of God in him.
Gospel
Tax collectors and sinners were all drawing near to listen to Jesus,
but the Pharisees and scribes began to complain, saying,
“This man welcomes sinners and eats with them.”
So to them Jesus addressed this parable:
“A man had two sons, and the younger son said to his father,
‘Father give me the share of your estate that should come to me.’
So the father divided the property between them.
After a few days, the younger son collected all his belongings
and set off to a distant country
where he squandered his inheritance on a life of dissipation.
When he had freely spent everything,
a severe famine struck that country,
and he found himself in dire need.
So he hired himself out to one of the local citizens
who sent him to his farm to tend the swine.
And he longed to eat his fill of the pods on which the swine fed,
but nobody gave him any.
Coming to his senses he thought,
‘How many of my father’s hired workers
have more than enough food to eat,
but here am I, dying from hunger.
I shall get up and go to my father and I shall say to him,
“Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you.
I no longer deserve to be called your son;
treat me as you would treat one of your hired workers.”’
So he got up and went back to his father.
While he was still a long way off,
his father caught sight of him, and was filled with compassion.
He ran to his son, embraced him and kissed him.
His son said to him,
‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you;
I no longer deserve to be called your son.’
But his father ordered his servants,
‘Quickly bring the finest robe and put it on him;
put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet.
Take the fattened calf and slaughter it.
Then let us celebrate with a feast,
because this son of mine was dead, and has come to life again;
he was lost, and has been found.’
Then the celebration began.
Now the older son had been out in the field
and, on his way back, as he neared the house,
he heard the sound of music and dancing.
He called one of the servants and asked what this might mean.
The servant said to him,
‘Your brother has returned
and your father has slaughtered the fattened calf
because he has him back safe and sound.’
He became angry,
and when he refused to enter the house,
his father came out and pleaded with him.
He said to his father in reply,
‘Look, all these years I served you
and not once did I disobey your orders;
yet you never gave me even a young goat to feast on with my friends.
But when your son returns
who swallowed up your property with prostitutes,
for him you slaughter the fattened calf.’
He said to him,
‘My son, you are here with me always;
everything I have is yours.
But now we must celebrate and rejoice,
because your brother was dead and has come to life again;
he was lost and has been found.'"
Reflection
On this fourth Sunday of Lent, we reflect on how Our God constantly reaches out to reconcile us to Himself, and He regards our repentance with delight. We may feel weighed down by our incessant failures, and the tally of our sins and weaknesses may seem too great for God to ever celebrate our attempts at worship and renewal. Yet, this famous parable of the Prodigal Son teaches us that one step in the right direction is enough to bring God the Father racing toward us in compassion and joy.
The younger son in this story has squandered all his blessings on deplorable activities. By asking for his inheritance while his father was still alive, the younger son virtually told his father that he would prefer him dead. The son insulted the man to whom he owed everything—and promptly wasted all that he received. And yet, as soon as he set forth to return, “while he was still a long way off,” his father ran to meet him, and threw a grand party in his honor.
Twice, the father compares the departure and return of his son to death and life. By including this detail, Jesus shows us that He regards the difference between a sinful life and a contrite heart as the difference between death and life. As St. Paul writes in our second reading, “Whoever is in Christ is a new creation…” When we unite (or reunite) ourselves to Jesus, Our God, we are made new. To return to God in humble sorrow is to partake in His resurrection, and it evokes celebration in Heaven.
No matter how many times we fail, and no matter the size and quantity of our sins, we have no reason to despair or fear. God longs for us to come back to Him, and He will celebrate our return with us—every time. Our second reading emphasizes that God became man for our sake, with the purpose of reconciling us to Himself. Every time that we seek reconciliation, we reenter the victory of Christ over sin and death. How could we ever fear that our weakness is too great?
I entreat you to never heed the temptation that our cycle of sinfulness and sorrow is tiresome to Our Lord. Let us trust in the Father who loves us and seeks to bring us to Himself always. Together, we can rejoice with Him at the new life and new beginning He constantly offers.
Please be assured of my prayers for you before Our Lord, present in the Most Blessed Sacrament.
+ Bishop Schlert
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