Sunday Reflection with Fr Robin Gibbons - 27 March 2022

Mar 26th, 2022

The Prodigal Son - Rembrandt

Fourth Sunday of Lent

What do you make of the parable of the prodigal son? Is it the repentance of that headstrong errant young son that catches your imagination? Or can you identify with the Father, overflowing with mercy, running out to hold the child he thought lost who has come home? Or, perhaps wistfully, you look on the oldest child, faithfully hard at work to keep the household together, the livestock fed and cared for, the regular work determined by the round of the seasons that any farmer knows. We can tell that older son is always there and see in him somebody who is eclipsed a bit by the vivacity and extrovert behaviour of his sibling. We can identify with all, or perhaps with none, of these characters. This parable repays our regular meditation, for in turn each of those characters reaches out through the words of Jesus and claims a bit of us all.

How do we begin to let these words enter into our own lives, can they, will they make any difference especially in such uncertain and troubled times? Like you , the anxieties and questions about Ukraine permeate my daily consciousness. I am very worried for my Russian friends, things are being done in their name that they have little knowledge about, one very close friend wrote that the 'felt a huge sadness and wondered if he could visit us again as so many hated them now! I assured him and still do that we don't and won't. The problem is of course that all his information comes through the State broadcasting services and the picture painted bears little similarity to what we see. So, thinking of him and others I care for, I turned to the simple style of prayer I find very helpful, that of a quote or passage of Scripture which becomes my inner companion during the day. These words of Paul in our second reading have been an enormous help: "So whoever is in Christ is a new creation: the old things have passed away; behold, new things have come".(2 Cor 5:17) In some ways that is a key not only to looking forward in hope, but also a tool by which we can examine our Gospel parable.

That phrase 'new creation' should immediately take us to our own baptism, for there at the font of living water we became a new creation, clothed in Christ, sealed and anointed by the Spirit who is our very own gift, and became for ever part of the family of God. My problem is I forget that and get caught in the scenario of doom, gloom and outright despair that we are fed with each and every day. I'm afraid I found that prayer of consecration to Mary celebrated by Pope Francis on the feast of the Annunciation, far too prolix, far too heavy. At this moment in time, we do not need too many words for Christ's mother to hear us, what we need is an acknowledgement that it is each and every one of us who can make the difference, and with the help of God, with the intercession of Mary and all the Holy Ones, we try to do so with a contrite heart.

This theme of repentance and being reconciled, is very much part of that deep Christian tradition of the monastic life: 'Abba Zeno said, 'If anyone wants God to hear their prayer quickly, then before they pray for anything else, even their own soul, when they stand and stretch out their hands towards God, they must pray with all their heart for their enemies. Through this action God will hear everything that they ask'. Here we have part of the inner teaching of our parable, what is important in the story is not to let any one of these three characters become the ultimate focus, all three play an important part in our vocation and task, which is, as the end of that passage puts it, to set aside difference and rejoice in our common bond as family in Christ : "now we must celebrate and rejoice, because your brother was dead and has come to life again; he was lost and has been found.'"(Lk 15:32)

All three in this passage have been lost, all three are through the overpowering mercy of the Most High brought to a point of reconciliation. The balance of actions and words are supremely important here, The Father is obedient to the words of the younger son, hands over property, he it is who first sees the returning one, embraces him, kisses him before acknowledging that the son is retired back to his family place. The youngest after his misdeeds, does as some of us do, rehearses a patter of religious words to achieve his aim, but these are brushed aside in merciful love, it is his action that shows something else, he has returned, no matter for what initial reason, he comes home! The older, grumpy he might well be, but he is dependable and still is working, still providing, and let it not be said has actually been left out of the celebration, taken for granted. Here the Father's actions speak louder, it is he who makes that effort to go out and pleads with the son giving him then that promise of inheriting not just land, money , livestock, but a real home.

All three make profound changes, yes even the older brother, all three need each other to bring out that aspect of Divine Love, so badly lacking in our world. These as we, belong to each other as part of that new creation, those three stand as an example for us of what we must try daily to show others. It is in those words of the father which we need to make our own, for out there in desperate need are those who will want from us the merciful love shown by that father, who says six words that change that families world: ' this son of mine' and 'your brother'. We may be angry, actively sin by omission or commission, we can destroy our earth, wage war on others, but in the end no matter what, as the 'new creation', we belong together in that one family as the Body of Christ and we need to be reconciled. For even those who do dreadful things to us and living creatures are still our sisters and brothers. Our acts, must match our words.

LECTIO

Sayings of the Desert Fathers

A brother who had been wronged by another brother came to Abba Sisoes the Theban, and said to him, "I have been wronged by a brother, and I want to take vengeance on him too," but the elder entreated him, saying, "No my son; rather, leave the business of vengeance to God." He said, "I will not rest until I get my revenge on him." The elder said, "Let us pray, brother." He stood up and said, "Oh God, Oh God, we no longer need you to look after us, for we are reaping our own vengeance." Brother fell at the elder's feet when he heard that, saying, "I will no longer take issue with my brother. Forgive me!"

A brother asked one of the elders to give an opinion on a hypothetical question. "Suppose I see somebody doing something, and I describe it to somebody else," he said. "In my opinion, I am not passing judgment. We are only talking [about it], so it is not slander, even in the conscience" The elder said, "If you have a passionate impulse, then it is slander. But if one is free of passion it is not slander. But it is better to keep silent so that evil not be increased."

The repentant father

I am the Father who

foolish gave what I was asked for

by my youngest son, the lively one

the apple of my eye.

I had another son,

but he being solid, hardworking

did not glitter in the sunlight of fame,

nor activate my memories

in the same way!

I rejoiced at the return of the little one,

yes, smeared and dirty -in so many ways