GOD’S LOVE AND MERCY

IV SUNDAY OF LENT - Luke 15:1-3,11-32

The parable of the father who had two sons, commonly known as the parable of the prodigal son, is one of the masterpieces of Jesus’ teaching. It deals with human sin and with God’s love and mercy. It speaks about the relationship ofGod with us human beings. And the way we relate to God has implications on the way we relate to each other. God is represented by the father in the parable, while humanity is represented by the two sons.

The father is not autocratic, even though both sons feel oppressed, desiring to live as if the father did not exist. Humanity tries to get rid of God in order to conquer independence and take his place. The younger son rejected the father and turned his back on him to be able to mark out his own way and establish his own rules. His attempt ended in so big a disaster that he would accept to become a servant so as to survive. His survival was only possible by going back to the one he had rejected. His attempt at independence without the father and against the father was a total failure. Indeed, humanity needs to hit the bottom rock to turn back to God. Are we at that point now? Or do we need to sink even lower? Money, power, knowledge and science will not lead us to salvation since they deliver false happiness and create rivalries that lead us to violence and war. Like the father in the parable, God allows us to make our own choice and find out for ourselves what we are capable of. The end result is messing up everything. Without God and against him, we run to self-destruction. Many times, that is the only way for us to accept our fragility and sinfulness. Meanwhile, the father is waiting for the son to return. When he does, the father embraces him with all his love.

As we read the parable, our attention is drawn to the youngest son, the one who misbehaved terribly. It is as if we see ourselves in him. Looking at him, we realise that we have not lost everything yet. There is still time to repent and to turn back. However, we should look attentively at the elder son as well. He is a well-behaved son, who never left his father’s house. He is obedient, hard-working and responsible. He is among the best and his father can be proud of him. In the end, we discover that from him we got a false picture. He did not live like a son in his father’s house and he behaved as if he had no brother. Where was he when the younger one left the house? He did not intervene because he didn’t care. Maybe he was even happy since he remained alone. In his self-righteousness, he could judge everybody else, mainly all those who did not behave or think like him. Full of pride and selfishness, he is the only one who dictates the rules and sits on judgement. The father was no match for him. How could he be, if he did not punish the young one for his misbehaviour? As for his brother, he had no brother. As a brother, he was dead and, if alive, he did not deserve a second chance.

A distorted relationship with God brings forth a distorted relationship with others. Where there was a brother, now there is an enemy that should be brought down and destroyed.

Maybe, we can read the parable in the context of the present war between Russia and Ukraine. All of us are sinners. And God, the father, is waiting for his children to realise how self-destructive their behaviour is. Some nations and their leaders point fingers at others accusing them of being devilish, forgetting that they have done the same time and again. Instead of looking for ways that may lead to peace, they add fuel to the fire, as if all of them together are ready to burn the world.

To find peace, we must recognise God as the Father of us all and then recognise the others as our brothers and sisters.

Father, give us your Spirit, change our hearts for us to be pacemakers, accepting our brothers and rejoicing with them.