Jos 5:9-12;2
Cor 5:17-21; Luke 15:1-3,11-32
Return of the Prodigal son
St Luke gives three parables of Jesus in the 15th
chapter of his Gospel. All the three deal with the message of God’s mercy.
The parable of the shepherd who lost a sheep
The parable of the father who lost a son
The agony that we experience when we lose
something is very great. In 2004 the Earthquake in the Indian Ocean washed off
the shores of India. Thousands of people were found missing. It was a common
sight on the beaches, that mothers were looking for their
sons, wives were waiting for the return of their husbands;
and fathers were frantically searching for the life beat of their
children. All waited in eager expectation that the lost ones would come back.
The expectations of some were realized, and others continued
indefinitely. And many miracles happened. The missing people
returned after days and weeks.
The swirling waters of the tsunami swept the
parents of a 20 day old baby. Her father later managed to claw his way back to
the badly damaged building, where he found his daughter crying as she floated
precariously on the mattress in about five feet of water. Rizal Shahputra, 20,
arrived at Malaysia's Port Klang - sunburnt, dehydrated and starving. He was
found clinging on to a floating tree trunk, frantically waving for help, some
100 nautical miles from his home in Banda Aceh in the middle of the Indian
Ocean. The survivors’ relatives were overcome with joy on receiving
them.
Jesus gives a more touching story of the “home
coming” of a son, and the joy of the father on receiving the lost son.
The younger son demanded his share, and
left home. When he was in a distant land, a famine struck the land and he
had to take up some abominable work. In short we can say that he had given
himself to the designs of the devil, and fell into sin.
Christopher Marlow’s play Doctor Faustus gives a beautiful picture of a man who has
sold himself to the devil. Doctor Faustus strikes a deal with
Lucifer. He is to be allotted twenty four years of life on earth,
during which time he will have Memphistophilis, a devil appointed by
Lucifer, as his personal servant. At the end he will give his soul
over to Lucifer as his payment and spends the rest of time as one damned
to hell. This deal is sealed with his own blood. He is visited by the good
angel, and warned him about the danger he is in. It urges him to repent
and revoke his oath to Lucifer. But he turns a deaf ear to the angel,
and persists in his damnation.
The prodigal son, when he left his father’s
house struck a deal with Satan; and he obeyed his commands
and reached the lowest state of accepting the abominable work of feeding
swine. But unlike Faustus, he realized his mistake. He decided that
he must awake. Only those who are aware that they have fallen can awake.
We often fail to realize that we have fallen from the grace of God.
When Cain raised his hands against his brother, God called him. But he pretended
that he did not know anything about his brother, and asked God, “Am I my
brother’s keeper?’ It often, is the case with us too. We do not realize that we
have missed the track. Only if we realize that we have fallen, we will be able
to arise from there.
St Luke says when the prodigal son was aware
of his state he decided to return. His first option was his father’s
house where even the servants live in abundance.
A teenager who is sent to hostel for
studies feels home sick. His father, mother, brothers, sisters, and the
whole home make him long for it. When the prodigal son realized the state
in which he was, it was almost his state of mind too. He felt
an irresistible longing for his home.
Finally when he returns home the site embarrasses
him. His father recognizes him from far and runs to him to welcome him back.
Jesus tells us too that we have to realize our
state, and then our first thought should be about the
father who is waiting to welcome us back.
In the second reading St Paul appeals to
reconcile with God. And the first reading gives us the picture of Israelites in
the Promised Land. And it is a reminder for us too to reconcile
with God and reach our promised land.
Satish