Jesus seeks again to help the Pharisees to understand who he is. In the preceding section of today’s Gospel of John, the Pharisees do not believe in his claim of being “the light of the world” because he testifies on his “own behalf, so [his] testimony cannot be verified” (Jn 8:13). The point being made here is that for verification there must be support given by two or three valid witnesses (cf. Deuteronomy 19:15). Jesus states that he testifies on his own behalf as does his Father who sent him (cf. Jn 8:19). His witness in this matter is God.

Jesus continues in today’s Gospel account to attempt to help the Pharisees and those gathered around them to understand who he is and what is about to transpire in his crucifixion. Jesus shared that God the Father sent him and continues to be with him. He has not left Jesus alone because Jesus maintains the intimacy of their relationship as he follows the will of his Father and will continue to do so all the way to being lifted up on the Cross.

Those listening to Jesus do not understand, they asked if he was talking about killing himself. Often throughout the ministry of Jesus many, even his Apostles, do not understand what Jesus taught, and that was because they were trying to make sense of what he said from a purely material and finite reality. Jesus invited them to seek a deeper understanding by sharing that he is from above and they were from below. They were needing to be born from above, to open their mind and hearts to him, as Simon Peter did when he came to realize that Jesus was the Christ, the Son of the living God. Jesus gave those he taught a choice. They could die in their own sin, or repent and choose to live in participation with him.

Discipleship is a journey. We will not come to understand Jesus from one instance or encounter. Even Saul, who had an amazing experience and encounter with Jesus and changed his name to Paul, would take about three years to digest the significance of what happened to him that day on the road to Damascus. So will it be with us. We need to resist the world’s craving for instant gratification, especially regarding the growth of our discipleship.

We will mature in our faith journey as we acknowledge and repent from our sin, hear his call, believe in Jesus, remain committed to him, and walk with Jesus day by day and follow the will of his Father as he did. The gift of the liturgical seasons is that as we walk each year with Jesus and assess our growth. Like a finger making an upward spiral motion, we come again and again to the same point each year, and hopefully, we are higher up that spiral each time.

Sometimes it is hard to see change in the day to day, but overtime with the gift of hindsight, we can discover that we indeed have made a closer walk with Jesus a reality. If we can honestly assess that this is not so, it is not too late to begin again, to repent from that which keeps us bound to this world and turn our gaze to what is above. Jesus made his choice to follow the will of his Father, to be lifted up, and to die on the cross for us as we are right now. We too have been given a choice. We can hold tight to our sins or leave them at the cross. We can reject or believe and follow Jesus. We can die from our sins or live with Jesus for eternity.

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Picture: Mosaic of Crucifixion from Our Lady of Florida Spiritual Center, Palm Beach Gardens, FL

Link for the Mass readings for Tuesday, April 9, 2019: http://www.usccb.org/bible/readings/040919.cfm

Each of us suffers from some sort of spiritual cataracts or blindness. We see through the film of anxiety, fear, judgment, prejudice, defensiveness and the like. Jesus has come to heal our blindness such that we can see each other as he sees us, as children of God. “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life” (Jn 8:12).

Jesus made this statement after the incident of the woman brought to him that was caught in adultery. Jesus said at the climax of that encounter, to the scribes and Pharisees, those who had come to hear him, and presumably his disciples, “Let the one among you who is without sin be the first to throw a stone at her.” Everyone had left for all have sinned. None of us are worthy to stand in the presence of God.

Yet, they came back, even the Pharisees. Jesus is the light of the world that shines in our darkness. He reveals to us darkness in our heart and our sin. Yet, what matters to Jesus is not our worthiness but our willingness to repent. Are we willing to see not only our own sin and to be healed of it, but are we willing to see the shortcomings and needs of others and instead of judging them, are we willing to accompany them and allow Jesus to be present through us?

We have a choice to make each day. We can see others through the filters of our fallen nature, our limited perspective, or we can see others through the light of Jesus. We can see ourselves and others as children of God made in his image and likeness, so to see each other with eyes of understanding, forgiveness, love and mercy.

Painting – El Salvador, El Greco – 1608-1614

Link for the Mass readings for Monday, April 8, 2019: http://www.usccb.org/bible/readings/040819.cfm

In today’s Gospel account from John, many people gathered around Jesus in the temple area and were sitting and listening to him, when a horrific display of human wickedness breaks in as, “the scribes and the Pharisees brought a woman who had been caught in adultery and made her stand in the middle” (Jn 8:3).

This act of depravity is worse if we spend any time thinking about this verse. This was a calculated plan hatched by the scribes and Pharisees. They had been watching this woman for the opportune time to break in an catch her, using their own words of accusation, in “the very act of committing adultery” (Jn 8:4). If this group was this calculated and malicious, they would not have probably even given her the opportunity to put her clothes on, but grabbed her and brought her to the temple area.

The shame that this woman must have had to endure as she was dragged openly and publicly through the streets was made worse because this crowd brought her to the temple area. The temple was where people came to give sacrifice to atone for their sins and to worship God. What was worse was that the dehumanization of this woman most likely had nothing to do with bringing her to repentance, but had all to do with demeaning her for their own twisted ends to trap Jesus.

The Pharisees and scribes hatched this plot just to trap Jesus in what they believed was a fool proof way to bring charges against him. If Jesus did not follow the law of Moses and condemn her to be stoned, he could be charged for speaking out against the Mosaic law. If he did condemn her, he would have lost face in front of all those who had come to listen to him preach as he often had done about the mercy and forgiveness of God his Father.

The response of Jesus was to give some visual aid to another of his teachings of taking the log out of your own eye before you seek to remove the splinter in another’s (cf. Mt 7:5). Jesus bent down and began to write on the ground with his finger (Jn 8:6). We do not know what Jesus wrote in the dirt that day. St Augustine proposed that he was writing the sins of those gathered around him as they were waiting for his judgment.

This makes sense, for when Jesus stood up he said, “Let the one among you who is without sin be the first to throw a stone at her” (Jn 8:7). Jesus then knelt back down and continued to write on the ground. One by one, starting with the elders, the accusers, and even those who had gathered to listen to Jesus that morning, all walked away.

Jesus stood to find only the woman standing before him. This is the first time he addressed her. He asked where her accusers were, and “Has no one condemned you?” She replied with three simple words, “No one, sir.” And Jesus replied, “Neither do I condemn you. Go, and from now on do not sin any more” (Jn 8:8-11). Jesus did not seek to inflict any more shame on this woman but instead he forgave her.

Jesus and the woman stood facing each other in the temple area, a stone’s throw away from where the Mercy Seat of God was present in the temple, Jesus met this woman’s shame and misery with mercy and forgiveness. He cleansed the temple of the hypocrisy of the Pharisee and scribes who had darkened the temple area that day. He did convict the woman of her sin, but did so in a way that respected her dignity, unlike those who hauled her out publicly to humiliate her for their own malicious purposes, but in private, when all had gone.

In that act of love and mercy, I can imagine, that the woman who had been dragged through the streets, humiliated, and full of shame, who also feared that her death was imminent, walked away from her encounter with Jesus crying not just with tears of relief, but with tears of joy, having been healed and empowered by Jesus. She walked away born again, a new creature, formed and fashioned by the love of God.

How do people walk away after they encounter us? Do they feel belittled, dehumanized, and demeaned, or understood, empowered, and redeemed? Jesus meets our misery and shame with love and mercy, we are to do the same with each other.

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Painting: The Woman Caught in Adultery by Jean Carter Kimble

Link for the Mass readings for Sunday, April 7, 2019: http://www.usccb.org/bible/readings/040719-yearc.cfm

Jesus is recorded a few verses before (cf. 7:37-39) today’s Gospel speaking about quenching the thirst of those gathered around to listen to him. The thirst he is talking about fulfilling is a spiritual thirst, that thirst which we all desire to be refreshed by, that which we have been created to receive; the thirst to belong, to be in communion, to be loved and to love in return. Jesus speaks of coming to those who thirst to be refreshed with: “Rivers of living water [that] will flow from within” (Jn 7:38). Jesus spoke of the day when he would send the Holy Spirit to well up from within the soul of each who would follow him. All who participate in the life of Jesus would come to experience too the love shared between God the Father and God the Son, who is God the Holy Spirit.

Some who heard Jesus speaking in this way were deeply moved, they believed him to be the Prophet, others believed him to be the Messiah. Yet, there were those who could not see past their own prejudice. They heard his teaching, may have even been moved as well but said, “The Messiah will not come from Galilee, will he” (Jn 7:41)? Remember Nathaniel’s first reaction when Philip had told him that they had found the Messiah? Nathaniel asked if anything good could come out of Nazareth (cf. Jn 43-47). As I mentioned in prior reflections, Jesus was also rejected because he was looked down upon because of his trade as a tekton, carpenter or day laborer.

Why the region of Galilee, the town of Nazareth itself, would be disparaged is a matter of speculation. The fact was that there were those, unlike Nathaniel, that could not see past their initial prejudices. Even though Jesus spoke and taught with authority, though as the Temple guards who were sent to arrest him said, “Never before has anyone spoken like this man” (Jn 7:46), and even when Nicodemus spoke out rationally, requesting they hear Jesus out and give him the opportunity to make his case, there were those in authority and among the people who could or would not hear Jesus, who were unwilling to change, and so closed themselves off to the invitation to receive the gift of the love of God. Their charge was that he was not from Bethlehem, he was not of the line of David, case closed.

Lent is about change. Jesus’ primary message from the beginning of his ministry was: “This is the time of fulfillment. The kingdom of God is at hand. Repent and believe in the Gospel” (Mk 1:15). To be able to receive the living water, the Holy Spirit welling up within us that Jesus has promised, we must repent, change our hearts and minds from that which puts a kink in the flow.

We must come to terms with our ingrained, prejudicial attitudes, our limitations of thought that prevent us from seeing as God sees, otherwise we become like a stagnant pool. Change requires being humble enough to identify our sinful attitudes, actions, grudges, and habits that bind us and tie us into all kinds of contortions. We can dig in our heals like those in today’s Gospel and refuse to give Jesus the time of day, or we can follow the lead of Nicodemus and the Temple guards so to listen and hear Jesus out.

Repent and believe in the Gospel that you may have access to the living water that Jesus seeks to provide us. This is the love shared between him and his Father, who is God the Holy Spirit. When we can breath more and react less from our selfish postures, our defensive stances, and our rash impulses, we are better able to experience being loved by God in the moment. As we turn away from our sin and open ourselves up to Jesus, we receive this living water, the Holy Spirit, welling up within us. Being nourished by him, we are to then love others, even those for whom we may never have thought possible.

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Photo: Thumbs up for breathing more and reacting less so to love others as God loves us 😉

Link for the Mass readings for Saturday, March 6, 2019: http://www.usccb.org/bible/readings/040619.cfm

Jesus affirms who he is and whose he is in today’s Gospel of John. Despite those who do not believe that he is the Messiah, Jesus again makes his point very clear: “I did not come on my own, but the one who sent me, whom you do not know, is true. I know him, because I am from him, and he sent me” (Jn 7:28-29). Jesus is the Son of God made man and he belongs to the One who sent him, God the Father.

As Jesus was challenged in his time, he continues to be challenged today. That level of challenge has increased even to the degree that his human existence is even dismissed in some circles as a mere legend. Even as a historical figure, some speculate that Jesus did not walk the roads of Galilee and Judea as recorded in today’s Gospel. This need not be a reason for alarm. Though it is a reason to know our Tradition, the deposit of faith that has been preserved and passed on from Jesus to his Apostles and disciples, and to those early Church Fathers and Mothers named and unnamed, and passed on up to us to this day in an unbroken apostolic succession. We need to know the Bible, how to read the sacred Word, to understand its context and schedule daily time to encounter the Word proclaimed in worship, prayer, and private study.

We also need to know what we believe, who we believe in, and whose we belong to. In this way when we are challenged, we do not need to stoop into a defensive crouch, but instead listen to the person’s points, their critiques, and ask questions of what they believe and why they believe what they believe. We can defend our position while at the same time being open to understanding where our interlocutors are coming from. We can then respond with the truth, just as Jesus did, with an open mind and heart of surrender to allow the Holy Spirit to be present through us.

When we are anxious, defensive, argumentative, seeking to be right, or fearing to be wrong, we limit what Jesus can do through us. God is not about numbers and quotas, he is about building relationships, one person at a time. It is more important to build relationships than to win arguments. We can learn much from St. Bernadette of Soubirous who when challenged time and again regarding the validity of her experiences and encounters with Mary, St. Bernadette responded, “My job is to inform, not convince.”

We are responsible for learning, growing, and continuing to develop our relationship with Jesus, and as we continue our journey of faith, to share what we have received in a spirit of charity and dialogue with those we interact with, to be honest when we do not know the answer and promise to find the answer and get back to the person. We are all on this journey of seeking the True, the Good, and the Beautiful together. Let us respect and love those who challenge our faith, just as Jesus and St Bernadette did, and be open to the reality that they may have something to teach us, and allow God to guide each of us home through our encounter with each other.

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Photo: CN students signing yearbooks, reminiscing on their journey shared and the new one to begin – now three years underway!

Link for the Mass readings for Friday, April 5, 2019: http://www.usccb.org/bible/readings/040519.cfm

God heard the cry of his people who were suffering their enslavement in Egypt. God called and sent Moses to free them. Pharoah did not accept the request of Moses to let his people go and instead put more pressure on his slaves to fulfill their daily quota of bricks as before, though now without providing the straw that they needed to accomplish the task (cf. Exodus 5). The Hebrew slaves did not take out their frustrations on their oppressor, but on Moses. This pattern of complaint continued time and again, even after their freedom was assured and they wandered in the desert. They complained regularly when things got tough, and stated that they were better off in their slavery and dependency on the Pharaoh instead of placing their trust and dependency on God.

God in like manner sent his Son to free us from our slavery to sin, just as he sent Moses to free the Hebrews enslaved under Pharaoh. How many times do we, like our ancestors, also complain, preferring our life of sin, a life of mere existence, over embracing the gift of a life lived to the full. Even worse there are too often those in positions of spiritual leadership who abuse their power, look out for their own interests, instead of guiding and serving the people entrusted to their care.

Jesus is recorded in today’s Gospel addressing those who are missing, “how God has made his will known to the people, the Father who sent me has testified on my behalf. But you have never heard his voice nor seen his form, and you do not have his word remaining in you, because you do not believe in the one whom he has sent.” God the Father has sent his Son to reveal his will but too many do not have eyes to see or ears to hear.

Those who are learned “search the Scriptures, because [they] think [they] have eternal life through them; even they testify on my behalf. But [they] do not want to come to me to have life.” What is hidden in the Hebrew Scriptures is revealed in the New Testament: the New Covenant made with Jesus and all of creation. The prophesies of old testify that the Messiah will come as a suffering servant, he will unify the nations, cleanse the Temple, and the enemies of God will be placed at his feet. These affirmations are presented and known by those who study the sacred texts, yet they still do not recognize the signs that the Messiah is in the very midst of them.

Even Moses testified of Jesus when he said: “I will raise up for them a prophet like you from among their kindred, and will put my words into the mouth of the prophet; the prophet shall tell them all that I command” (Deuteronomy 18:18). Yet the successors of Moses would not even believe in his writings, so Jesus said how would they believe in his words?

Jesus shows us in our Gospel reading today how the people of his time could have known he was who he claimed to be. This is true for us today as well. If we are sincerely seeking God who has and continues to make his will known, we will find him in philosophy, mathematics, the sciences, literature, his creation, in our service to each other, in truths of other faith traditions, but the fullness of the Father is revealed in our encounter of him through his Son, “whom he has sent”, or will we miss God’s invitation because we do not believe in “the one whom he has sent”?

Jesus is also revealed in Scripture, the Old and New Testaments. To understand the New Testament we must understand the Old, for Moses and the prophets testify to his coming and Jesus came not to abolish but to fulfill the Law and the Prophets. Do we leave the Bible on the shelf like any other book? If we do read it, do we do so as if it were a dead letter, or do we read and hear it as it is truly meant to be read and heard, as the Word of God proclaimed?

The Father makes himself known to us through the presence of his Son and the love of the Holy Spirit. To experience the truth of this reality we need to do accept his invitation of relationship. As we reach out to God, we come to realize that he is already present and reaching out to us through his Son. We do not need to run to God, because he is already running to meet us, awaiting to hold us in his arms, now and forevermore!

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Photo: St Edwards, Palm Beach, FL, the apse, semi circular area behind the altar

Link for the Mass readings for Thursday, April 4, 2019: http://www.usccb.org/bible/readings/040419.cfm

The words of today’s Gospel from John is an answer to Jesus’ healing of the man at the pool of Bethesda. The issue at hand for those who are incensed by Jesus’ healing is that he has done so on the Sabbath. Jesus does not help his case with his critics for he says he healed on the Sabbath because he was directed to do so by his Father: “For just as the Father raises the dead and gives life, so also does the Son give life to whomever he wishes” (Jn 5:21). Jesus does not make concessions with those who oppose his actions of healing. He clearly states the truth about who he is, the Lord of the Sabbath. For those not believing Jesus is who he says he is, this is blasphemy of the highest order. This is why they plot to kill him.

So too in our own age, there are many ways to express our understanding and belief about who Jesus was then and is today. If you haven’t thought about Jesus beyond his name in a while, about who he really is and why he is relevant to our lives, then allow St. Athanasius, the bishop of Alexandria, who lived from 297 to 373 AD, to offer a point to ponder today. Athanasius held firmly to and taught with conviction that Jesus, “the Son of God became man so that we might become God” (Catechism of the Catholic Church, 480). This statement is an acknowledgment that we cannot be saved on our own merits, through our own will power and discipline alone. We become the fullness, we actualize who we are created to be, through our participation in the divinity of Jesus the Christ.

The reality that Jesus, fully human, is at the same time the second Person of the Holy Trinity, became one with us in our humanity so that we can become one with him in his divinity is something worth thinking about. There is much writing and discussion about how many people are leaving the Church, while at the same time still hungry, I would say starving, for a deeper, more intimate relationship with God. This is true for those who leave as well as those who remain whether either could or would articulate it in that way. Could it be that we have forgotten the foundation not only of our faith, but of who we are, that we are followers of Jesus Christ, yes, but have we forgotten this fact of who he is, who and whose we are?

May we spend some time meditating on and returning periodically to the words of St. Athanasius throughout today, this week, this Lent, and into Easter: “For the Son of God became man so that we might become God.”

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Photo accessed: https://www.cathopic.com/search/candles

Link for the Mass readings for Wednesday, April 3, 2019: http://www.usccb.org/bible/readings/040319.cfm

Has there ever been a time when you were picked last for the team, whether on the playground, P.E., or gym class? I remember being on both sides, being picked and being picked last, and picking others to join. I much more preferred being chosen last than having to be in the situation to choose a classmate last because someone had to be in that position at some point, and it was often an agonizing situation to be in to have to make those determinations. In our Gospel reading today, Jesus comes upon a man who has experienced an even worse situation.

A man who is in need of healing has been coming to the pool of Bethesda for quite some time, he has been ill for thirty-eight years. Apparently, there was a limited time to get into the waters of the pool to experience the healing properties that it afforded, for each time the water stirred, while the man moved to get closer to and enter the water, “someone else gets down there before” him. This is worse than getting picked last, as he doesn’t in a sense even make the team!

But with Jesus the last shall become first. Key ingredients are belief, faith, and a willingness to be healed. Jesus does not impose, even in the case of healing, Jesus invites: he asks the sick man, “Do you want to be well?” When the man in need of healing explains the limitations he has experienced in the past regarding getting to the pool, Jesus does not hesitate. Jesus commands him to rise, pick up his mat and walk. The man is no longer the one picked over, the one ignored, the one unseen. The sick man encounters Jesus and is healed by his word.

Jesus meets us in the same way that he met the sick man. Jesus meets us in our need, where we are, no matter our station in life. He does not leave us on the outside looking in, he does not leave us wondering if we are loved, and he not only comes to us to encounter us, but to empower us to be about the mission given to us by his Father. Jesus gives meaning and purpose to our life. Each and everyone of us are a gift from God made in his image and likeness, and we have a gift to contribute to others and are given a unique offer to help make the kingdom of God a reality.

I invite you to enter a place of silence and stillness, without and within. Breathe in deep and exhale a few times, then close your eyes. See your self as you are in your present seated position, breathing, experiencing your shoulders relaxing, and just being still. Then notice Jesus walking toward you as he did with the man at the pool of Bethesda. Does Jesus remain standing, does he sit beside you, or kneel before you? As he assumes whatever posture, allow your thoughts to reflect on what you need from Jesus, or does Jesus ask you a question? What does he ask or what does he say?

Jesus is present, right here and right now, for you. There are no boundaries, no limitations, only those you impose on your self. Share with Jesus your need. You are no longer misunderstood, left out, or picked last. Jesus is present. Embrace the moment.

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Photo: Painting, close up of Christ Blessing by Italian artist Antonello da Messina, 1465

Link for the Mass readings for Tuesday, April 2, 2019: http://www.usccb.org/bible/readings/040219.cfm

We hear often in the Gospels how those who believed in Jesus received healings, exorcisms, and were forgiven of their sins. We also have read accounts such as from the author of Matthew that he “did not work many mighty deeds” in Nazareth “because of their lack of faith” (Mt 13:58).

In today’s Gospel account from the author of John, Jesus speaks to a royal official whose son is close to death. Jesus said to him, “You may go; your son will live.” The man believed what Jesus said to him and left (Jn 4:50). The man on his way home to his son is met by the slaves from his household and they told him that his son would live and when they compared notes, they realized the healing occurred at the moment Jesus spoke and the man believed.

What does faith and belief have to do with Jesus being active in our lives? The way of the Gospel, the good news, is all about invitation and acceptance. Jesus enters our world, our reality, gently and humbly. He came as a poor infant, completely dependent on Mary and Joseph for his very survival. He would live the majority of his life in the obscure village of Nazareth most likely working as a day laborer. When he begins his public ministry he does so by inviting people to be a part of his life, to be in relationship with him and his Father. People are free to say no or to say yes to that invitation.

Faith is trusting that what Jesus says is true, trusting that he is who he says he is. Belief is the act of our will that aligns with our faith, our trust in him. Jesus invited the man to believe that his son was healed and the man believed and walked away with full confidence that his son would be healed. Belief is followed by an affirmative act of the will. I can believe my car will run, but unless I get in it and turn the key, I am not going anywhere.

Just as the sun rose this morning, Jesus is present to each and everyone of us. Just as Jesus invited Zacchaeus to come down out of the tree because he wanted to have dinner with him in his home, Jesus is offering his invitation to us to be a part of our lives. Just as Jesus invited Andrew and Peter, James and John to follow him. Jesus invites us also to follow him.

If you have an opportunity to wake up with the sun or early morning while the sun is still rising this week, I invite you to do so. Find a quiet place inside or outside, call to mind any struggles, confusion, sinful patterns, need for healing, or forgiveness. As the light of the sun pierces the darkness, allow it to be an icon of Jesus’ invitation to enter into your life.

“From the east comes the one whose name is Dayspring, he who is mediator between God and men. You are invited then to look always to the east: it is there that the sun of righteousness rises for you, it is there that the light is always being born for you… So that you may always enjoy the light of knowledge, keep always in the daylight of faith, hold fast always to the light of love and peace” (Excerpt from a homily on Leviticus by Church father, Origen, 184-253).

Embrace the light of Christ who comes to you today to guide you through your struggles and confusion, to hear the deepest prayers of your heart, to offer confidence that you can believe in his power to heal you and those you love, to invite you to embrace the gift of repentance, and be forgiven. As the warmth of the sun touches your face, breath in deep the mercy and grace of Jesus, believe Jesus is the Son of the Living God and have faith, trusting that he will be with you today in all you do. When you are ready, arise to face the day and walk on with the confidence and assurance, with the faith and belief that you are loved more than you can ever imagine.

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Photo: Early morning sunrise

Link for the Mass readings for Monday, April 1, 2019: http://www.usccb.org/bible/readings/040119.cfm

In today’s Gospel from Luke we encounter the well known parable of the Prodigal Son. With the parables it is important not to skip over who Jesus is talking to, just so we can dive into the parable itself. Jesus is speaking to tax collectors and sinners. They are drawn to him. The Pharisees and scribes are also present. They are drawn to him also, but are complaining.

With these two groups now focused on Jesus, he shares his parable. Three main characters are present in the telling, the younger son, the father and the older son. The younger son represents the tax collectors and sinners. They have embraced the sin of Adam and Eve in taking for themselves that which God would have freely given to them. They have squandered their inheritance and separated themselves from the relationship and love of God. Yet, as the son realized, the tax collectors and sinners are coming to see, that all that the material life offers is limited, and it does not fully satisfy. They, like the younger son who returned from the “distant country”, are prepared to come home.

The wonderful light and joy of the parable is that: “While he was still a long way off, his father caught sight of him, and was filled with compassion.” The father then did the unthinkable as: “He ran to his son, embraced him and kissed him” (Lk 15:20). The father never held a grudge, but also never gave up or stopped looking for a sign that his son would return. His racing to meet his son showed the outpouring of love and mercy that this father had for his son. This uncharacteristic action would also certainly draw attention to himself, to ease any ridicule that might be directed toward his son.

In covering the son with a robe and placing a ring on his finger, the father shows his forgiveness, and restored the bond and covenant that was broken. The party that began was a celebration of this fact. As the festivities begin, the parable turns to the older son, and again, the father goes out to meet him. The elder son meets his father with anger, filled with not only self righteousness, but also revealing that even though he remained with the father he did so with no joy. He too was looking for more from the father than the greatest gift he offered him, which was his relationship, his love.

The parable of the Prodigal Son ends with an invitation to all those who had gathered around to listen to Jesus. The tax collectors and sinners were invited to come home to their father, to turn away from their pursuit of the empty and false substitutes of wealth, power, pleasure, and honor. They were invited to be born again from their life of death, to be embraced as the children of God that they were and embrace their relationship and restore their covenant with him.

The Pharisees and scribes also were invited as was the elder son. They were invited to turn away from judging and instead celebrate the return of those who were seeking to come home, those who had been lost, but now been found. In doing so, they would realize that they too were lost. They were enslaved by the law and also separated from the loving relationship of God.

We are invited today too. Who do we identify with in this parable? Are we willing to recognize that the God of Jesus Christ has always been watching for us, always reaching out for us, always running out to meet us where we are, welcoming us as we are, and urging us to come home to be with him? God is running to meet us and embrace us. Will we run away from him or run to him?

Painting: The Return of the Prodigal Son, Bartolomé Esteban Murillo, 1667/1670

The Mass readings for Sunday, March 31, 2019: http://www.usccb.org/bible/readings/033119-yearc.cfm