Fourth Sunday of Lent

The Lost and Found

‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you;I no longer deserve to be called your son.’

These are the words of the Prodigal Son, and they resonate with us as we journey through Lent more conscious of our need to God’s abundant grace. Just as the Prodigal Son contemplated the richness of his father’s estate while he was stealing scraps of food he was using to feed pigs, we too sense the almost unfathomable richness of God’s goodness from which he pours out His grace upon His creation. We cannot exist off of scraps meant for pigs! Lent is not only a time to consider our sinfulness, but it is also a time to contemplate how the nature of sin is such that it can lead us to a life of spiritual poverty, where our souls are famished for lack of nourishment. 

As God’s children, like the Prodigal Son, we are afforded all that God has even though we have wandered away from home with the mistaken belief that the true richness of the world was something we create rather than something we experience communion with God.

So many Christians in their youth leave the church for what they think will be a richer life without God and the sacraments, only to return when tragedy strikes, returning with the spiritual maturity they left with. Some were driven out of the church by the harm done them by the very community they called family. Some left because it is inconvenient to rise early on  Sunday and they would rather be doing something else; they can always worship God on their own. Then there are some who never return, who die without their birthright of the sacraments and the comfort of absolution. Whatever the reason for leaving, during Lent, we, the faithful, must be a sign of God’s finding them and inviting them to return. We must be of the mind of the father in the parable who doesn’t wait for his son to reach him but runs out to meet him at first sight.

Where do we find these prodigal Christians? They are all around us in our daily lives. Invite them back. Let them know that God’s love never abandoned them. Remind them of the parable of The Prodigal Son and the enthusiasm of the father, and that God’s love extends to them no matter where they are in their spiritual walk. So many feel unworthy and use that as an excuse to stay away. We all cultivate love and gratitude from the soil of the humble awareness that our Father has embraced us on the road, clothed us, put a ring on our finger, and invites us to celebrate being found.