One of the most well-known Gospels is written by Saint Luke entitled: “The Prodigal Son.” It’s a great story of God’s love for His people as portrayed by a loving father who tries his best to provide his two sons with everything he can offer; whether they live with him in resentment or leave him and return because the pain of being separated is too difficult to bear.
Last week In St. Paul’s
first letter to the Corinthians, Chapter 10, Verse 12, he wrote: “…whoever
thinks he is standing secure should take care not to fall.” It could have been written with this week’s
Gospel for the self-absorbed sons who lived charmed lives on their father’s
estate. I believe we often fall into
this distracted type of life and find it difficult to balance reality of what
the word offers with God’s call for us.
When we are young, time
seems to move too slowly. We want
quicker results so can advance in the type of life we believe is best for
us. This usually reflects wealth, power
and fame so that we are in control of our life.
This is the path taken by the younger son who squandered his fortune on
dissolute behavior leading to a sinful life.
Self-absorption also
can happen to those who seemingly represent the status quo of minding a life
that’s upright in all the basic areas of providing food, clothing and shelter,
but carry a deep-seated resentment because either no one appreciates what they
view as a sacrifice or they are treated unfairly because they are silent about
their perceived injustices. This is the
path taken by the older brother.
Neither of these paths
will lead directly to a fulfilled life unless those on the paths stop to take
stock of where the journey is leading and how to change that which leads one
astray. In the case of the younger
brother, hard times brought him “to his senses” to return home and find relief
from his plight. With the older brother,
nothing ever seemed to be enough, so we do not know if he ever found himself as
a worthy family member to be loved as he wanted to be loved or ended in a
permanent separation, distant and alone?
What we do know is that
God has called us by our Baptism to seek not the hollow gifts of a world with
no end-game plan, but one in which the promises of eternal salvation are within
our reach if we repent and have a change of heart towards following the ways of
God in our love for Him and His creation.
We need to remain patient, because God’s life plan for us is one in
which we can reap the benefits over time rather than squander then when we feel
the necessity.
No less important is to
live a lie that over time will destroy our very cares unless we receive some
type of reward to compensate us for our time.
For us, the question is: When is enough, enough? We seem to be going around in circles and
nothing gets accomplished.
The answer for both
conditions is to pick another path that will respond with obvious positive
reinforcements toward an end that helps us recognize God’s love for us and how
we are to reciprocate that love to God and all that He has created. God is always there for us. He never abandons us in either the good or
bad times. But we need to acknowledge
how that love can make a difference for all who follow God by being active
through our works in tandem with our faith belief in thought and word.
What ONE THING can we do this week to make a
difference in someone’s life? Do you
know someone who is sick who could use a visit to cheer him or her up? Do you know someone who is suffering a
divorce who is confused and needs help to understand the loss of a loved
one? This would also go for people who
have lost jobs, are homeless, poor or incarcerated. Being present can help them understand that
they are still a member of God’s community.
Lastly, never give
up. If a path toward betterment is not
working, try another one. God has given
us all remarkable talents to use for ourselves and others. Don’t stop because one is not working as well
in one situation as it has in others from the past. Collaboration with God may take trust and
time because it needs to be right for the person being affected. You will find the right road and so will the
person to whom you are helping. That’s a
promise of God for those seeking salvation who in discipleship spread the Word
about God’s Kingdom of Love.
Reading 1: Joshua 5: 9a, 10-12
Reading 2: Second Corinthians 5: 17-21
Gospel: Luke 15: 1-3,11-32
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