The Prodigal Father

Day 4: Meditation Talk: THE PRODIGAL FATHER / SONS. Retreat to the FMAs, Bellefonte Outreach, Shillong.

Context is the controversy between Jesus and the scribes/Pharisees; the younger son/brother vs the elder son/brother: as Jacob vs Esau, and Joseph vs his brothers; but here the younger brother is a parody of that, not triumphant but ends as a Gentile, and the elder brother is invited to join the feast; 1% à 10% à 50% à 100% : loss in the parables of Luke 15.

The younger son (Publican): considers his father dead when he demands his share of the property; The younger son to the pigs = to the dogs; A Jewish person with the pigs = has become a Gentile; Turning point is hunger, not repentance, not love for his father, returns to the Father not for the right reasons, but (let’s say) for the wrong reasons, or insufficient reasons. The Father still accepts him. (God’s forgiveness comes to you even if you have selfish motives… even if your repentance is incomplete.) The father accepts a Gentile. “Mending the relationship is something that the boy cannot do for all his scheming; it depends on the father’s grace.” (Fallon 257.) The rehearsal and the real confession, incomplete. Necessity to seek someone who can receive you, and not judge you. But forgiveness comes from God, not from oneself. As the younger son accepts the ring, robe, feast, the penitent can only accept the gift of repentance, in humility.

Benedict XVI: “Holiness does not consist in not making mistakes or never sinning. Holiness grows with capacity for conversion, repentance, willingness to begin again, and above all with the capacity for reconciliation and forgiveness.” [BEGIN and BEING are anagrams.]

The elder son (Pharisee): Adds info from rumours, imagines things – falsity; The challenge of the parable is enhanced by an open ending (postmodern ending = breaking of the grand narratives); Doesn’t enter the house, doesn’t feel at home – I have worked so hard. All is yours, but you feel that you are a slave. If there was humility in the younger son, here we see pride, resentment, anger. Meet the prodigal outside the house, being begged by his father.

Father: gives freedom, waits, runs, hugs, kisses, gives the best... celebrates. Our focus should be on the father – a prodigal, merciful father; breaks the boundaries just for love, who accepts a Gentile back; Ring – wedding ceremony

Here is a beautiful summary of the prodigals, applied to our own life situation, where we find ourselves as both the younger and the elder brothers:

Going home is a lifelong journey. There are always parts of ourselves that wander off in dissipation or get stuck in resentment. Before we know it we are lost in lustful fantasies or angry ruminations. Our night dreams and daydreams often remind us of our lostness. Spiritual disciplines such as praying, fasting, and caring are ways to help us return home. As we walk home we often realize how long the way is. But let us not be discouraged. Jesus walks with us and speaks to us on the road. When we listen carefully we discover that we are already home while on the way. (Nouwen)