4th
Sunday of Lent
Cycle C
Saint Margaret Parish
March 10, 2013 9:30 and 11am
A Memorable Story
Fifteen
years ago, a priest – a spiritual mentor – introduced me to a famous painting
by Rembrandt.
The
painting is titled The Return of the
Prodigal Son. It was Rembrandt’s
attempt – in the year 1669 – to depict the scene in today’s gospel.
Some
of the details of Rembrandt’s painting help to break open the rich meaning of
Jesus’ parable. I ended up buying a
print of Rembrandt’s painting and I brought it here this morning.
It
is in the foyer and you may enjoy taking a look at it after Mass. Now, as you know, Jesus’ story centers on
three persons.
The Father
First,
there is the father.
We
have to imagine him as a wise, older, compassionate man, seasoned by
experience. He has created a warm,
welcoming home for his two sons.
The
father represents God – our heavenly Father.
He conveys that God provides a home for us, a home that is always there
and that we can always count on.
God
is the place, the home where we are certain that we will be taken for who we
are and where our self-worth is absolutely assured. Artists point out an interesting detail
related to this in Rembrandt’s painting,
The
father’s left hand seems to be pulling his son – the younger son – toward
him. The left hand has the strength and
power of a father.
The
father’s right hand seems to be gently stroking his son’s back. The right hand has the softness and
tenderness of a mother.
So,
in the father of Jesus’ parable and of Rembrandt’s painting, we see God as the
complete fulfillment of our deepest needs.
God is our home where we find self-worth, security, and all the basic
for we need for the fullness of ourselves as persons.
The Younger Son
Then
there is the younger son.
The
younger son asks for his inheritance right now.
In that culture, this is tantamount to saying that he no longer wants
his father in his life.
The
younger son represents us when we drift away from our spiritual home with
God. He represents us when we make no
space for God in our lives.
The
younger son represents us when we get hooked on messages like, “You’ll be okay if you wear these
Abercrombie jeans,” or “You’ll have
peace of mind if you use this Calvin Klein deodorant.” These messages can lead us, as they did the
younger son, to become quite self-absorbed.
They
can lead us to drift way from our home with God. They can lead us eventually to feel homeless,
unsure of ourselves, our worth, and our purpose, and even lost – just like the
younger son.
The Older Son
Finally,
there is the older son.
This
older son has stayed home with his father, at least physically. But in truth, he has also left home
spiritually.
We
know this because the older son resents his father’s “Welcome Home!” to his younger, prodigal brother. He represents us when we get caught up in our
own rightness or goodness.
The
older son represents us when we forget that God’ acceptance of others does not
lessen his acceptance of us. He
represents us when we wonder why good things happen to people who don’t measure
up to our standards.
The
older son represents us when we leave the home of God’s wisdom. He represents us when we leave behind the
unusual, divine combination of strength and compassion.
The Father Again
All of this brings us back to where we began – to the father.
Like the two sons in the parable, we need to remember that our
home is with the father, with God. It is
only here that we find our true selves.
It is only here that we get a true sense of self-worth and purpose
and direction for our lives. God is
always there for us, always our home, and it is up to us to be home with God.
I think this is one reason why Sunday Mass is so important. It is a checkpoint, a making sure that we are
home with God.
It helps us to stay at home with God the other six days of the
week—doing our job, studying at school, caring for our families, coaching or playing
sports, in everything we do. Sunday Mass
has a way of bringing us home to God instead of wandering off like the two sons
in today’s parable.
