Fourth Sunday of Lent (C)

March 31, 2019

Readings:

First Reading: Joshua 5: 9a, 10-12 (or 1 Samuel 16: 1b, 6-7, 10-13a)   

Psalm: 34 (or Psalm 23)

Second Reading: 2 Corinthians 5: 17-21 (or Ephesians 5: 8-14)

Gospel reading according to Luke 15: 1-3, 11-32 (or John 9: 1-41)

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Homily: The dead and lost sons; the prodigal father

Many sinners who heard his Parable of the Fruitless Fig Tree (cf. Third Sunday of Lent gospel reading) came to Jesus and truly repented for their sins. Some of them were tax collectors and sinners (prostitutes).  “The tax collectors and sinners were all drawing near to listen to Jesus” (Lk. 15: 1).  They came to listen to Jesus’ consoling words of forgiveness.  When you feel and think you are accepted and understood, you sense the warmth of welcoming, of belongingness, of being at home and sought.  In Jesus, they found these acceptance and hospitable approaches to them despite of their conditions in the society.  Like these tax collectors and sinners which were excluded by their community and society and condemned by their own people find refuge, forgiveness and mercy and compassion in Jesus, the Christ.

“. . . but the Pharisees and scribes began to complain, saying, ‘This man welcomes sinners and eats with them” (Lk. 15: 2).  These groups of people who separated themselves from the rest of the ordinary men and women (the Pharisees) because they do not want to be contaminated by their secular lives and by those who studied and rewritten the Laws of Moses (the scribes) from the uneducated people (unlearned of Torah of Moses), who wanted to serve God in their lifestyles until later they became arrogant and self-righteous and thinking they were sinless in their own eyes but not in God’s eyes.  They mistreated Jesus who welcomed and ate in the same table to these hated and detested tax collectors and prostitutes by the Pharisees and scribes.

Jesus heard what the Pharisees and scribes said, so he gave another parable intended only for them.  “So to them Jesus addressed this parable” (Lk. 15: 3).  Jesus addressed the parable of the lost and dead sons, and of the prodigal/extravagant father, to the Pharisees and scribes on behalf of tax collectors and prostitutes whom they called sinners.

 The parable goes like this.  “A man who had two sons, and the younger son said to his father, ‘Father, give me the share of your estate that should come to me’.” (Lk. 15: 11-12).   We do not know what comes to the mind of a younger son when he asked his father about his inheritance.  This is a very hard saying and very painful to a father to hear from his son (or even daughter) asking his/her inheritance; for it connotes that the younger son in the parable was saying to his father, “Father, you better die so I can get my share inheritance from your properties,” (mamatay ka na sana, ‘tay, para maangkin ko na ang iyong panama) when he asked for his share in his father’s estate.  The sons and daughters can only receive their inheritances when their parents (fathers and mothers) are dead.  The father, in the parable, is still alive but the son killed his father instantaneously by his words.  

As a loving father, “taos sa puso ang pagmamahal sa anak,” he gave in to the wishes of his beloved young son silently, without question, without complain.  “So the father divided the property between them.  After a few days, the younger son collected all his belongings and set off to a distant country where he squandered his inheritance on a life of dissipation” (Lk. 15: 12-13).  The younger son stayed for a while in his father’s house while gathering all his belongings and then left.  He went to as far as a distant country where no one knew him and spent his money in drinking, womanizing, gambling and maybe even drugs and other vices and sins available in that country – he enjoyed mundane life, until nothing was left in the inheritance he received from his father.

What will happen to a happy-go-lucky lad who spent unwisely his money to a nonsense vices and iniquities?  “When he had freely spent everything, a severe famine struck that country, and he found himself in dire need . . .” (Lk. 15: 14).  He fell into a dire (calamitous and ominous) need and wants, even a severe famine came into that country, because nothing was left in his coffer/bounty.

When in time of needs come, that is the only time we remember the good things we had before.  So, the younger son remembered his home, his father, and the good things he had in his father’s house.  “Coming to his senses he thought, ‘How many of my father’s hired workers have more than enough food to eat, but here am I, dying from hunger.  I shall get up and go to my father and I shall say to him, Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you.  I no longer deserve to be called your son; treat me as you would treat one of your hired workers’.”  (Lk. 15: 17-19).  He decided to go home and made a rehearsal of what he is going to say to his father when he comes home, of asking forgiveness for what he has done. 

The father, every day after his younger son left, was always looking and waiting for the return of his son back to his embrace.  While the son, who made a deep breath, decided at last to go home, prepared his self and accepted whatever his father will do to him. “So he got up and went back to his father.  While he was still long way off, his father caught sight of him, and was filled with compassion.  He ran to his son, embraced him and kissed him” (Lk. 15: 20).  The father knows his son (and even his daughter) (kilala ng ama (o ina) ang kanyang anak).  The way he moves, walks, acts, swings his hands and arms, and all the body movements.  He is very familiar to the mannerism of his son (and/or daughter).  Surprisingly, a long way off the father caught sight of and recognized his son’s body movement, could not wait, ran towards him, embraced him and kissed him without any word but only the joy in his heart and full of compassion.

The son wanted to deliver his rehearsed speech but was cut and interrupted by the command of his father.  “His son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you.  I no longer deserve to be called your son.’ But his father ordered his servants, ‘Quickly bring the finest robe and put it on him; put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet. Take the fattened calf and slaughter it.  Then let us celebrate with a feast, because this son of mine was dead, and has come to life again; he was lost and has been found.’  Then the celebration began” (Lk. 15: 21-24).  No explanation is needed to the father who loves his sons (and/or daughters).  What is important is that he returns home alive.  The father ordered to his servants to give him a dissent clothes to wear, ring on his finger and sandals on his feet, as a sign or symbol of free man.  He also ordered to slaughter and cook a fattened calf for a feast.  The father called for a celebration for his younger son who came home, as he said: “because this son of mine was dead, and has come to life again; he was lost and has been found.”  He came back and repented, like tax collectors and sinners.    

The elder son, like Pharisees and scribes, who did not go away from his father’s side, who did not disobey any rule of his father but rather treated himself as a slave, as a servant, as a hired worker instead of being a son and an heir of his father’s wealth, did not come in to welcome his brother, “nagtatampo,” and celebrate.  “Now the older son . . . became angry, and when he refused to enter the house, his father came out and pleaded with him” (Lk. 15: 25). He was angry to his father’s attitude and extravagant to his younger brother.  He did not care whether his brother came back or not, dead or alive.  So, the father came out to pacify the anger of his eldest son.  

The eldest son poured out his anger, long and hard, what he was keeping in his heart and mind, (saloobin) to his father.  It is only now that he reveals what’s inside of his heart about his father.  “He said to his father in reply, ‘Look, all these years I served you and not once did I disobey your orders; yet you never gave me even a young goat to feast on with my friends.  But when your son returns who swallowed up your property with prostitutes, for him you slaughter the fattened calf’.” (Lk. 15:  29-30).  He served his father like a hired worker or slave or servant and not as a son to his father.  He did not disobey any of his father’s order; if he does he thinks he will be punished.  He was waiting to receive from his father even a goat to feast on with his friends without asking from his father. Here comes the criticism and grumble, sungkawa at sumbat, by mentioning “the son of yours, when your son,” (iyan na iyong anak) he did not say “my brother” (aking kapatid), which also hurt his father’s feelings.  He was no different to his younger brother in hurting their father. This is also a very hard saying and very painful to a father to hear from his elder son his indifference to his younger brother.

But as truly a loving father and with lots of patience and forgiveness, he tried to understand the feelings of his elder son. “He said to him, ‘My son, you are here with me always; everything I have is yours.  But now we must celebrate and rejoice, because your brother was dead and has come to life again; he was lost and has been found’.” (Lk. 15: 31-32). He opened his eyes about the reality of his person, that he is a son and heir also to his father’s wealth.  All the properties they have belonged to him, that he can do freely whatever he wanted to do for he is a free man, but he has to accept the reality of having a brother, a younger brother who committed sin; and asking for forgiveness for repenting the sin he had done.  I hope, the elder son goes with his father, enters in their house, welcomes his younger brother with embrace and kiss him, and the celebration continues.

Jesus was teaching the Pharisees and scribes (as the eldest son), as well as we (the younger son), to be like the prodigal father who forgives and forgets the pain given by the sin of the younger son (tax collectors and sinners), who repented the sin he has done.  Be brother and/or sister to your/our brothers and sisters who committed sin and asking for forgiveness after repenting his/her sin.