Ninth Sunday after Trinity, July 28th, 2024
In the Fifteenth Chapter of the Gospel of St. Luke, we hear one of the most famous parables Our Lord ever told. It has come to be known as the "Prodigal Son." Yet I have stated for years that this parable is misnamed because in my opinion it would be better named, "The Loving Father." I say this because the real hero in this parable is the father. This, of course, is because it is the father that shows love, compassion and forgiveness and goes "over and beyond" when his son returns home. Of course, this is why Our Blessed Lord told the parable. This is the point of the parable. But I'm getting ahead of myself.
We all know this story, don't we? The younger son wants to get his share of his inheritance early so that he can go out and enjoy life the way that HE wants to enjoy life: on his terms the way that he wants to enjoy it. And so he demands what is "owed" to him from his father. Again, we all know the rest of the story. Things don't go as planned for the younger son and he runs out of money as I like to say: quick, fast and in a hurry. It is only at that point that he decides to go back home with his tail between his legs. And so he begins practicing his speech to his father. He begins the speech like this: "Father, I have sinned against Heaven . . . . " (St. Luke 15:11 ff) As we know, the son goes back to his father and the father welcomes him home with open arms.
But what can this story show us? What can this parable tell us about our relationship with God and with one another, quite frankly? Well, both of the sons in this story showed that they were focused on one thing: themselves. Of course the main emphasis in the parable is focused on the younger son that leaves his father and then returns. But remember that the older son also comes into the parable at the end. Remember, the older son is jealous of the younger son. He resents the fact that his younger brother went out and partied and spent all the money while he stayed by his father's side doing as he should have. He was jealous that his father treated his younger brother like royalty after his return in shame. Thus, the younger son only focused on himself and his needs. The younger son only wanted to fulfill his own needs and desires and so he demanded his share of his father's estate that was "owed" to him. The older son, while yes he stayed with his father and did as he was expected. But in the end he was simply jealous and did not rejoice that his brother had returned home as his father was rejoicing at the return home of the brother. He resented the fact, quite frankly, that his brother was making party and fiesta with his father's money while he was left doing all the work.
As I stated, both brothers were mainly focusing on themselves. But how many times are we like the brothers in our own lives? How many times do we only focus on ourselves? As Christians, we are called to focus our lives on doing the will of our Heavenly Father. And yet so many people focus on doing what they want to do. Like the younger son, they want what they want NOW. People want to go out and make party and fiesta and focus on themselves until something goes wrong. Just like the younger son. Even when things went wrong the focus was still on himself, wasn't it? He didn't go back to his father to beg for forgiveness. He didn't go back to the father because he suddenly felt a sense of responsibility and so that he could do the right thing. No, he went back home because he was broke and had nowhere else to turn. How many times do we leave God's side because we want to do what we want to do? How many times do we ignore God in our life, either directly or indirectly, and then only go back to Him when we need Him? As I have often stated, we like to keep God in a box placed up on the shelf. We take Him down only when we need Him. We go running to Him only when we need Him. Other than that, we focus on ourselves and don't worry about God. And yet we know as Christians that is wrong. We are called to serve God every day of our lives. We are called to do His will in our lives. We are called to love one another and serve one another just as Our Blessed Saviour came to love and to serve. And so often we are like the two brothers: only focusing on ourselves . . . only wanting to satisfy our own desires . . . getting jealous when someone else gets "better" than us.
We all know this story, don't we? The younger son wants to get his share of his inheritance early so that he can go out and enjoy life the way that HE wants to enjoy life: on his terms the way that he wants to enjoy it. And so he demands what is "owed" to him from his father. Again, we all know the rest of the story. Things don't go as planned for the younger son and he runs out of money as I like to say: quick, fast and in a hurry. It is only at that point that he decides to go back home with his tail between his legs. And so he begins practicing his speech to his father. He begins the speech like this: "Father, I have sinned against Heaven . . . . " (St. Luke 15:11 ff) As we know, the son goes back to his father and the father welcomes him home with open arms.
But what can this story show us? What can this parable tell us about our relationship with God and with one another, quite frankly? Well, both of the sons in this story showed that they were focused on one thing: themselves. Of course the main emphasis in the parable is focused on the younger son that leaves his father and then returns. But remember that the older son also comes into the parable at the end. Remember, the older son is jealous of the younger son. He resents the fact that his younger brother went out and partied and spent all the money while he stayed by his father's side doing as he should have. He was jealous that his father treated his younger brother like royalty after his return in shame. Thus, the younger son only focused on himself and his needs. The younger son only wanted to fulfill his own needs and desires and so he demanded his share of his father's estate that was "owed" to him. The older son, while yes he stayed with his father and did as he was expected. But in the end he was simply jealous and did not rejoice that his brother had returned home as his father was rejoicing at the return home of the brother. He resented the fact, quite frankly, that his brother was making party and fiesta with his father's money while he was left doing all the work.
As I stated, both brothers were mainly focusing on themselves. But how many times are we like the brothers in our own lives? How many times do we only focus on ourselves? As Christians, we are called to focus our lives on doing the will of our Heavenly Father. And yet so many people focus on doing what they want to do. Like the younger son, they want what they want NOW. People want to go out and make party and fiesta and focus on themselves until something goes wrong. Just like the younger son. Even when things went wrong the focus was still on himself, wasn't it? He didn't go back to his father to beg for forgiveness. He didn't go back to the father because he suddenly felt a sense of responsibility and so that he could do the right thing. No, he went back home because he was broke and had nowhere else to turn. How many times do we leave God's side because we want to do what we want to do? How many times do we ignore God in our life, either directly or indirectly, and then only go back to Him when we need Him? As I have often stated, we like to keep God in a box placed up on the shelf. We take Him down only when we need Him. We go running to Him only when we need Him. Other than that, we focus on ourselves and don't worry about God. And yet we know as Christians that is wrong. We are called to serve God every day of our lives. We are called to do His will in our lives. We are called to love one another and serve one another just as Our Blessed Saviour came to love and to serve. And so often we are like the two brothers: only focusing on ourselves . . . only wanting to satisfy our own desires . . . getting jealous when someone else gets "better" than us.
Please make a point to join us for Mass on Sunday. St. Margaret Church gathers together each and every Sunday at 10:30 am. We worship at the beautiful Chapel at Marquette Manor, located at 8140 N. Township Line Road on the Northwest side of Indianapolis. Join us as we listen to the Word of God found in the King James Version of the Bible. We use the 1928 Book of Common Prayer. And receive the Most Precious Body and Blood of Our Saviour at Communion time. We are all busy. We all lead busy lives. Take an hour out of your busy week and dedicate it to God. Give that hour to God and spend it with Him.
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