Reflections from the March 6 Gospel
Luke 15:1-3, 11-32
Jesus crossed lines that weren’t supposed to be crossed. He talked to women in public, touched the “unclean” to heal them, and chummed it up with tax collectors and sinners. This didn’t make sense. It didn’t fit into the standard categories. And so the religious leaders began to complain. In response, Jesus told the parable of the prodigal son. Through this story, he illustrated that God loves all of his children even when they have not behaved perfectly. But more than this, the tale also deals with the resentment of the older son. Like the self-righteous Pharisees and scribes, the older brother complained. But how does the father respond? “My son, you are here with me always; everything I have is yours.”
It’s important for those of us who attend Mass regularly, participate in the sacraments, and serve in our parishes not to fall into the trap of being like the bitter older brother or the complaining Pharisees. It can be easy to think that others don’t deserve as much as we do, and to forget to be grateful for all that we have. But we are all called to “celebrate and rejoice” when the lost return home.
Questions of the Week
Luke 15:1-3, 11-32:
Which son do you find easier to
identify with?
Joshua 5:9a, 10-12:
Where do you see divine reproach in the world today?
2 Corinthians 5:17-21:
What do you think Paul means by the expression, “Whoever is in Christ is a new creation”?