The Prodical Son

Thursday, November 11

The gospel reading for today was from Luke’s re-telling of the parable of the “Prodigal Son.” In Kairos we learned that there was a better name for this story that Jesus told, and it would be the “parable of the Loving Father.” As I read it at Morning Prayer, my eyes filled with tears because the images that aroused in me reminded me of persons I know living today, and even countries like my own. How far many of us have strayed squandering the wealth of the land and people that God has graciously given to those who came before us and to our own generation. Our current economic crisis felt in many ways around the world, mostly in sovereign debt, and here in the USA with the housing bubble, foreclosures, liar loans, the raise in employment, and the resulting personal bankruptcies. Have we reached the point that we are willing to say “We will go back to our Father and tell him that we have sinned against him and heaven and are no longer worthy to be called his children?” For the sake of political correctness we removed prayer from schools, took down your ten commandments from many public buildings, spread a gospel of profit only without ethics and morality, that there was no longer a need for God in our society. We have misused your creation that you put us in charge of. We have not taken care of our brothers and sisters here at home and around the world, who are hungry, thirsty, strangers, naked, sick and in prison. We had a chance through the Millennium Development Goals, but we spent our resources on wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. We spent our children’s and grandchildren’s money (through increased debt) on what we perceive to be our needs of today.

We know how the original parable ends in the gospel, because the Father seeing his returning son, far off in the distance ran out to him, and rejoiced that his son had returned to him, brought him back home and declared a celebration. The key to this parable is humility, followed by repentance and then finally forgiveness. It’s a story about God’s grace, unearned and undeserved that is always there if we chose to live into the divinity that he has offered us through Jesus Christ. It’s not too late for us to go home. It begins when we recognize that we have not been living in God’s favor, not because he has not given it to us, but because we have chosen not to accept it and live by it. I pray that we may wake up soon like the prodigal son, and realize how far we have gone from being in relationship with our Creating, Redeeming and Sanctifying God. It’s time to accept God’s favor towards us, and live into that high calling that he has given us, at whatever the cost. I can only make that decision for myself, but I will start on the road back home. Is there anyone who wants to join me?