The heart of the matter

Today, we have met Jesus at a moment when many people – including tax collectors and sinners – were gathering around him.  Jesus always welcomes those who come close to him, but that day, there were also others in the crowd - the Pharisees and scribes – who were not impressed that Jesus made room in his life for those who were considered outcasts.

The parable that Jesus told was meant to show them that there is room for everyone in the merciful heart of Jesus.  The parable begins with a scene that would have been very well understood by all those who were listening: A man had two sons (Lk 15:11).  With just these few words, every person who heard the story would have understood that this man was very proud, but then the unthinkable happened.  The younger of them said to his father, ‘Father, give me the share of the property that will belong to me’ (Lk 15:12).  In modern-day parlance, the son was effectively saying to his father: I wish you were dead.  One can only wonder at the discussion that must have preceded such a comment.  How much the father must have been hurt by such a comment!

Like every parable, this story is our story.  I am sure that there are some who are here who could tell a similar story, or some who know someone else who has had to live this nightmare: a son, a daughter, a brother or a sister who has chosen to walk a different road.  Who among us does not know of someone who has distanced him or herself from those who once were considered loved ones?  Perhaps we have not been distanced from family and loved ones, but we have chosen to walk a path that has distanced us from regular prayer because we have chosen to believe that we can live life better if we don’t have anyone else – including God – placing expectations on us.

At some point in our lives, we all choose to walk such a path, and as long as life continues to be enjoyable, we feel like we’re doing well, but at some point or other, we all find ourselves in some situation where we are no longer in control.  For awhile, even when we encounter difficulties in life, we can keep up appearances, but eventually, we come to our senses (Lk 15:17).  It takes great courage to admit that we have made a mistake.  Admitting vulnerability is never easy on the human ego, but the parable of the Prodigal Son shows us that our God has a heart that is infinitely merciful.  No matter how far we may have wandered, no matter how long we have been away, our God is always waiting for us to come home.

The image of the Father in the parable gives us a glimpse into the merciful and forgiving heart of our God.  If our God is willing to come running toward his prodigal children in order to welcome them home, should we not strive to be merciful to those who may have turned their backs on us?  Lent is the perfect time to change our hearts, to come home to our Father who will always welcome us with open arms.  If we ourselves have known the experience of being the prodigal child, I wonder whether that would change the way we relate to others.  Even small actions and words of welcome will speak volumes to wounded hearts.