Our Monastery "Watcher" Sandhill Crane Who Guards the Others Feb 2005

Feb 26, 2005

The Prodigal Son Lk 15:1-3, 11-32

Tax collectors and sinners were all drawing near to listen to Jesus, but the Pharisees and scribes began to complain, saying, "This man welcomes sinners and eats with them." So to them Jesus addressed this parable. "A man had two sons, and the younger son said to his father, ‘Father, give me the share of your estate that should come to me.' 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. When he had freely spent everything, a severe famine struck that country, and he found himself in dire need.
So he hired himself out to one of the local citizens who sent him to his farm to tend the swine. And he longed to eat his fill of the pods on which the swine fed, but nobody gave him any. 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."' So he got up and went back to his father. While he was still a long way off, his father caught sight of him, and was filled with compassion. He ran to his son, embraced him and kissed him. 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. Now the older son had been out in the field and, on his way back, as he neared the house, he heard the sound of music and dancing. He called one of the servants and asked what this might mean. The servant said to him, ‘Your brother has returned and your father has slaughtered the fattened calf because he has him back safe and sound.' He became angry, and when he refused to enter the house, his father came out and pleaded with him. 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.' 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.'"

The prodigal son in the beginning of the story is about the impulsive foolishness of youth. Many people in their younger years fall into bad situations by simply following their baser desires and wants and ignoring any fundamental values that they had been taught. Many people in our current American culture go to college where there are many parties and opportunities for drunkenness and fallen ways. They squander who they are and the gifts that they have been given for the sake of a "good time" at the moment without a plan for the future.

When the son in this Gospel story "hits bottom" he realizes that it is foolish to suffer in a desparate situation in a foreign land while he has a family who can help him. Not all people reach this point of humility. There are homeless and desparate people who do not want their family to know of their fallen or impoverished situation. It is important to reach a point of realization of what our situation actually is and what God wants of us at that point.

The next part of the story is the sincere joy of a father who has his beloved son return after he had given him up as dead. The father is overcome with joy that his son has returned and welcomes him with open arms and a celebration. This is the love of a parent, the love of God our Father who forgives all who return to him. The son who had remained at home with his father is put off that the unfaithful son, the "black sheep", is received with gifts and feasting that he the faithgul son never received. The Father explained that he was never lost. The feast is a celebration of a life that was gone, in a way dead and now renewed, saved, resurrected.