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.
+ + + + + + +
Reflection:
Would you return and ask forgiveness to someone you’ve hurt?
After wasting his money on his vices and other sinful cravings the
younger son decided to humbly return to his father. He swallowed his pride; he
braved the insults and ridicule that might come his way just to be home again
with his father who unconditionally loved him.
There is also a stretch in our lives that we drift away from God; we
personally take command of our lives. We indulge in different worldly vices and
sins thinking that it would make us happy. Then we realize that there is still
this void that has not been filled by our worldly and sinful cravings.
So to where would we go? We humbly go back to Jesus and ask for His mercy
and forgiveness. Jesus will surely not refuse a repentant sinner like us. What
we only have to do is to go back to Him. Never mind the many sins that we have committed
for Jesus doesn’t count the sins that we have committed.
He is always looking at our humble and repentant heart. Therefore, we
have to go back to Him for Jesus is compassionately waiting to lovingly embrace
us back again. Don’t look back at your dark past anymore what is important for
Jesus is the here and now.
The here and now where you are ready to start a new journey in your life:
A journey walking hand in hand with Jesus. – Marino J.
Dasmarinas
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