4TH SUNDAY OF LENT: HOMECOMING MODEL OF THE PRODIGAL SON.

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Towards the end of the fantasy movie, The Wizard of Oz, Dorothy taps her feet three times and joyfully exclaims, “There’s no place like home.” Before going further, the question might be asked, “What is home?” I had this conversation with a friend recently, and we tried to tease out what home could mean. We are both African immigrants and are trying to process this idea of home with being in the US, side-by-side with our original idea of home. For instance, when an immigrant says, “I miss home,” what does that mean? Is it just the house that the individual has left behind, or the feeling that comes with departure? Our conclusion tended towards an understanding that home is where one feels safe, welcomed, and valued. Imagine that you fight in your house daily. After work, you do not feel like going to that house. The place does not feel like home anymore. Or that you are abused in the house. Each time you go out, you would want to stay out as long as it takes.

As my friend and I delved deeper into the discussion, we came close to agreeing that one of the most practical places to have an authentic experience of home is with faith connections. No wonder the Psalm said that one day in God’s house is better than a thousand elsewhere (Ps. 84:10). Home should be attractive, joyful, and inspiring. The prodigal son misses that when he goes away, the reason why he exclaims, “I must leave this place and go back to my father…”

On the other hand, the father shows the meaning of home as he steps out for his son on his return - a compassionate embrace, kisses, a ring on his finger, and sandals on his feet. The father’s message to his older son is equally important: “‘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 would be saying like Dorothy in The Wizard of Oz, “There is no place like home.” The prodigal son’s encounter with his father is a compelling story of our return to the love of God. It signals a profound homecoming experience for all of us, an invitation to return to God’s love. St. Paul writes, “the old things have passed away; behold, new things have come.” In Christ, we find a home like no other.

The gospel singer, Cece Winans, has this song,

"Mercy Said No! I'm not gonna let you go. I'm not gonna let you slip away. You don't have to be afraid. Sin will never take control. Life and death stood face to face. Darkness tried to steal my heart away. Thank you, Jesus, Mercy said no." 

There is great beauty in this song. Imagine that the prodigal son departs in a very pathetic way. The plot encapsulates a series of negative behaviors and a lifestyle of hopelessness. It highlights the dangers of addiction, sensuality, vanity, selfishness, and greed. Further, it degenerates into misery, isolation, and distancing from family. Then, it brings up shame, self-pity, and the fear of rejection. The weaker side of the prodigal son takes over him. Scripture says he goes into a life of dissipation after spending everything. The evangelist Luke describes it this way: “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.” Sadly, the prodigal son is away from home.

The question of mortal sin in the Catholic teaching is introduced in this story. Yes, sin can be mortal or venial. Mark this line: “he had freely spent everything.” His free will makes him commit to a bad choice. He willingly consents to his action. A sin is mortal if it involves a grave matter, full knowledge, and consent of the will.

The prodigal son knowingly offends the father (full knowledge). He wastes the father’s hard-earned property, sleeps with prostitutes, drinks excessively, indulges in laziness, and exhibits selfishness (grave matter). He willingly makes all these bad choices (consent of the will). What hasn’t this guy done? Yet, the significant message in this story is mostly about the father’s desire to bring his son home. What Cece Winans sang applies to the situation here: “Sin will never take control. Life and death stood face to face. Darkness tried to steal my heart away. Thank you, Jesus, Mercy said no." 

This 4th Sunday of Lent offers us the opportunity to reflect on our struggles in various aspects of life. Maybe you feel lost in your faith. Maybe you have a raging battle with addiction. Maybe you have been weighed down for years by a certain weakness. Maybe you feel encumbered by shame, or you are flooded with guilt over something you did way back. Perhaps you feel miserable, angry, or frustrated by your ugly past. Possibly, the greater challenge might be your inability to forgive yourself. Mercy wants you to say like the prodigal son, “I will leave this place and go back to my father.” That place of negativity, self-pity, and despair is not good for you. Take up the homecoming challenge. The father is already waiting, but you must make the move.

Here's the prodigal son’s homecoming module:

1) Take an examination of conscience. Get back to your right senses. 2) Be sincerely sorry for the sins, but do not get stuck in your shame. 3) Commit to doing better. Set goals to measure your spiritual progress. 4) Go to confession. Confess and do the penance assigned by the priest. It is alright to go into the confessional weeping. But make sure you come out smiling and relieved.

In this story, there is a great image of forgiveness and mercy. God, who is your Father, treats you as his beloved child. God’s mercy is strong. It says no to your being lost to sin. God is not letting you slip away, notwithstanding how bad your situation may seem. Like Dorothy in the Wizard of Oz, make your homecoming real during this Lent. Tap your feet three times and reassure yourself, “There’s no place like home.” Go for it, the Father is already waiting.

Readings: 1st- Josh. 5:9, 10-12; 2nd- 2 Cor. 5:17-21; Gospel- Lk. 15:1-3, 11-32