MY
SOUL IS THIRSTING
COME
LORD JESUS! YOU ARE MY SAVIOR
March 23, 2024
Coming
Home….. Never to Return
The
Prodigal Son made a demand upon his father, “Give me the portion of goods that
falls to me.” This is the spirit of rebellion. The prodigal boy, at home, felt
himself harnessed in by the authority of a righteous father. His evil heart
yearned for liberty. He wanted to enjoy the desires of his flesh. Thus, it was
that the younger son became restless and demanded from his father his portion
of the goods. The younger of the two sons is the representation of the sinner
left to the freedom of his own will, and falling into an estate of sin and
misery. The parable of Prodigal son finds its setting in the Divine love and
infinite compassion of God. The original relation of man to God is that of a
son to the father. God lets men try to live without God.
Strictly
speaking, both the sons here sketched are lost,—the one through the
unrighteousness that degrades him, the other through the self-righteousness
which blinds him. The essence of sin presents itself to us in the younger son
as Self-seeking. This awakens in him discontent with the good that he enjoys in
the house of his father, impels him to seek independent freedom, sensual
enjoyment and honor, and makes him a wretched slave of his unfettered,
passions.
From
the root of self-seeking grow two different branches, the sins of sensuality on
the one hand and those of pride on the other. Through false craving for freedom
the Prodigal Son falls into unhappy wandering; through wandering into wretched
slavery; through slavery into an unspeakable depth of misery.
Sensuality
degrades man, blinds him and leads him finally to the brink of the abyss, but
God is far from abridging the sinner’s use of his freedom. He permits him, on
the other hand, to walk his own ways, and makes even the bitter fruits of evil
serviceable to his healing and recovery.
Quite
otherwise does moral corruption reveal itself in the elder son. Outwardly he
remains in the house of his father and serves him, yet he is guided only by a
mechanical obedience, to which the impelling power of love is wanting.
There was
lacking the heart, and with this everything, and betrays his inner character by
his anger at the gracious reception of his deeply-fallen brother. He believes
himself, in his blindness, never to have transgressed a commandment, and yet
forgets precisely that which is weightiest in the law, mercy and love. Neither
his father nor his brother does he love, and yet believes that he may demand
all for himself.
Let us
analyze the three characteristics of the Father, of the elder son, and the
younger son. And see ourselves in the mirror of these three qualities – which
is dominant in us?
YOUNGER
SON
He sold
himself to the works of the flesh, luxuries of the world and became slave to
the Devil. In his devastated life, he first reflected on the folly and madness
of his former ways. He then resolved that he would return to his father, and
implore his forgiveness. Having formed the purpose, he instantly arose to carry
it into execution. He first began to see how madly and wickedly he has acted.
He feels that he has reduced himself to a wretched and perishing condition of
eating food of swine. He resolves that he will go to his father and ask for
mercy.
Five stages
in his life (Phases of Religious Experience): These five scenes which correspond to the phases of
religious experience through which the Prodigal Son passes.
1.
Departure from home (Luke 15:1-13) his sin
2. His
miserable plight (Luke 15:14-16) his punishment
3. His
regrets (Luke 15:17-19) his repentance. “I will arise”; “I will go to my
father”
4. His
return (Luke 15:20-21) his conversion - “Make me as one of thy hired servants” (Lk
15:19)
5. His
restoration to his place as a son (Lk 15:22-24) his justification (Lk 15:18-19)
FATHER
1. The
father waited for his son every day
2. The
father’s compassion on his son coming to his home
3. The
father’s welcome to his son returning to him
“Ran”—The
coming of the father to meet his son here figuratively exhibits the sending of
the Son of God
“Ran”—The
return of the sinner is expressed by the word going (Luke 15:18), but God’s
coming to the sinner by running. God makes greater haste to the sinner than the
sinner does to God; God makes much of our first inclination, and would not have
it fall to the ground.
“Kissed
him”— He kissed him repeatedly and fervently—devoured him with kisses.
The Elder
Brother (Lk 15:28-30)
(1) The
elder brother’s displeasure at the kind reception of his prodigal brother
(2) His
self-righteous pride
(3) His
ungracious complaint
(4) His
malicious exaggeration of his brother’s misdeeds; his ignoring the change that
taken place in him
(5) His
refusal to acknowledge him as his brother and utter lack of sympathy
(6) His
years of obedience to his father had been years of grim duty and not of loving
service
Who are
these Three Persons?
The
younger son left for far country and that far country represents this world and
its sin. The great big, wicked world is the far country. That world is lost in
sin. Its prince is the devil. “Younger son represents historically “the
publicans and sinners”. We must remember that they did not leave Palestine or
even Jerusalem when separated from the Jewish Church. Foreign country, but the
country of forgetfulness of God. He comes to himself. What was squandered,
therefore, in the far-off land of forgetfulness of God was moral wealth, the
wealth of the heart and mind. In his isolation he begins to see that all the
past forgetfulness of God was a mistake; that he was insane to take the course
he did; and that in his right mind he must act differently (Lk 15:17-19).
These three
characteristics are very much in every person. Each of these become active
certain times in everyone.
Some
are like Elder Son
Kings
suppose to be like father but they have qualities of elder son
Pilate – “So when Pilate saw that he could do
nothing, but rather that a riot was beginning, he took some water and washed
his hands before the crowd, saying, “I am innocent of this man's blood; see to
it yourselves” (Mt 27:24)
Herod - The king was deeply grieved; yet out of regard for
his oaths and for the guests, he did not want to refuse her (Mk 6:26)
Some Fathers
are like Prodigal Son
Eli – “..because his sons were
blaspheming God, and did not retain them (1 Sam 3:13)
Samuel
– his sons “….Joel, and Abijah did not follow in his ways, they took bribes and
perverted justice (1Sam 8:2-3)
Laban -
Jacob – “He served Laban for another seven
years” for Rachel (Gen 29: 20-35)
Saul -
wanted
Jonathan to be king after him: Jonathan told David, “My father Saul is trying to kill you; therefore be on
guard tomorrow morning; stay in a secret place and hide yourself” (1 Samuel 19:1-13)
Whichever the character is dominant in us
right now, However, we need to be like ….
Nebuchadnezzar: Nebuchadnezzar said, “Blessed be the
God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, who has sent his angel and delivered
his servants who trusted in him. They disobeyed the king's command and yielded
up their bodies rather than serve and worship any god except their own God. Therefore,
I make a decree: Any people, nation, or language that utters blasphemy against
the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego shall be torn limb from limb, and
their houses laid in ruins; for there is no other god who is able to deliver in
this way” (Dan 3:28-29)
What
encouragement has the sinner to confess his sins unto God?
1. God is
a Father
2. His
delight is salvation
3. He has
made ample provision for the redemption of the sinful
4. He invites
all to take advantage of it
Laudate
Deum (October 4, 2023 Apostolic
Exhortation) Pope Francis
Calls
once again on all people of good will to care for the poor and for the Earth
1.
Climate
change is real and caused by human activity: “No one can ignore the fact that
in recent years we have witnessed extreme weather phenomena, frequent periods
of unusual heat, drought and other cries of protest on the part of the earth”. And it is not a matter of other natural
cycles: “events of natural origin that usually cause warming, such as volcanic
eruptions and others, are insufficient to explain the proportion and speed of
the changes of recent decades.”
2.
He says that we as people of faith can
cooperate in the building of a better future, where the good gifts of Creation
are abundant and shared by all, as God intended. This is key to solving the
climate crisis.
3.
Pope
Francis recalls that the human person is also a part of creation, and cannot be
separated from it, no matter how powerful scientific developments become.
4.
“I
ask everyone to accompany this pilgrimage of reconciliation with the world that
is our home and to help make it more beautiful” (LD 69)
5.
“Nonetheless,
every little bit helps, and avoiding an increase of a tenth of a degree in the
global temperature would already suffice to alleviate some suffering for many
people” (LD 70)
6.
“Civil
society with its organizations is capable of creating effective dynamics that
the United Nations cannot” (LD 37)
7.
“The
demands that rise up from below throughout the world, where activists from very
different countries help and support one another, can end up pressuring the
sources of power” (LD 38)
8.
A
Christian response to the climate crisis is not about recycling or buying an
electric car. Repackaged consumerism will not be enough, though Laudate Deum
clarifies that wealthy countries like the United States are obligated to
renounce extractivism and overconsumption.
9.
when
human beings claim to take God’s place, they become their own worst enemies.”
10.
Francis
is inviting the whole church to a renewed vision of community and solidarity,
where Catholics are willing to stand alongside their poor and exploited
brothers and sisters as prophets of another better world.
“Against Thee, Thee only, have I
sinned and done this evil in Thy sight” Ps 51:4
