Praised be
Jesus, Mary, and Joseph!
When the younger son sought his share of the inheritance, he
must have wanted to gain independence from his father as soon as possible. Isn’t
this the dream of every young person – to go as far as possible from his
parents in order to be on his own? Like most young men, this son must have
thought that if he leaves his father, he will be happier as he thought that he
would be beyond his father’s control and thus, enjoy the freedom to be himself
and do as he pleases. He must have enjoyed his “freedom” while it lasted –
meaning, while he had money to spend and friends to keep him company. But
eventually, when he had spent everything, he had nothing. Then reality shook
him to his senses. He realized a truth which he did not appreciate before: “How
many of my father’s hired workers have more than enough to eat…” Thinking that
he would be better off and even happier if he were free from his father, the
son realized that those who stayed with his father, even the servants, were
happy because they had more than enough of what they needed to live.
And so he decided to return to his father, not to return as a
son (for he rightly thought that he did not deserve his filial right), but as a
servant, a hired worker. This indignity he was willing to swallow, just so that
he could have food for his hungry belly. And yet, when he returned, the
unexpected came about. His father ran toward him and would have nothing of his
prepared speech. Instead he ordered his servants to bring out 3 things: a robe,
a pair of sandals, and a ring. The robe means the restoration of human dignity.
The saying “the clothes make up the man” has a grain of truth in it. Contrary
to what our modern world says, nakedness is the deprivation of human dignity.
That is why when Adam and Eve sinned, they realized that they were naked.
Wanting to be freed from God, they found themselves dehumanized. The Lord Jesus
was stripped naked when he was crucified. It was the depth of his humiliation
to be exposed naked before the curious crowd. Thus, the Lord bid us to clothe
the naked as an act of mercy.
The pair of sandals signified the status of a free man. Slave
walk unshod. Freemen were shoes. Thus, the father restored to his son not only
his dignity but also his freedom – authentic freedom which is enjoyed by the
sons and daughters of God.
The ring is the sign of both love and authority. It was the
sign that the son belongs to his father. The father loved his son and gave him
authority in his household. The father was more than willing to accept his son
back – and not as a slave but as a son: “Let us celebrate and rejoice because
this son of mine was dead and has come back to life; he was lost and has been
found.”
St. Augustine remarked: “We all want to live happily; in the
whole human race there is no one who does not assent to this proposition, even
before it is fully articulated.” (CCC, 1718) Unfortunately, many of us are
deceived into thinking that we can pursue our own happiness by ourselves –
apart from God. We seek satisfaction from the world and even from our own
sources and we find out that none of these is able to answer our deepest
longing. And so St. Augustine says, “How is it, then, that I seek you, Lord?
Since in seeking you, my God, I seek a happy life. Let me seek you so that my
soul may live, for my body draws life from my soul, and my soul draws life from
you.” (Ibid.) Do you seek satisfaction? St. Thomas Aquinas answers, “God alone
satisfies.”
Jesus, I trust in you! O Mary conceived without sin, pray for
us who have recourse to thee!
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