On the Prodigal Son

The Return of the Prodigal Son

Bartolome Esteban Murillo

Amidst the gravity of Lent, the Church today is in a celebration mood. This day is called Laetare Sunday (the day of rejoicing) because we are halfway through the heavy discipline of Lent and Holy Week is almost here. Soon, it will be Easter. Thus, the Prodigal Son must be read in the light of this celebrative mood of the Church.

The parable shows us two celebrations, each in opposition with the other. The first is the one we are familiar with – the celebration of the younger son who, after having received his inheritance, left his father’s house, went so far away as possible, and squandered his inheritance on dissipate living. He really had the time of his life: too much money to spend and with as much independence as he wanted. He was far from his father’s control. Such is the kind of life which most of us yearn: one that is characterized by fun to our hearts’ content; far from the control of any authority or law. This is the typical American spring-break type of celebration: parties with lots of booze and sex. However, it is a type of celebration that leaves you empty: both in the pocket and in meaning. At the end, when all money was spent, and fair weather friends have left for home, the younger son found himself poor, hungry, and terribly humiliated.

It was in the middle of his misery that this son realized that he needed not to leave his father’s house in order to joy and happiness. Now that he lost everything, he began to see what he had always taken for granted: that in his father’s house was a celebration that did not end – even the hired workers had always more than enough to eat. Everyone was well provided for. Had he not abandoned his father, he would not have gone hungry, miserable and humiliated. This is the celebration where joy is genuine and lasting.

The parable of the prodigal son unmasks for us the deception of Satan who does to us what he did to Jesus: he brings us to the top of the mountain of temptation and shows and promises to us the possession of kingdoms of passing glory in exchange for our worship and loyalty. As he did with the prodigal son, he entices us to leave our Father’s house and find entertainment in dissolute living. The parable unmasks Satan as a fair-weather friend who, after enticing us to give up our heavenly inheritance, abandons us to misery, emptiness, and humiliation. He did that once to Adam and Eve. The serpent pretended to be Eve’s friend and reliable counselor. Once he succeeded to make the couple eat the forbidden fruit, he abandoned them to poverty (he left them naked) and humiliation (the couple were so embarrassed that they hid themselves in the bushes). He will definitely do it again to anyone who would commit the mistake of listening to him.

On the other hand, the same parable reveals to us that genuine and lasting joy can be obtained only if we heed the Father who, on the top of the mountain of the transfiguration, allows us to enter into the shining cloud and bids us to listen well to Jesus his beloved Son who transforms us into a new creation, delivers us from the passing glory of old things, and bestows upon us the newness of his grace and salvation. “And all this is from God, who has reconciled us to himself through Christ,” said St. Paul. Only He removes the reproach of the enemy from us.

On account of this, let us come to our senses. Look honestly at the depth of misery and poverty which we have brought upon ourselves when we abandoned the Father’s house. There is no genuine joy apart from Him. There is no lasting joy without Him. Let us rise and go back to the Father’s house where even his servants have more than enough to eat. Let us say to him, “Father, I have sinned against you.” He shall embrace us and restore to us the dignity which the devil, in his envy, has stolen from us. This He does by handing over to death not the fatted calf but His only begotten Son, Jesus, who, “for our sake he made him to be sin who did not know sin, so that we might become the righteousness of God in him.”

HOLY WEEK IN THE EXTRAORDINARY FORM OF THE ROMAN RITE

SCHEDULE OF HOLY WEEK CELEBRATIONS

IN THE EXTRAORDINARY FORM OF THE ROMAN RITE

AT THE PARISH OF THE LORD OF DIVINE MERCY,

1 MAAMO STREET, SIKATUNA VILLAGE,

QUEZON CITY, THE PHILIPPINES

March 28, 2010 PALM SUNDAY

1:00 pm Solemn Blessing and Procession of Palms / Mass

March 29, 30, 31, 2010 HOLY MONDAY, TUESDAY AND WEDNESDAY

8:30 am Mass

April 1, 2010 MAUNDY THURSDAY

10:00 am Mass of the Last Supper

April 2, 2010 GOOD FRIDAY

10:00 am Celebration of the Lord's Passion

(Mass of Catechumens, Adoration of the Cross, Holy Communion)

April 3, 2010 BLACK SATURDAY

April 4, 2010 EASTER SUNDAY

12:00 midnight Easter Vigil

On the Simplicity of Sacramental Signs

"If the prophet had told you to do something extraordinary, would you have done it? All the more now, since he said to you, 'Wash and be clean,' should you do as he said," so the servants tried to prevail over an angry Naaman who was upset over the command which the prophet Elisha gave him for his healing from leprosy. The place of this reading in Lent is best appreciated if we keep in mind that this season is the final phase of the catechumenate for those who are elected for Baptism on the Easter Vigil. I remember a mystagogical homily by a Father of the Church who tried to addressed the disappointment of the neophytes at the simplicity of the Sacrament of Baptism. They expected much of the Sacrament as they were told of its tremendous effects: Adoption as Children of God, incorporation into Christ's mystical Body, and the indwelling of the Holy Spirit. Thus, when they saw a pool of water before them, they begun asking one another, "Is this it? Is this all?" Apparently, they could not reconcile in their minds the simplicity of the sacramental signs with the greatness of the graces they effect in us.

And even to our day, so many find the sacramental signs to be too simple for the graces they promise to effect. In fact, some take it upon themselves to "augment" these signs. Some men have themselves flogged until they bleed or even have themselves crucified on Good Friday in order to assure themselves of forgiveness of sins when all they had to do is to kneel and confess their sins to a priest. Of course, you may dismiss this as being the mindset of fanatics. However, is it not true that there is really an inclination today to embellish the liturgy with theatrics and dances? Apparently, the liturgy is too simple, too boring, too monotonous. It needs to be embellished so that it may acquire some commercial value. Without understanding the true nature of the liturgy, we unknowingly cross the line from worship to entertainment.

The simplicity of the sacramental signs reflects the simplicity of the Incarnation. After all, isn't the liturgy the extension of the Incarnation of the Lord? As the Lord descended on the womb of the Blessed Virgin without spectacle and fanfare, so also does the Divine Presence descend upon us through the Sacramental signs. Our eyes must not be deceived by the simplicity of the Sacraments. Externally, they may be humble but they confer upon us what only Christ our Lord can give: Salvation!

On tragedies and repentance

The readings could not have come in more appropriate timing than today considering the series of earthquakes of catastrophic magnitude that are felt all over the world. The Lord Jesus himself spoke of 18 persons who were killed when the tower of Siloam fell on them. Such catastrophes confront us with the issues of crime and punishment, human evil and divine wrath. Did they perish because they were evil? Does this mean that survivors like ourselves are more righteous than they were? Or were we simply luckier?

Scriptures were not lacking in speaking of tragedies as acts of Divine wrath on account of the magnitude of sin. The floods of Noah’s time, the burning of the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah, the plagues of Egypt are only a few amongst many others that can be mentioned as examples of Divine wrath against the magnitude of human sin. In the 2nd reading, St. Paul warns the Corinthians: “God was not pleased with most of them, for they were struck down in the desert. These things happened as examples for us so that we might not desire evil things as they did. Do not grumble as some of them did and suffered death by the destroyer. These things happened to them as an example, and they have been written down as a warning to us upon whom the end of the ages has come.” What the Apostle said is affirmed by the words of the Lord in the gospel. Our Lord warns us that we should not be made complacent by our survival in tragedies for we should always take these tragedies for what they really are. They are warnings and calls to conversion coming from the Lord. We do not survive catastrophes because we are better and more righteous than those who perished. Rather, we are given more time to repent. Jesus said, “Do you think that they were more guilty than anyone else in Jerusalem? By no means! But I tell you, if you do not repent, you will all perish as they did!”

The mystery of sin and its destructive nature can only be clarified in the light of the mystery of our religion. The Catechism says: “To try to understand what sin is, one must first recognize the profound relationship of man to God, for only in this relationship is the evil of sin unmasked in its true identity as humanity’s rejection of God and opposition to him, even as it continues to weigh heavy on human life and history” (CCC, 386). “Without the knowledge Revelation gives of God, we cannot recognize sin clearly and are tempted to explain it as merely a developmental flaw, a psychological weakness, a mistake, or the necessary consequence of an inadequate social structure…Only in the knowledge of God’s plan can we grasp that sin is an abuse of the freedom that God gives to created persons so that they are capable of loving Him and loving one another” (CCC, 387). It is when we recognize sin as our rebellion against God that we immediately understand the relationship of tragedies to sin. For God is the source of all goodness, of all life, and of all blessings. When we reject Him, we face nothing but evil, death, and woe. “The Church has always taught that the overwhelming misery which oppresses men and their inclination toward evil and death cannot be understood apart from their connection with Adam’s sin and the fact that he has transmitted to us a sin…which is the ‘death of the soul’” (CCC, 403). It is precisely from this death-giving sin that God wishes to redeem us. In the story of the Burning Bush, God said to Moses, “I have witnessed the affliction of my people and have heard their cry of complaint…so I know well what they are suffering. Therefore, I have come down to rescue them…” “The revelation of divine love in Christ manifested at the same time the extent of evil and the superabundance of grace” (CCC, 385). Yes, “Scripture witnesses to the disastrous influence of the one Jesus calls ‘a murderer from the beginning’” (CCC, 394) but we must never forget the power of Christ. “Although Satan may act in the world out of hatred for God…and although his action may cause grave injuries – of a spiritual and, indirectly, even of a physical nature – to each man and to society, the action is permitted by Divine Providence which with strength and gentleness guides human and cosmic history. It is a great mystery that Providence should permit diabolical activity, but ‘we know that God works for good with those who love him.’” (CCC, 395). As what was done to the fig tree, which did not only receive a reprieve from sure death but was even assisted by the farmer who hoed around it and manured it, God also deals with us. He does not only give us a chance to repent. His call for our repentance is always coupled with grace. He gives us grace to rise from our fall. He leads us back to Christ so that in him, we may find fullness of life.

On the Transfiguration of the Lord

Transfiguration by Duccio

Last Sunday, we saw our Lord Jesus who was led by the Holy Spirit into the desert where he fasted and prayed. Weakened by hunger, Jesus was subjected by the devil to temptation. The devil must have thought that a Jesus weakened by hunger will succumb to his wiles and in the end, he found out that he was mistaken.

Today, Jesus, together with Peter, James, and John, ascend a mountain in order to pray. However, this time, Jesus is no longer shown as one who was weakened by hunger. Rather, he was transfigured before his disciples: his face became as radiant as the sun, his clothing dazzlingly white, Moses and Elijah conversed with him, a shining cloud covered him, and again, the voice of the Father attests to his disciples: “This is my Son, my Chosen One. Listen to him.” This prayer on the mountain became a moment of revelation for both the prophets and the apostles for they have seen Jesus in a way both groups have never seen before. The prophets saw Jesus in his humanity. The apostles saw Jesus in his divinity. The deacon St. Ephraem said: “The prophets were filled with joy, and the apostles likewise, in their ascent of the mountain. The prophets rejoiced because they have seen His humanity, which they had not known. And the apostles rejoiced because they had seen the glory of the Divinity, which they had not known. And when they heard the voice of the Father, giving testimony to the Son, they learnt through this that which till now had been obscure to them: that humanity had been assumed by Him. And together with the Father’s voice, the glory of His own body gave testimony to Him, shining resplendent because of That within Him which partakes of the Divinity.” The Father revealed Jesus to both prophets and apostles. And no one could have done it more fittingly because “No one knows the Son except the Father.” And what the Father revealed about his Son brought delight to both prophets and apostles. He delighted the prophets by fulfilling their prophecies. He fortified the apostles with a vision of His Divinity in preparation for the things that are to take place in Jerusalem. The devil took Jesus up on a mountain to show him the kingdoms which he pretended to own. Jesus took his apostles on the mountain “that he might show them His kingdom, before they witnessed His suffering and death; and His glory before His ignominy; so that when He was made a prisoner, and condemned by the Jews, they might understand that He was crucified by them not because of His own powerlessness, but because it had pleased Him of His goodness to suffer for the salvation of the world. He brought them up to the mountain that He might show them before His resurrection, the glory of His divinity, so that when He had risen from the dead they might then know that He had not received this glory as the reward of his labors, but that he had had it from all eternity, together with the Father and the Holy Spirit.”

What he revealed to both prophets and apostles, he reveals to us today. And what we have received should likewise delight our hearts for now, we have been given the assurance that we are not mistaken in abandoning our former ways in order to follow the Lord. We have done well to turn our backs on a path that led to destruction in order to follow a path that leads to salvation. In the 2nd reading, St. Paul reminds us of the futility of our former ways: “Many conduct themselves as enemies of the cross of Christ. Their end is destruction. Their god is their stomach; their glory is their shame. Their minds are occupied with earthly things.” The transfiguration assures us that all will be well with us who have so decided to follow Christ on this difficult way of the Cross: “Our citizenship is in heaven, and from it we also await a savior, the Lord Jesus Christ. He will change our lowly body to conform with his glorified body by the power that enables him also to bring all things into subjection to himself.” With this assurance, let us heed the command of the Father: “This is my Son, my Chosen One. Listen to him.” Inasmuch as in him is found the fullness of life, let us deny ourselves. Let us carry our cross. Let us follow him. “In this way, stand firm in the Lord.”

Transfiguration and the Priesthood

Blessed Ildefono Schuster wrote on the choice of the Transfiguration as reading for the Ember Saturday of Lent: "The solitary height on which Jesus clothes himself is typical of the sacerdotal state, which demands a complete detachment from earthly things, an intense interior life, and a sublime spirit of contemplation. As in heaven, God in his majesty is seated upon the Cherubim, so, on earth, their sublime office is filled by his priests." (I. Schuster, The Sacramentary: Historical and Liturgical Notes on the Roman Missal, 77.)

On the Priesthood on Ember Saturday of Lent

On Ember Saturday of Lent, priests are ordained after a long fast and vigil. It reminds me of our Lord who selected his Apostles after a long night of prayer. Blessed Ildefonso Schuster wrote: "In olden times, the faithful spent the whole of this night in prayer, singing psalms, and listening to the reading, both in Greek and in Latin, of twelve lessons from Holy Scripture." (I. Schuster, The Sacramentary: Historical and Liturgical Notes on the Roman Missal, 73.) Imagine how long the vigil must have lasted: twelve readings read twice! Within this vigil, priests were ordained.

Thus, today, my mind is raised towards the priesthood and its great dignity. By putting the ordinations in the context of a fast and a long vigil, the Church indeed attests to the great dignity that the Lord confers upon those he has chosen to be priests.

St. John Chrysostom has this to say: "If anyone consider how great a thing it is that a man wrapped in flesh and blood approach that pure and blessed nature, then he will see plainly what great honor the grace of the Spirit has bestowed upon priests. It is by their agency that these rites pertaining to our dignity and salvation are performed. They who inhabit the earth, they who make their abode among men, are entrusted with the dispensation of the things of heaven! Priests have received a power which God has given neither to angels nor to archangels. It was said to them: Whatsoever ye shall bind upon earth shall be bound in heaven; and whatsoever ye shall loose, shall be loosed. Temporal rulers have indeed the power of binding; but they can bind only the body. Priests, however, can bind with a bond which pertains to the soul itself, and transcends the very heavens. Whatever priests do here on earth, God will confirm in heaven, just as the master ratifies the decisions of his servants. Did he not give them all the powers of heaven? 'Whose sins ye shall forgive,' he says, 'they are forgiven them: whose sins ye shall retain, they are retained.' What greater power is there than this? The Father hath given all the judgment to the Son. And now I see the Son placing all this power in the hands of men. They are raised to this dignity as if they were already gathered up to heaven, elevated above human nature, and freed of all limitations.

Were a king to bestow such power upon one of his subjects that he permitted him to imprison anyone whome he wished and free him likewise at his discretion, such a man would be envied and respected by all. He, however, who has received from God a power which is as much greater than this as heaven is more precious than earth and souls than bodies, seems to some to have received so inconsiderable an honor that they imagine he is able to despise it. Away with such madness! It is madness indeed to despise so great a ministry, without which we could neither obtain our salvation nor the good things promised. inasmuch as no man can enter the Kingdom of Heaven unless he is born again of water and the Spirit, and since unless he eats the flesh of the Lord and drinks his blood he is excluded from eternal life - since, I say, all things are administered only by those holy hands, the hands of priests, how could any man without these priests either escape the fire of hell or obtain the crown which is intended for him?" (St. John Chrysostom, De Sacerdotio, 181-187.)