Homily – Fourth Sunday of Lent (C)

As mentioned last week in From the Parish House, this week we celebrated the Sacrament of Reconciliation with more than sixty children in our parish.  Leading up to these celebrations, our catechists and teachers from our parish and schools had been journeying with these children to teach, guide, and prepare them through a series of sessions.

We, the priests of the parish, were introduced to the children in one of these sessions so that they could get to know us, and we could get to know them.  One of the gospels that the catechists used to help them explore the forgiveness and mercy of God was the Parable of the Prodigal Son.  This, of course, is very common, as we often use this story for many occasions, particularly at penitential services.

At one stage during a session, I asked the children about the different titles of this particular story.  The children were quick to mention all the conventional titles, which we all could easily recall, namely, “The Forgiving Father,” “The Prodigal Son,” and “The Unforgiving Brother.”  However, one particular child – whether by intention or by accident – said that this story is about “The Prodigal Father.”  I was a bit confused at first by the answer, but then I thought it might be good food for thought.

A dictionary defines the word prodigal with a couple of meanings:

The first definition explains prodigal as “spending money or using resources freely and recklessly; wastefully extravagant.”

The second definition describes it as “having or giving something on a lavish scale.”

Obviously, the first definition demonstrates well the behaviour of the younger son in the story.  He spent all the money he inherited from his father in a debaucherous way.  This is reflected in the older brother’s description of his younger brother: “But when this son of yours returns after swallowing up your property with prostitutes, you kill the fattened calf for him.” (Luke 15:30)

The second definition probably fits better with the behaviour of the father, who lavishly pours out his forgiveness to the young son.  He did not slap him in the face when he returned but rather “ran to the boy, clasped him in his arms, and kissed him tenderly,” then asked the servants to “bring out the best robe, put a ring on his finger, and sandals on his feet.”  All of these symbols signify the reinstatement of the dignity and freedom of a child.

Not only did the father deal with the younger son with tenderness and mercy, but he also treated the older son with gentleness and acceptance after he rejected his brother.  This kind of gentleness and unconditional love for both sons helped to establish a harmonious household.

Apart from the more conventional dictionary understanding of the word, I personally have a different interpretation of the phrase prodigal father.

Without researching the literal meaning of the word prodigal, my initial thought about the term prodigal son was that the son was not good – he was bad at managing relationships and very unfair.

This is why, when the child suggested that the story should be titled The Prodigal Father, I immediately thought of ourselves as leaders – leaders in the parish, in households, in schools, and in communities.  We might be a prodigal father who is not great at managing relationships, we could be very unfair, and we might show favouritism toward one over another.  This kind of “prodigal father” would definitely not be able to lead a harmonious household.

By listening to this story again this weekend, perhaps it is a good opportunity for all of us to re-examine ourselves.  What kind of prodigal father do we want to be?

By Fr Sang Ho