Weekly thoughts on the Sunday Gospel, readings or a topic...

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seeing your life through the lens of the gospels
– Luke 15:1-3;11-32
1. There are three figures in the story of the Prodigal Son. The father is a symbol of an unconditional love. Perhaps you can recall someone showing love to you in a way that showed great forgiveness and acceptance. Have there been times when you have also loved in this way?
2. Like many a parable, this story makes its point in what seems to be unfair: the spendthrift son is rewarded and the elder son is hurt and angry. Jesus is telling us that love is a free gift, not something we earn by our goodness. When have you experienced this truth in the love you have received from others? When has the experience of human love prompted you to reflect on God’s love for you?
3. After some time, the younger son ‘came to himself’ and returned home. Where and when have you experienced a homecoming after a time of exile and alienation? What helped you to come to yourself and make that journey home? You may be able to identify with the younger son at different stages of his journey. Be sure to follow it to the point where it becomes a good news story for you – when you ‘came to yourself’.
4. The older son resented the welcome given to the younger son after his wandering and dissolute life. In contrast to his father, he was very judgemental towards his younger brother. Perhaps you have experienced these attitudes in others towards you, or in yourself towards others. What were they like for you? Where was there life for you or for others? 
– John Byrne, OSA

The Deep End
Sometimes we can be so familiar with a Gospel passage we tend to switch off after the first few sentences. That would be a shame, especially when the Gospel is one of the great blockbuster parables. The real challenge in today’s Gospel is what happens after the lost son returns. The elder brother has ‘worked like a slave’ all those years and is understandably upset. The Father’s welcome of the younger son would have been considered extremely foolish by those listening to this story. However, the Father makes it clear that his outreach to the younger brother will not change his love for the older brother. It will cost the elder brother nothing to reach out. We have nothing to lose in welcoming home the lost.
Today, we can try to place ourselves somewhere in this narrative: where do you stand? This Gospel shows us that God returns the lost to the community, regardless of the boundaries that we might put in place. Jesus teaches us a lesson in radical hospitality. No matter how far we wander from home, God is still a loving God. The elder brother has a choice: to come to the party or to sulk in the corner. Luke, excellent story-teller that he is, leaves the reader to decide the outcome.
‘God of love, show us our place in this world as channels of your love for all the creatures of this earth, for not one of them is forgotten in your sight. Enlighten those who possess power ... that they may love the common good, advance the weak, and care for this world in which we live’ (Pope Francis, Laudato Si, 246)  – Jane Mellett

(from Intercom)