SUNDAY IV OF LENT – YEAR C - Gospel (Luke 15:1-3. 11-32) - THE WORD OF GOD FOR EVERYONE

“I have sinned against heaven and against you, I no longer deserve to be called your son.” (Lk 15:21)

FIRST READING - Jos 5:9a, 10-12

A reading from the Book of Joshua

The LORD said to Joshua,

“Today I have removed the reproach of Egypt from you.”

While the Israelites were encamped at Gilgal on the plains of Jericho,

they celebrated the Passover

on the evening of the fourteenth of the month.

On the day after the Passover,

they ate of the produce of the land

in the form of unleavened cakes and parched grain.

On that same day after the Passover,

on which they ate of the produce of the land, the manna ceased.

No longer was there manna for the Israelites,

who that year ate of the yield of the land of Canaan.

SECOND READING from the Letter of St. Paul to the Corinthians - 2 Corinthians 5:17-21

Brothers and sisters:

Whoever is in Christ is a new creation:

the old things have passed away;

behold, new things have come.

And all this is from God,

who has reconciled us to himself through Christ

and given us the ministry of reconciliation,

namely, God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ,

not counting their trespasses against them

and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation.

So we are ambassadors for Christ,

as if God were appealing through us.

We implore you on behalf of Christ,

be reconciled to God.

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.

GOSPEL OF THE DAY - Lk 15:1-3, 11-32

From the Gospel according to Luke

Tax collectors and sinners were all drawing near to listen to Jesus,

but the Pharisees and scribes began to complain, saying,

“This man welcomes sinners and eats with them.”

So to them Jesus addressed this parable:

“A man had two sons, and the younger son said to his father,

‘Father give me the share of your estate that should come to me.’

So the father divided the property between them.

After a few days, the younger son collected all his belongings

and set off to a distant country

where he squandered his inheritance on a life of dissipation.

When he had freely spent everything,

a severe famine struck that country,

and he found himself in dire need.

So he hired himself out to one of the local citizens

who sent him to his farm to tend the swine.

And he longed to eat his fill of the pods on which the swine fed,

but nobody gave him any.

Coming to his senses he thought,

‘How many of my father’s hired workers

have more than enough food to eat,

but here am I, dying from hunger.

I shall get up and go to my father and I shall say to him,

“Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you.

I no longer deserve to be called your son;

treat me as you would treat one of your hired workers.”’

So he got up and went back to his father.

While he was still a long way off,

his father caught sight of him, and was filled with compassion.

He ran to his son, embraced him and kissed him.

His son said to him,

‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you;

I no longer deserve to be called your son.’

But his father ordered his servants,

‘Quickly bring the finest robe and put it on him;

put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet.

Take the fattened calf and slaughter it.

Then let us celebrate with a feast,

because this son of mine was dead, and has come to life again;

he was lost, and has been found.’

Then the celebration began.

Now the older son had been out in the field

and, on his way back, as he neared the house,

he heard the sound of music and dancing.

He called one of the servants and asked what this might mean.

The servant said to him,

‘Your brother has returned

and your father has slaughtered the fattened calf

because he has him back safe and sound.’

He became angry,

and when he refused to enter the house,

his father came out and pleaded with him.

He said to his father in reply,

‘Look, all these years I served you

and not once did I disobey your orders;

yet you never gave me even a young goat to feast on with my friends.

But when your son returns

who swallowed up your property with prostitutes,

for him you slaughter the fattened calf.’

He said to him,

‘My son, you are here with me always;

everything I have is yours.

But now we must celebrate and rejoice,

because your brother was dead and has come to life again;

he was lost and has been found.'"

SUNDAY IV OF LENT – YEAR C - Gospel (Luke 15:1-3. 11-32)

THE WORD OF GOD FOR EVERYONE

Dear People of God,

In today’s Word of God, God the Father calls all His children to come together to God the Father, to look back at our sinful, weak, and lowly selves through reflection. Reflection is spending time with God the Father, asking Him to enlighten us about the past. What have we done in the past year that has displeased God the Father, our brothers and sisters, and even our own bodies and souls?

Through the images of the characters in the parable of today’s Gospel, God the Father wants all His children to reflect the image of God the Father, the elder son, and the younger son within themselves. What is the image of God the Father in me? What is the image of the elder son in me? What is the image of the younger son in me?

When God created human beings, He placed a heart in each person that knows how to love, be kind, and forgive. However, throughout life, people encounter many circumstances, and due to the weakness, fragility, and heaviness of the body, they often disobey God’s will, follow Satan’s temptations, and go against His commandments. As a result, they live in sin, suffering, and the torment of conscience, enduring both physical and mental hardships.

God the Father wants people to know that He has loved, forgiven, and shown mercy to them by sacrificing His only Son, Jesus Christ, who came down to earth as a human to love and accompany humanity, guiding them to eternal life, to the Source of Love, to the Kingdom of Heaven here on earth.

That is why the Word of Jesus Christ teaches humanity today to reflect on themselves and repent of their sins. Let each of us face God the Father and open our hearts to Him: Have I truly loved God the Father above all things and loved my brothers and sisters as myself? Have I obeyed God’s will at all times and in all places, or have I disobeyed His commandments? Do I still follow Satan’s temptations, indulge in lust, eating and drinking, worldly pleasures, and commit the sin of displeasing God the Father? Let each of us examine ourselves! When facing God the Father, have I been merciful to my brothers and sisters, or do I still condemn, blame, resent, exclude, expel, and arrogantly think that I am better than others—that I am more holy, moral, intelligent, talented, or wise than others?

The image of God the Father in today’s Word of God calls on all His children to joyfully thank Him for His immense mercy and for the great sacrifice He made by becoming human to love and accompany humanity. He gave us the opportunity to also become human, to be children of God. Most importantly, He gave us the opportunity to repent of our sins and return to God the Father, so we can listen to His teachings from the past to the present.

God the Father wants to advise His children to be alert to the temptations of Satan, not to indulge in them anymore, to eliminate material passions, physical passions, lustful passions, desires for eating and drinking, and passions for enjoyment. He invites us to courageously return to make peace with God the Father and with our brothers and sisters. Because from the very beginning, God the Father has made it known to humankind that there is only one God the Father, the only One of love, the only God who loves mankind the most. No one else has the mercy, sympathy, tolerance, and forgiveness like God the Father!

God the Father wants to invite all His children today to be alert to the temptation of Satan, which led the elder son and the younger son away from the loving arms of God, their merciful Father. The image of the younger son leaving the loving arms of the Father is similar to every person in today’s world who has left the loving arms of God the Father, His mercy, and is living in lust, sinful passion, worldly pleasures, debauchery, and the vanities of this world that Satan brings, drawing each person away from the work of God the Father, away from His loving arms.

Furthermore, the elder brother, who lives right next to God the Father, right in His heart, is still proud and arrogant, still thinking: ‘Here am I, who is holy, moral, and have always obeyed God the Father’. But in reality, his heart is full of greed, selfishness, arrogance, hatred, jealousy, envy, and competition. He lacks forgiveness, tolerance, love, and compassion, and he always lives in anger, pride, and arrogance, thinking ‘here am I who is number one, who is better than others.’

God the Father wants to warn all His children that there is always a dominant pride in every person, a passion for eating and drinking, a passion for the world, a passion for lust, and a passion for enjoying the pleasures of this world. In the hearts full of arrogance, jealousy, envy, selfishness, and greed, there is still a loving heart that God the Father has placed inside each person. There is still a heart of repentance before God, a heart of respect for God, our Father.

This is why God the Father calls for all His children during this Holy Lent to reflect before Him: to spend more time in prayer, to recognize one’s sins, and to sincerely repent before God the Father and our brothers and sisters. We must stand up, return to make peace with God the Father, and stay in His embrace, just like the younger son: by reflecting on himself and returning to God the Father, He gave him everything back—more than what he had before, that is, to live in grace, love, and mercy of God the Father.

God the Father also wants to call to His children: Do not follow the temptations of Satan, like the elder brother did. Do not be arrogant, extravagant, selfish, greedy, hateful, or compare yourself to others. Instead, do the opposite of what the elder brother did: practice forgiveness, tolerance, love, kindness, faithfulness, loyalty, sacrifice, and humility. Open your heart to accept your sinful and weak brother and forgive and tolerate them, just as God the Father does.

Being aware of this, people must always be in harmony with the Father and with each other by sacrificing the old self and embracing the new self in Jesus Christ. We must have a heart of love, fear, and obedience to the will of God the Father wherever we are. We must welcome all our brothers and sisters, work together in God the Father’s plan, and build this world in His grace, guidance, and direction, so that we can all enjoy happiness in the Kingdom of Heaven.

Thanks be to God. Amen.