Coming to His Senses

Coming to His Senses

March 10, 2013

Fourth Sunday of Lent C

By Rev. Joe McCloskey, SJ

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.  Joshua 5:11-12

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.  2 Corinthians 5:17-19

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.  Luke 15:17-20a

Piety (What was I doing for Christ?)

 Whoever is in Christ is a new creation.   No longer is the manna coming for the Israelites.  They are fed by the produce of the land.   Having died with Christ in our piety, we rise with him.  We have tasted of the goodness of the Lord and live now in Christ by our Piety.  Eucharist allows the growth into Christ.   Each day we communicate we have more of the life of the Lord.  Christ takes us into himself even as we take him into ourselves.   Christ has saved us from our distress by taking us to himself.  Piety is a lived relationship with the Lord.

Study (What am I doing for the Christ?)

We look at how God has reconciled us to himself.  The Prodigal Son is greeted when he returns home by the Father who rushes out to welcome him with his joy on his face at his lost Son returning to him.  The love of the Father is manifested so prodigally by the Father that he should be called the prodigal Father.  The elder son who was home all the time and faithful to the Father is upset.   He had received nothing from the Father for being faithful.  The Father explains to the elder son that he already has everything.  All the father had was the elder son’s.  God loves us so much that he has already given us everything that belongs to Jesus.  We have in Christ God’s life in us.  There is nothing more he can give us.  We need but ask and the Father gives us all.  We do not need to deserve God’s love.  We have to accept it.  Our love of God finds its perfection in the good life that we live.  The perfection of our life is our Christ life.

Action (What will I do for Christ?)

Jesus welcomes sinners and eats with them.  Reaching out to people and sharing Christ with them is the best Christ action we can do for anyone.  Forgiving those that have hurt or offended us is the action called for by this gospel.   Offering love and regard to past enemies before they have the chance to ask pardon is the forgiving that Christ is talking about in the Prodigal Son parable.  We are called to be his forgiveness to our world.  How we make a moment better is the best sacrifice we can do in his name if in fact it would be a sacrifice.  Actually being a forgiving person gives greater happiness than we could ever realize before we forgave.  To forgive is a divine action that is its own reward.  So we become ambassadors for Christ.  Through Christ we are reconciled to God and we become his reconcilers when we forgive in the name of Christ those who have hurt us.   Though him who did not know sin as his own act we become like him forgivers of sinners by the sacrifices we make for other’s forgiveness.  No one can take away from us our right to be lovers.  We are always free to love even when another does not deserve it.  Love goes beyond what another deserves.  God goes beyond what we could ever deserve so that we can know how to be his love by giving without counting the cost.  We are called to be his love to our world.