The Twenty-Fourth Sunday in Ordinary Time

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.'

We all have acted like the prodigal son in one way or another. We have being greedy, prideful, inconsiderate, wasteful, and many other things. However, God is always waiting for us to return to Him. He watches for us and hopes that one day we will come to our senses and seek him out. No matter if our sin is great or small, He rejoices in our return. All we have to do is to admit our sins, seek out His Mercy with contrite hearts, and do penance. Once these are done, God will cloth us in His Love, Mercy, and Grace and return us to life. It is difficult for us to admit we are flawed, that we have weaknesses, and are sinful. We tend to blind ourselves to what is wrong with us and only discover our underlying problems when all else fails. Thankfully, with God's help the way to salvation can be revealed to us even in our sinful state, though it us up to us to head toward the light and not hide from it. Then once we return to our Heavenly Father we shall be cleansed of our sins and given every blessing we need to live saintly lives filled with faith, hope, and love.

In what ways have we acted like the prodigal son? How can we amend our lives so we can become good and faithful servants? How can we show others the mercy God has shown to us?

O Lord, give us new life in your heavenly kingdom.

Amen.

Second Saturday of Lent

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.

We share a lot in common with the prodigal and older son in today’s gospel. We have taken the gifts and talents God has given us and squandered them. Some of are like the older brother. We waste our abilities a little at a time, here and there. We hardly notice the missed opportunities to do more than just what is required of us. We think obedience is enough, but it is not. Doing God’s Will requires self-sacrifice and humility. However, others of us are like the prodigal son. We blind ourselves to the good with our desire for worldly things. We let our physical wants guide us away from our spiritual needs. We starve on a lack of charity toward God, others, and ourselves. We have no harvest to tend to because we have not taken the time to purchase the seeds through sacrifice or plant them with love. However, the Father is always there for us, hoping we too will come to our senses and return to him like the prodigal son or realize that everything is ours like the elder one.

In what ways are we like the prodigal son? Do we identify with the jealousy of the elder son? How can we learn from both of these men and grow in our relationship with God, our father?

O Lord, help us to come to our senses and to know everything you have is ours.

Amen.