WEEKLY REFLECTION

On the Word of the Lord and the Message of Our Lady

4th Sunday of Lent (Year C) March 10, 2013

No. 015 Series 2013

Dear brothers and sisters,

Ave Maria!
The theme of the abundant forgiveness of God continues in this Sundays Gospel about the famous parable of the Prodigal Son (Luke 15:1-3, 11-32). What his critics charge against Jesus unwittingly sums up the glory of salvation: God, in

the person of Jesus, welcomes sinners and eats with them. For Our Ladys message, we will read Message 219, The Only Possibility of Salvation. Here, she implores us to return to God, who awaits us with that love with which the
father, each day, awaited the return of the prodigal son.

I.

GOSPEL READING (Luke 15:1-3, 11-32) 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 fathers 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.

Points for Reflection In Chapter 15 of Lukes Gospel, he put together three originally independent parables: (1) the lost sheep (15: 37); (2) the lost coin (15: 8-10); and (3) the lost son (15: 11-32). They are tied together by the theme: Something precious was lost then is found; to great rejoicing, which is shared with others. The setting for these parables is important. As he so often does, Jesus associates with tax collectors and sinners. Tax collectors were despised for collaborating with the hated Roman occupiers on whose behalf they extorted taxes and tolls. As so often happened, the Pharisees and scribes are shocked and offended by Jesus association with such people. These parables are meant to challenge this attitude of self-righteousness. Jesus transforms the meanings of lost and found. In the light of the opening setting and the concluding parable, all three parables describe Gods search for the sinner who repents.

1.

Tax collectors and sinners were all drawing near to listen to Jesus. As Jesus addressed huge crowds, he attracted even those who were obviously not righteous and religious people, but sinners. He must have spoken in a way that did not shame nor humiliate them.

2.

This man welcomes sinners and eats with them. This was the distinctive characteristic of Jesus in his public ministry. The Pharisees and Scribes, however, did not like this, and, thus, complained: This man welcomes sinners and eats with them. Little did they realize that in this one criticism, they described exactly what Jesus had come to do. All of the Old Covenant and all of the New Covenant tell this one magnificent story: God, the Creator of all in heaven and on earth, welcomes sinners like us to share a meal with Him, now and into eternity. The irony is mind-boggling!

3.

The Younger Son Some feel that the younger son represents the tax collectors and sinners while the elder son symbolizes the scribes and Pharisees. It is doubtful whether this was in the mind of Jesus when he told the story. The younger son is portrayed as indulging in irresponsible behavior which brought shame and embarrassment to his family, and most especially to his father. Traditionally, such a son would have been disowned in a culture characterized by the distinction between honor and shame. The son brought shame to his father. He knows what he has done, and his only hope would have been to get hired as a common laborer. Shockingly, the father not only takes the son back, but does so in a manner resembling the coronation of a king.

4.

The Elder Son The elder son was clearly shocked by this extraordinary behavior of his father. He might have thought that he would never see his younger brother again, and good riddance, given what he had done. He could not understand his fathers extravagant reception and acceptance of this young renegade. There does not seem to be a shred of justice in what the father did. Just the thought of entering that house was repulsive to the elder son. Nevertheless, the father pleaded with the elder son to come into the party and share the joy of having a lost brother and son returned to the family.

5.

The Merciful Father Gods extravagant love for people whom we consider unworthy can be shocking and upsetting to us. Such love does not abide by our usual norms of fairness and justice. We actually prefer to have God follow our own rules. We question a God who appears excessive in any way. The parable forces us to wrestle with the challenge given to this elder son. What will it take for us to enter the house and share in the festivities prepared for the younger son? What will it take for us to realize that such a celebration is in actuality meant for us as well? Both sons were lost, but only one was found. The elder son was still on the outside. What will it take for him to allow himself to be found by a father ready to do whatever it will take?

II.

OUR LADYS MESSAGE: "The Only Possibility of Salvation (Message 219)

January 1, 1981 Solemnity of Mary, Mother of God

a.

Begin this new year in the light of my divine maternity. I am the way along which peace will come to you. The inability of the men of today to establish peace is caused by their obstinate denial of God. So long as humanity continues to go along the way of rejection of God and of rebellion against his Law, you will have no peace. On the contrary, egoism and violence will increase and wars will follow upon wars, ever more cruel and bloody. As has been many times foreseen, a third world-wide war, which will have the terrible capacity of destroying the greater part of the human race, can take place, if men do not seriously resolve to return to God. The Lord is ready to pour out upon even your straying and so very threatened generation the floods of his mercy, only on the condition that this generation returns with repentance to the arms of its Heavenly Father. I myself have sung of his divine mercy, which extends to all generations of men who acknowledge the Lord, and the one and only possibility of salvation for you is in this return to the love and fear of God. On the first day of the new year, on which you venerate the joyful mystery of my divine maternity, I direct to you, my poor sons, my merciful eyes. With an afflicted soul and an anguished voice, I implore you to return to God, who awaits you with that love with which the father, each day, awaited the return of the prodigal son . . . I invite you to a loving crusade of reparative prayer and to works of penance. Together with me implore of God the grace of return for so many of my estranged children. Multiply everywhere cenacles of prayer to compel the mercy of God to descend, as a dew, on the immense desert of this world. And prepare yourselves to see that which human eyes have never before seen. I am the way of peace. Through me, all humanity is called to return to God, because only in its complete return can my motherly Heart triumph..."

b.

c.

d.

e. f.

g. h.

Points for Reflection The brief message of Our Lady has a semblance to the parable that we just read from the Gospel of St. Luke.

1. The son is humanity which continues to go along the way of rejection of God and of rebellion against his
Law. (219 b)

2. The father is: 3

- The Lord ready to pour out . . . the floods of his mercy (219 d); - The God who awaits you with that love with which the father, each day, awaited the return of the
prodigal son (219 f).

3. The only possibility of salvation is: In the return to the love and fear of God (219 e) To return with repentance to the arms of the Heavenly Father (219 d)

4. The role of our Blessed Mother: The way of peace through whom humanity is called to return to God (219 a, h) Our Mother who implores for us (219 f, g)

5. The need for the cenacle: I invite you to a loving crusade of reparative prayer and to works of penance. (219 g) Multiply everywhere cenacles of prayer to compel the mercy of God to descend, as a dew, on the immense desert of this world. (219 h)

Let us join the whole Church in praying for the upcoming Conclave. And in particular, let us recite this prayer: Lord Jesus Christ, Son of the Father, send down your Spirit over the conclave. Let the Holy Spirit inspire the hearts of our cardinals, that they may choose the man most pleasing to you, to be the successor of Peter and your Vicar on earth. May Mary, your Mother and Mother of the Church, be our Advocate. Amen. God bless you all!

Yours in the Immaculate Heart, Fr. Omer Note:

This reflection is shared with all cenacle groups (priests and laity) within and outside of the Philippines. It is meant to help in their weekly cenacles, with Our Ladys words transcribed verbatim for those who do not have copies of the Blue Book. This may also be shared with those who are not members of the Marian Movement of Priests for their personal use.