Working at Reconciliation
March 10th, 2010For Sunday, March 14, 2010
4th Sunday of Lent
Joshua 5:9a, 10-12
2 Corinthians 5:17-21
Luke 15:1-3, 11-32
Or for the Scrutinies:
Samuel 16:1b, 6-7, 10-13a
Ephesians 5:8-14
John 9:1-41
Every three years we come around to hearing the parable of the forgiving father/prodigal son. And in that third year, we hear it TWICE!–once on the fourth Sunday of Lent and then just a few months later when we get to the 24th Sunday in Ordinary Time in September. The story is one of the most familiar of Jesus’ parables to Christians. It is reproduced in stained glass windows and taught in religious formation classes. It is often used as the Scripture reading for celebrations of first penance as a reminder of God’s eternal mercy.
In the parable, reconciliation seems so easy. Even though the younger son had wasted half of the father’s resources, the father welcomes him back. Through the celebration that occurs with the return to the fold of this wastrel, the father expresses his delight. But upon reflection, it is easy to understand why the older son is upset. The father (and older son), who relied on the remaining half of the inheritance, are now using it at a faster rate since the younger son has come back. While the father may be unconcerned, the more practical son is clearly upset that the younger son is once again in a position to share in the family’s wealth.
What the story reveals is that reconciliation is not an easy task. True reconciliation does not happen instantly. While celebrating the sacrament of penance may only take a short time (or maybe an hour if part of a communal service), the process of reconciliation can take much, much longer. And it is exactly that: a process.
Consider two sets of headlines in the past day.
On Sunday, a skeptical Palestinian government agreed to renewed talks with Israel, ending a 14-month breakdown of the Middle East peace process (http://www.nytimes.com/2010/03/08/world/middleeast/08mideast.html). But on Tuesday, while Vice President Biden was visiting, the Israeli Interior Ministry announced new construction to be undertaken in East Jerusalem (http://www.nytimes.com/2010/03/10/world/middleeast/10biden.html?ref=world). Palestinians reacted with horror and disgust. Mr. Biden offered harsh criticism saying, “Unilateral action taken by either party cannot prejudge the outcome of negotiations on permanent status issues.” Reconciliation in the Middle East is proving to be difficult.
In Northern Ireland on Tuesday, the peace process initiated by the Good Friday accords in 1998 continued to move forward. The Northern Ireland Assembly voted to devolve the justice and policing powers. After 38 years, the government of Northern Ireland will once again take charge of these powers rather than have them controlled by London. But not everyone was in agreement. Members of the Ulster Unionist Party voted against devolution, believing that it was not yet time for this to take place (http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/northern_ireland/8558466.stm). Of course, there are also radical partisans on the other side who have employed violence in the last decade to try to stop the accords. Reconciliation in Northern Ireland is also proving difficult.
In our own lives we know how difficult it can be to be reconciled. Even small transgressions can be difficult to let go of. Paul’s imperative to the Corinthians, “Be reconciled to God,” may actually be the easier part of the process. In the parable, it didn’t take too much for the father and son to be reconciled. The more difficult work was to bring about the reconciliation of the two brothers. The parable is silent on the eventual outcome of that task. But it was precisely what the father desired.
As this weekend’s parable highlights, the conversion of heart that needs to take place during the season of Lent is not only a return to the Lord. It is also a return to our brother or sister who may have wronged us or who we may have wronged. We won’t necessarily be done with that work by the time Easter comes. But it will have been a good Lent if we will have begun the process of reconciliation in earnest.
Paul Michaels
Prayer
Loving and forgiving God,
your Son welcomed the sinner
and healed those in the grip of evil.
Grant us your forgiveness and your mercy.
Open our hearts to the greatness of your love
that we may forgive those who have harmed us,
and be reconciled to those whom we have sinned against.
Grant this through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,
who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,
one God, forever and ever.
Amen.
Notices
OPERATION RICE BOWL FROM CRS
With the national CRS collection taking place this weekend it’s the perfect time to send parishioners to the CRS Web site so that they can discover all the good things that are done with their contributions. Even if your parish is not using the ORB materials, encouraging them to see the concrete work CRS performs in Nicaragua (this week’s country) will bring home the need. Gallo Pinto-rice and beans-is this week’s recipe, and it can be eaten while watching a video on CRS’ work in Nicaragua. You’ll find the recipe and video at: http://orb.crs.org/countries/nicaragua/. Invite parishioners to learn more on the ORB Website at: http://orb.crs.org/.
NATIONAL CRS COLLECTION ON THE FOURTH SUNDAY OF LENT
Many dioceses will take up the annual Catholic Relief Services collection the weekend of March 13-14. For more information on this collection and resources to promote it, visit: http://www.usccb.org/crs/.
PROMOTING THE TRIDUUM
The three days of the Triduum are the most solemn of the liturgical year. LPi has clipart that can be used to dress up your parish fliers and bulletin announcements as you encourage members to participate. For more information, visit: http://www.portal.4lpi.com/.
INVITE A FRIEND FOR LENT
You can invite a friend to take a “reflection break” each week during Lent. Just forward your “Wednesday Morning Connection” e-mail or the blog Web page link, and encourage them to sign-up for themselves. Each week they’ll receive a reflection from Liturgical Publications Inc. (LPi) that connects the Scripture readings and current news headlines. The sign-up link is: http://www.4LPi.com/WMC.
With just a month until Easter, we have moved into the depths of Lent. The first of the Scrutinies will be celebrated this weekend with the Elect who have been chosen for baptism. In a few short weeks we will be at Palm Sunday, progressing through Holy Week, celebrating the great days of the Triduum that culminate with the Easter feast. Vespers (evening prayer) on Easter night bring the Three Days to a close even as we extend the Easter feasting through a week of weeks, that is, fifty days to Pentecost. These Lenten days of prayer, fasting, and almsgiving will soon give way to the joy of Easter, in which we celebrate the glory of the resurrection.
The second episode of the BBC comedy-drama “Skins” begins with the gang of 17-year-old classmates all asleep at Michelle’s house after a several-days-long party. Her mom was gone, so the house that was taken over by eight near-adults is a total disaster from the over-indulgent teens. Cassie (played by Hannah Murray) is one of the first to awaken, and begins to wander through the house examining the detritus of the bacchanalia. She walks into the kitchen where the counters are littered with the remains of half-eaten meals, empty cans and bottles, and stacks of unwashed dishes. She hears some chanting and looks out the kitchen window to see her classmate, Anwar (played by Dev Patel of “Slumdog Millionaire” fame), in the garden, kneeling on a prayer rug and performing Salaat, the Islamic ritual prayer.
Did you get to see the ads during the big game on Sunday? There’s always a lot of hype surrounding Super Bowl advertising. Many of them show up on YouTube after the game (as do parodies of them as well). The ad industry will spend weeks critiquing and analyzing the successes and failures of the entire lot. CBS revealed that there were three additional minutes of advertising in this year’s game-a record.