Twenty-fourth Sunday in Ordinary Time

The Ping-Pong booth at the
MSF Picnic 2010

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 he addressed this parable:

Saint Luke gives us not one but three parables in response to the complaints of the Pharisees and scribes. Each is a story about something lost: a coin, a sheep, and a son. In each there is diligent search and a joyous finding. In each the finder calls for a party, “Rejoice with me, I have found…”

While it is good to celebrate the indulgent father who welcomed his returning son, we should also hear the point that unifies all three stories: “We must celebrate and rejoice…”

The story of the prodigal son is the story of a seriously dysfunctional family. A self-centered boy makes an astonishingly cruel demand of his father, “Give me my share of the inheritance, that part which comes to me when you die!” and gets it. Why did his father do that? What possible gain could there be except to be rid of this nuisance once and for all?

The boy departs and, predictably, returns empty-handed; and his father kills the fatted calf at his return! Worse, he fails to invite the older son to the party! The young man, full co-owner now of his father’s estate, happens upon the party and wonders, “Now what?”

Then the old man comes out to invite the neglected son. After reminding him that the younger boy may be an honored guest but he has squandered his inheritance, and “Everything I have is yours;” he says, “We must celebrate and rejoice…”

And that’s the point of the story.

No family is perfect. No church or neighborhood or city is perfect. But periodically we have to set our differences aside, forgive, let go, and act as if we love one another.

If we wait till everything is just right before we sit down together and enjoy our solidarity as the people of God, we’ll get nowhere at all.

Our celebrations – the Eucharist, the sacraments, our daily prayers – draw us together despite our persistent sins. In fact they effect what they celebrate; they help us to do what we cannot do without them – forgive, atone, be reconciled and united in the wounded, healed Body of Christ.

The Church has suffered traumas in the last several years. We have been “A People Adrift” for a very long time. Some people have despaired, leaving the church and seeking other routes to salvation. We can hardly blame them, especially those who were most grievously offended. Which of us can say, “I would never leave the Church no matter what might happen to me?”

But our gracious Lord still invites us to come to the banquet, sinners as we are, and enjoy his hospitality. In the end we must let God be God even of our resentments. As Dante said, “In his will is our peace.”