Come Back to Me

Perhaps the most famous of all of Jesus’ parables is that of the Prodigal Son (Lk. 15: 11-32). As we remember, the parable tells of a young man who approaches his father and asks for his share of his inheritance. Of course traditionally an inheritance comes after one’s benefactor dies, so in effect the son is essentially telling his father that he hasn’t died quickly enough! This request further shows that  what he treasures is not a relationship with his father, but only the gifts the older man can offer him.

The son, not surprisingly, goes off and squanders the inheritance. Starving, he returns home, hat-in-hand, willing to take the role of a servant in his father’s house—only to see his father running toward him, welcoming him home, and forgiving him with wild enthusiasm.

If this parable is Jesus’ most famous, it is arguably also His most loved. Most of us can see a bit of ourselves in the son: expecting things from our Heavenly Father, impatient when we don’t receive them, or when they don’t seem to be shared quickly enough. We often “squander” our gifts “on lives of dissipation” (Lk. 15: 13) whatever form that “dissipation” may take. Like him, especially when we realize the wreck we’ve made of our lives or relationships, we are often afraid to return to our Father and ask forgiveness. We’re embarrassed to go to confession, and can come dangerously close to the sin of despair, convinced that God can’t—or won’t—forgive us for our transgressions.

But that’s not how God—or His priests—work. The prophet Joel, speaking on behalf of the Lord, implores:  
 
Jesus, through the loving father in His parable, reveals these attributes of God the Father as well.  

Returning to the narrative, we are told that while the son “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” (Lk. 15: 20). This, of course, is the response God has to us when we return to him contrite. He is like the shepherd who, to borrow from another parable, rejoices when he finds a lost sheep (Lk 15:5).

But there’s more.

As a genre, parables are characterized, in part, by having a certain “twist” in the story, an unexpected turn. Shepherds didn’t leave ninety-nine sheep behind to go after a missing one, people didn’t sell all they had to acquire a pearl, and parents most definitely did not go running toward their children.

Ever.

In the culture in which Christ lived, it was unseemly for parents to make such a move. Had the son returned to his father as a conquering hero, he would nonetheless have had to approach his elder in deference. But real love knows no convention, so the father ran to his repentant son—while he was a long way off!  Implicit in the description is that while the son was leading his debauched life, his father was looking for him to return, waiting for him, eager to renew their relationship.

Just like our Heavenly Father.

We have a God Who loves us more than we can imagine, Who wants us to come back to Him, and there is no better time to come back to the Lord than Lent. In this season we prepare for Easter by, among other things, reflecting on the love of Jesus as seen in the Paschal Mystery of His suffering, death, and resurrection for our Salvation. We also reflect on the reason for His sacrifice: our sinfulness.

Sin is a disease that diminishes us as people, it divides us against each other, and it isolates us.  But Jesus came to cure that disease: “Those who are well do not need a physician,” He reminded the Pharisees, “but the sick do. I did not come to call the righteous but sinners.” (Mk. 2: 17). In short He came for you and me, and has ordained His priests to act in His place to heal us through the sacrament of Reconciliation. Because if we’re honest with ourselves, we’ll all admit that we’re not the women and men we want to be. But it doesn’t have to stay this way.

If it’s been a while since we’ve been to confession—or even if it hasn’t—we might be a little hesitant to make use of this sacrament. It can be difficult to call to mind our failings and more than a little embarrassing to vocalize them to another person. But it helps to remember a time when a friend has confided something dark or difficult to us—our response is not disgust or judgment, it’s compassion and a desire to help them. It’s no different with our priests who have given their lives to bring us back to the Lord.

The Diocese of Cleveland is hosting “An Evening of Confession” on Wednesday, February 28, from 5-8pm at 185 parishes throughout the region. With the theme “Open the Door in 2024,” our priests are making themselves available to offer absolution to us. Of course Confession is available at our parishes on Saturdays and by appointment: and trust me, appointments are always available! 

It takes courage—but as Principal Anthony Fior ‘02 has set as our school theme this year, we should “Be not afraid.”  

The sacrament of Reconciliation is there for us, because like the Prodigal Son we’ve been away too long. It’s time to come home.  

Our Father’s got His running shoes on.

A.M.D.G. / B.V.M.H.