DURING the days of the Civil War in America, a guard was caught sleeping on duty. For that, he was sentenced to death.
When Pres. Abraham Lincoln heard about it, he himself talked with the guard and ordered that the penalty be commuted.
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His generals complained, but the President’s decision remained. Because of the compassionate gesture, the soldier did his best from then on, and proved to be an exceptionally diligent, conscientious soldier.
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That true story might well illustrate the over bending compassion of the father in the Parable of the Prodigal Son (Lk 15, 11-32) in this 4th Sunday of Lent.
Bible scholars say that the Parable of the Prodigal Son is a misnomer. It should be called the Parable of the “prodigal” Father because the whole story depicts the hard-to-believe love of the father on his errant son.
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This love begins when the father reluctantly yielded to the wish of his son who insisted to be free by getting his inheritance and breaking away from home.
Although the father knew the danger that lay ahead, he let him go. This gives us an insight into God’s love: for love to be true, it must be freely given; it cannot be forced.
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After the profligate son had spent all his patrimony in “loose living,” he was despondent, broken, abandoned by his good-time friends.
How true it is in life. As long as the money holds out, we’re surrounded by “friends.” But when the “wells run dry,” we’re left on our own. As the saying goes, “Victory has many fathers, but defeat is an orphan.” Political candidates, take note.
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In order to survive, the impoverished lad had to work in a piggery feeding swine. This has an interesting symbolism. For the Jews who are forbidden to eat pork, to work feeding swine and eating the “husks the pigs ate,” means they have reached the lowest level of your social status.
Then the young man came to his senses. For the first time he realized what a big mistake he had made. He says to himself, “I will rise and go to my father.” So he returned home.
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The loving father in the story represents God and the wayward son is every sinner – us. Christ is saying that after even the most stupid of mistakes or the most degrading sin, God is always waiting for us and will take us back unconditionally.
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We are in the season of Lent. This is a time and opportunity for us to return to our prodigal Father. All that’s needed is acceptance of our sins, confess them in the Sacrament of Reconciliation, and reform. And the effect? Adeep sense of joy, relief and peace of soul.
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CONDONING SIN? Some of you may object to the Father’s lavish treatment of the errant son as condoning wrongdoing.
Jesus’ parable conveys that, just as a particular child who’s sick needs extra special care and love, so a son who goes astray needs special care and attention.
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MOST UNHAPPY. In trying to highlight the jealous older brother’s unhappiness over the return of his wayward brother, a religion teacher asked her class: “Who was the most unhappy when the prodigal son returned?”
A boy replied: “Ma’am, the fatted cow because it was slaughtered for the homecoming!”
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FAMILY TV MASS — is aired on IBC 13 (15 on cable) at 7 a.m. every Sunday and on GMA Pinoy TV International. Sponsor: IMMACULATE HEART OF MARY COLLEGE P’QUE. Presider: Fr. Dominic Lim, OFM Conv.