Fourth Sunday of Lent
We have heard the parable of the prodigal many times. I feel that Jesus left the parable left wide open. For example, did the older son join in the celebration? Did the older son finally see the father’s point of view? Did the two brothers reconcile? What kind of a son was the younger son once he got back? Like a good movie or a novel, this parable cries for a sequence.
Whereas the parable is left open-ended, the introduction to parable is very clear. In fact, the introduction to the parable is as important as the parable itself. Luke introduces the parable in these words, “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....” Luke tells us Jesus’ target audience (the Pharisees and the scribes), the problem he was trying to address (the complaint of Pharisees and the scribes that Jesus eats with tax collectors and sinners), and the problem itself (tax collectors and sinners were all drawing near to listen to Jesus).
I believe that Luke’s introduction is an invitation to understand this parable more than as a lesson in personal conversion or God’s unending compassion and forgiveness. Join me today in reflecting on this parable from a less explored perspective – reimagining community.
Reimagining Community
The Pharisees and the scribes began to complain. Their complaint was that tax-collectors and sinners – those who thus far were unincluded – were drawing near to listen to Jesus. For the Pharisees and scribes this meant two things: first, it was a sign that Jesus was not from God. Second, Jesus modus operandi would make them reimagine community. Thus far, there was a clear line between sinners and righteous people. Jesus was redrawing that line. It scared the Pharisees and scribes. So, they began to complain.
Imagining community has been a perpetual global, national, and ecclesial issue. Unfortunately, history tells us that there were clear lines of who belonged and who does not belong. Cities and neighborhoods, churches and places of worship, highways and railway lines, shopping centres and banks, electoral districts and political candidates were planned and created based on ethnic, racial, and even religious lines. The tragedy is that the history of systemic segregation, and the politics, economics, and ecclesiology of separation continue even to this day.
This week, think about Jesus redrawing the lines of the Judaic society of his time and its implications for our times. There are two possibilities – that we join hands with Jesus or, in fear, dig in to keep intact the lines of segregation and separation.
Becoming a Listening Church
There is quote from the early days of Pope Francis’ papacy that drew great appreciation from some folks and stringent criticism from others. He said, “The thing the church needs most today is the ability to heal wounds and to warm the hearts of the faithful; it needs nearness, proximity. I see the church as a “field hospital” after battle… Heal the wounds, heal the wounds.”
I want to share a recent experience I had with a teenager, whose parents encouraged him to talk to me. They asked him to come to me because they said that I would be understanding. He had questions about his sexuality and his sexual orientation. There was not an ounce of rebellion in him or any peer pressure. He was going through a genuine phase of discernment. He cried through most of the conversation. I learnt through him that when young people struggle with sexuality, sexual or gender orientation issues, the first they avoid is the Church. It should be the opposite, isn’t it? They are our children. No matter what they are going through and no matter what their final decision, we have to embrace them. The Church should be the first place that these young men and women turn towards. But, as Pope Francis also says, the Church is often looked upon as “a museum for saints!”
At the recent Town Hall meetings on the preparation for Synod 2023, one of the questions asked was, “Whose voice is not heard in the church?” The answer was: The young, LGBTQ, women, disabled (many different forms), home bound, the divorced, single people, lay workers in the parish, ollege age/The ‘nones’, traditional Catholics, people of color/different culture/different language, priests (by those above them) and the abused.” The follow-up question was: “What prevents people from speaking up?” The main answer was fear – fear of being ostracized, criticized, ignored and of losing relationships. The other answers were a general feeling of distrust and the exclusionary culture.
There is lesson for us in the Parable of the Lost Son and a lesson for us in the Synod session. Like Jesus, our Church and parish must be places where those who are excluded feel welcome to come to Jesus. Let us redraw the lines.
Families of Parishes and the Parable of the Lost Son
These days we are redrawing the lines of yet another reality in our lives – our parishes. The latest data on declining church membership, declining Sacramental life, and declining priests has made the Archdiocese adopt the “families of parishes” concept of reorganizing the archdiocesan parishes.
I have now lived in this neighborhood for twenty-two years. I have talked to parishioners from every parish in this community. There is one sentence I have heard from some people in every parish: “You will not catch me going across the tracks!” There are railway tracks crisscrossing the boundaries between Ascension, Immaculate Conception, St. Anthony, St. Mary, and Holy Angels parishes. We are all so similar and we are all Catholic, yet we have drawn our lines and treated others as aliens. Now the lines are being redrawn. What shall we do?
Let me be clear. I understand the real fears – the fear of losing identity, history, traditions, and a sense of community. But there are also opportunities – to create shared identities, create new histories, create new traditions, forge new communities, to move from being a maintenance church to a vibrant missionary church.
Catholics in Dayton stand at a critical juncture. We have the opportunity to recreate history and redraw lines that are inclusive, welcoming, and affirming. In the coming months and years, we will establish many parish groups to come together to talk, discuss, listen, and become the kind of community that Jesus attempted to create; the kind of church that builds the kingdom of God rather than the domain of man.
Let me conclude by saying that we should not lose sight of the fact that the Parable of the Lost Son is still a parable of conversion and a parable of God’s reconciling love. If we need to individually repent for the times we have been exclusive, inward looking, and segregating, let us come to God in sorrow. Let our repentance also lead us to a resolve to join hands with Jesus in building the kingdom of God. Amen.
- Fr. Satish Joseph