Fourth Sunday of Lent – Year C
March 06, 2016
Gospel: Lk 15:1-3, 11-32
Tax
collectors (1) and sinners
were all drawing near to listen to Jesus, but the Pharisees (2) and scribes (3) began to
complain, saying, “This man
welcomes sinners and eats with them.” So to them
Jesus addressed this parable: “A man had
two sons, and the younger son said to his father, ‘Father give
me the share of your estate that should come to me.’ So the father
divided the property between them. After a few
days, the younger son collected all his belongings and set off
to a distant country where he
squandered his inheritance on a life of dissipation. When he had
freely spent everything, a severe
famine struck that country, and he found
himself in dire need. So he hired
himself out to one of the local citizens who sent him
to his farm to tend the swine. And he longed
to eat his fill of the pods (4) on which the
swine fed, but nobody
gave him any. Coming to his
senses he thought, ‘How many of
my father’s hired workers have more
than enough food to eat, but here am
I, dying from hunger. I shall get
up and go to my father and I shall say to him, “Father, I
have sinned against heaven and against you. I no longer
deserve to be called your son; treat me as
you would treat one of your hired workers.”’ So he got up
and went back to his father. While he 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. His son said
to him, ‘Father, I
have sinned against heaven and against you; I no longer
deserve to be called your son.’ But his
father ordered his servants, ‘Quickly
bring the finest robe and put it on him; put a ring on
his finger and sandals on his feet. Take the
fattened calf and slaughter it. Then let us
celebrate with a feast, because this
son of mine was dead, and has come to life again; he was lost,
and has been found.’ Then the
celebration began. Now the older
son had been out in the field and, on his
way back, as he neared the house, he heard the
sound of music and dancing. He called one
of the servants and asked what this might mean. The servant
said to him, ‘Your brother
has returned and your
father has slaughtered the fattened calf because he
has him back safe and sound.’ He became
angry, and when he refused
to enter the house, his father
came out and pleaded with him. He said to
his father in reply, ‘Look, all
these years I served you and not once
did I disobey your orders; yet you never
gave me even a young goat to feast on with my friends. But when your
son returns who swallowed
up your property with prostitutes, for him you
slaughter the fattened calf.’ He said to
him, ‘My son, you
are here with me always; everything I
have is yours. But now we
must celebrate and rejoice, because your
brother was dead and has come to life again; he was lost
and has been found.’”
(http://usccb.org/bible/readings/030616-fourth-sunday-lent.cfm)
The difficult words
(1) Tax collectors in Roman times were not always
honest. Often they would steal from the people by keeping the money they
collected for themselves. Since they worked for the Romans, they were hated and
scorned.
(2) The Pharisees are Jews who try to remain
faithful to Moses' law, even in the smallest acts of daily life. Jesus
criticizes them for too severely judging those who don't live like they
do.
(3) The scribes are Jewish religious scholars.
They know the Scriptures well and are often at the Pharisees' sides.
(4) A pod is a long, split covering that
some vegetables grow in, like peas and green beans.
This week’s spotlight
"I confess to almighty God"
These are the first words of a prayer which we say at
the beginning of Mass to prepare us to hear the word of God and to receive the
body of Christ. By saying this prayer, we admit to God and one another that we
are sinners - meaning that we have turned away from God by doing something bad.
We ask Mary, the angels, all the saints, and all our brothers and sisters to
pray to God for us. The priest concludes with words of absolution (words
meaning forgiveness) which purify us from our less serious sins.
The kingdom of God
In this Sunday’s Gospel, the parable ends with a
celebration, a great feast. When we celebrate, we often share delicious food
with pleasant and happy people. When Jesus speaks about the kingdom of God, he
often compares it to a feast or banquet. Eternal life in the kingdom will be
like sharing a wonderful meal with the people we love. The meal we have with
Jesus and with one another in the Eucharist is a special sign of the kingdom. In
heaven, we will be joined with Jesus and with other believers for ever, just as
we are for a short time at communion.
Reflection
Boundless love
Read the parable in this week's Gospel. The son who
left with his father's money finds out for himself that he would be better off
with his father. Look how surprising the father's reaction is when his son
comes home. Instead of punishing him, he welcomes the young man with open arms.
Then the older brother gets upset. While he was faithful to his father, his younger
brother wasted his father's money. Not only that, they throw a party for him!
It's not fair! No, it's not fair, but the father's love is not just a matter of
what's fair. His son is back, and that is cause for celebration! Like the
younger brother in this story, we should never be afraid to ask God for
forgiveness, because he will always welcome us back with open arms. At the same
time, we should never be angry or jealous when other people receive forgiveness
for the bad things they did. This parable teaches us that God is a Father who
loves all his children and wants to treat each of us with boundless love and
mercy.
Discussion questions
1. What does the younger son ask for in the beginning of the story?
2. What happens after he leaves home?
3. Why does the younger son want
to come back home to his father?
4. What does the father do when
his son comes home?
5. What does the older son do?
6. What does this story teach us
about God?
7. What can you do during Lent to grow as a follower of Jesus?
Praying after Communion
After
receiving Holy Communion,
you can say this prayer silently to yourself. If you
have not yet
received your First Communion, you can still say this prayer because of your desire to
receive Jesus.
Father, through Jesus, in
communion with the whole Church, I thank you for coming into my heart. I turn
to you today and thank you for all the times you
have forgiven my sins. I believe that you are a God who is full of love and mercy. I pray that
this communion will prepare me for life in your kingdom, where I hope to be
united with you and with all your people for ever.
This week...
Welcoming God's forgiveness
Even if you have never received
the sacrament of reconciliation, you can still talk to a priest or religion
teacher about it. If you have already started receiving it, you can go see a
priest to ask for God’s forgiveness. Don’t be afraid to tell God about the bad
things you have done - you will receive his love more than ever.
Becoming reconciled
In the evening, when you pray,
try to remember what happened during the day - the things you did or the things
you said that were not loving. If you think that you have hurt someone's
feelings, ask God to forgive you and to give you the strength and courage to
make up with that person.
Crossword Puzzle
