Today’s Gospel Story (Luke 15:1-3, 11-32) is the very familiar Parable of the prodigal Son. The Psalm Verse is “Taste and see the goodness of the Lord”.
The Psalm says “taste and see the goodness of the Lord”. This is a good way of living, spending quality time with Abba and getting to know him. When I do this, and let myself be led, I find Abba is like the father in the parable. He loves me no matter what I am doing, and without any condition. So many people everywhere have no awareness or interest in a Compassionate Abba. A lot of us accept this theoretically, but it doesn’t have much effect in our everyday lives. But, when I take this serious and try to make Abba an important part of my everyday living, I come to know this in my own experience, and feel moved to change how I live every day, how I treat people I don’t like. Gradually as I come to recognize Abba in my life, I also come to recognize him in the lives of other people in my life. Perhaps I am asked to help people come to experience this, which can’t be taught only caught. It’s not a matter of learning, only of experience.
Jesus used parables to shock people out of their usual ways of thinking and get them to think in new ways. This certainly is true with today’s Parable. As always, there are at least two ways to understand this Parable — the majority report, what it has always been understood to say, and the minority report, what it says to me, when I pray it in the setting of my own life here and now.
The Gospel Story says “the Pharisees and scribes began to complain, saying, ‘This man welcomes sinners and eats with them’.” Jesus responds with the Parable that stresses the father’s love and compassion for his sons, and Abba’s loving mercy and compassion for all of us. This is how the “majority report” has traditionally understood the Parable as an encouragement for all of us as we live our life every day. For the Scribes and the Pharisees everything was clear cut and black and white. Obey all the laws and God blesses us. Do not, and God punishes us. Since they knew all the rules and laws, they also knew that (their) God would act the same way they act towards these sinners. In the Parable Jesus shows them this is not the way things are. Abba is reaching out to me in compassion, and forgiving me no matter what I have done. And so it is for all of us.
The minority report is what the Parable says to me as I read it in the setting of my every day life. One way to prayerfully read the Parable is to put myself in the role of each person in the Parable, basically the Father, the Elder Son, and Younger Son. Seeing myself as the Younger Son is fairly obvious because the story offers many details. Same if I were to put myself as the Father. Seeing myself as the Elder Son can be a bit challenging. Basically, he is saying, “Look, I’ve kept all the rules, and done everything you asked of me, yet what good has it done me? You have done nothing for me”. In doing this these days I might be saying, “Abba, I’ve kept all the rules, done what you and the church have asked me to do, and I don’t have anything to show for it. Why don’t you do something for me? What do I have this failed relationship? Why can’t I get a good job? Why is my life so difficult?” And so on. The Elder Son is judging both his Father and his Brother. He doesn’t understand his Father’s compassionate heart or his Brother’s painful journey. What I come to accept over time on my journey is I don’t understand other people’s journey, so in my own way I judge them as the Elder brother judges his Father and his Brother. This makes for a painful way to live. I know this because I’ve been there. Sometimes I still am. I’m learning to forgive others for not being who I want them to be. The Parable also is an invitation to accept responsibility for what I have done, and go where this takes me, open to whatever comes. Wandering and wondering.
I don’t know what happens to the Elder Brother after he argues with his Father, so I can simply put myself in his position and go here it takes me. It is important that I let the Spirit move me in this, and not tell her where I want to go. Being open to the Spirit involves some sort of letting go, usually of my need to feel in control. I need to be ready to be surprised. I’ve been learning that having things go as I want them to is very much over-rated, and letting go is very much under-rated. May I accept everything that comes into my life today because it is of Abba.
I don’t think I can ever understand Abba’s compassion — both for me and for everybody, especially these days with all the nastiness that is going on. It is easy for me to judge others who don’t think as I’d like them to. Again, there is the journey, and “Taste and see”. We are all on our journey from Abba, with Abba, and to Abba. The journey is where the Spirit happens in me. People don’t have to please me. I need to forgive them them for not being who I want them to be, and do some growing. Abba loves each of them as he loves me. I don’t understand how or why Abba loves me as I am, so I can’t understand how he loves others, especially people I can’t stand. But the Parable reminds me Abba is truly compassionate to all of us. “Taste and See” is a good way of living, faithful to my prayer practice every day regardless of what else is going on. It puts context into my every day living. Dare I ask the grace to live as the Father lived with both his sons? There have been unexpected experiences of this happening, and they have been amazing. The Parable is as personal in my life as I want it to be, or not. I can let it speak to me and move me to grow, or not, be open to the Spirit, or not. It’s my choice. And I can’t judge anybody else for how they choose. Each of us is exactly where we need to be for Abba’s Spirit to touch us and help us grow, if we are open to it. Just sayin . . .