The story is told about two women who were having a big quarrel and would not stop shouting at each other in front of the judge. To stop them, the judge said: “Let’s hear the older woman first.” The two women looked at each other and refused to talk. Whereupon the judge dismissed the case for lack of testimony.
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In today’s Gospel (Lk. 15, 1-3, 11-32), we learn about the story of the loving Father who dismissed the case of his prodigal son who had come home to beg for forgiveness. Our loving Father is never lacking in mercy and compassion. How assuring, and how consoling, to know that we are loved, understood and forgiven by God at any moment of our lives, in whatever situation.
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The first fault of the prodigal son was that he valued wealth more than his relationship with his father. In fact, he demanded in advance the inheritance that would be his at his father’s death. In our present day and time, there are people who quarrel with their parents and with their siblings over property and inheritance. Sad, but true. Yes, may we all learn to use things and love people in a world that has a tendency to use people and love things.
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What if the prodigal son never came back? Then there would have been a very sad father, and there would have been no jealous older brother. Let our story be that of going home, of going back no matter what. Let our story have a happy ending—as well as a fresh start and new beginnings! At any point of our lives, we must not give up or lose hope. Our faith is not about death but about rising again, not about sin but about forgiveness and being embraced by God in the end.
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What made the prodigal son get up and go home to his father? His difficult situation made him come to his senses, but more than this, it was the memory of how good and loving his father was that gave him the confidence and courage to go home. May God grant us the grace never to despair, never to give up on ourselves. Yes, let us focus on God, not on ourselves, as we journey on to God’s heart.
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“Kapal muks to the Lord.” Yes, how thick-faced we are to God. But it is better to be presumptuous of God’s love than to doubt God’s love. We must believe, and keep on believing, that we are loved, more than we know, more than we realize.
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The righteous older son had no fault except that he presumed that he was more loveable than his brother. The prodigal son focused on his father’s love and not on his sins. The older son, on the other hand, focused on his merits and not on his father’s love. May God spare us from the sins of pride and self-righteousness. Whether we are sinners or saints, the bottom line is still not ourselves but God’s grace, His mercy and His love.
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Sometime ago, I had a heart-rending talk with a teenager whose story was something like that of the prodigal son, but in reverse. It was a story of a son who was given away for adoption. He had always wanted to know who his real mother was, so he searched and found her through the Internet. When they finally met, the mother asked the son for forgiveness and explained her situation then and how the adoption came about. It was a painful but life-giving experience. Mother and son embraced and just let go of all the hurts and pains of all the years by way of tears.
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I admire the courage and strength of this boy who forgave and did not let his past destroy his present and his future. I admire, too, the humility of the mother, as well as her deep love for the child that she thought would have no future with her then.
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There is yet another character in the story of the prodigal son that we should not forget: the fattened calf! What was the calf’s fault that he was slaughtered when the prodigal son returned home? And so it is that there are some of us who experience becoming victims of other people’s misdeeds! Poor calf! His only fault was that he was there, ready for the slaughter when the prodigal son came back.
As the elections draw near, how many innocent fattened calves will again become victims of unscrupulous politicians? And once these politicians win, do you think the slaughter will end? How long will this go on? How long will our politicians and government officials enjoy their life of privilege and perks at the expense of our people, whose only fault is that they are poor and ill-informed?
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Think about this: “Always look at the good side of every situation. This positive attitude makes life easier, lighter and happier. Do not dwell on negatives which will just drain your energy, stress you, and make you miserable. Choose to be happy and to be free.”
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A moment with the Lord:
Lord, no matter what, help me to choose and to believe in happy endings. Amen.