Week of March 26, 2000
Lynn W.

"My son, the father answered, you are always here with me, and everything I have is yours. But we had to celebrate and be happy, because your brother was dead, but now he is alive; he was lost but now he has been found."
     Luke 15: 31-32

The prodigal son is one of my favorite parables. Jesus gives us a picture of a loving, forgiving father, who gives us freedom in the world to make choices. God allows us to make choices, good or bad. But when we choose the world's demands, like the prodigal's son, what we have left is nothing. As we come back home to God, we humbly ask for forgiveness. God in return stretches out his arms and forgives us. As a sibling, a parent, or wherever we are in our life, I have reflected on this passage different ways.

Many years ago, my brother packed up everything he had in his small car and drove off to Las Vegas. My parents wanted him to move out eventually, but not when Mom announced she had cancer. Such news is heartbreaking and my brother handled the news by going far away. Some of us stayed close and visited Mom each day. My brother came back home a week before Mom died. The family was finally together and Mom made us all celebrate because my brother was lost and now he had been found.

A protective parent wants the best for her children in school, work or at play. It is tough to make those parental decisions when you give your children choices and give them freedom when they become a young adult. It is hard and painful to see a child struggle through what seems to be crucial and life threatening at the time. I realized the painful sacrifice God made by choosing to send His son to die on the cross for me. God taught us how to grieve.

The statistics of the amount of people who do not choose to worship God is high. A lifestyle of the worldly treasures are tempting and the spiritual life is starved for nourishment. When a person comes back in the fellowship community, we should rejoice because our brother was dead, but now is alive; lost but now he is found.

Heavenly Father, we are your children in a sinful world and we ask you to forgive us. Thank you for giving us eternal life through your son Jesus and opening your arms so wide for us to rest in. In Jesus name. Amen.

Contributed by Lynn W.
Published Sunday March 26, 2000
Week 18 of Liturgical Year B