Homily for Saturday, 7 March 2015– Commemoration of Sts. Felicity and Perpetua

Saturday of the 2nd week of Lent

Readings of the day: Micah 7:14-15, 18-20; Psalm 103:1-2, 3-4, 9-10, 11-12; Luke 15:1-3, 11-32

Has anybody here ever experienced making a bad choice, possibly even sinning, when somebody else, especially somebody in authority (a parent or grandparent; a teacher; your employer perhaps) knew you were about to make a bad choice but did not warn you not to make this choice?

What about the “Prodigal” Son and his father in today’s Gospel reading? What was the father’s first reaction to his younger son’s demand for his share of his estate? If I were the father in our Gospel reading, I may have thought: “This will not end well. My son will spend his share of my inheritance unwisely, will find himself in need, and then come home asking for a handout.”

As the eldest child of my family, I may have thought: “The eldest is usually the obedient, responsible type. The youngest is stereotypically playful and causes all the trouble. To give the youngest son a large share of the estate is probably not a good idea. I should warn him not to spend all his money irresponsibly.” In reality, I have made (and grown from) my share of irresponsible choices. My brother Eric, meanwhile, gives me many reasons to rejoice in him. He is, like the stereotypical youngest sibling, easygoing, funny, and even playful. But he is also very responsible and hard-working.

In our Gospel reading today, the father does not warn his younger son away from his irresponsible actions, as I probably would have were I in the father’s place. This father gives his younger son his share of the inheritance and watches him “set off to a distant country.” The father respects his son’s free will.

What sadness the father must have felt for his younger son! The years pass. The father worries about his son’s well-being: “It is not like my son to give no sign of life: No letters home; not even for birthdays and important holidays. Telephones, text messaging, and Facebook have not been invented yet for faster communication. Should I file a missing person report? I suppose I will need to wait… And wait…”

One day, the father sees a small shadow on the horizon. It gets bigger; closer. “It is my son! I thought he was dead; he was gone so long! Throw a party for him!”

“Wait a minute,” the responsible eldest son says to his father, “‘All these years I served you and not once did I disobey your orders,’ and you want to put on this great feast for that wild little brother of mine”?

“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.’” This is our God to us. God does not warn us when we are about to behave irresponsibly. No, God respects our free will, which is itself God’s gift to us; our share of God’s own free will.

And when we become lost by our irresponsible actions; distant from God because of sin, our Prodigal Father waits for us, ready to put on a great feast when we return home.