There are certain passages of scripture that are like fine rubies or emeralds and are just so rich in their depth and meaning that it is hard to fathom. Today’s readings are exactly that. In our first reading from Joshua, we see the fulfillment of Gods promise to the Israelites and their exodus from Egypt. There is an old saying “you can take the people out of Egypt, but you can’t take Egypt out of the people”. How true this is. We long to cling to our old familiar ways and often become stubborn and refuse to change. Sometimes we even feel that we have strayed so far from God, that He will never take us back, and so we stop trying and begin to fall away. St. Paul addresses this in the second reading by calling on us to
remember that God reconciled the world in Christ, and we all need to be reconciled. This is exactly why we need to go to the Sacrament of Reconciliation during this Lenten time.
Now we come to one of the greatest Gospel passages of all: “The Prodigal Son”.
Whenever I read this passage, I always see something different. It is one of the greatest examples of our loving God and of His wonderful mercy towards us, even when we had strayed far away from Him and squandered the graces and blessings He so freely gave us. Many times in my life I have felt like the prodigal child who ran away from God and tried to do it all himself. The end result being disastrous and often hurting the very ones I love the most. Instead of expounding on the many layers and characters in this parable, I want to try something different. I would like all of you to sit down in a quiet room and open your bibles to St. Luke chapter 15 and read it once through first, then read it slower, than read it as slowly as you can. This is a method of something called Lectio Divina. It is a meditation tool. Why you may ask should I do this? It is because we all need to be reminded to turn to God and to trust in His mercy, no matter what we have done or how far away from God we think we are. So, what do you say? Will you try something new? Let us return to our Father’s embrace and go to Reconciliation. Then through His mercy and forgiveness we will truly realize that there is “no place like home”…Give it a try, and may God richly bless you always…