Fourth Sunday of Lent
Year C Readings
Lectionary: 33
Reading I
The LORD said to Joshua,
“Today I have removed the reproach of Egypt from you.”
While the Israelites were encamped at Gilgal on the plains of Jericho,
they celebrated the Passover
on the evening of the fourteenth of the month.
On the day after the Passover,
they ate of the produce of the land
in the form of unleavened cakes and parched grain.
On that same day after the Passover,
on which they ate of the produce of the land, the manna ceased.
No longer was there manna for the Israelites,
who that year ate of the yield of the land of Canaan.
Responsorial Psalm
R. (9a) Taste and see the goodness of the
Lord.
I will bless the LORD at all times;
his praise
shall be ever in my mouth.
Let my soul glory in the LORD;
the lowly
will hear me and be glad.
R. Taste and see the goodness of the Lord.
Glorify the LORD with me,
let us
together extol his name.
I sought the LORD, and he answered me
and
delivered me from all my fears.
R. Taste and see the goodness of the Lord.
Look to him that you may be radiant with joy,
and your
faces may not blush with shame.
When the poor one called out, the LORD heard,
and from all
his distress he saved him.
R. Taste and see the goodness of the Lord.
Reading II
Brothers and sisters:
Whoever is in Christ is a new creation:
the old things have passed away;
behold, new things have come.
And all this is from God,
who has reconciled us to himself through Christ
and given us the ministry of reconciliation,
namely, God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ,
not counting their trespasses against them
and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation.
So we are ambassadors for Christ,
as if God were appealing through us.
We implore you on behalf of Christ,
be reconciled to God.
For our sake he made him to be sin who did not know sin,
so that we might become the righteousness of God in him.
Verse before the Gospel
I will get up and go to my Father and shall say to
him:
Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you.
Gospel
Tax collectors and sinners were all drawing near to
listen to Jesus,
but the Pharisees and scribes began to complain, saying,
“This man welcomes sinners and eats with them.”
So to them Jesus addressed this parable:
“A man had two sons, and the younger son said to his father,
‘Father give me the share of your estate that should come to me.’
So the father divided the property between them.
After a few days, the younger son collected all his belongings
and set off to a distant country
where he squandered his inheritance on a life of dissipation.
When he had freely spent everything,
a severe famine struck that country,
and he found himself in dire need.
So he hired himself out to one of the local citizens
who sent him to his farm to tend the swine.
And he longed to eat his fill of the pods on which the swine fed,
but nobody gave him any.
Coming to his senses he thought,
‘How many of my father’s hired workers
have more than enough food to eat,
but here am I, dying from hunger.
I shall get up and go to my father and I shall say to him,
“Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you.
I no longer deserve to be called your son;
treat me as you would treat one of your hired workers.”’
So he got up and went back to his father.
While he was still a long way off,
his father caught sight of him, and was filled with compassion.
He ran to his son, embraced him and kissed him.
His son said to him,
‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you;
I no longer deserve to be called your son.’
But his father ordered his servants,
‘Quickly bring the finest robe and put it on him;
put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet.
Take the fattened calf and slaughter it.
Then let us celebrate with a feast,
because this son of mine was dead, and has come to life again;
he was lost, and has been found.’
Then the celebration began.
Now the older son had been out in the field
and, on his way back, as he neared the house,
he heard the sound of music and dancing.
He called one of the servants and asked what this might mean.
The servant said to him,
‘Your brother has returned
and your father has slaughtered the fattened calf
because he has him back safe and sound.’
He became angry,
and when he refused to enter the house,
his father came out and pleaded with him.
He said to his father in reply,
‘Look, all these years I served you
and not once did I disobey your orders;
yet you never gave me even a young goat to feast on with my friends.
But when your son returns
who swallowed up your property with prostitutes,
for him you slaughter the fattened calf.’
He said to him,
‘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.’”
MY BROTHERS AND SISTERS,
We are reminded today that we all have become new creations through Jesus Christ. It is impossible not to be transformed by the presence of Jesus Christ in our lives. We are encouraged to recognize this every day because, with the passing of each day, comes an opportunity of transformation. This rebirth of sorts enables all of the things in our past, be it from a long time ago up to the last couple of moments that just past, to be dismissed and forgotten. This is done through a recognition of our sins, repentance, and asking Jesus Christ for forgiveness. Through the Sacrament of Reconciliation, we are further healed, and our sins are then eliminated completely, forgotten even by God Himself. The only thing that stands in the way of these things happening is us. Many times, we are the ones who are our worst critics and prevent us from getting closer to Jesus Christ. There is a tendency to think we are unworthy of forgiveness and label ourselves as beyond redemption. The reality is that no one is beyond forgiveness and redemption. Jesus Christ wants to redeem the entire world, not just certain people, and certain things. He died for everyone so that all might receive salvation. Those who preach differently are sadly mistaken and underestimate the healing power of Jesus Christ.
We are all broken if we know it or not. It is through Jesus Christ that we can be built up and healed. The Apostle Paul tells us that it is through Jesus Christ that our trespasses are not held against us, but instead, are wiped away and we are reconciled with God. Everyone strays and everyone can come back. The Parable of the Lost Son is our story. Like all children, there will be a time where we rebel against God the Father and will try to pave our own way through life. This, undoubtably, leads to a lot of pain and hard lessons. Even though there might be some successes, these are usually hollow and lead to an emptiness that can never be filled except by God’s love. Psalm 4 comes to mind as God cries out to us:
“O men, how long will your hearts be closed,
will you love what is futile and seek what is false?
It is the Lord who grants favors to those whom he loves;
the Lord hears me whenever I call him.”
As we go about in our selfish ways searching for things that will never bring us fulfillment, Jesus is indeed waiting for us, looking longingly towards the road that brings us to Him. He searches for us over the horizon, waiting for that moment where He sees us way off in the distance, exhausted and disheveled. When we are finally seen, He runs out to meet us, embrace us lovingly. The celebration of our return begins, and the healing begins. This is a reoccurring story that always has the same wonderful ending, which is a fresh start that occurs repeatedly when we recognize that we have strayed and need to return to Jesus Christ.
This Sunday is known as Laetare Sunday. It is a time of rejoicing and is why rose-colored vestments are often used in worship. It marks the mid-way point of our Lenten journey and offers us encouragement along the way. In much the same way a celebration of The Lost Son’s return is held by his father, we are encouraged to celebrate that our journey towards Christ’s resurrection is coming to an end. We have gone so far, but still have a way to go. Taking some time to look back to examine who we were at the beginning of the journey and where we are now regarding our spirituality is a healthy exercise. We can celebrate our successes and make the necessary adjustments in areas where we fell short. It is okay to give ourselves a small pat on our back where we deserve one and chastise ourselves where we have failed, all the while recommitting ourselves to the journey. That journey will ultimately lead to the Resurrected Christ and our own transformation.
Deacon Tom
