"I shall get up and go to my father and say to him, “Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you.”

Luke 15:18 in Luke 15:11-32

I remember one time I was being “encouraged” by a fellow beloved believer regarding my preaching. In fairly clear terms they told me that I did not need to be using a visual aid for homilies. I think their comments were regarding my employing a basketball for a recent homily. I did not say it then, but after thinking about it for a while I came to the conclusion that it can be very helpful to use visual aids. As a teacher of the faith I need to know if my teaching is working. Since over sixty-five percent of people are visual learners, I think it is a good thing to bring visual aides when trying to bring home a message. So there! (smiles)

Today we read the well-known and moving parable of the Prodigal Son. Often I use a visual aid to help us understand this story. “Prodigal” can mean exceedingly or recklessly wasteful or extremely generous. The Prodigal Son is known for moving away from his father and recklessly wasting away half of all his possessions. He becomes desolate and hungry for the basic provisions of his home life and thus decides to return to his father. He returns to his father who is a Prodigal Father in the opposite sense that his son was a Prodigal. The son selfishly spent the father’s money feeding his own pleasures in contrast to the father who lavishly bestows his forgiveness and welcome on his son when he returns to him. The Prodigal Father is anything but selfish and self-serving. While there are many angles you can look at this parable with (which is true about all parables), let us focus on the movement of the son. The son is self-seeking and self-serving. He is the one who moves from the father in order to feed his desires for pleasure. This moving from serving a father who provides us with everything to a life focused on serving “me” is an analogy for sin. We move away from the father, we separate and divide ourselves from his total provision and live according to our selfish impulses. But when the son hits the bottom of the barrel, he decides life is better at home so he makes a move back the father. Maybe the son’s intentions were not close to pure but he made the best move anyone of us can make- back to the father. To demonstrate this visually, I invite someone to stand before the group and they become God. Then, say, I have Sally come and stand next to God. Next, I have different sins like lying, gossip, unforgiveness come up and get between God and Sally. I make sure that God does not move and, with the addition of each sin, Sally moves farther from God. The point I am visually trying to show is that Sally has chosen each of these sins which move her away from God, who is life. She has chosen to get farther and farther away from God- just like the Prodigal Son. God has not moved; Sally has in her choosing to sin and separate herself from God. Sin cuts her off from experiencing God’s forgiveness and life. The only way she can come back to God is ask for forgiveness for her sins that have become a roadblock to knowing God. The spiritual life is a question of movement. If you feel far from God, who has moved? Hint- God never moves away from us. How have you moved from God? What sins are acting as roadblocks to you, keeping you from freely experiencing God’s life? Move back. Make a move to the Prodigal Father who is total in forgiveness and provision.

God’s will!
+Fr. John