The father divided the property between them

Josh 5,9a.10-12; Ps 33; 2 Cor 5,17-21; Lk 15,1-3.11-32
31 MARCH

Every heart that wants to be true must be modelled on the heart of the Father. No worshiper of the true God, of the Creator and Lord of the universe, can declare himself his faithful worshiper and then act in a different, contrary and opposite way. The first truth of the Father is respect for the will of the younger child. This asks for his share of substances and the Father gives it to him. He leaves for a distant country and the Father lets him leave. He spends all his possessions and the Father acts as if they were not his own. The son asked him to let himself be guided by his will and the Father does not oppose any resistance. When men ask God to act according to their will and then commit atrocities, massacres, genocide, ethnic cleansing, wars of devastation and destruction, killing of children and unarmed and inert people, we immediately accuse God of not intervening. But God cannot intervene. He respects the will of his creatures. God sees man walking towards hell, but neither this can he prevent. He can give him Christ Crucified as his grace, but Christ must be welcomed. Today he is seeing that Christ is also taken away from history, but He can do nothing. Who must do is his Church. But many children of the Church are against Christ. They see him as an obstacle for humanity. It is truth. God is not responsible for what man does from the moment he leaves his house.

The tax collectors and sinners were all drawing near to listen to him, but the Pharisees and scribes began to complain, saying, “This man welcomes sinners and eats with them.” So to them he addressed this parable. Then he said, “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.'”

Who left the Father’s house decides to return there. He experienced that outside there is only moral darkness, spiritual and material poverty, bitter and sad loneliness and debasement of the person. What does the Father do? He welcomes him. He remains Father forever. He never stops being Father. The child may decide not to be a child. Never might the Father decide not to be a Father. If the Father cannot decide to be a Father, can the brother decide not to be a brother? If he is a true son of the Father, he too will decide to be and always remain a brother. When the brother stops being a brother to the other brother, it is a sign that his sonship with the Father is not true. It must necessarily be corrected.

Mother of God, Angels and Saints make us true sons of the Father and true brothers of our            brothers.