If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old
order has passed away; now all is new! This is because God, in Christ, was
reconciling the world to himself, not counting men’s transgression against
them, and has entrusted the ministry of reconciliation to us [the Church, which all of us together], (2Cor 5, 17 - 19). This merciful God speaks to us today in the
first reading and says, “Today I have removed the reproach of Egypt [exile,
freedom from oppressive force and suffering as consequences of sin] from you.”
And in the Gospel, the God in Jesus Christ, using a parable, talks about his
unconditional love and mercy on us, and says “While he [all of us sinners] was
still a long way off [from peace of heart, security enjoyed by children of God;
when he was long way off from true love, holistic wellness, true liberty and
happiness], his father caught sight of him, and was deeply moved with
compassion and love. He ran out to meet him, threw his arms around his neck,
and kissed him.”
As we read these
passages of the Scripture, I remember that the Church still have what is called
excommunication. This means exclusion from the communion. It is said
to be medicinal and spiritual penalty that deprives the guilty Christian of all
participation in the common blessings of ecclesiastical society. Some passages of the Scripture are quoted to
confirm this rational argument. Ezra 10:8, which says, “Anyone who did not come
within three days…, would have all his goods seized, and would himself be
excluded from the community of the exiles.” John 9: 21; cf. 12:42; 16:2 is
quoted to make the fear of excommunication by the parents of the man born blind
[whom Jesus healed anyway] look like the reason for their response. We also
have the example that Paul regularly excommunicated the incest Corinthians (1
Corinthians 5:5) and the incorrigible blasphemers whom he delivered over to
Satan (1 Timothy 1:20).
However, as we
read through the passages of the Scripture today, the tone does not reflect the
God who would rather cast anyone away for been stubborn, disrespectful, sinful
and uncooperative. The parable says that the young man demanded for his own
share of his father’s properties (it is wrong idea of freedom when we say “it’s
my life, and I can do whatever I want with it.” The property is the father’s;
just like our lives belong to God). He moved away from the wise counsel of his
parents, away from his share of family responsibility, and from the security of
life that comes from the discipline that exists in his father’s compound (the
Church). God does not excommunicate anyone, we rather excommunicate ourselves. We
all do sometimes disagree with the moral standard of the Church; sometimes we make
God look like a sadist who does not want us to be free or to enjoy our lives.
This kind of idea comes from the real destroyer that says to us “No, you will
not die! God knows in fact that on the day you eat it your eyes will be opened
and you will be like gods…” (Gen 3, 4 – 5). Whenever we begin to listen to such
ideas and plan our lives based on it, we find ourselves among parasites who
appear to be friends; we end up as slave workers, eating food meant for pigs;
we are reduced to a level below slavery; and we judge and condemn ourselves by
such worldview.
But God, our
father never for a second stops thinking about us; he never stops loving us.
This is why we call today Laetare Sunday;
and this means “Rejoice or be joyful.” Why should we rejoice? I once listened
to the story of a man that dedicates his life helping young people make better
decisions in their lives. He draws a lot of people to his seminars and
workshops, and his secret is the story of his own experience. As a teenager, he
saw his father as strict, out-of-date disciplinarian. The Mom always helped him
snuck out from the house for parties and other social fun. His transformation
came after he was diagnosed with kidney problem: the consequence of too much
alcohol and use of drugs. He was going to die unless someone gave him a kidney.
He woke up from hospital bed after the surgery and saw the father he hated so
much laid beside him, dead, and his mother sitting beside him only weeping
uncontrollably. His father donated his only kidney to him so that he can live;
he has also previously donated one kidney to the wife. He left him with this
note “Son, live to help others make better decisions. You made mistakes in life
but I believe you learnt a lot from them. I have always loved you.” So, we
celebrate and rejoice because of the experience of true and profound love and
mercy that renews and transforms us; it because of the love that gives us
second chance. Because whenever God looks at us through Jesus Christ, he does
not remember our sins; he only celebrates the honest efforts we make to return
to him. The parable say that as this child is still long way off, the father
sees him. While he walks towards the father; the father, pretty old though, ran
toward him; he missed himself a lot. When he got to him, he did not scold him;
he did not remind him how ungrateful, stubborn, disobedient and useless he was.
He rather hugs, kisses and cuddles him. This is an eloquent image of the God we
have in Jesus Christ. ‘Today let us celebrate; let us throw some party’; with
these words, he declare a party.
Many Christians
still have the idea that we get to heaven by doing good deeds. This was the
attitude of the older son in today's parable. He thought he could demand his
father's love: "Look at all the things I have done. How hard I worked! And
I never got anything in return; I expect some credit." There are still the
self-righteous persons, the holier-than-thou people, and those who still find
it so hard to forgive others their offences. The elder son and the Pharisees,
the Scribes; those who try very hard to obey every piece of the law, just to
look righteous but their hearts are darker than Hell. They sit back and assign
people to Hell or Heaven. They become slaves to laws and policies that they
forgot the spirit of the law. Such people suspect everyone around them of the
evil that they nurse in their hearts, or what they would do if they have the
courage and if opportunity will come. They do not remember that not law but love
that makes God who he is; and if the Lord should mark our guilt, no one would
survive (Cf. Ps 130, 3). But the older son had it wrong. No one can demand
love. Nor can we earn love. In the same way, no one can "earn"
heaven. People today tend to look at heaven as one more entitlement program -
like Social Security. We pay something into it and when we retire, we get the
benefits. Heaven does not work that way. To such people we invite today, please
join the party; have some fun; try once to live like a child not like a slave. To
them, we say, “our biggest challenge is to let ourselves be loved and to be
healed from fear of sharing our true feelings with someone else, and fear of
been in love relationship with all it demands. The Church realizes this, hence
the Council of Trent has this to say about excommunication “Although the sword
of excommunication is the very sinews of ecclesiastical discipline, and very
salutary for keeping the people to the observance of their duty, yet it is to
be used with sobriety and great circumspection; seeing that experience teaches
that if it be wielded rashly or for slight causes, it is more despised than
feared, and works more evil than good.”
Those who
discover the real love of God and experience the depth of his mercy are those
who are not afraid to go out and experience the world outside their religion,
their culture and worldview; those who try to relieve themselves from the laws
that bind them to a particular structure of life; those who are courageous
enough to take the risk of interacting with the world different from what they
know; those who are not so timid to put their thoughts and true feelings in
words, and translate their words into action; and those who are not afraid to
make mistakes in life. Our mistakes in life could make us become stronger and
more matured in faith and love, and become more sincere and realistic in our
service to God and in our neighbors. The younger son teaches us another big
lesson that true confession of our guilt heals. We also learn that forgiveness
has three aspects, namely: God forgives us; he wants us to forgive others that
offend us, and that we will not be able to accept forgiveness of God let alone
forgiveness others if we do first acknowledge our sins and sincerely forgive
ourselves. So let us celebrate all those who accept that they have ever made
serious mistakes in their lives, and have the courage and humility to strike
their chest in honest repentance, and are ready to make confessions and
corrections. We shall listen to such people because they have a lot to share
with us; they will teach us how to be more compassionate, loving and humble.
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