For the Love of Us All

WITNESS

3-12-13

“Welcome Home Prodigal Son”

In the 15^th chapter

Of Saint Luke’s Gospel

Jesus tells the story

Of the lost son

And his loving Father

We call it

The story of the Prodigal Son

What is interesting

Is never once in the story

Does Luke use the word “prodigal”

The young son

Sets off for a distant land

And squanders all his wealth

On wild living

How many of us

Haven’t made a mistake or two

When we were young

When famine hits

And after he has

Squandered everything he has

He decides to go home

And throw himself at the mercy

Of his Father

But to his surprise

Instead of being mad

His Father throws a party for him

To the Father’s surprise

The older brother

Refuses to join the party

He feels he has been slighted

Because he has been loyal and dependable

Which brings us to the point

Which of us isn’t guilty of something

Something done or something left undone

For every sin committed

There are 100 good deeds

Left undone

For every violent act

There are 100 acts of

Coldness, indifference, and condescending attitudes

We all deserve

A second chance

As Dickens wrote,

“There is so much bad in the best of us

And so much good in the worst of us

It ill becomes any of us

To speak badly of the rest of us”

WELCOME HOME “PRODIGAL” SON

Robert P. Wallman

5/19/10

·          This writing was inspired by the teaching of Father Leo Clifford.

Ps       WITNESS        3-12-13

“The son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you

I am NO LONGER worthy to be called your son”

“But the father said to his servants, ‘Quick!-bring the best robe-and put it on him

Put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet-Bring the fattened calf and kill it-

Let’s have a feast and celebrate-For this son of mine was dead and is alive again

He was lost and is found’-So they began to celebrate”

“The older brother became angry and refused to go in-So his father went out and

Pleaded with him-But he answered his father,

“Look-all these years I’ve been slaving for you and never disobeyed your orders

Yet you never gave me even a young goat so I could celebrate with my friends

But when this son of yours who has squandered your property with prostitutes

Comes home-you kill he fattened calf for him”

“’My son,’ The father said, ‘you are always with me and everything I have is yours

But we had to celebrate-because this brother of yours was dead and is ALIVE again

HE WAS LOST AND IS FOUND’”

Commentary---It is important to remember that GOD’S WAYS are not our ways

And this is HOW OUR FATHER will feel when one of our lost brothers or sisters

RETURNS HOME to GOD

And HOW we should feel-

WELCOMING THEM HOME with OPEN ARMS