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Sunday, March 14, 2010

Fourth Sunday of Lent, Year C, 14 March 2010

Joshua 5:9, 10-12
2 Corinthians 5:17-21
Luke 15:1-3, 11-32

From the young to the old, stories always have a special appeal in our hearts.

Because embedded in stories are the experiences of life, there are also lessons of life, surprises of life, or just simply the colour of life.

Telling stories to children might be relatively simple because there is a vast resource of children’s story books to tap on.

So we can tell children stories like Snow White and Cinderella, and let them imagine the characters.

That’s for children. For adults, telling stories to them become a bit tougher.

Because to get their attention, then the stories have to be about real-life.

And it can be anything from charity and bravery, to the tacky and the juicy.

So stories like how a local movie director had an affair with a young model would surely arouse the interest of adults.

Or how a foreign diplomat got involved in a series of hit-and-run accidents would surely catch our eye.

But yet, these stories are often about other people and about other characters.

These stories don’t necessarily involve us, and we can just remain as spectators or as the audience.

We can say that Jesus is a great story-teller.
Yet, Jesus does not merely tell stories ; He speaks in parables
Parables have a spiritual and mystical dimension.

Because parables reveal something about God and they also reveal something about us.

In today’s gospel, Jesus tells the parable of the prodigal son. It is not the story of the prodigal son.

Because the parable involves us and God. It makes us think.

Are we like the younger son who did a terrible wrong, and then came to his senses, and hoping to be forgiven?

Or are we like the older son, who does his duties and keeps the rules, but complains and criticizes those who step out of line and cannot tolerate them?

Or do we think we are like the father of the two sons who accepts and forgives unconditionally and tries his best to keep everybody together in harmony?

Of course, I have also heard of some other amusing reflections.

Like this one from a lady who said that she felt like she was the calf. Because no matter what happens, she will get it!

Certainly the parable is about acceptance and forgiveness.

And also the underlying theme of love in the parable, as seen in the father’s love for his two sons.

Let me share with you a story, not a parable, but just a story.

There was a wealthy man and his son loved to collect rare works of art.. They had everything in their collection, from Picasso to Raphael.. They would often sit together and admire the great works of art....
When war broke out, the son went to serve his country. He was very courageous and died in battle while rescuing another soldier. The father was notified and he grieved deeply for his only son.

Some time later, there was a knock at the door. A young man stood at the door with a large package in his hands..

He said, 'Sir, you don't know me, but I am the soldier for whom your son gave his life. He saved many lives that day, and he was carrying me to safety when a bullet struck him in the heart and he died instantly... . He often talked about you, and your love for art..' The young man held out this package. 'I know this isn't much. I'm not really a great artist, but I think your son would have wanted you to have this.'

The father opened the package. It was a portrait of his son, painted by that young man. He stared in awe at the way the soldier had captured the personality of his son in the painting. The father was so drawn to the protrait that he was very moved.

He thanked the young man and offered to pay him for the picture. 'Oh, no sir, I could never repay what your son did for me. It's a gift.'

The father hung the portrait in his hall. Every time visitors came to his home he pointed out the portrait of his son before he showed them any of the other great works he had collected.

The man died a few months later. There was to be a great auction of his paintings. Many influential people gathered, excited over seeing the great paintings and having an opportunity to purchase one for their collection.

On the platform sat the painting of the son. The auctioneer pounded his gavel. 'We will start the bidding with this picture of the son. Who will bid for this picture?'

There was silence.....
The people in the room shouted, 'We want to see the famous paintings.. Skip this one.'

But the auctioneer persisted.. 'Will somebody bid for this painting? Who will start the bidding? $100, $200?'

Another angry voice was heard. 'We didn't come to see this painting. We came to see the Van Gogh's, the Rembrandts.
Get on with the real bids!'

But still the auctioneer continued. 'The son! The son! Who'll take the son?'

Finally, a voice came from the very back of the room. It was the longtime gardener of the man and his son. 'I'll give $10 for the painting...' Because being a poor man, it was all he could afford.

'We have $10, who will bid $20?'

The annoyed voices shouted :'Give it to him for $10. Let's see the masterpieces.'

The crowd was becoming angry. They didn't want the picture of the son.

They wanted the more worthy investments for their collections.

The auctioneer pounded the gavel. 'Going once, going twice, SOLD for $10!'

A voice shouted, 'Now let's get on with the collection!'

The auctioneer laid down his gavel. 'I'm sorry, the auction is over.'

'What about the paintings?' the people asked.

'I am sorry. When I was called to conduct this auction, I was told of a secret stipulation in the will.... I was not allowed to reveal that stipulation until this time.. Only the painting of the son would be auctioned. Whoever bought that painting would inherit the entire estate, including the paintings.
So the man who took the son gets everything!'

This reminds us that God gave us His son 2,000 years ago to die on the cross. Much like the auctioneer, His message today is: 'The son, the son, who'll take the son?'

Because, you see, whoever takes the Son gets everything.

We may recall this scripture verse : FOR GOD SO LOVED THE WORLD HE GAVE HIS ONLY BEGOTTEN SON, SO THAT WHOEVER BELIEVES, SHALL HAVE ETERNAL LIFE..........
THAT'S GOD’S LOVE FOR US!

In the parable of the prodigal son, the father in his love and forgiveness, seemed like a loser.

He gave his younger wayward son his inheritance when he asked for it.

He told his elder sulking son that all he had was his.

The father is indeed a reflection of God who gave us His only Son so that we know what love is.

The question in the parable is that will the two sons now love the father more?

Will we ourselves love God more? Will we love Jesus more?

The late Archbishop Fulton Sheen, a pioneer in TV evangelizing, shared this story about what inspired him to make a Holy Hour before the Blessed Sacrament everyday.


When the communists took over China, they imprisoned a priest in his own rectory which was beside the church. After being locked up in his own house, the priest looked out the window and was horrified to see the communists enter the church.

Once inside, they went into the sanctuary, broke open the tabernacle and in a hateful act of desecration, threw down the ciborium scattering the Hosts on the floor. The priest knew exactly how many Hosts had been in the ciborium: there were thirty-two.

When the communists left, they either didn't notice, or didn't pay any attention to a little girl praying in the back of the Church who saw everything. That night she returned, and slipping past the guard, entered the Church where she made an hour of prayer in reparation for the desecration she witnessed of the Blessed Sacrament.

After her hour of prayer, she went into the sanctuary, and kneeling down, she bent over and received Jesus in Holy Communion with her tongue.

Each night, the girl returned to the church to make her holy hour and receive Jesus in Holy Communion on her tongue just as she did the first night. On the thirty-second night, after having consumed the last Host, she accidentally made a noise that alerted the guard.

From his bedroom window, the priest could only watch in horror as the heartrending scene unfolded before his eyes. The girl tried to run away but the guard caught up with her and beat her to death with his rifle.

When Archbishop Fulton Sheen heard this story he was so inspired that he promised God he would make a holy hour before the Blessed Sacrament every day for the rest of his life.

And he was not only faithful to his promise, but he took every opportunity to spread this devotion of the daily holy hour before the Blessed Sacrament. He also said this : I have found that it takes some time to catch the fire of love in prayer.

We do not know the name of that little girl in that story which inspired Archbishop Fulton Sheen.

But her heroic act of going to the church every night at the risk of her life to adore and receive Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament serves as a powerful testimony of her love for Jesus.

Yes, she lost her life, but I am sure she won the crown of life.

May her story inspire us to thank God for His love and forgiveness for us.

May it also move us to come to our senses, and come to love God more