First reading: Jos. 5:9a,10–12

The LORD said to Joshua, “Today I have removed the reproach of Egypt from you.”

While the Israelites were encamped at Gilgal on the plains of Jericho, they celebrated the Passover on the evening of the fourteenth of the month. On the day after the Passover, they ate of the produce of the land in the form of unleavened cakes and parched grain. On that same day after the Passover, on which they ate of the produce of the land, the manna ceased. No longer was there manna for the Israelites, who that year ate of the yield of the land of Canaan.

Second reading: 2 Cor. 5:17–21

Brothers and sisters: Whoever is in Christ is a new creation: the old things have passed away; behold, new things have come. And all this is from God, who has reconciled us to himself through Christ and given us the ministry of reconciliation, namely, God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting their trespasses against them and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation.

So we are ambassadors for Christ, as if God were appealing through us. We implore you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God. For our sake he made him to be sin who did not know sin, so that we might become the righteousness of God in him.

Gospel: Lk. 15:1–3,11–32

Tax collectors and sinners were all drawing near to listen to Jesus, but the Pharisees and scribes began to complain, saying, “This man welcomes sinners and eats with them.”

So to them Jesus addressed this parable: “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.’”

In other words

by Fr. Devasagayam Savariyappan, SVD (Yangon, Myanmar)

In the 1850s an anti-Catholic hooligan confronted a young religious Sister of Charity in a city. The guy, in public view, berated her with the nastiest names he could muster. The humiliated and stunned nun stopped, gave him a stare, and then walked away.

Several years later this sister was toiling in a military hospital caring for the wounded and praying with the suffering souls. She would inquire of the very ill: Was there something for which they wanted God’s forgiveness? A dying soldier said that one thing weighed heavily on his mind. He said, “Once I insulted a Sister of Charity in the streets… Her glance of reproach has haunted me ever since. If that Sister were only here, I would go down upon my knees and ask her pardon. To his great surprise the sister gave him a look of tenderness and compassion, then calmly said, “If that is all you desire to set your mind at ease, you can have it. I am the sister you insulted and I grant you pardon freely and from my heart.”

The parable of the prodigal son just says this: “I grant you pardon freely and from my heart.” The younger son in the Gospel insulted and hurt his father by asking for his share of the inheritance and leaving him, departing for another country and ultimately losing everything of his inheritance. When he came with a repentant heart, the father granted him pardon freely and from his heart.

The central figure of the parable is the father, though the story is known as the “Prodigal Son.” Jesus wants us to focus on the father’s qualities—heartfelt compassion, mercy and forgiveness. Through the father in the parable, Jesus teaches us to offer forgiveness to others freely and from our hearts by casting away our hurts, resentment, and pain caused by their wrongdoings. For he said, “Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful.” (Lk 6:36)

Through the younger son, Jesus teaches us that God always welcomes us with open arms despite our straying away from him—no matter how far and how long! He joyfully celebrates our coming back to him with a “humble and contrite heart.” So, it is never too late to return to him to receive his love and forgiveness. As Pope Francis says, “For His heart, it is never too late; He is always looking for us and waiting for us. Let us not forget this: the Lord always seeks us and awaits us, always!”

The elder son teaches us not to be self-righteous and judgmental. God is omniscient. We should not be judgmental nor self-righteous like the Pharisee who went to pray but only reported all his good deeds to God and despised the tax collector as sinful. Jesus reminds us, “Do not judge others, and you will not be judged. Do not condemn others, and you will not be condemned.” (Lk 6:37)