Part I-Reconciliation
“Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you; I no longer deserve to be called your son.” Luke 15:21
Today’s gospel reading is about the parable of the Prodigal Son. I am sure that most of us have heard this parable countless times. Every time I read it I get a different message because it can be interpreted from so many different angles. We get a message if we look at it from the point of view of the father, who always forgives no matter what his children do to him. If we analyze it from the perspective of the brother, who got angry at his father for forgiving his selfish son, we can sympathize with him and we understand because we have experienced those feelings of unfairness. Last night when I read it I thought of forgiveness, reconciliation… but this morning, I placed myself in the shoes of the selfish son, because I can relate so well to him.
Many times we fail our parents, our spouse, our children, our family or our friends. We are human therefore we are not perfect. Most likely our parents have always forgiven us no matter how much we have hurt them. Use your imagination to transport yourself to your childhood. Think of something you did as a child which at the time seemed really bad… so bad that you had never seen your parents so angry at you. They probably punished you but in the end, they forgave you because a parent’s love is like that, it doesn’t hold grudges, it always forgives and forgets everything. I am sure if you were to talk about this incident with your parents, if they are still alive, they probably don’t even remember it. Our spouse, our children, our family and our friends probably have a harder time forgiving something we do to them, but not our parents.
Our Father in heaven is just like that. No matter what we do, no matter what we have done in the past, He loves us so much that He will always forgive us… not just forgive us, He forgets. Every time we go to the Sacrament of Reconciliation we are given a blank page to start fresh. The problem is that most of the time we don’t truly believe it. We are harsh with ourselves and even though the Father forgives us, we don’t forgive ourselves. Every time we go to confession, we confess the same sin over and over again, even if we did not commit that same sin again. We forget that we have been forgiven already.
Today, have a deep examination of conscience. Sit under the tree with your blessed Mother, and have a heart to heart. If necessary, take pen and paper, and write down all those sins that you are carrying within your heart and that are making this journey so hard to walk because they weight so much. Share them with her because she understands. Some time during this journey, once you are ready, visit a church and receive the Sacrament of Reconciliation. Once you go to confession, release your sins and leave them there. Do not continue to carry them with you. Your Father has already forgiven you.
Part II-The Bridge
“The older son became angry…” Luke 15:28
This morning I began step #19 and then for reasons beyond my control, I was not able to send it because the internet was down in my house. In those five hours a lot happened. I lived the parable of the prodigal son first from the son’s point of view and then from the father’s (or mother’s point of view). In the reading, there is no mention of a mother, but if we use our imagination, we can believe there was a mother who through the whole ordeal served as the liaison between the father and the sons, as well as between the brothers.
As a mother, sometimes I feel my entire purpose in this life is to be a bridge. A bridge between my husband and my children. A bridge between my children. I am always trying to keep the peace in our family.
This morning, somewhere between writing the meditation and going to the office to re-write it and send it, my daughter summoned me to the backyard. “Mom, I’ll be in the backyard. When you finish, please meet me there, I need to talk to you.” I will spare you with the details, I’ll just give you a hint. The topic of conversation was “curfews.” If you have teenagers or young adults, I am sure you can all relate.
My husband is very, very strict. He’s the best husband and father to my children I could have ever asked for. This year we’ll celebrate our 25th anniversary and the road has been bumpy and narrow, but if I had to do it all over again I would not change a thing. Sometimes, though, I must admit that he’s so strict with the kids that I feel he’s just not fair. However, I must act as the “bridge” to support him and at the same time try to find a compromise with the kids.
This morning was one of those times and I felt I was living the parable of the prodigal son. Having two boys and a girl, there’s always the usual “it’s not fair…” Sibling rivalry is very normal, the important thing is to love them equally, to show them that each one is important and is given the same amount of attention… even if they feel that is not the case.
It is the same with our Father in heaven. He loves all of us the same, unconditionally, and even if sometimes we feel that “it’s not fair…” each of us is just as important to Him as our brothers and sisters. Are we willing to be embraced by our Father, even if we just saw Him embracing that brother or sister we dislike so much?
Eventually the issue of the “curfews” was resolved in our home. I served as the bridge between father and daughter. They had a serious conversation and reached an agreement that was satisfying to both… and peace was restored once again.
Our Father is waiting with open arms. He also wants us to make peace with our brothers and sisters. Are we going to continue acting like children, “but it’s not fair…,” or are we going to grow up, leave our differences aside and become a real family in His kingdom?
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