Conquer Death, Live in the Light of the Lord

The theme of the readings today focuses on the overwhelming mercy provided by the Lord. The Book of Micah proclaims that God “does not persist in anger forever,” instead delighting in being merciful to us, sinners. The theme continues with Psalm 103, with the all familiar response “The Lord is kind and merciful.” Finally, the Gospel reading, Luke’s telling of the parable of the prodigal son, cements the message that our Lord welcomes us back with open arms, no matter how far we have strayed. The notion of radical forgiveness is so foreign to the Pharisees, who complain that Jesus welcomes tax collectors (deemed as traitors to the people) and sinners. The Lord calls even those who are deemed the worst by society to follow his way (look at the story of Zacchaeus).

The final verse of today’s readings struck me the most. As the son comes back, the father states “we must celebrate and rejoice, because your brother was dead and has come to life again.” This reminds me that sin, and straying from the will of the Heavenly Father, brings death. While it is a wonderful exercise to place ourselves into the shoes of all the characters of this parable, in this season of Lent I reflect on the times where I was the lost son. I think about the times where sin has brought death in my life. Death of fulfillment, death in relationships, and death in my own spirit, all due to my choices to stray from the will of the Father.

I once talked with my dorm priest at Notre Dame about some of the things I was going through my senior year of college. He said there were two paths in front of me, the path I was currently on was going through the forest in which I make my own rules, and push through on my own accord. He said I would be beaten up more and more by the thorns and the thicket I would need to walk through to reach what I deemed as my goal. He said this goal may not even lay in the forest I was walking through. In this moment I needed to back out of the forest and follow the path the Lord has paved for me. This path would not be easy to follow, but the Lord would guide me according to His will. This switch didn’t happen quickly, and has been an evergoing process of purgation from sin to truly live in the light of the Lord.

We must remember that death has already been defeated for us! From the prayer after the rosary: “O God, whose only-begotten Son, by his life, death, and resurrection, has purchased for us the rewards of eternal life.” The Lord is there to guide us on the path to eternal life. We will stumble, but remember to partake in His mercy through the sacrament of confession!

Author: Colin Kenny, ASC