YOUR BROTHER HAS COME HOME

            In this fourth Sunday of lent we have the first reading from Joshua where God is telling, “Today I have removed from you the shame of Egypt.” One generation has passed since people of Israel were brought out of Egypt. Now they are settled in the Promised Land and started to produce their own food or have come to the stage to manage their lives by themselves without the direct intervention of God.  They are completely freed from the Egyptians. No longer have they any sign of that they were slaves once upon a time. God removed their stain of slave and made them holy people.

            In the second reading St. Paul in the second letter to the Corinthians tells that God who did not commit any sin, bore our sins so that we may be saved. He removed our stain of sin with His love on Cross and have made us holy. This is the fulfillment of what had already been done to the people of Israel. Those days God removed their slaveness, not with Jesus He removed their sinfulness.

            In the Gospel we witness this removing of sinfulness with the act of love. The prodigal son parable reveals how much a father loves his son. In this parable the father did not count the number of sins or mistakes that his son had done. He simply accepted him back as his son. This is how our God works, He doesn’t count our sins rather He needs our repentant heart. When we are ready to go back to Him, he simply accepts us without counting our sins.

            In this parable we also see that the justice is not done to the first son. He is not given any special privileges from his father despite his loyalty. Yes, justice is not done as regards his loyalty. But, the father never disowned that son. In the same way the first son never went against his fathers will. There was a mutual respect and understanding. The love between the father and the first son was unconditional and never lacked anything.  But, in the case of the prodigal son, the love was broken, now the love is rejoined. When we lose something that is very precious and find them back we feel happy. In the same way, the lost son has come home, the father should feel happy. The first son also should understand that both of them are sons of the same father, they both share in his love. Moreover they both have the right to own his love. Thus, the lost brother has come home, love is fulfilled.