Fourth Sunday in Lent 'C'

Sunday March 14, 2010

Going home

Shortly after the blessing of the Easter candle during the Easter Vigil Service, the priest presider or the assisting deacon will chant the solemn ‘Exultet,’ an Easter Canticle dating back to the 2nd or 3rd century. It is a hymn comprised of a series of acclamations sung in ancient Gregorian chant.

Approximately two thirds of the way through the hymn, the cantor cries out, “O happy fault, O necessary sin of Adam which gained for us so great a Redeemer!”

The words seem so contrary to our understanding of the horror of sin. How can there be such a thing as a “happy sin?”

Of course, the words are hyperbole — not in praise of sin but in praise of the God who accepted sin as an occasion for mercy and salvation. It is at the heart of the mystery of the incarnation and of our acceptance of Jesus savior and exemplar of all that we can become as human beings loved by God and in love with God.

In his second letter to the Corinthians, Paul wrote: “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.” This is a powerful testimony of Paul to the incredible power of God’s love and God’s desire to be one with all humanity. It is our destiny to become one with God in Christ. This is the meaning of “atonement,” which is to say “at-one-ment” with God through Christ. Salvation is the process of becoming whole.

This surely makes sense if we place it within the context of the love of parents for their children especially when they are struck with illness. I have heard many a mother or father say, “I would rather be ill myself than see my child so sick — yes, even to the risk of death.” In other words, loving parents are willing to absorb the pain of their children. What is true of physical illness is also true of moral failure. When the kids get into trouble, parents are willing to take on the pain and punishment.

St. Paul is stating nothing more or less than what loving parents would do for their children; so too our loving God.

But the story that discloses the mystery of redemption in a way that is beyond human explanation is the story of the Prodigal Son, which of course should be re-titled, “The Outrageously Generous Father.”

It’s a story that is all too familiar and therefore easy to put aside after the first sentence. We’ve heard it all and can assume all too readily that we have exhausted its meaning. Not so. The parables are like a seascape or a view of life from a mountaintop. Depending on our mood, the time of the day and the rhythm of life, the ocean speaks different messages and the mountains tell a different stories.

The younger son was entitled to a third of the father’s wealth; the elder son, the remaining two-thirds. The younger was bored with life at home and his request for his share of the inheritance was not very different from telling his father to “drop dead!” The father must have been hurt but he didn’t allow the motivation of his son to stand in his way. You and I would surely have some reservations about his decision. Where was his wife who surely would have provided the wisdom lacking in the young man’s choice and in the father’s concession?

Notice that it was hunger rather than remorse that moved the younger son to return to his father’s house as a servant. But the father anticipated his change of heart and didn’t care about his motivation. He clothed his son with royalty symbolized by the robe and the ring. He put sandals on his feet — slaves do not wear sandals. It was as if he gave his younger son power of attorney!

This parable, unique to Luke, is the third in a trilogy of parables about things and in this case, a person, that were lost and then found. They are a response to those who objected to his welcoming sinners and eating with them. [Pat Sanchez, Preaching Resources, Celebration, a Comprehensive Worship Resource, Kansas City, Mo 2010]

I came across this succinct observation in a commentary on today’s gospel that epitomizes for me the meaning of ‘atonement’—going home: “In the parable of the lost sheep, the Lucan Jesus redefines repentance as ‘acceptance of being found.’ With great effort, the shepherd and the woman find their lost sheep and coin. Thus repentance is something that is done for the believer; it is a grace that touches sinners with love and calls them home And home, says spiritual writer, Herman Hendriclx, is not just a geographical place but a place on the spiritual map to which we return when we weary of wallowing in self-loathing” and I would add, self-absorption. [Ibid.]

The Easter Hymn continues:

“Night truly blessed when heaven is wedded to earth and humanity is reconciled with God!

Therefore, heavenly Father, in the joy of this light, receive our evening sacrifice of praise, your Church’s solemn offering.

Accept this Easter candle, a flame divided but undimmed, a pillar of fire that glow to the honor of God.

Let it mingle with the lights of heaven and continue bravely burning to dispel the darkness of this night.

May the Morning Star which never sets find this flame still burning; Christ, that Morning Star, who lives and reigns for ever and ever. Amen.”

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