Gospel: Luke 15:1-3.11-32
At that time, the tax collectors and sinners drew near to Jesus to listen to him. The Pharisees and the scribes murmured: “This man welcomes sinners and eats with them.” Then Jesus told them this parable: “A man had two sons. The younger of them said to his father: ‘Father, give me the share of the inheritance that falls to me.’ So he divided his estate between them. Not many days later, the younger son gathered all he had and traveled to a distant country, where he squandered his wealth living riotously. When he had spent everything, a severe famine arose in that country, and he began to be in need. So he went and hired himself out to one of the citizens of that country, who sent him into his fields to feed pigs. He longed to fill his stomach with the pods that the pigs were eating, but no one gave him anything. Then he came to himself and said, ‘How many of my father’s hired servants have bread enough and to spare, but I perish here with hunger! I will get up and go to my father and say to him: “Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you; I am no longer worthy to be called your son; treat me as one of your hired servants.”‘ So he got up and went to his father. But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion; he ran and embraced him and kissed him. The son began to say to him: ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you; I am no longer worthy to be called your son.’ But the father said to his servants: ‘Bring out the best robe and put it on him; put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet. Bring the fattened calf and kill it, and let us celebrate with a feast; because this son of mine was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.’ And they began to celebrate. Now his elder son was in the field; and as he came and drew near to the house, he heard music and dancing. He called one of the servants and asked what was going on. The servant told him: ‘Your brother has come, and your father has killed the fattened calf because he has received him safe and sound.’ He was angry and refused to go in. His father came out and pleaded with him. But he answered his father: ‘Look, these many years I have served you, and I never disobeyed your command; yet you never gave me a young goat, that I might celebrate with my friends. But when this son of yours came, who has devoured your living with prostitutes, you killed the fattened calf for him!’ The father said to him: ‘Son, you are always with me, and all that I have is yours. But it was fitting to celebrate and be glad, because this brother of yours was dead, and is alive; he was lost, and is found.'”

Fruit: Starting anew each day, returning to the Father’s house.

Guidelines for reflection: There are many comments on this Gospel, so full of images, symbols, and deep knowledge of the human heart. These lines have caused numerous conversions, have been the engine of many prayers by great saints and poor sinners, have inspired stories, tales, works of art… It would be enough to read this Gospel slowly and let the heart speak spontaneously with God, contemplating these events and persons.

1. The happiness of the son
Let’s enter the scene: a father with abundant possessions. He has two sons. Both live happily in the paternal house, working alongside the father, managing his possessions, fields, cattle… But one of them, the younger, grows tired of this beautiful, easy, comfortable life. He is uncomfortable living always under the authority of the father. It is a loving authority, but the young man desires more freedom. Once again, we face the ancient temptation of “you will be like gods.” The younger son wants to be his own master and lord, wants to be god, freely deciding what to do and what to leave undone, how to live, where to enjoy life. How many times do we experience the same! We want freedom, to act without a “pressure” from our conscience, from God’s law, from the Church’s commandments, from the norms of our own family and work. We want to be free, absolutely free. We want to be like gods.

2. I want something new
With these desires for full freedom, or rather for libertinism, the younger son leaves the father’s house. Not only does he despise his loving authority, but he also dares to demand his rightful share of the inheritance. In those times, as in ours, inheritance is divided among heirs when the person dies, not before. What is this demand for inheritance secretly saying? Simply, it’s saying plainly: “I want you to die so I can keep the only thing that interests me from you: what you will leave me as inheritance.” How harsh! But that is the sad and painful reality of our sin. The father, with infinite love, grants what he asks: here is the inheritance. I have given you all my love, everything a father can give his son, and much more. But also, because I am a father, I want to continue respecting the greatest gift I have given you: your freedom. With a broken heart, the father sees his son leave his house, asking only that he not forget him, that he be prudent and careful.

3. I was wrong, Lord. Forgive me
The son, each of us when we sin, begins his life with an apparent happiness. “I am free. I have money. I can do whatever I want.” But money runs out, reckless enjoyment of worldly pleasures becomes tiresome, and dissatisfaction begins to invade the heart. That young man who could eat everything he wanted suffers terrible hunger, and he cannot even eat the pods given to the pigs. He has fallen so low. But it doesn’t matter. Evil, the deepest evil, is not in falling, but in not getting up. The Gospel describes in detail the process of conversion: the young man comes to himself, reflects, remembers the greatness of the Father, recognizes his mistake, and repents, deciding to return to the paternal house, and, very importantly, “he gets up and sets out.” How many times have we lamented our sin, our evil! If we do not get up and set out, that lament is useless. We remain at the gates of salvation, like the pilgrim dying of thirst beside a well, only because he has no rope to draw water. Let us ask the Lord this Lent to move our hearts to convert to Him, and above all, to push our will to get up each day and set out toward the Father’s house. Evil is not in falling, but in not getting up.

Purpose: Each morning, when offering my day to God, to place myself in His hands and assure Him that, even if I fall, I will get up with humility and love for Him.