March 7, 2026
II Saturday of Lent
Fr. Bernard Thilagaraja
Today’s Gospel presents the parable of the prodigal son. The two preceding parables, that of the lost sheep and that of the coin, are two stories that are openly easy to interpret. It seems that Jesus tells them to invite the disciples to go in search of sinners, corrupt thieves, adulterers, or to move them and lead them to return to the fold. Jesus does not judge them, does not reproach them but welcomes them.
The recipients of the parable leave no doubt, "All the tax collectors and sinners were drawing near to Jesus to listen to him. The Pharisees and the scribes murmured, saying, "This man welcomes sinners and eats with them." Then he told them this parable."
A man should not associate with the wicked, not even to convince them to follow the law of God. It was therefore forbidden to accept an invitation to dinner from tax collectors and sinners. But Jesus did something even worse, not only did he accept invitations from these disreputable people, but he welcomed them into his own house.
Every banquet reflects and in a certain way anticipates the great dinner that will be prepared at the coming of the Kingdom of God. In it there will be no place for the wicked and the ungodly, but only for the righteous. Does Jesus not know this, does he pretend to ignore it, or worse still does he want to challenge the tradition of the rabbis?
The sinners are the coins, the lost sheep, this is the strangeness, now they are all around Jesus, while the righteous are outside and risk remaining there if they do not change their way of thinking, if they do not realize what is happening, if they do not understand the newness that God is revealing.
The decision of the younger son who asks for the part of the inheritance that belongs to him. Receiving an inheritance is not a merit. It is a free gift. The inheritance of the gifts of God is distributed among all human beings, both Jews and pagans, both Christians and non Christians. Everyone receives something from the inheritance of the Father.
At the time of Luke, the elder represented the communities that came from Judaism, and the younger the communities that came from paganism. And today who is the younger and who is the elder?
The disappointment and the desire to return to the Father’s house, the need to obtain food cause the young man to lose his freedom and become a slave to take care of pigs. He receives treatment worse than that of the pigs. This was the living condition of millions of slaves in the Roman Empire at the time of Luke. The young man makes a review of his life and decides to return home. He even prepares the words he will say to the Father. "I do not deserve to be your son. Treat me as one of your hired workers." The hired worker carries out orders, fulfills the law of servitude. The younger son wants to fulfill the law, as the Pharisees and the scribes wanted in the time of Jesus. At the time of Luke, some Christians who came from Judaism submitted themselves to the yoke of the law (Gl 1, 6, 10).
The joy of the Father when he meets the younger son, the parable says the younger son was still far from home, but the Father saw him, ran to meet him and covered him with kisses. The impression that Jesus gives us is that the Father remained the whole time at the window to see the son appear around the corner. He does not even let him finish saying the words he had prepared. The Father does not want the son to be his slave, he wants him to be a son. This is the great Good News that Jesus brings us. Everything beautiful, good and better is given to the son who has been found again.
The reaction of the elder son. Whoever lives very concerned about observing the law of God runs the risk of forgetting God himself. The younger son, although he was far from home, seemed to know the Father better than the elder son who lives with him, obeying the command without ever transgressing it, as he reproaches the Father, the younger returns home, the elder no longer wants to enter the Father’s house. He does not realize that the Father, without him, will lose his joy, because he too, the elder son, is a son just like the younger one. The condition for following Christ is to carry the cross and renounce all the goods of this world.
Let us try to understand, whoever experiences the free and surprising irruption of God’s love in his life becomes joyful and wants to communicate this joy to others and to the whole world. The saving action of God is a source of joy, "Rejoice with me" (Lk 15, 6, 9). Let us celebrate and rejoice because the Father welcomes us when we find the road that leads us back.
Peace and Good.
