Saturday 14 March 2009

Background

I won't take no for an answer

"I won't take no for an answer," 
God began to say to me
when He opened His arms each night,
wanting us to dance.

St Catherine of Siena (a 14th centuryphilosopher, theologian and devotee of the Dominican order)

 

In this passage from the Gospel of Luke is a story thatcontains all kinds of radical counter-cultural ideas.

A father would never divide his estate like this beforedeath. The younger son would never be given first say in how thistook place. He should have been laughed away at best, probablygiven some punishment. And upon his return, 'justice' should havebeen done.

But the father divided his property, and seemingly, withoutconditions. The extravagance of that, the foolhardiness of it musthave left those who first heard the beginning of this story shakingtheir heads and waiting for the father's foolishness to be theobject lesson of the story. In a way, it was, but in a way that wasprobably most surprising for those who first heard it.

The younger son was disloyal, disrespectful, greedy andirresponsible. He was no hero, even when he came to his senses. Hisreturn was a shameful climax to his own folly. All that remainedfor him was the hope of some small compassion in his father's heart- that he would be considered useful, at best. His best hope wasthat he would not get what he deserved. Everyone would have noddedtheir heads at that.

Jesus poked another finger into everyone's assumptions abouttheir own lives, and about God. The father welcomed the son back,tried to reconcile the family, put his heart's desire before allother things and celebrated relationship, not duty orcorrectness.

To Ponder

What does it mean to you to 'get what youdeserve'?

The story ends with the father outside with theolder brother, the situation unresolved. How do you imagine thestory proceeding from here? What possibilities are there, first inthis moment and then into this family's future together? How mightthey move beyond this, or possibly become stuck because of it?

Who has wronged you, or taken advantage of you,who needs embracing in some way? On the other hand who do you needto return to, asking forgiveness?