Fourth Sunday Of Lent

Sunday March 27, 2022

Fourth Sunday Of Lent

1. A Father Prodigal with His Love
3. A Scandalizing Mercy
4. 

Greeting (See Second Reading)

Blessed be God our Father
who has reconciled us to himself through Christ
and has entrusted to us
the work of reconciliation in this world.
May his pardon and peace be always with you.

R/ And also with you.

Introduction by the Celebrant

1. A Father Prodigal with His Love

Can you imagine that, when half-heartedly sorry for the stupidities of your sins, you tell God that you come back to him, he embraces you and prepares a feast for you? It is almost like a hero’s welcome! A God prodigal with his love waits for us; the past belongs to the past. Let us join in the feast of forgiveness.

2. A Scandalizing Mercy

Sometimes it is said of good, tolerant people: that’s going too far to tolerate this, to forgive such a loss of face. Is there no spunk in him or her? No, we shouldn’t be anybody’s fool, but when it comes to forgiveness and patience we have still much to learn from God our Father. Has he not kept forgiving us? Has he ever stopped being patient with us? This is what we have to learn from him, however difficult it may be. Let us ask Jesus with us here to give us that strength.

Penitential Act

Why do we still hesitate
to return to the forgiving Father?
                        (pause)
Lord Jesus, you sat at table
with outcasts and sinners:
Lord, have mercy. R/ Lord, have mercy.

Jesus Christ, you forgave
those who nailed you to the cross:
Christ, have mercy. R/ Christ, have mercy.
Lord Jesus, you invite us sinners
to the marriage feast of heaven:
Lord, have mercy. R/ Lord, have mercy.

Lord, thank you for your patience
that does not tire of forgiving us.
Let your love change us completely
and lead us to everlasting life. R/ Amen.

Opening Prayer

Let us pray to God our Father
that we may experience the joy
of his lasting forgiveness

 (pause)
God with a big heart,
when we have lost our way,
when we seek fake happiness
in the dark land of sin,
you send your Son to search for us
and to bring us back home to you.
Let us feel deeply that you are looking forward
to welcome us with joy
and to restore us in your life and love.
Give us the humble courage to return to you,
our God and Father for ever. R/ Amen.

First Reading (Jos 5:9-12): The Joy of a Homeland

God had led his people from the land of slavery into their new homeland. They celebrated this homecoming by renewing the covenant with God. Then they had to live as his faithful people.

Reading 1: Jos 5:9a, 10-12

The LORD said to Joshua,
“Today I have removed the reproach of Egypt from you.”

While the Israelites were encamped at Gilgal on the plains of Jericho,
they celebrated the Passover
on the evening of the fourteenth of the month.
On the day after the Passover,
they ate of the produce of the land
in the form of unleavened cakes and parched grain.
On that same day after the Passover,
on which they ate of the produce of the land, the manna ceased.
No longer was there manna for the Israelites,
who that year ate of the yield of the land of Canaan.

Responsorial Psalm: Ps 34:2-3, 4-5, 6-7.

(9a)  Taste and see the goodness of the Lord.
I will bless the LORD at all times;
his praise shall be ever in my mouth.
Let my soul glory in the LORD;
the lowly will hear me and be glad.
R. Taste and see the goodness of the Lord.

Glorify the LORD with me,
let us together extol his name.
I sought the LORD, and he answered me
and delivered me from all my fears.
R. Taste and see the goodness of the Lord.

Look to him that you may be radiant with joy,
and your faces may not blush with shame.
When the poor one called out, the LORD heard,
and from all his distress he saved him.
R. Taste and see the goodness of the Lord.

Second Reading (2 Cor 5:17:21): Reconciled and Reconcilers

God offers us a new world of forgiveness and reconciliation. We have to bring that reconciliation to all.

Reading 2: 2 Cor 5:17-21

Brothers and sisters:
Whoever is in Christ is a new creation:
the old things have passed away;
behold, new things have come.
And all this is from God,
who has reconciled us to himself through Christ
and given us the ministry of reconciliation,
namely, God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ,
not counting their trespasses against them
and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation.
So we are ambassadors for Christ,
as if God were appealing through us.
We implore you on behalf of Christ,
be reconciled to God.
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.

Verse Before the Gospel: Lk 15:18

I will get up and go to my Father and shall say to him:
Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you.

Gospel (Lk 15:1-3,11-32): Welcome Back Home!

In the parable of the Father and his two sons, the father welcomes the repentant son back home with joy, but the self-righteous elder son, with the scribes and the Pharisees, refuses forgiveness.

Gospel: Lk 15:1-3, 11-32

Tax collectors and sinners were all drawing near to listen to Jesus,
but the Pharisees and scribes began to complain, saying,
“This man welcomes sinners and eats with them.”
So to them Jesus addressed this parable:
“A man had two sons, and the younger son said to his father,
‘Father give me the share of your estate that should come to me.’
 
So the father divided the property between them.
After a few days, the younger son collected all his belongings
and set off to a distant country
where he squandered his inheritance on a life of dissipation.
When he had freely spent everything,
a severe famine struck that country,
and he found himself in dire need.
So he hired himself out to one of the local citizens
who sent him to his farm to tend the swine.
And he longed to eat his fill of the pods on which the swine fed,
but nobody gave him any.
Coming to his senses he thought,
‘How many of my father’s hired workers
have more than enough food to eat,
but here am I, dying from hunger.
I shall get up and go to my father and I shall say to him,
“Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you.
I no longer deserve to be called your son;
treat me as you would treat one of your hired workers.”’
So he got up and went back to his father.
While he was still a long way off,
his father caught sight of him, and was filled with compassion.
He ran to his son, embraced him and kissed him.
His son said to him,
‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you;
I no longer deserve to be called your son.’
But his father ordered his servants,
‘Quickly bring the finest robe and put it on him;
put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet.
Take the fattened calf and slaughter it.
Then let us celebrate with a feast,
because this son of mine was dead, and has come to life again;
he was lost, and has been found.’
Then the celebration began.
Now the older son had been out in the field
and, on his way back, as he neared the house,
he heard the sound of music and dancing.
He called one of the servants and asked what this might mean.
The servant said to him,
‘Your brother has returned
and your father has slaughtered the fattened calf
because he has him back safe and sound.’
He became angry,
and when he refused to enter the house,
his father came out and pleaded with him.
He said to his father in reply,
‘Look, all these years I served you
and not once did I disobey your orders;
yet you never gave me even a young goat to feast on with my friends.
But when your son returns
who swallowed up your property with prostitutes,
for him you slaughter the fattened calf.’
He said to him,
‘My son, you are here with me always;
everything I have is yours.
But now we must celebrate and rejoice,
because your brother was dead and has come to life again;
he was lost and has been found.’”

Intercessions

Let us pray to our merciful Father that his patience and love may be a constant invitation to everyone and all to return to him notwithstanding failures, and let us say: R/ Lord, renew us in your love.

–          For the Church, that it may be to this world of fallible people a constant sign of reconciliation and peace, let us pray: R/ Lord, renew us in your love.

–          For priests, that in the sacrament of penance they may always welcome repentant sinners with the patience and joy of the heavenly Father, let us pray: R/ Lord, renew us in your love.

–          For our Christian families, that they may always be places of forgiveness where people take one another as they are and where prodigal children are received back with the warmth of love and joy, let us pray: R/ Lord, renew us in your love.

–          For all Christians, that we who have experienced the Lord’s forgiveness may learn to forgive one another wholeheartedly and without regrets and that we may not look down on people who have erred, let us pray: R/ Lord, renew us in your love.

–          For our Christian communities, that we may welcome back in our midst social outcasts and ex-prisoners and give them the chance to rehabilitate themselves, let us pray: R/ Lord, renew us in your love.

Lord God, we thank you for the joy of forgiveness. Help us to express this gratitude by becoming new people in Jesus Christ our Lord. R/ Amen.

Prayer over the Gifts

Lord our God,
your Son welcomed sinners
and ate with them from the same table.
May our gathering here
around the table of your Son
also bring us, today’s sinners,
reconciliation and peace
with one another and with you,
our understanding and patient Father,
on account of Christ Jesus our Lord. R/ Amen.

Introduction to the Eucharistic Prayer

Let us with joy give thanks to the Father for always forgiving us without conditions and without regrets.

Invitation to the Lord’s Prayer

Repentant, like the prodigal son,
we turn to our Father in heaven;
we ask him to forgive us as we forgive others,
and to keep us from evil. R/ Our Father...

Deliver Us

Deliver us, Lord, from every evil,
and grant us today the peace of forgiveness.
Guide our hesitant steps
and keep us from stumbling.
When in moments of weakness
we have turned away from you,
let the memories of your kindness
be stronger than our feelings of guilt,
and help us to return to the joy of your home,
as we look forward to the full coming
of our Savior Jesus Christ. R/ For the kingdom...

Invitation to Communion

We are not worthy to be called
sons and daughters of the heavenly Father,
but here is the sinless Lamb of God
who bore our sins
to give us the life and love of the Father.
Happy are we sinners to be invited
to eat his bread of life and strength. R/ Lord, I am not worthy...

Prayer after Communion

Father, in your patient mercy
you have prodigally poured out your love on us.
You have gathered us in your Son;
let him speak to us your forgiving words
and nourish us at his sumptuous meal,
even though we have offended you.
Let your love live on in us
and make us bring your reconciliation
to everyone far and near.
For we want to proclaim that you are
a Father who loves without measure
and embraces even the sinner.
We ask this through Christ our Lord. R/ Amen.

Blessing

We know from experience
that it is hard to forgive
when we have been hurt deeply.
We have all come to wear scars
of betrayed trust and friendship,
of love turned down or left unanswered,
of hopes in one another never fulfilled.
This has been God’s experience with us too.
Yet he takes us back with joy,
holds no grudges, loves us no less.
May our love have grown more mature
through our encounter with a forgiving God
so that we too forgive those who have hurt us
without condition and with joy,
with the blessing of almighty God,
the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit. R/ Amen.

Go in the peace of a loving and forgiving Father.
R/ Thanks be to God.

Commentary

Healing the Shame

Read:

Yahweh removes the “shame of Egypt” from the Israelites. Christ takes over our shame in order to shape us into new creatures, sharing in the holiness of God. The Father of the prodigal and parsimonious sons seeks to heal and redeem them.

Reflect:

Our strength can be our greatest shame. The strength of the younger son was his sensuousness, the ability to celebrate life. However, it was an unredeemed eros, harming himself and everyone around. When he returns, trying (clumsily) to be more rational, the Father waves away his reasoning and orders a feast, the language of eros that makes his son feel at home; and in the process teaches him how to celebrate life redemptively. The elder son was all reason, but unredeemed as well, only serving to alienate himself from others. With him, the Father engages in a redeemed reasoning, teaching him to heal wounds and build bridges.

Pray:

Ask God to heal the shame that surrounds your core strength and make it redemptive for yourself and others.

Act:

What is your core strength? Has it become your Achilles’ heel? If yes, pray as above. If no, say a thanksgiving prayer.

Reflection is taken from Bible Diary 2022;

written by Fr.Paulson Velyannoor, CMF

Coffee with God: Called to be children, not slaves