4th Sunday of Lent, 2016

Joshua 5:9a. 10-12; 2 Corinthians 5:17-21; Luke 15:1-3, 11-32
Proclaim God’s Prodigality Boldly, Thanks to it we are Saved!

Growing up in rural Nigerian State of Kaduna brought me close to the importance of milk, breast milk. Whether human or animal, neonates/new born babies need milk for survival, and what a pride Nigerian women take in displaying both their motherhood and generosity in breastfeeding their babies. Unlike the stigma of the North-Atlantic mammary gland, where a woman is forced and boxed into obscurity because she is a woman and because she feeds her baby, the African celebration of feminineness extends to a God who is proudly human in his identification with the attributes of both genders, masculine and feminine. Today, the feminine aspect of our God comes to play – he feeds his children with pride, just as an African woman celebrates the gift of life and preservation of life through food – breastfeeding.
Obviously, hidden behind the physical dimension of food, breast-milk, is an inoculation power of breast-milk; the vaccines a new born needs to survival infections, be they viral or bacterial, are contained in the breast-milk; when a day eventually comes for weaning the child, the stamina to fend off sicknesses and diseases, and propel itself into the journey of life and living is already guaranteed. You know what, God is doing just something similar today, in our first reading.
The presence of the manna as food for the Israelites, while their journey through the desert lasted, was a sign of a generous and caring God; a God who feeds spiritually and physically too. Yes, as long as their journey lasted, because, like all babies, a day comes when they’ll be weaned; for the Israelites, their weaning from manna came at the end of their journey – arrival in the Promised land; after their first Passover in the Promised Land, the manna ceased, but why?
Today’s gospel presents two reasons why the manna had to cease: 1) children, if they don’t die young, do grow up; 2) adults do not need milk/manna but solid food. The two children of the parable of our gospel today, retell, in a different way, the journey of life, and the survival skills that is needed for adulthood.
The younger son reveals the challenge of those who refuse to be weaned from breast-milk because they are not ready for the battle of adult life – the struggle for self-preservation in a jungle of life. The savings and hard work, not to say the prodigality of a father, ready to administer his will while still alive, goes to a younger child, who squandered every penny because he never worked for it. But this is not the end of the story; famine does teach human beings lessons in priority – the defence of life first, before sin and pleasure. The younger son hired himself out to work, in order to earn a living. The vaccine he got from breastfeeding, that is, the upbringing of his father, was not in vain; he was ready to do manual labor and he was ready for a spiritual labor – conversion: “Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you.”
The challenges of life reveal to each one of us, the stuff of which we are made; crisis situations have a way of bringing out the best in us, bringing us into contact with ourselves. A life-made-easy younger brother realizes the dignity in labor and the power of prodigality – forgiveness – when he was offered a second chance. Although he was ready to relinquish his identity and birthright, his father celebrates, not his failure, but his arrival into maturity. Yes, the prodigality of the father earned the son a place in adult life. In order words, sin is not the problem, at issue is our desire and quest for repentance. A repentant sinner is one who recognizes the grace in God’s prodigality and liberality, even to giving the life of Jesus Christ on the Cross of Calvary for your and my salvation.
The reality of failure does not blind us to the possibility of virtue. Even in our adulterous generation, there are still some virgins among us; despite the oozy corruptive stench of our polity, there are significant others, who have managed to remain upright and untrammeled in their quest for justice and progress; in spite of our academic decadence, geniuses are still being born; and, notwithstanding the apparent collapse of humanity, deeds of valor and heroism are still being registered. Indeed, the older brother in today’s parable, who is conscious of his rectitude, has replicas in our society today. In fact, such replicas are found in all religions – the holy ones, ready to cast the first stone at the rest of us for being sinners.
Sin is detestable and virtue admirable, but God’s prodigality trumps them both. The truth is, no one is qualified, except those qualified by God! The parable of today interrogates each one of us, whether we wallow in sins or bask in virtues, to take seriously the admonition of St. Paul in our second reading – “We are ambassadors for Christ.” The singular job of an ambassador is to be the dispenser of his/her countries position, no more no less. As a Christian, whether I be a virgin or a prostitute, my job is to proclaim God’s prodigality boldly, thanks to it we (the good, the bad and the ugly) are saved!
God’s prodigality assures human salvation past and present; God’s prodigality is the gateway a sinner needs to make heaven, because forgiveness is guaranteed to a repentant sinner; God’s prodigality is what humbles the self-righteous because it is still the grace of God that justifies both the sinner and the self-righteous. Yes, it is God’s prodigality, and not human profligacy, that our parable showcases today; and to deny this prodigality in view of human salvation is to denial an essential part of God’s self-revelation to human beings.
Indeed, the manna ceased on arrival in the Promised Land because the life of adulthood has begun, human labor is dignifying and rewarding; what more, God delights in the fruits of righteousness his children bring to his altar as a sign of gratitude and thanksgiving for his liberality. Consequently, at the end of Lent, what fruits of Christian maturity, what virtues would you and I bring at the Easter resurrection celebration? God awaits our gifts, do not be barren, don’t be sterile because God made us fruitful!

Assignment for the Week

Can you contribute something special to welfare this week or give some gifts to somebody you think is undeserving of your charity?