[stephenkhoo]

A GRACIOUS SOCIETY WELCOMES SINNERS
SCRIPTURE READINGS: [MICAH 7:14-15, 18-20; PS 103:1-4,9-12; LK 15:1-3; 11-32]

Today we speak of building a gracious community. Unfortunately, building a gracious society to different people means different things. For some it is to accept the LGBTQ Community. For others, it is to allow everyone to live, including human embryos, the physically and mentally challenged and the elderly. For believers, it is to welcome those who are divorced and remarried. For others, it is to care for the poor, the marginalized and the vulnerable and those with infectious diseases.

But society is harsh and cruel to those who are errant, have committed offences and crimes, or broken the laws of their faith tradition. Society not only imposes severe punishments on criminals and those who break the law but often excludes and marginalizes ex-offenders. After being released from prison, they are rejected by their own family members, especially if they were drug addicts or have caused shame to the family. Those who have committed criminal breach of trust after serving their sentence are unable to find jobs because of past criminal records. The stark reality of life is that once a criminal, we remain a criminal in the eyes of our fellowmen for the rest of our life. Worse still, if one is a sex offender, whether one has committed rape, molestation, voyeurism or pedophilia. Not only is the person condemned by society but he or she will be seen as such and labeled as such, regardless what rehabilitation program one might have gone through. Indeed, whilst we proclaim ourselves to be a gracious society, we are not entirely gracious until we can forgive sinners and welcome them back to the community.

Most of us behave like the elder son in today’s parable of the Forgiving Father. When he heard that the younger son had returned and the Father was organizing a party to welcome him back, he was furious, angry, resentful and refused to go into the house to celebrate with the Father. He even refused to acknowledge him as his brother. As far as he was concerned, he was only the son of his father. He was judgmental, even though nothing was said about the younger brother being involved in promiscuous activities. He said, “But, for this son of yours, when he comes back after swallowing up your property – he and his women – you kill the calf we had been fattening.”

Indeed, he was concerned about justice and equity, not about mercy or reconciliation. He told the Father, “Look, all these years I have slaved for you and never once disobeyed your orders, yet you never offered me so much as a kid for me to celebrate with my friends.” We too feel cheated when someone who had absconded after taking away our money, our share of the property or even harming us sexually, physically and our reputation is returned to society. How could we accept such a person back into the family or the community! That person should be excluded forever and we should have nothing to do with him or her anymore. To welcome the person back and worse still, to restore him his rights and dignity as the Father did when he told the servants, “Quick! Bring out the best robe and put it on him; put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet. Bring the calf we have been fattening, and kill it; we are going to have a feast.” is unjust. If we were the elder son, who has worked hard for the organization or for our family business, and when we see those who were lazy, abused the funds of the organization and then after being found out, are still reinstated to the organization, we would feel a great sense of injustice. We want punishment to be meted out and that they be given the boot forever.

This parable actually is an allegory of the historical situation of the Jews with regard to the Samaritans in the Northern Kingdom. Judah, the Southern Kingdom of Israel was the elder brother of Ephraim in the Northern Kingdom. Ephraim and Manasseh were the sons of Joseph and both were incorporated into the Twelve Tribes of Israel. Ephraim betrayed the Lord and the Covenant. They worshipped false gods and started their own sanctuaries. Eventually, they were destroyed by the Assyrians in the 8th century and as a consequence exiled to Babylon and the Assyrians settled in the Northern Kingdom. Many of them later inter-married. For this reason, they were called Samaritans, as they were half-Jews. They were despised by the pure Jews in Judah, the Southern Kingdom. Even during the time of Jesus, the Gentiles, including the Samaritans, were considered sinners and therefore excluded from the Covenant. The Pharisees particularly, could not tolerate sinners. This explains why when “the tax collectors and the sinners were all seeking the company of Jesus to hear what he had to say…the Pharisees and the scribes complained. ‘This man’ they said ‘welcomes sinners and eats with them.'”

But God acts differently. The father in the parable of today’s gospel portrays God as our loving and forgiving Father. God does not consider our sins so long as we repent. As the prophet Micah said, “What god can compare with you: taking fault away, pardoning crime, not cherishing anger forever but delighting in showing mercy? Once more have pity on us, tread down our faults, to the bottom of the sea throw all our sins.” The psalmist declared, “The Lord is compassion and love. His wrath will come to an end; he will not be angry for ever: He does not treat us according to our sins nor repay us according to our faults. For as the heavens are high above the earth so strong is his love for those who fear him. As far as the east is from the west so far does he remove our sins?” God wants to forgive us and reconcile us with Him. The parable is meant not for the sinner but for the Pharisees who, like many of us, cannot welcome sinners back to the community. We are not magnanimous enough to welcome back sinners and rejoice with the Father, who said, “this son of mine was dead and has come back to life; he was lost and is found.”

Yet, the truth is that the prodigal son is but a figure of the fallen man who has forgotten his identity. Because of original sin, we have forgotten that we are God’s children. That was what happened to the younger son. He felt that God was not his loving Father. Sin wants independence from God. So the younger son left home and left God to search for his own identity. As a consequence, he fell into a deeper abyss. He lost himself completely and was reduced to a non-person. He was not even a Jew because he took the most degrading job, working for a Gentile and rearing pigs, which were considered unclean animals. It was in his suffering and poverty that he came to realize His Father was a loving father and provided for all his needs. As St Luke poignantly wrote, “Then he came to his senses and said, ‘How many of my father’s paid servants have more food than they want, and here I am dying of hunger! I will leave this place and go to my father and say: Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you; I no longer deserve to be called your son; treat me as one of your paid servants.’ So he left the place and went back to his father.” It was only upon returning that he regained his sonship when the Father restored his dignity and rights. He gave him back the symbols of dignity in the form of a ring, a robe and sandals.

But the irony is that although the younger son lost his identity when he strayed, at least he came to realization and returned to the Father’s house. Sadly, this was not the case of the elder son. Like many good Catholics, we have been faithfully serving God and His Church, giving our contributions regularly, but we do not truly see God as our Father. Like the elder son, we are more like a slave, doing and obeying out of fear and obedience. We do not perform our obligations with joy but reluctantly and slavishly. Like him, we forget, as the Father said, “My son, you are with me always and all I have is yours. But it was only right we should celebrate and rejoice, because your brother here was dead and has come to life; he was lost and is found.” Truly, everything has already been given to us by God. Why should we begrudge our brother who has done wrong and has now returned to Him? Shouldn’t we be generous like God our Father is towards us? This is why, building a gracious society requires us to welcome all sinners, criminal offenders and those who have broken Church laws. We should be happy that they have repented and returned home.