Lent 4 (C) + Join the grace party! + 3.31.19
(https://d2gg9evh47fn9z.cloudfront.net/800px_COLOURBOX3118120.jpg) M. Campbell-Langdell All Santos, Oxnard ( Joshua 5:9–12; Ps. 32; 2 Corinthians 5:16–21; St Luke 15:1–3, 11b–32) Ah, the Parable of the Prodigal Son. Or the profligate father. Or of the two brothers. Or what-have-you. The truth is this is one of the most glorious and multifaceted parables of Jesus, and yet almost no two opinions about it are exactly the same. I think this is because there are so many levels on which you can read the text. The first I think of is the familial level. Isn’t it true that the family is the crucible in which we learn about ourselves and sometimes about God, for good or for ill? Here we have clear family dynamics. A father who may be seen as permissive but who is, after all, a father who goes through the grief of losing a son, albeit temporarily. Any parent would welcome that kid home. Tomorrow is the time to talk things through, but tonight, we celebrate! Then we have the y...