The Lost Son

 Over the years, the practice of lectio divina has helped to etch certain passages deeply into my heart, mind, and soul.  The story of the prodigal son, or in this translation - the lost son, has been one such passage.  The "holy reading" and the "holy listening" that the practice of lectio divina provides has allowed me to read and hear different things in this passage over time.

 God speaks to us from His WORD. 

I remember how powerfully the line sounded: "I am no longer worthy to be called thy son.  Instead, accept me as one of thy servants".  Over and over again this line carved a path of humility into my heart as I recognized the truth of it in my own life.  Humility began to become important to me.  That line became my own.

 Another reading rendered inglorious response of the older son as critical.  I walked away from that holding my head in shame as I recognized my own jealous responses within the kingdom of God.  That emotion had been my own.

A lifetime of lectio can produce a lifetime of "hearings".  Each time we hear what is being said to us, it is as if our lives are expanded and we are allowed the grace to participate in the scriptures themselves.  We become a member of the family of the WORD of the Father. 

Later, as I worked with some visualization practices by Anthony deMello, I was able to pick up where I left off.  Because I had heard God in the "holy reading" of this passage, I was able to go ahead and insert myself in each of the roles in the passage and play them out - visualize them - in my head.  This added a new and deeper  response to my involvement in the WORD of the Father.

The passage is below.  Go ahead and use it for your "holy reading".  It is lengthy.  You may want to divide it down into smaller portions.  One for today and one for tomorrow.  

Peace be with you.  

+TJM 

 

 

Parable of the Lost Son

 ¹¹ To illustrate the point further, Jesus told them this story: “A man had two sons. ¹² The younger son told his father, ‘I want my share of your estate now before you die.’ So his father agreed to divide his wealth between his sons. ¹³ “A few days later this younger son packed all his belongings and moved to a distant land, and there he wasted all his money in wild living. ¹⁴ About the time his money ran out, a great famine swept over the land, and he began to starve. ¹⁵ He persuaded a local farmer to hire him, and the man sent him into his fields to feed the pigs. ¹⁶ The young man became so hungry that even the pods he was feeding the pigs looked good to him. But no one gave him anything.
 ¹⁷ “When he finally came to his senses, he said to himself, ‘At home even the hired servants have food enough to spare, and here I am dying of hunger! ¹⁸ I will go home to my father and say, “Father, I have sinned against both heaven and you, ¹⁹ and I am no longer worthy of being called your son. Please take me on as a hired servant.”’
 ²⁰ “So he returned home to his father. And while he was still a long way off, his father saw him coming. Filled with love and compassion, he ran to his son, embraced him, and kissed him. ²¹ His son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against both heaven and you, and I am no longer worthy of being called your son.^[b]’
 ²² “But his father said to the servants, ‘Quick! Bring the finest robe in the house and put it on him. Get a ring for his finger and sandals for his feet. ²³ And kill the calf we have been fattening. We must celebrate with a feast, ²⁴ for this son of mine was dead and has now returned to life. He was lost, but now he is found.’ So the party began.
 ²⁵ “Meanwhile, the older son was in the fields working. When he returned home, he heard music and dancing in the house, ²⁶ and he asked one of the servants what was going on. ²⁷ ‘Your brother is back,’ he was told, ‘and your father has killed the fattened calf. We are celebrating because of his safe return.’
 ²⁸ “The older brother was angry and wouldn’t go in. His father came out and begged him, ²⁹ but he replied, ‘All these years I’ve slaved for you and never once refused to do a single thing you told me to. And in all that time you never gave me even one young goat for a feast with my friends. ³⁰ Yet when this son of yours comes back after squandering your money on prostitutes, you celebrate by killing the fattened calf!’
 ³¹ “His father said to him, ‘Look, dear son, you have always stayed by me, and everything I have is yours. ³² We had to celebrate this happy day. For your brother was dead and has come back to life! He was lost, but now he is found!’”