Photo was taken yesterday afternoon at Altamount, Millstreet, Co.Cork (Irl)

A white Magnolia tree stands out in Altamount, creating some lovely colour

Thought on Sunday – April – 31/03/2019

Thought For Today by Jane Mellett called ‘The Elder Son’

Sometimes we can be so familiar with a Gospel passage we tend to switch off after the first few sentences. That would be a shame, especially when the Gospel is one of the great blockbuster parables. The real challenge in today’s Gospel is what happens after the lost son returns. The elder brother has ‘worked like a slave’ all those years and is understandably upset. The Father’s welcome of the younger son would have been considered extremely foolish by those listening to this story. However, the Father makes it clear that his outreach to the younger brother will not change his love for the older brother. It will cost the elder brother nothing to reach out. We have nothing to lose in welcoming home the lost.

Today, we can try to place ourselves somewhere in this narrative: where do you stand? This Gospel shows us that God returns the lost to the community, regardless of the boundaries that we might put in place. Jesus teaches us a lesson in radical hospitality. No matter how far we wander from home, God is still a loving God. The elder brother has a choice: to come to the party or to sulk in the corner. Luke, excellent story-teller that he is, leaves the reader to decide the outcome.

‘God of love, show us our place in this world as channels of your love for all the creatures of this earth, for not one of them is forgotten in your sight. Enlighten those who possess power – that they may love the common good, advance the weak, and care for this world in which we live’ (Pope Francis, Laudato Si, 246)