It is the story that tells you that the Father is very much different than what we have in our mind. You go back to Him as sinful as you can be and He does not even check why you did return. He does not worry that you might have returned for more money. Or whether you’re even sorry for what you have done. He is just a prodigal Father that, as the word indicates, wastes His love so freely.
Isn’t that so hard for us to accept? Most of the parables are about this abundant God that shares freely his love, his seed, his food, his mercy, his grace. But often, I go always back to Him telling Him how unworthy I am to be his son. I have sinned against heaven and against Him. And if He is that merciful He might accept me as His servant. But instead, he throws a party and gives me back my sonship.
Then, to my brother he retells the story by saying that I was lost and am found, I was dead, but now I live. How can He see it that way? That’s not my version of the story. I am guilty of my sin. I disowned Him. That’s the true version of the story. But He insists on His own version.
So there are two versions of the story: my version and God’s version. God came down to tell us His version of our story. Now we need to decide which version of the story we are going to believe. Maybe hell is just our refusal to believe God’s version of the story. Allowing God to retell our story is heaven. We need to allow God to confront us with his own version. The moment we trust His version, we live differently, as we see ourselves differently.
I agree with you completely. I disagree with those who think of an evil and vengeful God. God is not angry. And those who believe that he is, can't say that they are truly Christians, because Jesus showed us otherwise. I admit, I don't always go to church, and I have blasphemed in my life - sometimes frequently - and I don't agree with everything the Church has to say. I am unafraid to say that. But I love God through Jesus in all that they truly are. God is good. And each of us who is blessed enough to have read this story of the prodigal son should understand and believe that wholeheartedly. Kudos, Father Karm. This is awesome :)
ReplyDeleteAngry God! We have not only passed on our anger on others but also on God and created an angry God that needs blood to be calmed down. That's our understanding of God. Jesus came down to tell us how wrong we are about God and ourselves. So hang on to your good God and allow this story to heal your way to see God. I only hope that all Christians have the same father Jesus had. He is clearly described in this story.
ReplyDeleteI believe in the Prodigal Father, an everloving father who accepts us without reservations as we are no matter what, unfortunately we have attributed to God what is human....anger, unforgiveness....it s not the kind of father I know on Earth, let alone the Father in Heaven.
ReplyDeleteMost of the OT God is attributed with human limitations. The people of God tried to understand him, but that was all they could conceive. Jesus came to tell us who really God the Father is, and who we are, sons and daughters. This is not something we earn or work at. This is what God the Father created... his children.
ReplyDeleteIndeed Fr Karm, well said. May I say that the story of the prodigal son goes straight to the roots. The attitude of God the father is far far beyond that of fragile man.beyond that of the prodigal son`s brother. The problem with us is that we hardly realise that we might have left the Father`s house, therefore it becomes harder to realise that, yes one day we too will have to return to that house.
ReplyDeleteIt does not worry my much that we have left the Father's house. After all, the son who did not leave was not better. What worries me is that we do not have the experience of this Father and so we are scared to return. I hope we have not disfigured again the image Jesus tried to give us of his father that the children of God are afraid to come back to HIM.
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