The Fourth Sunday of Lent
"Father give me the share of your estate that should come to me.' ... After a few days, the younger son collected all his belongings and set off to a distant country where he squandered his inheritance on a life of dissipation" (Lk. 15:1-3, 11-32)
How did you do this past week? Did you plant rich seeds of hope during the week? Were you able to give someone a reason to hope?
I want to continue planting seeds of hope in this blog. I admire Pope Francis for bridging the generational gap by focusing on young people, particularly young adults who often describe our society as being out of touch or off the chain. Many feel that adults are hypocritical; one week, they express a desire to provide education to help young adults improve their lives, but the next week, they confront unbearable college costs. As a result, shattered dreams greet them each morning, leaving them with little reason to hope.
Study these words by Pope Francis as he reflects on our young adults,
"... it is sad to see young people who are without hope, who face an uncertain and unpromising future, who lack employment or job security, or realistic prospects after finishing school. Without the hope that their dreams can come true, they will inevitably grow discouraged and listless. Escaping into drugs, risk-taking and the pursuit of momentary pleasure does greater harm to them in particular, since it closes them to life's beauty and richness, and can lead to depression and even self-destructive actions." (Article 12)
I was struck by the contrast between Pope Francis's words and today's reading from the Gospel of Luke. As I closed my eyes, I felt Pope Francis was describing the Prodigal Son—a young man uncertain about his future after graduating from college and struggling to find a job. His dreams have turned into nightmares, filled with overwhelming college bills and the looming presence of creditors reminding him of due dates and high interest rates. This young man breaks the family's tradition and asks for his inheritance.
There may be a young single woman who has engaged in risky behavior, seeking momentary pleasure while singing only for one night. This, along with many other factors, may lead some children to ask their fathers for their inheritance because they do not see a hopeful future ahead of them. As Pope Francis noted, "Often we come across people who are discouraged, pessimistic, and cynical about the future, as if nothing could possibly bring them happiness." (Article 1)
In the narrative of the Prodigal Son, Luke does not elaborate on the young man's state of mind. We know little about his love life or his interactions with friends. We are unaware of his dreams or aspirations; all we know is that he believed having enough money would somehow bring his dreams—whatever they might be—to fruition and make him happy. Unfortunately, he squanders his inheritance.
On the other hand, we should also consider the father's hopes for his son. As a father, I appreciate the father's actions in this Gospel reading. Pope Francis emphasized that we must "demonstrate care and concern for adolescents, students, and young couples, the rising generation" (Article 12). I often wonder how the story would have unfolded if the father had refused his son. Would that have merely added to the list of shattered dreams? The father feels deeply for his son and hopes that God will intervene.
Moreover, when we reflect on the connection between the father and the son, we can see what St. Paul referred to as "hoping against hope" (Rom. 4:18). To hope against hope means to trust in God beyond what we can see. St. Paul said, "Now hope that sees for itself is not hope. For who hopes for what one sees? But if we hope for what we do not see, we wait with endurance" (Rom. 8:24-25). When everything fell apart for the son, he hoped his father would welcome him home because he knew his father cared. Likewise, the father hoped for his son's return out of love. Hope against hope is about trusting God, who holds our future.
Plant rich seeds of hope by learning a young adult's name this week. Go and tell them that God loves them.
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What a profound challenge for us this week. Challenge accepted!
Blessings