Touching Heaven

Touching Heaven

Gospel for 24th Sunday in Ordinary Time:

Luke 15.1-32

Now that school has been in for two weeks (or longer if you are in a year-round school community), most likely the honeymoon is over. I mean, all attempts by students (and staff??) to be on their very best behaviour has started to wear thin. Why? Simple- we're back into a world of relationships, differences, change and conflict.

Now there are timeouts, written apologies...

And worse.

 

School discipline can be one of the most stressful parts of teaching and learning. Are we being "too lenient"? "Too tough"? How many staff meeting have we attended where this is the number one topic? Achieving consensus is a monumental task. 

But a necessary one.

As Catholic educators, we must make our decisions on school discipline based on Gospel values. Somehow we must strike the balance between justice, 

mercy,  and 

forgiveness.

I do not claim to have the answer for any school or district. Because they all have a particular culture.

But, I do know that Jesus gives us some insight on what it means to forgive in the 

Parable of the Forgiving Father

Considering the Parable of The Forgiving Father.

Traditionally known as the Parable of the Prodigal Son, the emphasis is really on the mercy and love of the Father. Read the parable again. Read it carefully
 

http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Luke%2015:%2011-32&version=NRSVCE

Like all of Jesus' parables, there is much that can be gleaned. I would like us to consider the depth of love shown by the Father. What do we discover?

First of all, the younger son has found himself at the bottom of the heap after squandering his inheritance. He decides to go back to his Father, not because he is repentant but because he is hungry!! He even makes up a good line about sinning against heaven, and no longer worthy blah blah blah... Initially, he just wants get back to some comfort.

But then something happens.

The father runs to him "while he was still far off". Yes, he is far off physically, but he is also far off in the relationship!! When the Father puts his arm around him and kisses him, the prodigal says his rehearsed lines. Whether he is sincere or not doesn't matter to the Father.

His son is back from the dead!!

Now, Jesus is not implying that forgiveness is cheap. What He is showing is that the love of the Father overpowers our weakness and excuses. 

I love the last part of the parable, because we can relate so closely to the elder brother. Remember that the firstborn has all the rights of inheritance, so he must have been angry from the get go when the Father gave half to the younger son. 

The elder brother hears the music, but does not enter. Rather than asking the Father what is going on, he asks a slave. The Father goes out to him  when he doesn't go to the party. Then the elder son complains that the "fatted calf" the best of the best, is given to the "sinner". He complains " you have never given me even a young goat so that I might celebrate with my friends..."

 Interesting that he didn't want to celebrate with his Father???

The Father then insists that celebration is in order because this brother of yours was dead and has come to life; he was lost and has been found.

In other words, we touch heaven when we celebrate forgiveness. It is at the heart of who we are. It is also, of course, at the heart of our greatest Christian prayer, the Our Father.

An Important Question

As Catholic educators, and especially teachers and administrators of Catholic schools, an important question must be asked:

Is my school a school of forgiveness?

When children break the rules, and they receive consequences, do they also receive forgiveness? Is the forgiveness explicitly said, or is it "you're back. we'll carry on as if nothing happened."

And what about the adults in the building? 

Are we models of forgiveness? Do we continually judge our peers based on mistakes they made last week, or last month, or last year?

We've all heard of the seven deadly sins. But the eight is the deadliest. It is the sin of withholding forgiveness.

For this week, ask the Holy Spirit to give you the courage to forgive others. Be explicit in your forgiveness. Go to them, or write them a letter (no texts or emails).

And maybe the first step is to allow yourself to be forgiven. Don't sit on the doorstep of God's love. Turn to him. He'll come running.

And you'll touch heaven.