By Leela Ramdeen, Chair of the Catholic Commission for Social Justice
Some time ago, Fr Matthew D’Hereaux, who was then a member of CCSJ, asked me to run a one-day retreat for members of his Prison Ministry team. I decided to focus on the very moving parable of the Prodigal Son (Luke 15:1-3. 11-32 – see today’s Gospel). Are we open to the many messages in this parable?
Because it is part of a “trilogy”, it is helpful to link it with the parables of the lost sheep and the lost coin (Luke 15: 3-7. 8-10). We don’t read our bible enough. Take out your bible during Lent and discover the riches contained in it.
Lent is a time of repentance. No matter how far we stray from Him, God waits; he waits patiently until we return to him with humble and contrite hearts. And he is so merciful; so compassionate; so all-forgiving that He runs out to meet us, as the father in the parable did when his young wayward son returns home.
It is fitting that we are reading this Gospel today when the Draft Framework towards an Environmental Policy for the Archdiocese is being circulated for consultation via this medium. Like the younger son in the parable, too often we use and abuse the gift of creation that God has given to us.
For the launch of the Draft Framework, my nephew, Stephen, who was visiting from London, assisted me by taking photographs for a slide show – highlighting not only the beauty of our country but also what scant respect some of us show for our environment. As we journey through Lent, let us seek to reconcile ourselves with creation and promote the integrity of God’s creation.
Lent is a time to reflect on all the things that keep us from living out our baptismal promises fully. Each of us should ask ourselves: “What do I need to change in my life if I am to live by Gospel values? Am I advancing the Mission of the Church by the way in which I live my life?”
We must not forget that “The New Evangelization” is the first part of the Archdiocesan theme for this year. The second part is: Catholic family, become what you are. Pope John Paul II said: “…the moment has come to commit all of the Church’s energies to a new evangelisation and to the mission ad gentes. No believer in Christ, no institution of the Church can avoid this supreme duty: to proclaim Christ to all peoples.”
And Pope Paul VI stated in his apostolic exhortation, “Evangelization in the Modern World”:
“We wish to confirm once more that the task of evangelising all people constitutes the essential mission of the Church. It is a task and mission which the vast and profound changes of present day society make all the more urgent. Evangelising is in fact the grace and vocation proper to the Church, her deepest identity. She exists in order to evangelise…evangelisation can be new in its ardour, methods and expression.”
During Lent, let us remember that we should be proclaiming the Gospel by word and deed. Pope John Paul II said, “The new evangelisation is not a matter of merely passing on doctrine but rather of a personal and profound meeting with the Saviour.” Let us develop a personal relationship with our Lord, and meet him in the stranger, in our neighbour, and in all of creation.
I look forward to attending the concert at Assumption Church on Sunday: Son of God, Son of Man. In June this year I will attend the 41st performance of the Passion Play in Oberammergau, Bavaria, Southern Germany, for the third time. It has been performed there every 10 years since 1634 (with two exceptions e.g. during World War II).
About half the villagers (more than 2,000 persons), perform the Play which runs this year from May 15 to October 3. The play starts with Jesus entering Jerusalem and continues with His death on the cross and His resurrection. It lasts for about seven hours – with a three-hour meal break in between. In 2000 more than 500,000 people attended. What an experience. We can’t evangelise effectively unless we deepen our own relationship with God.
Send feedback to: ccsjfeedback@gmail.com. To purchase: The Compendium of the Social Doctrine of the Church, Take a Bite social justice programme on DVD, and the Responses to 101 Questions on Catholic Social Teaching, contact CCSJ at 622-2691 or 290-1635.
