Should the Father bet it all on me?

Homily

4th Sunday of Lent C2

Laetare Sunday

27 March 2022

St. Lawrence Catholic Campus Center at the University of Kansas

AMDG

Should the Father bet it all on me?

First a quick confession; yes, another one!  I bet on sports.  It's not legal in Kansas, not yet, but when I travel I place bets on games.  I'm not proud of it.  I know it's a tax on stupid people.  I know it's a waste of money, attention and affection.  It's an idol and a sin I confess.  Yet I still do it.

I'll be making at least one more confession in these last three weeks of Lent.  I invite you to the same.  We're halfway to Holy Week!  The Church bids us to rejoice today; yes, even in Lent.  Let's end our fasting, prayer and almsgiving well, mind you, yet knowing it's never ultimately about the fasting!  I fast in order to feast.  I do penance so as to not miss out on the glory of Easter!  I fast not as an end to itself, nor to my own benefit, but so that I can experience how little rejoicing I have done.  If you don't believe me tell me why the Church has us listen to a party Gospel in the throes of Lent.  

Like the younger son, I hunger to get up and go experience the affection the Father has for me in confession.  Please make plans to go as well!

So that's that, but it's not the homily. The homily is about this foolish Father.  Should the Father bet it all on me?  Of course not!  This dumb dad commits parent mistake number one!  He spoils his younger son.  He gives him whatever he wants.  He even lets his son insult him before trusting the boy with everything.

What is much worse, the dad doesn't learn from his first mistake.  Instead he makes a mess of himself at the sight of his son.  He won't let the son offer a real apology or pay him back, nor suffer indignity even for a second.  The dad suffers the indignity then repeats his first mistake, wasting the best he has on this unworthy son.

Why is this dad so dumb?  Why isn't this called the parable of the stupid dad?  The older son is quite bothered.  So am I if you can't tell.  So are you.  This Father is ridiculous.  There is no reason, no calculation, no fairness in his action.  The Father is dumb because he bets it all on one thing, that his son might experience and trust how much he is loved.  For that reason alone, He bets it all.

The parable highlights a real problem.  I am loved like this too.  So are you.  The problem is that I can't talk the Father out of it, no matter how hard I tell him not to bet it all on me.  He's gonna do it anyway.  It's who He is.  It's all He knows.  It's His way.  It's all He will ever care about.  If there is any chance in heaven I might trust His love for me, He bets it all.

I hope this question bothers you as much as it does ime.

Should the Father bet it all on me?