Transcript
Look at this bad boy. It’s a big machete. A friend gave it to me for my 21st birthday. On the box it had printed, “use in case of a zombie apocalypse”. Thankfully I haven’t had to use it yet. But I guess that the idea is if there ever was a zombie apocalypse, I’d not only use this to defend myself but to hack, cut away at, and remove any unwanted or unnecessary objects from my path. So that I can get to my desired location as whole, as healthy, and with the least amount of damage as possible. Over the last four weeks that’s exactly what we’ve been doing in our Lenten journey. We have intentionally been trying to strip away all of the unnecessary and unhealthy parts of ourselves so that we can make it through to our destination. Which is Easter, the great paschal triduum. We’ve been doing a bit of spiritual pruning. Through fasting, we’ve been trying to remove the distractions and comforts that dull our hunger for God. Through prayer, we grow closer to God helping us to see what needs healing or change. And through Almsgiving, we cut away, cut through selfishness, turning outward in love. In our Gospel today the Prodigal Son has his own machete moment. After wandering far from home, burdened by poor choices, the younger son stripped away pride and returned, vulnerable and open. His father didn’t just welcome him, he ran to him. That’s what Lent prepares us for, to cut through everything which keeps us from God. So we can run into His arms, renewed and whole.