Sunday Homily

This is a very familiar parable. It is recognizable to most people because most of us find it very easy to see our own lives reflected in the story. Most of us know what it is to have gone astray, come to our senses, sought forgiveness and experienced God’s mercy. Most people find it very easy to identify with the younger son, but it was not the sinners in Jesus’ company to whom the parable was addressed.

Some people came to Jesus, and inquired about a couple of recent events. Evidently, Pontius Pilate had trapped a few people in the Temple, and executed them on the spot for their wrongdoings. There was also a construction disaster in the city that killed some workmen. The people merely assumed that these people died as a result of their own sinfulness. They asked Jesus, ‘Who do these people think they are?’ ‘Did they think that they could get away with their crimes?’

We might well ask what the Transfiguration has to do with Lent, a season of fasting and prayer. What is the meaning of this revelation of God's glory? Is it meant to remind us that, like Peter, we too often desire a comfortable resting place under the cloud of the divine presence?