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1neophyte
Guest
My spiritual director recently said something very interesting about this very thing: it says a lot about who God is, and also says a lot about who we are.
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jcrichton
Guest
Hi, Clare!
…almost any Scriptural Reading has several sides to it… what I feel keeps being missed is the Father’s Willingness to forgive… the wayward son is still far from the house when the Father goes out greet him… (It’s the great joy in Heaven for a sinner who repents); too many continue to search for meaning and spin it in ways that, though encompassing, may not really be the original intent.
Maran atha!
Angel
…almost any Scriptural Reading has several sides to it… what I feel keeps being missed is the Father’s Willingness to forgive… the wayward son is still far from the house when the Father goes out greet him… (It’s the great joy in Heaven for a sinner who repents); too many continue to search for meaning and spin it in ways that, though encompassing, may not really be the original intent.
Maran atha!
Angel
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BenjaminJ
Guest
The parable was a metaphor. Those with ears will listen and will not hear, those with eyes will see and will not see.
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pianistclare
Guest
I doubt people missed it. People just focus on how they relate to such a situation. And the resent His forgiveness. But we all need it. 
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Randolph
Guest
The older brother’s behavior revealed his lack of understanding of forgiveness and repentance. Forgiveness and repentance are teachings that came directly from the lips of Christ Himself and have been taught by the Catholic Church (Christ’s faithful bride) for 2,000 years. Amidst massive confusions, divisions and disunity within the Church in recent years, the Dubia seeks for the Church to dispel doubts and to be clear on Her teachings. A key ingredient for forgiveness is for all sinners to “sin no more”. A sinner who is unrepentant of his/her sin is not truly seeking forgiveness. We are all sinners, and we need to repent and ask God for forgiveness.
I hope this helps. God bless.
I hope this helps. God bless.
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1neophyte
Guest
And in this parable, which came directly from the lips of Christ himself, in which verse does the younger brother repent to his father? In which verse does the father command his son to sin no more as a condition of forgiveness?
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Bon_Croix
Guest
It’s Jealousy and/or anger… You have to pin it to one or more of the 7 Capital Sins.
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Randolph
Guest
In John 8:11 “And she said, No man, Lord. And Jesus said, Neither do I condemn thee: go thy way; from henceforth sin no more.“ These are the words that came directly from the lips of Christ and it is the perennial teaching of the Church.
Among many other methods, Christ used parables to teach and communicate his message of love and salvation to all mankind. Certainly, no one particular parable can be regarded as the complete teaching of Christ. In this parable, the prodigal son abandoned his sinful way and wanted to be united with his father.
Catholicism involves both scriptures and sacred Tradition. I trust you did not mean that just because, in this parable, the father did not use the words “sin no more”, there is no need for repentance for sins be forgiven. If that were the case, Christ lied to the world, and the Catholic Church has perpetuated that lie for the past 2,000 years.
I am reminded of the Act of Contrition:
“O my God, I am heartily sorry for having offended Thee, and I detest all my sins, because I dread the loss of heaven, and the pains of hell; but most of all because they offend Thee, my God, Who are all good and deserving of all my love. I firmly resolve, with the help of Thy grace, to confess my sins, to do penance, and to amend my life.”
Among many other methods, Christ used parables to teach and communicate his message of love and salvation to all mankind. Certainly, no one particular parable can be regarded as the complete teaching of Christ. In this parable, the prodigal son abandoned his sinful way and wanted to be united with his father.
Catholicism involves both scriptures and sacred Tradition. I trust you did not mean that just because, in this parable, the father did not use the words “sin no more”, there is no need for repentance for sins be forgiven. If that were the case, Christ lied to the world, and the Catholic Church has perpetuated that lie for the past 2,000 years.
I am reminded of the Act of Contrition:
“O my God, I am heartily sorry for having offended Thee, and I detest all my sins, because I dread the loss of heaven, and the pains of hell; but most of all because they offend Thee, my God, Who are all good and deserving of all my love. I firmly resolve, with the help of Thy grace, to confess my sins, to do penance, and to amend my life.”
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1neophyte
Guest
That’s part of the Prodigal Son parable? You’ve got me all confused now.
No, he wanted to be united with some dinner. Don’t miss out on the point of the parable by shifting your attention to something else that matches your preconceived notions. I’m certainly not saying there is anything wrong with repentance. But this parable reveals something very unexpected and revealing about God that is easy to miss…especially easy to miss for the older brother.
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Randolph
Guest
Below is what I wrote and I stand by it.
“In John 8:11 “And she said, No man, Lord. And Jesus said, Neither do I condemn thee: go thy way; from henceforth sin no more.“ These are the words that came directly from the lips of Christ and it is the perennial teaching of the Church.
Among many other methods, Christ used parables to teach and communicate his message of love and salvation to all mankind. Certainly, no one particular parable can be regarded as the complete teaching of Christ. In this parable, the prodigal son abandoned his sinful way and wanted to be united with his father.
Catholicism involves both scriptures and sacred Tradition. I trust you did not mean that just because, in this parable, the father did not use the words “sin no more”, there is no need for repentance for sins be forgiven. If that were the case, Christ lied to the world, and the Catholic Church has perpetuated that lie for the past 2,000 years.
I am reminded of the Act of Contrition:
“O my God, I am heartily sorry for having offended Thee, and I detest all my sins, because I dread the loss of heaven, and the pains of hell; but most of all because they offend Thee, my God, Who are all good and deserving of all my love. I firmly resolve, with the help of Thy grace, to confess my sins, to do penance, and to amend my life.””
It is contrary to the teachings of Christ and the perennial teachings of the Church to advance the position that there is no need to repent for sins be forgiven. This applies to all of us sinners. A lot of great things have been written about this great parable and it is not possible to fullly discuss it in a few posts. It is true that the father in the parable did not specifically mention the words “sin no more”. But it does not nullify what Christ Himself said elsewhere in the Gospels. I know one thing for sure. This parable does not and can not contradict the words spoken from the lips of Christ “to sin no more.”
“In John 8:11 “And she said, No man, Lord. And Jesus said, Neither do I condemn thee: go thy way; from henceforth sin no more.“ These are the words that came directly from the lips of Christ and it is the perennial teaching of the Church.
Among many other methods, Christ used parables to teach and communicate his message of love and salvation to all mankind. Certainly, no one particular parable can be regarded as the complete teaching of Christ. In this parable, the prodigal son abandoned his sinful way and wanted to be united with his father.
Catholicism involves both scriptures and sacred Tradition. I trust you did not mean that just because, in this parable, the father did not use the words “sin no more”, there is no need for repentance for sins be forgiven. If that were the case, Christ lied to the world, and the Catholic Church has perpetuated that lie for the past 2,000 years.
I am reminded of the Act of Contrition:
“O my God, I am heartily sorry for having offended Thee, and I detest all my sins, because I dread the loss of heaven, and the pains of hell; but most of all because they offend Thee, my God, Who are all good and deserving of all my love. I firmly resolve, with the help of Thy grace, to confess my sins, to do penance, and to amend my life.””
It is contrary to the teachings of Christ and the perennial teachings of the Church to advance the position that there is no need to repent for sins be forgiven. This applies to all of us sinners. A lot of great things have been written about this great parable and it is not possible to fullly discuss it in a few posts. It is true that the father in the parable did not specifically mention the words “sin no more”. But it does not nullify what Christ Himself said elsewhere in the Gospels. I know one thing for sure. This parable does not and can not contradict the words spoken from the lips of Christ “to sin no more.”
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tp3192000
Guest
In an essay from the First Princeton-Prague Symposium on Jesus Research edited by James H Charlesworth, an author wrote that it is significant how Jesus started his ministry with Baptism on the Jordan river. First comes repentance and later comes salvation. I will try to find authors name; it is not easy to find in my Kindle version.
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jcrichton
Guest
Wait, so if it not found in that particular parable it does not count?
Maran atha!
Angel
Maran atha!
Angel
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jcrichton
Guest
So the younger son was not sincere even with himself? He was really not repentant and was just scheming to get to some more money?
Maran atha!
Angel
Maran atha!
Angel
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Slartibartfast
Guest
Please would you expand upon this; I fear I have missed this “something” and I should like to know what is hidden. Thanks.
Tis_Bearself
Patron
And the Father has been going out every day to look for the missing son.
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jcrichton
Guest
Exactly!:
Angel
Maran atha!
Angel
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1neophyte
Guest
Yes…exactly. I thought that was obvious.
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Xanthippe_Voorhees
Guest
You are correct. While the Church has affirmed many visions of Hell, there has never been one confirmation that ~insert actual name here~ is in Hell.Well, I can’t think of anyplace in Scripture where the writer comes right out and says someone is in hell. I Could be wrong…
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1neophyte
Guest
It’s not anything hidden, it’s actually very obvious. God’s forgiveness precedes our repentance. His forgiveness does not depend on our repentance. This is so contrary to anything that makes sense to us, and so we do things like jump to other passages to prove our “point” without letting this fact sink in. The father in the story isn’t celebrating any repentance or perfect contrition, because there is none there to celebrate. He is only celebrating that his son has returned. He doesn’t even listen to the half-hearted speech the son has devised as a last resort to get something to eat. He is too out of breath from abandoning his dignity to run towards his boy, and too anxious for the party to start to even worry about whatever the son is babbling about.
This is important because it reveals something about who God is, and who we are. It certainly doesn’t mean we should sin with impunity and presume that we will be forgiven. But it does mean that we must not see God’s forgiveness as the quid pro quo transaction that we are inclined to apply to the way that we forgive each other. Because His ways are not our ways. And if we’re ever going to be fully restored to His image and likeness from the disfigured image that we are now, we must grow in understanding of who He is. We cannot ever make the mistake of thinking that he is as fickle or finite as we are.
Again, it’s not that any of this is hidden or secret. It’s right there on the page, plain as day. But there’s a reason Jesus was nailed to the Cross. We are stubborn and don’t want to hear anything contrary to our own ideas. And the implication of God’s unconditional forgiveness is that we are bound to forgive in this same way. That is what is really being resisted by the older brothers of the world who demand repentance and contrition.
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jcrichton
Guest
Yes, your eisegesis was clear; no that is not what the parable is about.
Maran atha!
Angel
Maran atha!
Angel
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