Relevant Religion

Seeing how faith makes practical sense

3/06/2021

Luke 15:1-3, 11-32 Tax collectors and sinners were all drawing near to listen to Jesus, but the Pharisees and scribes began to complain, saying, “This man welcomes sinners and eats with them.” So to them Jesus addressed this parable. “A man had two sons, and the younger son said to his father, ‘Father, give me the share of your estate that should come to me.’ So the father divided the property between them. After a few days, the younger son collected all his belongings and set off to a distant country where he squandered his inheritance on a life of dissipation. When he had freely spent everything, a severe famine struck that country, and he found himself in dire need. While he was still a long way off, his father caught sight of him, and was filled with compassion. He ran to his son, embraced him and kissed him. His son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you; I no longer deserve to be called your son.’ But his father ordered his servants, ‘Quickly, bring the finest robe and put it on him; put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet. Take the fattened calf and slaughter it. Then let us celebrate with a feast, because this son of mine was dead, and has come to life again; he was lost, and has been found.’ Then the celebration began.

Does religion feel relevant to you, that is, does it feel real and practical, applicable to daily life? One way religion became relevant to me was by watching movies. It was in a movie that I learned that Luke 15 is where we find the Parable of the Prodigal son. Did you ever see the movie, “The Reluctant saint” about St. Joseph of Cupertino? He wanted to become a Franciscan priest but struggled in school and seminary, failing virtually all his classes.

At his final exam, which all his teachers knew he would fail, they only asked him one question: where in the bible is the parable of the Prodigal Son? To the astonishment of his professors he responded with the right answer. Luke 15 was the only bible passage Joseph could read and remember. And that was the first bible passage that I have read and remembered as well, because I have trouble memorizing the bible, too. That movie made my religion a little more relevant to me.

Besides watching movies, another way to make religion relevant is studying closely the Parable of the Prodigal Son in today’s gospel. The story is about strained family relationships where the solution is mercy. The father is merciful to his sinful son, and the older brother refuses to show mercy to his little brother, “who was dead but brought back to life.” The father’s mercy is the right way to deal with family problems, while the older brother’s self-righteousness is toxic to family life.

Often when people come to me for counseling while experiencing family problems, I recommend they read Luke 15, the Parable of the Prodigal Son. In other words, suddenly our religion becomes radically relevant because it helps us overcome a very real problem: family feuds. In a sense, thank goodness for family feuds because they keep our religion relevant. Indeed, Pope Francis teaches that mercy, as embodied in the father of the Prodigal Son, is the solution to virtually all the miseries of mankind. Now, that is really relevant religion.

Another way our religion can become relevant is in the face of death. Death is the great mystery for which modern science and cutting-edge technology provide no solution, or even sympathy. Recently, we buried Tom Caldarera, Katie Reith and Kent Magrini. And at this moment two parishioners are in hospice care: Mary Maestri and Eva de la Crux. We should not feel sorry for them because someday we will stand in their shoes or lay in their bed. That is, we, too, must pass through the door of death into that “undiscovered country from which no traveler ever returns.”

The only way to confront the great mystery of death is with the great mystery of faith. And I would add, that faith should be mixed with mercy. Why? Well, because we have all sinned and wandered far from the Father’s House, like the Prodigal Son did. We, too, will have to face the Father’s after we die because the “door of death” will turn out to be the “front door” to the Father’s house. And there we hope to see his Face beaming with mercy, and hear those consoling words: “This son of my was dead and has come back to life.”

In a strange but sobering way death helps our religion become very relevant. Why? Because death reminds us we must all leave this world and the only thing we will take with us is our faith, our religion. Job declared in the opening verses of his Old Testament book how we must face death naked: “Naked I came forth from my mother’s womb and naked I go back there.” But then Job remembers his religion, and adds: “The Lord gave and the Lord has taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord!” (Jb 1:21).

My friends, we live in a world in which religion seems increasingly irrelevant. Perhaps you have family or friends who scoff at your spirituality and call it silly superstition. But maybe someday they will see a movie and learn a bible verse, or get in a family feud and need to learn some mercy, or finally face death and religion may see a little more relevant to them. The only thing we will leave this world with may be a little relic of religion.

Praised be Jesus Christ!