Johannine Hours Luke 15:11-23 August 1996 _____________________________________________________________________ Luke 15:11-23 [The "Johannine hours" are meant as a way of seeking God in silence and prayer in the midst of our daily life. During the course of a day, take a moment to read the Bible passage with the short commentary and to reflect on the questions which follow. Afterwards, a small group people can meet to share what they have discovered and perhaps for a time of prayer.] What could be any crueler for parents than to see themselves reduced, in their children's eyes, to the role of a material provider, and to have their hearts ignored? What could be more unbearable than to see one's own child ruin his or her life, or lose their way, without being able to lift even a finger to help them? If the father in the parable can hold firm in the face of suffering and keep his love intact, if he can throw his arms wide open when his son shows the first sign of openness, it is because his gaze has never left his son. He does not consider his own predicament, nor does he contemplate his own humiliation. He does not measure the distance that separates them, nor the lost time and opportunities. He does not ponder his son's suffering or the danger he is in, the result of which would be only to heighten his own anguish. From the beginning, he believes that his son is made for the freedom he is seeking, even if this quest bears the cost of possible mistakes. It is not the son's fault which will diminish the father's resolution. He continues to believe in him, regardless of the situation and the reasons for worry. He knows that his son will one day be able to perceive his open heart and find rest there. He knows that his freely-given love will in the end enable him to discover the real nature of his quest and transfigure his entire life. Then, freedom will not only be that first freedom which meant to exercise his own choices but that more fecund freedom which gives of itself, and which leads to that widening horizon of communion. The faithfulness of one alone is enough for the two of them. Upon the son's return, few words are exchanged. There are no explanations, no lessons to be drawn. Only the joy of the father, who is free to proclaim what has always been the secret of his life: giving is what advances through all obstacles and heals everything. For which persons or in which situations do I need to rely on this attitude of the father, so that I can continue loving until the day when forgiveness is finally welcomed? What ways and means can I invent within daily life to express and share the joy of forgiveness? "Johannine Hours" - 08/96 - ©71250 Taizé-Community, France. taize@cpe.ipl.fr ----------------------------------------------------- file: /pub/resources/text/taize/johannine: jh9608.txt .