Catholic Mass Readings and Reflection March 30, 2025

30th March 2025 (Sunday)

Psalter: Week 4

Reading of the Day

First Reading: Joshua 5:9a, 10-12

And the Lord said to Joshua, “Today I have rolled away the reproach of Egypt from you.” While the people of Israel were encamped at Gilgal, they kept the Passover on the fourteenth day of the month in the evening on the plains of Jericho. And the day after the Passover, on that very day, they ate of the produce of the land, unleavened cakes and parched grain. And the manna ceased the day after they ate of the produce of the land. And there was no longer manna for the people of Israel, but they ate of the fruit of the land of Canaan that year.

Psalm 103: 1-2, 3-4, 6-7, 8, 11 (R. 8a)

R/. Taste and see that the Lord is good

Second Reading: 2 Corinthians 5:17-21

Brethren: if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come. All this is from God, who through Christ reconciled us to himself and gave us the ministry of reconciliation; that is, in Christ God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation. Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, God making his appeal through us. We implore you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God. For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.

Gospel Acclamation

V/. Glory and praise to you, O Christ.

R/. Glory and praise to you, O Christ.

V/. I will arise and go to my father, and I will say to him, Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you.

R/. Glory and praise to you, O Christ.

Gospel : Luke 15:1-3, 11-32

the tax collectors and sinners were all drawing near to hear him. And the Pharisees and the scribes grumbled, saying, “This man receives sinners and eats with them.” So he said, “There was a man who had two sons. And the younger of them said to his father, ‘Father, give me the share of property that is coming to me.’ And he divided his property between them. Not many days later, the younger son gathered all he had and took a journey into a far country, and there he squandered his property in reckless living. And when he had spent everything, a severe famine arose in that country, and he began to be in need. So he went and hired himself out to one of the citizens of that country, who sent him into his fields to feed pigs. And he was longing to be fed with the pods that the pigs ate, and no one gave him anything. “But when he came to himself, he said, ‘How many of my father’s hired servants have more than enough bread, but I perish here with hunger! I will arise and go to my father, and I will say to him, “Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son. Treat me as one of your hired servants.”’ And he arose and came to his father. But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and felt compassion, and ran and embraced him and kissed him. And the son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son.’ But the father said to his servants, ‘Bring quickly the best robe, and put it on him, and put a ring on his hand, and shoes on his feet. And bring the fattened calf and kill it, and let us eat and celebrate. For this my son was dead, and is alive again; he was lost, and is found.’ And they began to celebrate. “Now his older son was in the field, and as he came and drew near to the house, he heard music and dancing. And he called one of the servants and asked what these things meant. And he said to him, ‘Your brother has come, and your father has killed the fattened calf, because he has received him back safe and sound.’ But he was angry and refused to go in. His father came out and entreated him, but he answered his father, ‘Look, these many years I have served you, and I never disobeyed your command, yet you never gave me a young goat, that I might celebrate with my friends. But when this son of yours came, who has devoured your property with prostitutes, you killed the fattened calf for him!’ And he said to him, ‘Son, you are always with me, and all that is mine is yours. It was fitting to celebrate and be glad, for this your brother was dead, and is alive; he was lost, and is found.’”

Daily Gospel Reflection

Fourth Sunday of Lent

Opener: Repentance, return and renewal are the key ways for a changed and transformed life. Such a life is the best testimony for true faith and discipleship

1. The gospel of the day presents before us the parable of the prodigal son. This is very popular and familiar. Three figures stand out, namely, the father, the younger son and the elder son. The younger son is the central figure because of his repentance, which is the key theme of holy lent. However, the other two too are very significant. All the three teach us some fundamental life-lessons.

2. Contextually, the father in the story refers to God the Father; the younger son refers to the gentiles and all the despised and the sinners that include the Samaritans, prostitutes, and the tax collectors; the elder son refers to the Jews, the chosen people. The Jews had great contempt toward all the non-Jews and condemned them. But, Jesus elevates them over and above the Jews.

3. Practically and existentially, the parable is not just a historical story. This is a living story. It is our own story, each one’s. The father is God the Father; the elder son represents all the self-righteous, the so-called holy and religious people. The younger son represents all those who are fragile and wayward.

4. From the part of God, His loving mercy is never tired or fed up with us. He never abandons us. He always loves us and waits upon us to repent and return. He is ever ready and eager to receive us into His arms and embrace us. He does not wait to chide us or question us or penalize us. For Him, it is enough that we realize our deviations and repent and return to Him. He celebrates our return and restores us to the original dignity.

5. Most of us may resemble the prodigal son. Like him, our fragility leads us to prodigality. We want to go away from the Father and His house. We reject His love, relationship, counsels and guidance. We have a sense of false freedom, we feel suffocated and restricted. Many times, we want to be totally free to do whatever we like and prefer.

6. Like the prodigal son, we too let ourselves loose. We fall into unnecessary and unworthy interests and pleasures. We squander away our resources, money and energies on vain and harmful aberrations. We lower ourselves into undignified piggy situations.

7. While this “falling” takes place in any one’s life, what is important is that we also “rise up” like him. This needs a sincere realization and repentance, return and reconciliation. We need to be anguished over our prodigality, our faltering steps. We must rise, retreat our steps, reunite with the Father, recognize our unworthiness, reconcile with Him and thus regain our lost dignity.

8. In this context, we must consciously guard against the ‘elder son’s syndrome’. He suffers from a self-righteous attitude. He regards himself as a righteous and loyal person. And he disregards his brother as a loose immoral. He disowns his own younger brother and so distances himself. He does not even want to address him as his brother. He protests before his father, “This son of yours has devoured everything” (Note! He does not say, “this brother of mine”). His attitude and relationship with his father is also very wrong. This is evident in his grievance against his father: “all these years I have been working like a slave…”

Direction: A son is not a slave. A son does duties out of love and freedom and not out of slavery or servitude. Only in repentance and renewal, we find our true belongingness to God