by Joan Mitchell, CSJ
The New American Bible calls Sunday’s gospel the parable of the lost son. This title picks up on the theme in Luke 15, a chapter featuring three parables — the lost sheep, the lost coin, and the lost son. The title gives no hint of a father or brother or the family dynamics. The parable is about the problem child.
The New Revised Standard Bible calls the same passage the parable of the prodigal and his brother. This title suggests sibling rivalry, one brother more the focus than the other. It gives no hint of the father.
Perhaps a better title is the parable of the forgiving father. Actually when Jesus begins telling the parable, he stresses the father, “A man had two sons.” Jesus strips the story down to three relationships — father to each of the sons, the sons to each other.
Is the parable about my younger sister who needed constant attention because she was born severely hard of hearing? Mother put her teaching skills to use in constant phonics lessons. If my sister held her ears or claimed I whistled to hurt her ears, I got a reprimand. Naturally my sister became very creative in using her ears against me.
Is the parable about the younger son who absorbs more attention than the oldest son? Or is the story about me, the dutiful oldest child, dependable and responsible, the one who ran errands the fastest and picked a full bushel of peas in the garden without help? Is the parable about the brother’s resentment for too little appreciation? Who is lost in this story?
Then there is a feminist question. Where is the mother? Is her absence the reason a favorite younger son grows apart and the other son fails to please his father no matter how hard he tries? The story gives us no clue, but these questions introduce familiar family dynamics.
- Who are you like in the story — the wild, lost son? The dutiful son? The challenged father? The absent mother?