FOURTH SUNDAY OF LENT

To be Missed and Longed For

The parable of the Prodigal Son is one we’ve likely heard countless times. Perhaps it’s the ease with which many of us can relate to one brother or the other. Or, maybe it has to do with a deep sense of longing: the need to be loved unconditionally by a father who never turns his back on his children. Likely, it’s a combination of these things that pull us in and make us feel connected to a story that is as relatable today as it was all those many centuries ago. 

I love when I read something old and familiar and come away with a little tidbit of something new; something shiny that, perhaps, had been overlooked all the previous times I’ve read it. I have no doubt that God has a beautiful way of making those things stand out just when we need to see them most. 

Reading these familiar words recently, I found myself rereading the part where the father comes out to check on the older son. He “pleaded with him” to come join the party. Now, perhaps this part stands out to me because I, too, have grown children and I, too, love them deeply. Oftentimes, I’ve related more with one son or the other, but tonight I feel more drawn to the father. I imagine him looking around at the party and noticing his older son missing from the celebration and, immediately, searching for him. I imagine what it must have felt like to see him standing alone, feeling unwelcomed and unappreciated. Of course, the father knows this older son has been a faithful worker and a devoted son. I find it touching that his absence is noticed and felt deeply by a father, who is also overjoyed and grateful to have his wayward son back home. The celebration isn’t complete without both sons together. 

Similarly, our Father in Heaven never stops searching for us. He notices our absence and pleads with us to join him. Regardless of all the good deeds we have (or have failed) to do, he is always looking for us … missing us when we aren’t with him. What a beautiful thing to be missed, needed and longed for like that! 

I like to close my eyes and see that image, bright and warm. Maybe it’s me, standing outside in the rain on a day when I don’t feel lovable or good enough for a love that strong. Or when I am alone and feel unseen. Except, I am neither of those things, because God is always stepping outside to pull me in. He is always holding out his hand to me and telling me that he loves me for just being me, assuring me that nothing will change that. And in that lovely moment when I allow him to lead me, stepping away from loneliness and stepping into the arms of a father who longs to have all of his children with him, regardless of the many mistakes and accomplishments we’ve made along the way, I allow him to love me. And because he loves us, he’ll never stop pleading with us to come home.

–Monica Williamson

Send Us Forth are reflections written by St. Matthew parishioners and friends.