The Prodigal Son in today’s readings comes to himself in the middle of a dirty pig bath. We all sit in the mire of our lives sometimes. Not all of us comprehend what is going on. Many of us never come to ourselves. We can be such strangers to the spirit within us–the wisdom that is connected to our deepest being. We miss those moments of enlightenment–or we run from them. However, when we even scratch the surface of our true self, the holiness that God created us to be, we head towards the Creator, and a celebration occurs.

I have been involved with an Enneagram workshop for these past two Saturdays. It has been about 20 years since I first explored this tool on healing and learning about myself. My particular space in the circle of this tool is someone who can be envious and who can be a romantic dreamer without putting goals into action. I have worked hard these past years to create a healthier pattern in my life. I have started to come to myself. It is not an easy grace to chase. The prodigal son sees that…I am no longer worthy, he decides before returning to his father.

Coming to ourselves takes great courage. We must be willing to see ourselves for who we truly are. We must seek to trust the eyes of those who see us beyond our vision–both the good and bad. Over the past year, I have had hard conversations with people. I have been brutally honest about my foibles with some friends and family.  Contrarily, I have been inundated with emails as to how my life has touched others in positive and rewarding ways. These have pointed me to my darkness and my light. I have known a God who tells the slaves to quickly bring the best robe and wrap me in it. The lost has been found and this is reason to celebrate. At times, I lost my vision of my sinfulness and at other times, I did not see my own goodness. God has created us to be holy. God waits for us, scanning for a glimpse of us coming forward with our penitent hearts. When God spots us on the horizon, what does the Almighty do? The Creator breaks into a run in our direction, grabs us in a mighty bear hug and kisses us. The God of the Universe who created us longs for us to return to our beautiful selves. Lent is a perfect time to leave the pig sty of our lives and to return home to the Father who waits.

Peace,

Suzanne

Reflection Questions

What do you need to come to within yourself?

Do you believe that God will come running to you?

Prayer

Creator of the Universe, run towards me! May I come to my senses and leave the pig sty of my life so that I can be all that you created me to be. Thank you for keeping watch for me. Amen.