Dominican Seminar 2010 - The Prodigal Son

This year's Dominican Seminar in Leeds looked at the writing and theology of St Luke. In the opening session, we considered the parables of Luke's gospel. Three parables were chosen for special consideration: Janet Wiltshire OP looked at the Good Samaritan and Patrick Doyle OP pondered the Parable of the Rich Fool. Below is the reflection offered by fr Lawrence Lew OP on the Parable of the Prodigal Son.

"I’d like to offer some thoughts on what is often called the parable of the prodigal son. I think I can only hope to sketch some ideas that will barely scratch the surface of this well-loved parable, but what I wish to do is briefly to consider some elements of this parable within the context of a theology of grace, and particularly of repentance.

The parable is one of three in Luke 15, and they all have in common the notion of repentance, and in this parable we are presented with two sons: one who repents and the other who doesn’t. In the time available to me, I wish to concentrate on the repentant son and indeed on just verses 20-24. Within its context, then, the parable would seem to offer us some insight into how God deals with repentant sinners. I think it is important that the God we consider is always the Triune God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit. With this in mind, then, we avoid the easy identification of the father of the parable with just God the Father. Rather, the father of the parable stands for God – Father, Son and Holy Spirit.

Something that strikes me is that in the parable, the father sees the son from a great way off, and he runs out towards him and kisses him. There are two aspects here that I wish to look at: the going out of the father and the kiss. To speak of God as going out seems to me to suggest procession, and the kiss signifies love. So, as St Thomas says, that “what proceeds in God by way of love, does not proceed as begotten, or as Son, but proceeds rather as Spirit”. And elsewhere, in the Fathers of the Church, the Spirit has been referred to as the kiss of the Father and the Son. Hence, I wish to link the figure of the father in the parable to the Spirit.

This is not because the grace of repentance is limited to the activity of the Spirit alone. Indeed, the whole Trinity acts in the economy of salvation, but I think we can say that the work of repentance is appropriated to the Spirit, such that the Church can say that “the Father of mercies … has sent the Holy Spirit among us for the forgiveness of sins”. Moreover, I think this emphasis on the person of the Holy Spirit in the work of repentance and reconciliation fits in well with the general Lucan narrative because, as I am hopeful we will see in these days, Luke-Acts is suffused with the Holy Spirit and with people who act under the Spirit’s prompting and inspiration. So, by linking the father of this parable with the Spirit, I hope to tie this parable more closely with a key Lucan feature: his pneumatology.

If I am permitted to make this kind of appropriation, then, let us proceed to consider what God does to the repentant sinner. First, note that the son in the parable says: “I am no longer worthy to be called your son”. And this is what happens when we fall into mortal sin, and so are cut off from the new life of divine sonship that is ours through our baptism into Jesus Christ; hence, the father in the parable says that the prodigal son was dead. In fact, we are never worthy of the grace of adoption as God’s children, which is why the prodigal son does not say, ‘I am no longer worthy to be your son’. No, he says, he is not worthy to be called his son. So too, the Christian who has sinned mortally after baptism cannot be worthy to be called daughter or son of God. And so repentance begins with a realization of the sorry state we are in, and how far we have put ourselves from the filial dignity to which we had been elevated by God’s grace. And we are moved to abhor sin and drawn to God’s goodness and mercy. Thus, the sinner moves by faith towards God, just as the son arose and went home.

But the father does not wait for the son to come to him but has compassion and runs out to him. This reminds me of the divine initiative, for it is God and God alone who stirs up faith in us, and who gives us the grace of repentance and who justifies the repentant sinner. For only God can restore the dead to life, just as only God can create out of nothing. And God does all this because of his love for us, and because he has compassion for us poor sinners.

Then, God does three things to the repentant sinner. He gives him a robe, a ring, and sandals for his feet. These indicate a restoration of the dignity of sonship, of course. But more specifically, I would suggest that the robe can be seen as a reference to being clothed in justifying grace, the grace of Christ which renders us pleasing to God. As clothing, it also calls to mind the restoration of the baptismal garment which we are charged to keep pure and spotless until Christ returns in glory. It is this same white garment that is worn by those who follow the Lamb of Revelations in heaven. So, St Thomas says, this white garment is given as a sign of the glorious resurrection, unto which men are born again by Baptism; and in order to designate the purity of life, to which he will be bound after being baptized, according to Rm. 6:4: ‘That we may walk in newness of life’.

The ring, a signet ring perhaps, bears the impression and seal of the father. So too the grace of baptism and repentance restores us in the image of God, an image which had been disfigured by sin. Since grace transforms us and fashions us in the image of the Son of God, so too the ring is a sign of our restoration to filial dignity as daughters and sons of God.

Thirdly, the shoes, I would suggest are an evocation of friendship with God. For it is Moses who was told to take off his shoes for he stood on holy ground, and the unshod state is symbolic of slavery and servitude. However, since Christ has called us his friends, a friendship which is ours when we are elevated by grace, so we no longer have to be unshod as slaves but are given shoes so that we can, as it were, stand on the same ground with God.

Finally, the father kills the fatted calf and feasts and makes merry with the prodigal son. The image of the banquet, which is given in honour of the sinner, is a sign of the Eucharistic feast. For in the Eucharist, all of us who are unworthy sinners, but who have been given the restorative grace of God through baptism and reconciliation, are called to rejoice and feast together. And this feast is itself a foretaste of the banquet of eternal life with God, which is the supernatural end of the life of grace. Does this mean that the fatted calf stands for Jesus Christ, who dies for our health and salvation, giving himself up so that we may make merry in the eternal feast of heaven? It does not require a terrible stretch of the imagination to move from calling him the Lamb of God, and of course, the calf would one day grow into an unblemished white heifer, which is precisely the Old Testament sacrifice offered to God, a sacrifice that is a prefigurement of the Cross.

So, I think it would not be unreasonable to read the text in this way, and indeed to look at this parable through this theological lens. And I ought to end here before I go too far or take up too much of your time!"

Dominican Seminar 2010

Like the three Magi who journeyed to the manger to find the Christ Child, thirty Dominicans journeyed to a snowy Yorkshire on Epiphany Sunday to contemplate divine Wisdom. Each year, the Dominican Seminar takes place in Hinsley Hall, Leeds, and Dominicans from almost every branch of the family - friars, sisters, laity, and members of the Dominican Secular Institute - come together to listen to talks on a given theme and to reflect upon and discuss the ideas presented. Study is interlaced with liturgical prayer, and time together for recreation.

This year, as the Church's cycle of Sunday Gospels is taken from St Luke, we decided to study the writings of St Luke, i.e., the Gospel attributed to him and the Acts of the Apostles. The Seminar began with Mass and Vespers of the Epiphany, followed by a session on 'St Luke the Storyteller', which introduced the theme and looked at the parables in Luke. Three Dominicans, led by Mr Patrick Doyle OP then gave their reflections on three different parables. fr Lawrence Lew OP presented his thoughts on the parable of the Prodigal Son, which will be posted on Godzdogz at a later date.

The second day began with Lauds and then there were talks by fr John Farrell OP on features of Luke-Acts, followed by a talk on the role of St Peter in Luke-Acts, and then a group study of the apostolic life as it is presented in Acts. In the afternoon, fr Richard Finn OP gave an account of St Luke's presentation of wealth and poverty, and how the rich and poor alike can participate in God's generosity through almsgiving. After Mass and Vespers, fr Richard Conrad OP gave one of his multimedia lectures on the Holy Spirit, with slides of Christian art and chants from the Dominican chant book. This evening ended with a gathering in the bar for informal chat, jokes, songs and good-natured revelry.

The final day opened with Lauds and then Sr Mary Cecily Boulding OP and Sr Ann Catherine Swailes OP gave an excellent appraisal of Our Lady, Obedience and the Joyful Mysteries. They drew on the richness of the theology of St Thomas and the Fathers of the Church to help us reflect on these themes and events in St Luke's gospel.

Although our group this year was smaller than usual, the Seminar was very enjoyable, enlightening and offered much food for thought. With its blend of study, liturgy, prayer, preaching and fraternity, it gave a fine witness of the Dominican charism shared by the different branches of the Order of Preachers, and was a good way for us to begin 2010 together as one Dominican family.

Below are more photos from the Seminar:

Bishop Malcolm McMahon OP in conversation with our novice, fr Andrew Brookes OP

fr Richard Finn OP, who is Regent of Studies, giving his talk

Meal times are convivial affairs at the seminar

Social evening on the last night in Leeds

Sr Alexia Dendere OP from Zimbabwe and Sr Ruth Chongo OP from Zambia, members of the general council of the Dominican Missionary Sisters (Crawley), are delighted at the sight of so much snow!

Saints This Month - 7 January: St Raymond of Pennafort

St Raymond was one of the bright young things of the early 13th century. He was born into a noble Catalan family and excelled from an early age in his studies. At the age of 20 he was already carving a reputation for himself as a canon and civil lawyer at the University of Barcelona. In 1210 he moved to Bologna, where he remained for twelve years, including three years occupying the chair of canon law at the university. Whilst at the height of his academic career, inspired by the preaching of Blessed Reginald of Orleans, he returned to Barcelona and on Good Friday 1222 took the humble habit of the Order of Preachers.

His preaching, especially to the Jews and Muslims of the Iberian peninsular, was renowned. This and his great spirit of humility and mortification endeared him to the King of Aragon James I, who appointed him as his confessor and occasional emissary to the Holy See. He also acted as a spiritual director to St Peter Nolasco and was instrumental in the founding of the Order of Our Lady of Ransom, which devoted itself to saving Christians captured by the Moors.

Raymond's dealings with the Holy See and his reputation in the juridical sciences led to Pope Gregory IX summoning him to Rome to help in rearranging and codifying canon law. Raymond's holiness and preaching so impressed the Papal Court that very soon after his arrival he was made Papal confessor. When Raymond completed his work, the pope appointed him Archbishop of Tarragona, but he declined the honour and returned to Iberia in 1236.The collection of canon law on which Raymond worked is known as the Gregorian Decretals and was the standard text of canon law for almost 700 years.

However his mission to the Jews and Muslims was interrupted in 1238 when he was elected Master of the Order. This honour too was unsought and undesired but he humbly obeyed the decision of his brothers and served for two years. During his tenure he revised the Dominican Constitutions but resigned because of ill health in 1240.

Although he was now an elderly man, Raymond had no intention of retiring. He was still vitally concerned with converting the Jews and the Moors, and so he contributed the alms he received from bishops and princes to schools where missionaries could be taught Hebrew and Arabic. Tradition says that he asked St Thomas Aquinas to "compose a work against the errors of the infidels, by which both the cloud of darkness might be dispelled and the teaching of the true Sun be made manifest" and that Thomas responded by composing the Summa contra Gentiles. He wa still very close to the King and used this influence to organise debates between leading Rabbis and Christians in the royal palace.

Whilst he respected and loved the King; he would admonish the Monarch's failings regarding chastity. Whilst on a visit to Majorca, on which Raymond had accompanied the king in the hope of strengthening Christianity there, Raymond discovered that the king was involved in a sinful love affair with a woman of the court. The king refused to listen to Raymond's protests, and when Raymond threatened to leave the island, the king threatened with death anyone who would give him passage. Thereupon, or so it is said, Raymond spread his cappa on the water, set up his staff as a mast, and, having rigged up a corner of the cloak as a sail, boarded this miraculous "boat," setting his course for Barcelona. He arrived there the same day, having covered 140 miles in about six hours. A great crowd assembled at the waterfront witnessed the end of this marvelous voyage, which inspired numerous conversions.

Raymond died in 1275 at the age of 100. He is buried in the cathedral of Barcelona. He is the patron saint of canon lawyers and in Catalonia, he is the patron saint of all lawyers. Many wind-surfers hold him as their unofficial patron.

Epiphany Snowfall

On the Twelfth Day of Christmas, my true love gave to me ... SNOW! Many parts of the country had a white Christmas and we in Oxford felt decidedly left out then. But snow arrived in Oxford on the twelfth night, and Br Ursus OP was among the first to rush out and enjoy it, as fr Timothy (and a snow friar) looked on in amusement ...

Epiphany of the Lord

Readings: Isaiah 60:1-6; Ephesians 3:2-3a, 5-6; Matthew 2:1-12

This year Epiphany was celebrated in many places on Sunday 3 January but elsewhere it is still celebrated on its proper day, 6 January. Here is a reflection for this great feast written by fr Gregory Murphy OP, a founder member of Godzdogz now ministering as a deacon at St Dominic's Priory, London. It first appeared in The Pastoral Review for January/February 2008.

Matthew’s exotic visitors from the East bearing gifts caught Christian imagination early. The depictions of the Magi in the Roman catacombs predate those of Luke’s shepherds by about two hundred years. The name seems originally to have meant someone belonging to a Persian priestly caste, but its usage had become broadened by the time of the evangelists to designate not only theologians, philosophers, and astronomers but also astrologers, sorcerers and charlatans from the pagan cultures to the East of Israel. However, Matthew does not sketch the Magi negatively. They are wise and pious Gentiles who from the beginning seek what is right, to worship the child Jesus.

‘Magi’ is probably best left untranslated: they were not kings; ‘wise men’ is too generic; and ‘astrologers’ probably too confusing to people today. Matthew, in fact, subtly deflects attention away from astrology by not indicating how the Magi recognised the significance of the star: it is enough that they were guided by God. It is true that there was a prevailing idea in antiquity that the births and deaths of great figures be accompanied by astral phenomena, and much ink has been spilt on various interpretations of the new star. This mistakenly conflates biblical and astronomical languages: a more plausible interpretation is that the “star at its rising” refers to the narrative of Balaam in the Book of Numbers. Balaam was summoned from the East by the Moabite king to put a curse on Israel; instead he foretold the future greatness of Israel, when “a star will come forth from Jacob”. The echoes of the Balaam story would remind the reader familiar with the Bible that already in the Old Testament God had revealed his salvific intent to gentiles. But this revelation, based on natural knowledge (the star), is imperfect: while it tells them of the birth, it does not tell them where to find the King of the Jews.

That is contained in the revelation of God to Israel, in the Scriptures. The Magi’s role as prefiguring the acceptance of Gentiles into the Christian community points towards the universal character of the gospel: it is to be shared by all, as Matthew will remind us in the great commission at its close.

Celebrating Priesthood - Fr Stephen

A priest of the Province, who wishes to remain anonymous, offers this reflection of a priest (whose name below has been changed) who has inspired him:

"I read somewhere that a priest is someone who unites heaven and earth. Wonderful but surely unrealistic. A priest is only human! All the same, St. Paul says that Christ unites “things in heaven and things on earth” (Ephesians 1.10), so perhaps this is what a minister of Christ the Head does for a community. And I believe it’s possible because I’ve seen it happen. I direct a dance project with a strong spiritual focus, and we put on a performance at a church in London. When I proposed it to Fr. Stephen as something to contribute to his church’s mission, he was open-minded, encouraging, and also set wise boundaries. The night before, the big paper screen was still not ready. The only way was for the artist, Daniel, to work in the church through the night. Would Fr. Stephen go this bit further with us? He stood contemplating Daniel’s work for a moment. Then he said, “This isn’t just a work of art. It’s an act of devotion. Of course you can stay. I’ll have to lock the church but will leave keys for you. And would you like music to keep you going?” Daniel, who’s not a Catholic, pointed to the tabernacle and said, “He’s there. That’s enough for me.” One happy artist, who finished a beautiful work, and the performance really grabbed the audience. Fr. Stephen had dared see a bit of heaven and earth, and passed that connection on to us."

Saints, Snow and Sledding

One of the finest Catholic blogs, Moniales OP, is written by our sisters, the Dominican Nuns of Summit, New Jersey. Through the Nuns' posts we get an inspiring glimpse into female monastic life in the twenty-first century. Their first post of 2010, Blessing for the New Year, really encapsulates the essence of the blog: that religious life is not a fairytale but a real and joyful life.

The juxtaposition of the community gathering in the chapter hall to draw patrons, prayer intentions and personal scripture quotes for the year 2010, and the novices playing in the snow really capture the full spectrum of monastic life. But what is really amazing is what we cannot really experience from reading the blog: their life of prayer, silence and contemplation which underlies everything they do. It is so essential for the whole church and is the heart of holy preaching. Please pray for the Dominican Nuns of Summit and visit their site. I hear that they also produce top-notch soap and hand-creme.