A LETTER TO THE PRODIGAL SON FROM HIS MOTHER

Put simply, Lent’s message is this: an invitation to take a good look at where we are at in our lives and so return in a spirit of repentance to the Father of compassion and mercy. My favourite piece of scripture is the Parable of the Prodigal Son and I believe that if Jesus had only spoken to us for three minutes rather than three years this parable would have been enough , capturing as it does, not just the spirit of Lent, but also the essence of what he had to tell us. God is not a person we should fear but whose love for us far exceeds our expectations. Last Sunday being Mother’s day I thought I would combine these two themes with the imaginary letter below.

’Dear Son,

We got your address from your cousin Isaac. He didn’t go into any great detail about your job situation and lifestyle – didn’t want to upset your father even more. Actually your father doesn’t even know I am writing this. Ah, but it being Mother’s Day and seeing all the other families together there’s that ache in my heart where you used to be. As for your father – well, he’s just not the same man since you headed off in such as hurry. He gets up early to head out pretending he has to go and count the cattle. But I know it’s really to look down the road hoping that he might get a glimpse you coming in the distance. I see the tears in his disappointed eyes when he returns. It’s not the bad price of cattle that has him so upset. He misses you so much. You know, you men are a strange lot, you feel deeply but you won’t express it. But I do know this- he was, and still is awfully proud of you. Now he may not have shown it too much as you grew up nor did he ever say it but he really loves you. I am certain of that. Did I ever tell you about the day you were born; he was so excited with a smile the length of the barn door.

Son, if you feel like coming home we won’t say anything cross to you. If Isaac’s report is correct you’ve suffered enough. You don’t have to earn our love – you have that already.

I won’t plead with you to come home – that must be your decision. But if you do come, it would be the greatest gift you could ever give us.

With all our love,

Your Mammy’’

A Warm Heart/h and Storm Emma

I was returning from holidays one freezing winter’s night a few years ago and the car would not start at the airport. The more I tried the colder I got as I was wearing light clothes. I will never forget that biting bitter cold and I can understand why some people who are down on their luck will choose ‘to heat rather than eat’- a terrible choice to have to make and one which I have encountered in this parish over the years-such as the young man I came across recently sitting with his overcoat on, all day in front of only one bar of an electric fire. Or the elderly woman who had to stay in bed all day as she had only was an electric blanket to keep warm.

Storm Emma , the ‘Beast from the East’ was hyped up by the weather people to be the one of the worst ever, even suggesting a curfew for people to stay indoors. We were all expecting the worst and I was horrified at the thought of some not having any heat at all , sitting freezing in their homes. Roma Downey in her great generosity had previously helped me set up a parish charity called ‘’A Warm Heart, A Warm Hearth’’ to help me meet this need as this is , relatively speaking, quite a poor parish with two very active St Vincent de Paul conferences trying each week to meet the needs of those who had fallen on hard times.

Perhaps a little too naively I made a spur of the moment decision to roll out this charity city- wide for the few days of this threatened blizzard but pleading and insisting that only those in these extreme circumstances should apply. Within two days I paid out approximately £10,000 in oil, gas and coal!

Although I had emphasised this outreach was only for those in absolute deprivation, the most vulnerable and people in danger of getting hypothermia, I was saddened to discover my trust in people’s honesty was misplaced on many occasions with a growing number lying about how desperate they were. It left me with the same feeling of betrayal of trust that happened here a few Christmases ago when in the middle of the night I let a homeless man- on his way to the River Foyle to take his own life, as he said- stay here in the spare room. When he left next day I discovered he had stolen all my money.

However the good news is that many people in real need were helped during those few cold days. I am extremely grateful to Roma and the other kind people who donated money to this worthy cause. By the way, her new book, ‘’a Box of Butterflies’’ is out and well worth a read! The ‘Beast’ in fact never arrived here in Derry, thank God. More like a spring lamb!

Word of wisdom

A kind heart gives you eyes like diamonds and a smile like a sunbeam

Jokes:

Is it possible to mistake schizophrenia for telepathy? I hear you ask.”

………………….

“I was raised as an only child, which really annoyed my sister.