Forgiveness Part One- Taylor Swift and The Prodigal Son

"A man had two sons, and the younger son said to his father, 'Father, give me the share of your estate that should come to me.' So the father divided the property between them. After a few days, the younger son collected all his belongings and set off to a distant country where he squandered his inheritance on a life of dissipation. When he had freely spent everything, a severe famine struck that country, and he found himself in dire need. So he hired himself out to one of the local citizens who sent him to his farm to tend the swine. And he longed to eat his fill of the pods on which the swine fed, but nobody gave him any. Coming to his senses he thought, 'How many of my father's hired workers have more than enough food to eat, but here am I, dying from hunger. I shall get up and go to my father and I shall say to him, "Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. I no longer deserve to be called your son; treat me as you would treat one of your hired workers."' So he got up and went back to his father. While he was still a long way off, his father caught sight of him, and was filled with compassion. He ran to his son, embraced him and kissed him. His son said to him, 'Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you; I no longer deserve to be called your son.' But his father ordered his servants, 'Quickly bring the finest robe and put it on him; put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet. Take the fattened calf and slaughter it. Then let us celebrate with a feast, because this son of mine was dead, and has come to life again; he was lost, and has been found.' Then the celebration began. (Luke 15: 11-24)

You may have heard this passage from scripture before. "The Prodigal Son" is often referenced even in secular circles but I wonder how much time we actually spend reflecting on all that is in this parable. I have actually been thinking a lot about this passage the past few weeks. However, it hasn't been when I've been sitting in the pew at Mass, reading scripture, or even praying. The story of the Prodigal Son keeps coming to mind every time I listen to Taylor Swift's latest album, "Speak Now."

Yes, I'll admit it. In the "thirty and over men's division," I might be the biggest Taylor Swift fan out there. I got my hands on her CD a couple days after Christmas and have been listening to it religiously.

Several songs from "Speak Now" deal with themes consistent in the parable from Luke's gospel. Her hit single "Back to December" discusses a relationship in need of mending and a decision she regrets making. The song "Never Grow Up" echos a longing for yesteryear when things were more pure and simple. As a listener, you can easily relate to this notion that things aren't always what they are cracked up to be and it would be great to return to being a child. And lastly, the song "Innocent" is focused on showing that we do make mistakes but on the bright side, we are not defined by our sins, shortcomings, and bad decisions. However, I do think that people often struggle in realizing this.

The older I get, the more clearly I can see how these elements of regret, shame, remorse, and a desire to return to time prior to treasured relationships going astray play out in the lives of many. The Prodigal Son really represents all of us in our human experience. We frequently become enamored in all of the worldly temptation out there. We turn our backs on the lives we are called to live in pursuit of a bigger house, a faster car, a more attractive mate, or a wilder party. In the end, we look back on the wake of destruction that our pride has caused. If only we could turn back the clock to better time or at least get a "do-over," things would be so much better.

The reality is, there is no magical DeLorean that can take us back in time. Our profound ability to hurt as well as be hurt must be acknowledged and remedied. The antidote for all this mess... forgiveness.

First, we must seek forgiveness from those who we have hurt. Beyond this, we need to seek forgiveness from a loving and merciful God whom we have offended. Secondly, need to grow in mercy so that we can be forgiving as Christ calls us to be. This is really summed up in the Our Father when we pray, "forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us."

Because I think forgiveness is so critical to who we are and the relationships we have, I have decided to dedicate the next few post to this subject. I will try share some things I have learned over the years as well as tell some inspiring stories related to forgiveness. I hope to bring these posts to you in the upcoming weeks.

And back to Taylor really quick. In that song "Back to December," she sings "if the chain is on your door, I understand" in reference to the fact that she understands if her former boyfriend doesn't take her back because she had previously hurt him. When I think of that song I realize that we may have people in our lives who will have chains on their doors and we might just never reconcile those relationships. With God, however, when we humble ourselves like the Prodigal Son, we will be greeted with open arms by our heavenly father. And then, as scripture tells us, the celebration will begin!

I told you I listened to that CD religiously.