[Jesus continued the parable:] "So [the younger son] 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.

Many manuals of morality or books that describe the basis for good behavior point to "accepting responsibility for one's actions" to be the key for living well. Once Peter Parker discovered his capabilities and possibilities in the movie "The Amazing Spider-Man," he had to face some moral crises. How much could he do to help the world? How should he do it? He had questions about what he was called to do. Most of all, he became aware that his knowledge had helped create a monster--literally. Accordingly, he chose to accept personal responsibility for what he had done. He told his friend Gwen that he made all of what was happening possible because of the formula from his father that he gave to Dr. Connors. Therefore, he explained, he was responsible, and he had "to fix it." Another part of his responsibility involved protecting Gwen forever from any pain that a possible association with him might cause.

Jesus' story of the "prodigal son" or "forgiving father" in Luke's Gospel has many lessons. It is a story of a young person coming to his senses, a father who truly loves both of his sons, and an older son who is jealous and who has to decide how he is going to act. Perhaps most of all it is a lesson of moral responsibility. The younger son faced what he had done, went back to his father, the person that he had harmed, and told him directly that it was his fault: he did it and accepted full responsibility for his actions: "I have sinned against heaven and against you," he said.

Peter Parker may not have known about the evil that would come when he gave his father's secret to Dr. Connors in the movie "The Amazing Spider-Man," but he knew that the responsibility was his. Once he understood what he had done, he knew that he had to do something. He also was beginning to understand his responsibility to others, and especially to the people who were close to him. And so he did something. He chose to act.

Some spiritual critics in our world claim that we have lost the definition of sin, and therefore less and less people are turning to God as a necessity. Whether it is true or not, there is little doubt that the way to return to an understanding of sin is somehow to accept the possibility that there is sin in our own lives. We must look at the example of the younger son in Jesus' story, and understand that Jesus means the story for us, that we may be responsible for some sin in the world. It is our fault. We must study the example of a character in a fantasy movie who accepts personal responsibility for something that he did not even know at the time was wrong.

Our world is in dire need of more people who work for good no matter what the circumstances. It is a fact that we have some good examples, some of them even in fantasy movies. Now it is up to us. 

PRAYER

Good and gracious God, we are sinners. We do not like to admit it all the time, but admit it we must. Give us the grace to accept any responsibility for any wrongs that we may have committed. Be with us, we pray. 

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Questions, comments? Let me know. Email Fr. Mike

©2007 Capuchin Province of Mid-America
Fr. Mike Scully is a member of the Capuchin Province of Mid-America