The Tribune

By Canon S Sebastian Campbell

THE Christian ideal is to live a life in grace. God works through the sacraments for our sakes and thus enables us to live this life in grace.

God is continuously inviting us to share a new relationship with him. This relationship is a living relationship. We are free to accept, reject or ignore this invitation.

But once we accept it, God begins a progressive transformation of our lives. The good news is that in the grace of God (living in grace) lies the solution to all of our problems. The sacraments are to sustain us in the life of grace.

St Luke’s gospel account speaks volumes to our understanding of living this life in grace. Remember, grace is God’s call to live in relationship with him. It’s a gift undeserved, unmerited, but so freely given.

Examine the parable of the prodigal son in St Luke chapter 15. Many agree the parable can be more appropriately called the parable of the loving father. The Prodigal Son is no hero; he is worthless and undeserving. His selfish character drives him into “a far away country”, a place of debauchery and recklessness. He hits rock bottom and finally finds himself fighting with the pigs for their food.

It’s within this state that he does some soul-searching and comes to his senses; realises that life in grace should be attempted. At last he came to his senses, and said, “All my father’s hired workers have more than they can eat, and here I am about to starve! I will get up and go to my father ...” So he got up and started back to his father.

This parable forcefully holds before us our original state in receiving and living in a relationship with God (life of grace) and then to accept the fact that we wander aimlessly from this life in grace to a depth of destruction, but then realise that God is a God of redemption, always reaching out to us and beckoning our return.

St Luke says, “He was still a long way from home when his father saw him, his heart was filled with pity, and he ran, and threw his arms around his son, and kissed him....”

The father called to his servants, “Hurry! Bring the best robe and put it on him, put a ring on his finger and shoes on his feet. Then go and get the prize calf and kill it, and let us celebrate with a feast.”

Then the party begins. There was music and dancing. How graphic! How powerful! It so vividly describes the life in grace. A more powerful picture you can never draw or behold. The Prodigal Son, the worthless boy, is being celebrated in his return from lost to found, from death to life. This is the power of the life in grace.

But wait, there is the elder brother as well. Bringing him into the scenario reinforces the salient point of living this life in grace. He represents the self-righteous pharisees among us. Those who believe they hold the keys on this life in grace.

Luke says, “He was so angry that he would not go into the party.” But look, the father goes out to him and literally begs him to come in. The father goes out equally to both of his sons, with one and the same invitation.

In the case of the elder brother, he has to listen to him read off his score card and listen to his record of good deeds. But this is all in an attempt to justify him meriting grace. How wrong, misled and misleading he was He even tried to destroy his younger brother’s character (“This son of yours wasted all your property on prostitutes.”) He believed he had to put him down in order to pull himself up. He did not even acknowledge him as a brother. He says, “This son of yours...”, the father counteracts, “This your brother.”

His transition had to be celebrated. Our God is a celebrating God such is the life of grace. It is a celebration for all, those who wonder far away from home or those who remain right at home, yet so far away from the Christian principles of love. “For all have sinned...” and God awaits our coming to our senses to enjoy this celebration, the life of grace.

When we accept God’s invitation, what do we receive? We do not receive something (material advantage), but someone. We receive God himself in a new and intimate relationship. A relationship Jesus himself describes as a celebration.

In the sacraments we encounter Jesus Christ. In the sacrament of reconciliation, for example, we have the assurance that Christ is happy when we return from our reckless life. We have the assurance of our sins being forgiven and know that God would not ask, “Why did you come back?” He is happy that we return.

We are given the absolution or assurance of our sins being forgiven and the great hope that we now become more “livable” people with self and others.

Marriage ought to bring us a sense of happiness and fulfilment. These are the main reasons for the sacrament. It seals a life of celebration – the Eucharist, the sacrament of unity with ourselves, Christ and one another.

Our continuously receiving it brings us into a joyous encounter with the risen Christ. We see it on the first Easter evening on the road to Emmaus. The disciples experienced God’s grace. This sacrament is to be received as regularly as possible. We receive Jesus in the form of bread and wine. It should empower us to be the body of Christ in the world witnessing to the goodness of Christ’s love and thus making grace a living reality wherever we go. In this way we become the eighth sacrament – “an outward and visible sign of God’s inward and spiritual grace.”