Gospel in Art: There will be rejoicing in heaven over one repentant sinner

Source: Christian Art

Gospel of 11 September 2022
Luke 15:1-10

The tax collectors and the sinners were all seeking the company of Jesus to hear what he had to say, and the Pharisees and the scribes complained. 'This man' they said 'welcomes sinners and eats with them.' So he spoke this parable to them:

'What man among you with a hundred sheep, losing one, would not leave the ninety-nine in the wilderness and go after the missing one till he found it? And when he found it, would he not joyfully take it on his shoulders and then, when he got home, call together his friends and neighbours? "Rejoice with me," he would say "I have found my sheep that was lost." In the same way, I tell you, there will be more rejoicing in heaven over one repentant sinner than over ninety-nine virtuous men who have no need of repentance.

'Or again, what woman with ten drachmas would not, if she lost one, light a lamp and sweep out the house and search thoroughly till she found it? And then, when she had found it, call together her friends and neighbours? "Rejoice with me," she would say "I have found the drachma I lost." In the same way, I tell you, there is rejoicing among the angels of God over one repentant sinner.'

Reflection on Sergei Prokofiev, Ballet, "L'Enfant Prodigue", final scene

Click here to see video www.youtube.com/watch?v=CT2fW6TLTGc -- watch from 30:39 to the end

Sergei Prokofiev (1891-1953) was living in Paris in the 1920s, when he collaborated with the Russian ballet impresario Sergei Diaghilev on a series of ballets. "L'Enfant Prodigue", written in 1929, came a few months before Diaghilev's death. A short work, just over 30 minutes in length, it is only loosely based on the Biblical story. The final scene, though, in which we see the Prodigal Son returning to his father's house and being welcomed lovingly by his father, conveys the heart of what this great story is about.

The medium of ballet can express dimensions of a story that are not easy to express in words. In this final scene, the shame of the returning son is clear for all to see, and the welcome afforded him by his father's servants contrasts sharply with the mockery and deceit he had experienced at the hands of his fellow revellers in earlier scenes. As he approaches his father, we see his sense of unworthiness, which he gradually overcomes as he is welcomed closer and closer.

Repentance and forgiveness - this is at the heart of the Christian message, nowhere more beautifully expressed than in this famous parable. God is always ready to welcome us back, just as the father does in this story, no matter how far we have strayed. In his love for us, he gives us freedom which we sometimes abuse; but if we do, all we need is to "come back to our senses" and return to the bosom of the father. He is always waiting for us, full of mercy and compassion, eager to be reconciled with us.

Reflection written by Monsignor Philip Whitmore. He is the parish priest of St James' Church, Spanish Place, in central London. Previously he lived for over 20 years in Rome, working first in the Vatican and then as Rector of the Venerable English College. Before becoming a priest, he was a music historian based at Magdalen College, Oxford.

LINKS

Gospel in Art: https://christian.art/
Todays reflection: https://christian.art/daily-gospel-reading/luke-15-1-10-2022/