4TH SUNDAY OF LENT
One comic strip shows a cat wearing vestments and a Roman collar standing behind a pulpit, emoting to his congregation consisting of one little kitten. She stares in rapt attention at the great orator.
Later, a passer by hears screeching and yowling and finds the preacher trying to immerse the kitten in a washtub. “Hey!” the stranger shouts. “Are you trying to kill that little kitty?”
The preacher cat explains, “No! I’m baptizing her – and she should have thought of this before she joined my church!”
The prodigal son in today’s Gospel should have thought of the consequences before he went off on his wild escapade. But he joined the church of sin and self-indulgence. Now, only the redeeming love of the Father can save him.
Deacon Dick Folger