By Fr. Dominic Nguyen
For The Catholic Messenger
Lent 2025 Week 4
I grew up in a very Catholic, populated area in Vietnam. In my town, our parishes had no less than 12,000 parishioners. The faith of the people was so alive during the Lenten season because many went to Church especially during this time to pray the Stations of the Cross and participate in other Lenten traditions.
One of these traditions is the Chant about the Passion of Christ. During this practice, the people of all ages packed the Church to reflect on the love that Jesus had for them through his Passion. The Entombment of Jesus on Good Friday was most memorable. People venerated a life-size statue of Jesus contained in a glass casket filled with puffed white rice. One end of the casket was left open with the feet of Jesus exposed so that people could venerate throughout the day. As a kid, I loved participating in this tradition with my grandparents because when my turn came, I could kiss the feet of Jesus and get some of the puffed rice as a gift from Jesus. Such traditions have helped keep the faith alive in our community.
During Mass for the Fourth Sunday in Lent, we will listen once again to the parable of the prodigal son, his brother, and their merciful father. People may rightly say that the younger son was very disrespectful when he asked for his share of the inheritance while the father was still alive. The father gave it to him, and he “squandered his inheritance on a life of dissipation.” In response to the prodigal son’s repentance and coming home, the father forgave him for everything he had done and restored his sonship.
The older brother became angry because he experienced an injustice when the prodigal son received forgiveness and welcome home. The older brother had always obeyed and served, receiving nothing in return. The father made clear his intention to his older son, saying, “My son, you are here with me always; everything I have is yours.” The father wanted to give him everything — including his sonship, his dignity and his being close to the infinite love of his father. The injustice here, perhaps, was not that the father gave him nothing, but that the son desired too little.
Most of the time, I could easily relate to the prodigal son when I turned away from God. Yet, God, the merciful father, has always been merciful to me. He forgave all my sins through the sacrament of penance and he has shown me a way forward with new grace and strength. What I seldom reflected on is that I, more often than not, was like the older brother. Despite the fact that I participated in many religious practices in my parish in Vietnam, they could become occasions of the sins of pride and self-righteousness. Jesus said through the prophet Isaiah, “this people draws near with words only and honors me with their lips alone, though their hearts are far from me.”
The external practices of our faith and service to our brothers and sisters should come from the sincerity of our hearts; hearts that have been transformed and conformed to the Sacred Heart of Jesus, who loves us and gives himself for us.
As we continue our Lenten journey, let us ask for the grace and courage to follow the example of Jesus in prayers, fasting and helping one another. Let these Lenten disciplines soften our hearts to invite Jesus to come in and make our hearts like his: a heart that is loving, humble and full of compassion. Mother Angelica once reminded us that Jesus wanted us to be happy not only in this life, but also in the life to come. Let us resolve to come back home with Jesus and be fully alive today!
(Father Dominic Nguyen is parochial vicar of Divine Mercy Parish in Burlington-West Burlington and St. Mary Parish in Dodgeville.)
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