You may have heard of Michael Crichton, if not, I am sure you are aware of his books  that were made into movies: Andromeda Strain, Coma and Jurassic Park among others. His basic tack is original sin meets science. Science is science, the law of physics are as rock solid as the properties governing solid rock. However, what Crichton looked at was what happens when these laws of physics meet the dark motives of the human heart.

One of the greatest of these parables was Jurassic Park, it was also quite scientific. The theme of the story, at least as seen in the movie was the realities of Chaos theory. Do not forget Dr. Malcolm’s protest that the living museum that is Jurassic Park was vulnerable to the realities of chaos theory, the understanding that it is impossible to control for all the factors all the time. Chaos theory explains no matter how much you have a situation under control, something can go unexpectedly wrong due to factors beyond your control.

Jesus would probably be a great fan of Michael Crichton stories because His parables often have elements of this dimension.

The house built on sand is a great place to live and probably a palatial mansion as long as there is no storm, for example. It is here that Jesus explains that one can live well without God, but only for a time, for no human has control of all factors all the time.

This brings us to today’s gospel reading. Where chaos theory again raises its head.

Jesus shows us a boy, the younger son, who comes of age and decides to live a bohemian lifestyle. Wild and carefree, living a way where his money opens for him many doors and brings to him many friends. However, chaos strikes. There is a famine. If you look at the parable carefully, you can see that this is not the kind of famine you may see in Africa, where no one has food. There is food available but it is extremely expensive because it is rare, only the rich can afford it and so the rich eat something, the poor go hungry. This man’s money is soon depleted just so that he can survive. His friends abandon him because he has no money and he loses everything.

Notice he hires himself on a farm caring for the pigs. That is an enormous plot twist. Jesus is speaking to Jews and it may be assumed that the characters in the parable are all Jews. Jews have nothing to do with pigs ever. So, he is working for pagans. Maybe Arabs hate Jews. This would explain why he is left out with the pigs. The people use him to care for the pigs but they have no love for him, because he is a Jew in a pagan land.

Here is a man who had everything and thought he was the king of the world and finds himself alienated from himself. He has lost his human dignity, his culture, his identity and is barely holding on for life. His father describes him as once dead, now back to life. He was as close to death physically, mentally, spiritual, emotionally, as one can be. The mighty have fallen.

That is why the father greets him so strongly when he returns because he knows what could have been and he knows what was. His Son lost everything even his humanity and his dignity. The Father is overjoyed that he can restore his son his dignity and his humanity even though the son has been severely humbled.

The other son, we learn, will never figure out just how lost his brother was. He will never understand where he was and where he was going. Yet, the father knows, that his son was spiritually lost and now he is found. He can be restored. This is the power of God’s mercy, without it we lose everything; this is what Hell is we are alienated from God the father and from our human dignity as well. We come to a point where death is a welcome friend.

Now, I am going to challenge you for a minute. You have a situation where someone decides to go out on their own, leave their roots and begin their world their way, again not expecting the ravages of chaos theory.

Does that not sound like our current culture today. We live in a time where we have turned from the father as a culture and decided we can create a world as beautiful as Shangri-la. But the warning is, we have not taken account of Chaos theory.

Does it not seem like you and I have a call to try to get the culture to turn around before it is too late. Many cultures walked down our path in the history and not one took into account what both Jesus and Michael Crichton warn us about:  Chaos theory.  We cannot control for all the factors all the time and when we forget that while turning away from God and worshiping ourselves as gods, we are in some ominous territory, the likes of which the young son himself would warn us to avoid at all costs.

If you don’t think what we do here in reminding ourselves of God’s great mercy, so that we can remind others, is important, you don’t understand the meaning of our worship.

On September 12th 2001 the Cathedral of the Holy Cross in Boston was filled to capacity (2000 seats) people understood their vulnerability. They saw chaos theory at work. You remember the previous day, before the terrorist attacks, it was a perfect day and all was right with the world, then by 10:00 that day, the world would never be the same.

Our message to ourselves and others is be rooted in Christ and you are prepared for every situation, turn from Christ and you are on your own when chaos comes knocking and that place chaos leads you to is dark, dark indeed. A place that we never have to see, if we do not turn from Christ nor the Father in the first place. Now it is time to call back those who have.

God Bless You,

Fr. Robert J Carr