TWENTY-FOURTH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME
11 SEPTEMBER 2016
We
often talk about searching for God. We
look for ways to find God in our world and in our daily lives. But, today’s Scripture readings remind us of
a greater truth. God is actively
searching for us. God searched for his
people enslaved in Egypt, led them into the freedom of the desert, and remained
with them, even when they worshiped false gods.
God searched for Saul of Tarsus as he was on his way to persecute the
Christians of Damascus and remained with him as Paul the Apostle. As Jesus makes clear, God never stops
searching for those who are lost. God
never gives up on anyone.
That is why
Jesus asks his rhetorical questions to the Pharisees, the religious shepherds
of the people. He knows the answer to
his questions. No shepherd would leave
99 sheep to search after one lost one and invite others to rejoice with him
when he comes home with the wayward sheep on his shoulders. No woman would waste the expense of lighting
a lamp and throwing a party to look for one lost coin when she still has nine. And no father would throw a huge party for
the return of an idiot son who had considered him to be dead and who had wasted
half of his inheritance. Knowing the
word “prodigal” to mean excessive and wasteful, it is not only the son who is
excessive and wasteful. It is the father
who is excessive and wasteful with his mercy.
To be honest,
we are all the “older sons” of the parable.
We care enough about God’s love to get up and bring our families to observe
the Lord’s Day. We labor, like the older
son, to give humble service to the parish.
We sacrifice, like the older son, so that people can marvel at the
beautiful building which is overshadowing the car wash on the corner. And yet, we also know those who are like lost
sheep, crying out in pain and not knowing what to do about their situation. Or we know people who are so lost, that like
inanimate coins, they have no idea of how lost they are. In our families and social circles, we also know
people who have made very bad choices which have affected our lives in very
negative ways; much like the younger son’s bad choices affected the older son
and his rightful share of his father’s inheritance.
Today’s
Scriptures reflect the message of the Year of Mercy proclaimed by Pope
Francis. They invite us to seek out
those who are like lost sheep or coins or younger sons. The younger son comes to his senses when he
realized the bad choices he had made. He
has the humility to admit his sins and ask for forgiveness. He has the determination to make the long
trip back home, even if that trip results in his being a slave at his father’s
house. The intention of God’s love is to
seek people out and transform them. Just
as God’s love transformed Saul of Tarsus into the great Apostle to the
Gentiles, God’s love has the power to transform even those who have damaged us
by their bad choices. Instead of
becoming angry or jealous like the older son, Jesus invites us to be honest
about what is lost in each one of us and open ourselves to be transformed and
rejoice in God’s boundless mercy.
No comments:
Post a Comment