September 15, 2013

Twenty-fourth Sunday in Ordinary Time

The LORD said to Moses,
“Go down at once to your people,
whom you brought out of the land of Egypt,
for they have become depraved.
They have soon turned aside from the way I pointed out to them,
making for themselves a molten calf and worshiping it,
sacrificing to it and crying out,
‘This is your God, O Israel,
who brought you out of the land of Egypt!’
“I see how stiff-necked this people is, ” continued the LORD to Moses.
Let me alone, then,
that my wrath may blaze up against them to consume them.
Then I will make of you a great nation.”

But Moses implored the LORD, his God, saying,
“Why, O LORD, should your wrath blaze up against your own people,
whom you brought out of the land of Egypt
with such great power and with so strong a hand?
Remember your servants Abraham, Isaac, and Israel,
and how you swore to them by your own self, saying,
‘I will make your descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky;
and all this land that I promised,
I will give your descendants as their perpetual heritage.’”
So the LORD relented in the punishment
he had threatened to inflict on his people.

Responsorial Psalm Ps 51:3-4, 12-13, 17, 19

R. (Lk 15:18) I will rise and go to my father.
Have mercy on me, O God, in your goodness;
in the greatness of your compassion wipe out my offense.
Thoroughly wash me from my guilt
and of my sin cleanse me.
R. I will rise and go to my father.
A clean heart create for me, O God,
and a steadfast spirit renew within me.
Cast me not out from your presence,
and your Holy Spirit take not from me.
R. I will rise and go to my father.
O Lord, open my lips,
and my mouth shall proclaim your praise.
My sacrifice, O God, is a contrite spirit;
a heart contrite and humbled, O God, you will not spurn.
R. I will rise and go to my father.

Reading 2 1 Tm 1:12-17

Beloved:
I am grateful to him who has strengthened me, Christ Jesus our Lord,
because he considered me trustworthy
in appointing me to the ministry.
I was once a blasphemer and a persecutor and arrogant,
but I have been mercifully treated
because I acted out of ignorance in my unbelief.
Indeed, the grace of our Lord has been abundant,
along with the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus.
This saying is trustworthy and deserves full acceptance:
Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners.
Of these I am the foremost.
But for that reason I was mercifully treated,
so that in me, as the foremost,
Christ Jesus might display all his patience as an example
for those who would come to believe in him for everlasting life.
To the king of ages, incorruptible, invisible, the only God,
honor and glory forever and ever. Amen.

Gospel Lk 15:1-32

Tax collectors and sinners were all drawing near to listen to Jesus,
but the Pharisees and scribes began to complain, saying,
“This man welcomes sinners and eats with them.”
So to them he addressed this parable.
“What man among you having a hundred sheep and losing one of them
would not leave the ninety-nine in the desert
and go after the lost one until he finds it?
And when he does find it,
he sets it on his shoulders with great joy
and, upon his arrival home,
he calls together his friends and neighbors and says to them,
‘Rejoice with me because I have found my lost sheep.’
I tell you, in just the same way
there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents
than over ninety-nine righteous people
who have no need of repentance.

“Or what woman having ten coins and losing one
would not light a lamp and sweep the house,
searching carefully until she finds it?
And when she does find it,
she calls together her friends and neighbors
and says to them,
‘Rejoice with me because I have found the coin that I lost.’
In just the same way, I tell you,
there will be rejoicing among the angels of God
over one sinner who repents.”

Then he said,
“A man had two sons, and the younger son said to his father,
‘Father give me the share of your estate that should come to me.’
So the father divided the property between them.
After a few days, the younger son collected all his belongings
and set off to a distant country
where he squandered his inheritance on a life of dissipation.
When he had freely spent everything,
a severe famine struck that country,
and he found himself in dire need.
So he hired himself out to one of the local citizens
who sent him to his farm to tend the swine.
And he longed to eat his fill of the pods on which the swine fed,
but nobody gave him any.
Coming to his senses he thought,
‘How many of my father’s hired workers
have more than enough food to eat,
but here am I, dying from hunger.
I shall get up and go to my father and I shall say to him,
“Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you.
I no longer deserve to be called your son;
treat me as you would treat one of your hired workers.”’
So he got up and went back to his father.
While he was still a long way off,
his father caught sight of him,
and was filled with compassion.
He ran to his son, embraced him and kissed him.
His son said to him,
‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you;
I no longer deserve to be called your son.’
But his father ordered his servants,
‘Quickly bring the finest robe and put it on him;
put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet.
Take the fattened calf and slaughter it.
Then let us celebrate with a feast,
because this son of mine was dead, and has come to life again;
he was lost, and has been found.’
Then the celebration began.
Now the older son had been out in the field
and, on his way back, as he neared the house,
he heard the sound of music and dancing.
He called one of the servants and asked what this might mean.
The servant said to him,
‘Your brother has returned
and your father has slaughtered the fattened calf
because he has him back safe and sound.’
He became angry,
and when he refused to enter the house,
his father came out and pleaded with him.
He said to his father in reply,
‘Look, all these years I served you
and not once did I disobey your orders;
yet you never gave me even a young goat to feast on with my friends. But when your son returns,
who swallowed up your property with prostitutes,
for him you slaughter the fattened calf.’
He said to him,
‘My son, you are here with me always;
everything I have is yours.
But now we must celebrate and rejoice,
because your brother was dead and has come to life again;
he was lost and has been found.’”

Or LK 15:1-10

From: Exodus 32:7-11, 13-14

The Lord’s Ire

[7] And the LORD said to Moses, “Go down; for your people, whom you brought
up out of the land of Egypt, have corrupted themselves; [8] they have turned aside
quickly out of the way which I commanded them; they have made for themselves
a molten calf, and have worshiped it and sacrificed to it, and said, ‘These are your
gods, O Israel, who brought you up out of the land of Egypt!”’ [9] And the LORD
said to Moses, “I have seen this people, and behold, it is a stiff-necked people;
[10] now therefore let me alone, that my wrath may burn hot against them and I
may consume them; but of you I will make a great nation.”

Moses’ Prayer for Israel

[11] But Moses besought the LORD his God, and said, “0 LORD, why does thy
wrath burn hot against thy people, whom thou hast brought forth out of the land
of Egypt with great power and with a mighty hand?

[13] “Remember Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, thy servants, to whom thou didst
swear by thine own self, and didst say to them, ‘I will multiply your descendants
as the stars of heaven, and all this land that I have promised I will give to your
descendants, and they shall inherit it forever.”’ [14] And the LORD repented of
the evil which he thought to do to his people.

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Commentary:

32:7-14. The Lord’s dialogue with Moses contains the doctrinal basis of salvation
history—Covenant, sin, mercy. Only the Lord knows just how serious this sin is:
by adoring the golden calf the people have taken the wrong road and have vitia-
ted the whole meaning of the Exodus; but most of all, they have rebelled against
God and turned their backs on him, breaking the Covenant (cf. Deut 9:7-14). God
no longer calls them “my people” (cf. Hos 2:8) but “your people” (Moses’) (v. 7).
That is, he shows him that they have acted like anyone else, guided by human
leaders.

The punishment that the sin deserves is their destruction (v. 10), for this is a stiff-
necked nation (cf. 33:3; 34:9; Deut 9:13). The sin deserves death, as the first sin
did (Gen 3:19) and the sin which gave rise to the flood (cf. Gen 6:6-7). However,
mercy always prevails over the offense.

As Abraham did in another time on behalf of Sodom (Gen 18:22-23), Moses inter-
cedes with the Lord. But this time intercession proves successful, because Israel
is the people that God has made his own; he chose it, bringing it out of Egypt
in a mighty way; so, he cannot turn back now; in fact, he chose it ever since he
swore his oath to Abraham (cf. Gen 15:5; 22:16-17; 35:11-12). He established the
Covenant with Israel, as Moses reminds him when he refers to “thy people, whom
thou has brought forth out of the land of Egypt’ (v. 11). Thus, promise, election
and Covenant form the foundation which guarantees that God’s forgiveness will
be forthcoming, even if they commit the gravest of sins.

God forgives his people (v. 14) not because they deserve to be forgiven, but out
of pure mercy and moved by Moses’ intercession. Thus God’s forgiveness and the
people’s conversion are, both of them, a divine initiative.

*********************************************************************************************
Source: “The Navarre Bible: Text and Commentaries”. Biblical text from the
Revised Standard Version and New Vulgate. Commentaries by members of
the Faculty of Theology, University of Navarre, Spain.

Published by Four Courts Press, Kill Lane, Blackrock, Co. Dublin, Ireland, and
by Scepter Publishers in the United States

From: 1 Timothy 1:12-17

Greeting

[1] Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by command of God our Savior and of
Christ Jesus our hope,

[2] To Timothy, my true child in the faith: Grace, mercy, and peace from
God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord.

Paul Recalls His Own Conversion

[12] I thank him who has given me strength for this, Christ Jesus our
Lord, because he judged me faithful by appointing me to his service,
[13] though I formerly blasphemed and persecuted and insulted him; but
I received mercy because I had acted ignorantly in unbelief, [14] and the
grace of our Lord overflowed for me with the faith and love that are in
Christ Jesus. [15] The saying is sure and worthy of full acceptance,
that Christ Jesus came into the world to save. And I am the foremost
of sinners; [16] but I received mercy for this reason, that in me, as the
foremost, Jesus Christ might display his perfect patience for an example
to those who were to believe in him for eternal life. [17] To the king of
ages, immortal, invisible, the only God, be honor and glory for ever
and ever. Amen.

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Commentary:

12-13. This clearly autobiographical passage, which shows the
Apostle’s humility (cf., e.g., 1 Cor 15:9-10), is evidence of the
letter’s Pauline authorship: it is difficult to believe that a later
disciple would have dared to call St Paul a “blasphemer”,
“persecutor” or “insulter” or made him describe himself as “the
foremost of sinners”.

St Paul’s conversion is an example of a miracle of grace; only by the
mercy of God could he have been changed and become the Apostle of
the Gentiles and such a faithful minister of the Gospel. This change
which grace worked in Paul can also help all who approach the Church
to have great confidence in God’s mercy and forgiveness; like a good
father, God is always ready to receive the repentant sinner.

The sacred text shows quite clearly that the initiative lies with God
when it comes to calling people to Church office. The call to the
priesthood is a grace from God; it is God who makes the choice
and then he gives the person he has chosen the strength to fulfill
his office worthily. In this connection Bishop Alvaro del Portillo
has written: “Christian priesthood is not, then, in the line of ethical
relationships among men nor on the level of a merely human attempt
to approach God: it is a gift from God and it is irreversibly located on
the vertical line of the search for man by his Creator and Sanctifier
and on the sacramental line of the gratuitous opening up to man
of God’s intimate life. In other words, Christian priesthood is
essentially (this is the only possible way it can be understood) an
eminently sacred mission, both in its origin (Christ) and in its
content (the divine mystery) and by the very manner in which it is
conferred—a sacrament” (”On Priesthood”, pp. 59f).

14. “In Christ Jesus”: this expression is being used with a special
technical meaning: it refers to the position of the new man who,
after the “washing of regeneration and renewal in the Holy Spirit”
(Titus 3:5) which takes place at Baptism, is now united to Christ,
made a Christian. At Baptism the mercy of God not only justifies
the sinner but causes him to share profoundly in God’s own life by
means of grace, faith and love. These three gifts are a sign that the
Christian has truly been built into the body of Christ (cf. 2 Tim
1:13).

15. “The saying is sure and worthy of full acceptance”: or, more
literally, “Word of honor, which you can totally rely on”. This form
of words is used a number of times in the Pastoral Epistles to focus
attention on some important doctrinal point (cf. 1 Tim 3:1; 4:9; 2 Tim
2:11; Tit 3-8).

The point being emphasized here is that “Christ Jesus came into the
world to save sinners”. The Apostle has condensed into very few words
God’s plan for the redemption of mankind, which he will go on to say
more about later (cf. 1 Tim 2:3-7; Tit 2:11-14; 3:3-7). “The mercy of
God is infinite,” says St Francis of Assisi, “and, according to the
Gospel, even if our sins were infinite, his mercy is yet greater than
our sins. And the Apostle St Paul has said that Christ the blessed
came into the world to save sinners” (”The Little Flowers of St Francis”,
chap. 26).

This is in fact one of the basic truths of faith and appears in the Creed:
“For us men and for our salvation he came down from heaven”. He
came to save us from the only evil, that which can separate us from
God—sin.

By his victory over sin Christ gave men and women the honor of being
sons and daughters of God; this new character and status equips them
o light up the world around them with the brightness of their Christian
lives (cf. Phil 2:15). They can have this effect on others if they really
commit themselves to have the same mind as “was in Christ Jesus”
(Phil 2:5), for “it is impossible to live according to the heart of Jesus
Christ and not to know that we are sent, as he was, ‘to save all
sinners’ (1 Tim 1:15), with the clear realization that we ourselves
need to trust in the mercy of God more and more every day. As a result,
we will foster in ourselves a vehement desire to be co-redeemers with
Christ, to save all souls with him” ([St] J. Escriva, “Christ Is Passing
By”, 121).

17. This section (vv. 12-17) closes with a solemn doxology. Similar
exclamatory passages in praise of God appear elsewhere in the Apostle’s
writings (Rom 2:36; 16:27; Phil 4:20; etc.). This was probably an early
formula used in the liturgy of Ephesus and other Asia Minor churches.
The fact that it ends with an “Amen” seems to confirm this. In contrast
to the energetic attempts of the civil authorities at the time to foster
emperor-worship, Christians proclaimed that God is lord of the universe
and will reign forever.

It is true, of course, that because God’s glory is infinite, it cannot be
enhanced by man extolling God’s attributes. However, once one knows
the greatness of God, creator and ruler of the universe, and knows that
all things are dependent on him, one has a duty to show God due honor
both internally and externally. Actions of that kind are expressions of
the virtue of religion, whose “actions are directly and immediately
ordered to the honor of God” (”Summa Theologiae” II-II, q. 81, a. 61).
“Of all the duties which man has to fulfill that, without doubt, is the
chiefest and holiest which commands him to worship God with devotion
and piety. This follows of necessity from the truth that we are ever in
the power of God, are ever guided by his will and providence, and,
having come forth from him, must return to him” (Leo XIII, “Libertas
Praestantissimum”, 25).

Published by Four Courts Press, Kill Lane, Blackrock, Co. Dublin, Ireland, and
by Scepter Publishers in the United States.

From: Luke 15:1-32

Parable’s of God’s Mercy

[1] Now the tax collectors and sinners were all drawing near to hear
Him (Jesus). [2] And the Pharisees and the scribes murmured, saying,
“This man receives sinners and eats with them.”

The Lost Sheep

[3] So He told them this parable: [4] “What man of you, having a
hundred sheep, if he has lost one of them, does not leave the
ninety-nine in the wilderness, and go after the one which is lost,
until he finds it? [5] And when he has found it, he lays it on his
shoulders, rejoicing. [6] And when he comes home he calls together
his friends and his neighbors, saying to them, `Rejoice with me, for I
have found my sheep which was lost.’ [7] Just so, I tell you, there will
be more joy in Heaven over one sinner who repents than over
ninety-nine righteous persons who need no repentance.

The Lost Coin

[8] “Or what woman, having ten silver coins, if she lost one coin,
does not light a lamp and sweep the house and seek diligently until
she finds it? [9] And when she has found it, she calls together her
friends and neighbors, saying, `Rejoice with me, for I have found the
coin which I has lost.’ [10] Just so, I tell you, there is joy before
the angels of God over one sinner who repents.

The Prodigal Son

[11] And He said, “There was a man who had two sons; [12] and the
younger of them said to his father, `Father, give me the share of
property that falls to me.’ And he divided his living between them. [13]
Not many days later, the younger son gathered all he had and took
his journey into a far country, and there he squandered his property in
loose living. [14] And when he had spent everything, a great famine
arose in that country, and he began to be in want. [15] So he went and
joined himself to one of the citizens of that country, who sent him
into his fields to feed swine. [16] And he would gladly have fed on
the pods that the swine ate; and no one gave him anything. [17] But
when he came to himself he said, `How can many of my father’s hired
servants have bread enough and to spare, but I perish here with
hunger! [18] I will arise and go to my father, and I will say to him,
“Father, I have sinned against Heaven and before you; [19] I am no
longer worthy to be called your son; treat me as one of your hired
servants.’” [20] And he arose and came to his father. But while he was
yet at a distance, his father saw him and had compassion, and ran
and embraced him and kissed him. [21] And the son said to him,
`Father, I have sinned against Heaven and before you; I am no longer
worthy to be called your son.’ [22] But the father said to his servants,
`Bring quickly the best robe, and put it on him; and put a ring on his
hand, and shoes on his feet; [23] and bring the fatted calf and kill it,
and let us eat and make merry; [24] for this my son was dead, and
is alive again; he was lost, and is found.’ And they began to make
merry.

[25] “Now his elder son was in the field; and as he came and drew near
to the house, he heard music and dancing. [26] And he called one of
the servants and asked what this meant. [27] And he said to him, `Your
brother has come, and your father has killed the fatted calf, because
he has received him safe and sound.’ [28] But he was angry and refused
to go in. His father came out and entreated him, [29] but he answered
his father, `Lo, these many years I have served you, and I never
disobeyed your command; yet you never gave me a kid, that I might
make merry with my friends. [30] But when this son of yours came,
who has devoured your living with harlots, you killed for him the fatted
calf!’ [31] And he said to him, `Son, you are always with me, and all
that is mine is yours. [32] It was fitting to make merry and be glad,
for this your brother was dead, and is alive; he was lost, and is
found.’”

*********************************************************************************************

Commentary:

1-32. Jesus’ actions manifest God’s mercy: He receives sinners in order
to convert them. The scribes and Pharisees, who despised sinners, just
cannot understand why Jesus acts like this; they grumble about Him; and
Jesus uses the opportunity to tell these Mercy parables. “The Gospel
writer who particularly treats of these themes in Christ’s teaching is
Luke, whose Gospel has earned the title of `the Gospel of mercy’” (John
Paul II, “Dives In Misericordia”, 3).

In this chapter St. Luke reports three of these parables in which Jesus
describes the infinite, fatherly mercy of God and His joy at the conversion
of the sinner.

The Gospel teaches that no one is excluded from forgiveness and that
sinners can become beloved children of God if they repent and are
converted. So much does God desire the conversion of sinners that each
of these parables ends with a refrain, as it were, telling of the great
joy in Heaven over sinner who repents.

1-2. This is not the first time that publicans and sinners approach
Jesus (cf. Matthew 9:10). They are attracted by the directness of the
Lord’s preaching and by His call to self-giving and love. The
Pharisees in general were jealous of His influence over the people
(cf. Matthew 26:2-5; John 11:47) a jealousy which can also beset
Christians; a severity of outlook which does not accept that, no matter
how great his sins may have been, a sinner can change and become
a saint; a blindness which prevents a person from recognizing and
rejoicing over the good done by others. Our Lord criticized this
attitude when He replied to His disciples’ complaints about others
casting out devils in His name: “Do not forbid him; for no one who does
a mighty work in My name will be able soon after to speak evil of Me”
(Mark 9:39). And St. Paul rejoiced that others proclaimed Christ and
even overlooked the fact they did so out of self-interest, provided
Christ was preached (cf. Philippians 1:17-18).

5-6. Christian tradition, on the basis of this and other Gospel passages
(cf. John 10:11), applies this parable to Christ, the Good Shepherd, who
misses and then seeks out the lost sheep: the Word, by becoming man,
seeks out mankind, which has strayed through sinning. Here is St.
Gregory the Great’s commentary: “He put the sheep on His shoulders
because, on taking on human nature, He burdened Himself with our
sins” (”In Evangelia Homiliae”, II, 14).

The Second Vatican Council applies these verses of St. Luke to the way
priests should approach their pastoral work: “They should be mindful
that by their daily conduct and solicitude they display the reality of
a truly priestly and pastoral ministry both to believers and unbelievers
alike, to Catholics and non-Catholics; that they are bound to bear
witness before all men of the truth and of the life, and as good
shepherds seek after those too who, whilst having been baptized in
the Catholic Church, have given up the practice of the Sacraments, or
even fallen away from the faith” (”Lumen Gentium”, 28). However, every
member of the faithful should show this same kind of concern—expressed
in a fraternal way—towards his brothers and sisters, towards everyone
on the road to sanctification and salvation.

7. This does not mean that our Lord does not value the perseverance
of the just: He is simply emphasizing the joy of God and the saints
over the conversion of a sinner. This is clearly a call to repentance,
to never doubt God’s readiness to forgive. “Another fall, and what a
fall!... Must you give up hope? No. Humble yourself and, through
Mary, your Mother, have recourse to the merciful Love of Jesus. A
“miserere”, and lift up your heart! And now begin again” ([St] J.
Escriva, “The Way”, 711).

8. This silver coin was a “drachma”, of about the same value as a
denarius, that is, approximately a day’s wage for an agricultural
worker (cf. Matthew 20:2).

11. This is one of Jesus’ most beautiful parables, which teaches us
once more that God is a kind and understanding Father (cf. Matthew
6:8; Romans 8:15; 2 Corinthians 1:3). The son who asks for his part
of the inheritance is a symbol of the person who cuts himself off from
God through sin. “Although the word `mercy’ does not appear, this
parable nevertheless expresses the essence of the divine mercy in
a particularly clear way” (John Paul II, “Dives In Misericordia”, 5).

12. “That son, who receives from the father the portion of the
inheritance that is due him and leaves home to squander it in a far
country `in loose living’, in a certain sense is the man of every
period, beginning with the one who was the first to lose the
inheritance of grace and original justice. The analogy at this point
is very wide-ranging. The parable indirectly touches upon every breach
of the covenant of love, every loss of grace, every sin” (”Dives In
Misericordia”, 5).

14-15. At this point in the parable we are shown the unhappy effects
of sin. The young man’s hunger evokes the anxiety and emptiness a
person feels when he is far from God. The prodigal son’s predicament
describes the enslavement which sin involves (cf. Romans 1:25; 6:6;
Galatians 5:1): by sinning one loses the freedom of the children of God
(cf. Romans 8:21; Galatians 4:31; 5:13) and hands oneself over the
power of Satan.

17-21. His memory of home and his conviction that his father loves him
cause the prodigal son to reflect and to decide to set out on the right
road. “Human life is in some way a constant returning to our Father’s
house. We return through contrition, through the conversion of heart
which means a desire to change, a firm decision to improve our life and
which, therefore, is expressed in sacrifice and self-giving. We return to
our Father’s house by means of that sacrament of pardon in which, by
confessing our sins, we put on Jesus Christ again and become His
brothers, members of God’s family” ([St] J. Escriva, “Christ Is Passing
By”, 64).

20-24. God always hopes for the return of the sinner; He wants him to
repent. When the young man arrives home his father does not greet him
with reproaches but with immense compassion, which causes him to
embrace his son and cover him with kisses.

20. “There is no doubt that in this simple but penetrating analogy to
the figure of the father reveals to us God as Father. The conduct of
the father in the parable and his whole behavior, which manifests his
internal attitude, enables us to rediscover the individual threads of
the Old Testament vision of mercy in a synthesis which is totally new,
full of simplicity and depth. The father of the prodigal son is faithful to
this fatherhood, faithful to the love that he had always lavished on his
son. This fidelity is expressed in the parable not only by his immediate
readiness to welcome him home when he returns after having
squandered his inheritance; it is expressed even more fully by that
joy, that merrymaking for the squanderer after his return, merrymaking
which is so generous that it provokes the opposition and hatred of the
elder brother, who had never gone far away from his father and had
never abandoned the home.

“The father’s fidelity to himself [...] is at the same time expressed in a
manner particularly charged with affection. We read, in fact, that when
the father saw the prodigal son returning home `he had COMPASSION,
ran to meet him, threw his arms around his neck and kissed him.’ He
certainly does this under the influence of a deep affection, and this
also explains his generosity towards his son, that generosity which
so angers the elder son” (”Dives In Misericordia”, 6).

“When God runs towards us, we cannot keep silent, but with St. Paul
we exclaim, “ABBA PATER”: `Father, my Father!’ (Romans 8:15), for,
though He is the creator of the universe, He doesn’t mind our not using
high-sounding titles, nor worry about our not acknowledging His
greatness. He wants us to call Him Father; He wants us to savor that
word, our souls filling with joy [...].

“God is waiting for us, like the father in the parable, with open arms,
even though we don’t deserve it. It doesn’t matter how great our debt
is. Just like the prodigal son, all we have to do is open our heart,
to be homesick for our Father’s house, to wonder at and rejoice in the
gift which God makes us of being able to call ourselves His children,
of really being His children, even though our response to Him has been
so poor” ([St] J. Escriva, “Christ Is Passing By”, 64).

25-30. God’s mercy is so great that man cannot grasp it: as we can
see in the case of the elder son, who thinks his father loves the younger
son excessively, his jealousy prevents him from understanding how his
father can do so much to celebrate the recovery of the prodigal; it
cuts him off from the joy that the whole family feels. “It’s true that
he was a sinner. But don’t pass so final a judgment on him. Have pity
in your heart, and don’t forget that he may yet be an Augustine, while
you remain just another mediocrity” ([St J. Escriva, “The Way”, 675).

We should also consider that if God has compassion towards sinners,
He must have much much more towards those who strive to be faithful
to Him. St. Therese of Lisieux understood this very well: “What joy to
remember that our Lord is just; that He makes allowances for all our
shortcomings, and knows full well how weak we are. What have I to fear
then? Surely the God of infinite justice who pardons the prodigal son
with such mercy will be just with me `who am always with Him’?” (”The
Story of a Soul”, Chapter 8).

32. “Mercy, as Christ has presented it in the parable of the prodigal son,
has THE INTERIOR FORM OF THE LOVE that in the New Testament is
called AGAPE. This love is able to reach down to every prodigal son,
to every human misery, and above all to every form of moral misery, to
sin. When this happens, the person who is the object of mercy does not
feel humiliated, but rather found again and `restored to value’. The father
first and foremost expresses to him his joy, that he has been `found
again’ and that he has `returned to life’. This joy indicates a good that
has remained intact: even if he is a prodigal, a son does not cease to
be truly his father’s son; it also indicates a good that has been found
again, which in the case of the prodigal son was his return to the truth
about himself” (”Dives In Misericordia”, 6).

Published by Four Courts Press, Kill Lane, Blackrock, Co. Dublin, Ireland, and
by Scepter Publishers in the United States.

Readings at Mass

First reading

Exodus 32:7-11,13-14 ©

The Lord spoke to Moses, ‘Go down now, because your people whom you brought out of Egypt have apostatised. They have been quick to leave the way I marked out for them; they have made themselves a calf of molten metal and have worshipped it and offered it sacrifice. “Here is your God, Israel,” they have cried “who brought you up from the land of Egypt!”’ the Lord said to Moses, ‘I can see how headstrong these people are! Leave me, now, my wrath shall blaze out against them and devour them; of you, however, I will make a great nation.’

But Moses pleaded with the Lord his God. ‘Lord,’ he said ‘why should your wrath blaze out against this people of yours whom you brought out of the land of Egypt with arm outstretched and mighty hand? Remember Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, your servants to whom by your own self you swore and made this promise: “I will make your offspring as many as the stars of heaven, and all this land which I promised I will give to your descendants, and it shall be their heritage for ever.”’

So the Lord relented and did not bring on his people the disaster he had threatened.

Psalm

Psalm 50:3-4,12-13,17,19 ©

I will leave this place and go to my father.

Have mercy on me, God, in your kindness.

In your compassion blot out my offence.

O wash me more and more from my guilt

and cleanse me from my sin.

I will leave this place and go to my father.

A pure heart create for me, O God,

put a steadfast spirit within me.

Do not cast me away from your presence,

nor deprive me of your holy spirit.

I will leave this place and go to my father.

O Lord, open my lips

and my mouth shall declare your praise.

My sacrifice is a contrite spirit.

A humbled, contrite heart you will not spurn.

I will leave this place and go to my father.

Second reading

1 Timothy 1:12-17 ©

I thank Christ Jesus our Lord, who has given me strength, and who judged me faithful enough to call me into his service even though I used to be a blasphemer and did all I could to injure and discredit the faith. Mercy, however, was shown me, because until I became a believer I had been acting in ignorance; and the grace of our Lord filled me with faith and with the love that is in Christ Jesus. Here is a saying that you can rely on and nobody should doubt: that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners. I myself am the greatest of them; and if mercy has been shown to me, it is because Jesus Christ meant to make me the greatest evidence of his inexhaustible patience for all the other people who would later have to trust in him to come to eternal life. To the eternal King, the undying, invisible and only God, be honour and glory for ever and ever. Amen.

Gospel Acclamation

cf.Ep1:17,18

Alleluia, alleluia!

May the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ

enlighten the eyes of our mind,

so that we can see what hope his call holds for us.

Alleluia!

Or	2Co5:19

Alleluia, alleluia!

God in Christ was reconciling the world to himself,

and he has entrusted to us the news that they are reconciled.

Alleluia!

EITHER:

Gospel

Luke 15:1-32 ©

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.’

He also said, ‘A man had two sons. The younger said to his father, “Father, let me have the share of the estate that would come to me.” So the father divided the property between them. A few days later, the younger son got together everything he had and left for a distant country where he squandered his money on a life of debauchery.

‘When he had spent it all, that country experienced a severe famine, and now he began to feel the pinch, so he hired himself out to one of the local inhabitants who put him on his farm to feed the pigs. And he would willingly have filled his belly with the husks the pigs were eating but no one offered him anything. Then he came to his senses and said, “How many of my father’s paid servants have more food than they want, and here am I dying of hunger! I will leave this place and go to my father and say: Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you; I no longer deserve to be called your son; treat me as one of your paid servants.” So he left the place and went back to his father.

‘While he was still a long way off, his father saw him and was moved with pity. He ran to the boy, clasped him in his arms and kissed him tenderly. Then his son said, “Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. I no longer deserve to be called your son.” But the father said to his servants, “Quick! Bring out the best robe and put it on him; put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet. Bring the calf we have been fattening, and kill it; we are going to have a feast, a celebration, because this son of mine was dead and has come back to life; he was lost and is found.” And they began to celebrate.

‘Now the elder son was out in the fields, and on his way back, as he drew near the house, he could hear music and dancing. Calling one of the servants he asked what it was all about. “Your brother has come” replied the servant “and your father has killed the calf we had fattened because he has got him back safe and sound.” He was angry then and refused to go in, and his father came out to plead with him; but he answered his father, “Look, all these years I have slaved for you and never once disobeyed your orders, yet you never offered me so much as a kid for me to celebrate with my friends. But, for this son of yours, when he comes back after swallowing up your property – he and his women – you kill the calf we had been fattening.”

‘The father said, “My son, you are with me always and all I have is yours. But it was only right we should celebrate and rejoice, because your brother here was dead and has come to life; he was lost and is found.”’

OR:

Gospel

Luke 15:1-10 ©

Pray a Rosary each day for our nation.

Pray the Rosary

1. Sign of the Cross: In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

2. The Apostles Creed: I BELIEVE in God, the Father almighty, Creator of heaven and earth, and in Jesus Christ, His only Son, our Lord, who was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the Virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died, and was buried. He descended into hell; on the third day he rose again from the dead; he ascended into heaven, and is seated at the right hand of God, the Father Almighty; from there He shall come to judge the living and the dead.

I believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy catholic Church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and the life everlasting. Amen.

3. The Lord's Prayer: OUR Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be Thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread and forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. Amen.

4. (3) Hail Mary: HAIL Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee. Blessed art thou amongst women and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now, and in the hour of our death. Amen. (Three times)

5. Glory Be: GLORY be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit. As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.

Fatima Prayer: Oh, my Jesus, forgive us our sins, save us from the fires of hell, lead all souls to heaven, especially those in most need of your mercy.

Announce each mystery, then say 1 Our Father, 10 Hail Marys, 1 Glory Be and 1 Fatima prayer. Repeat the process with each mystery.

End with the Hail Holy Queen:

Hail, Holy Queen, Mother of Mercy, our life, our sweetness and our hope! To thee do we cry, poor banished children of Eve! To thee do we send up our sighs, mourning and weeping in this vale of tears! Turn then, most gracious advocate, thine eyes of mercy towards us; and after this, our exile, show unto us the blessed fruit of thy womb, Jesus!

O clement, O loving, O sweet Virgin Mary! Pray for us, O holy Mother of God, that we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ.

Final step -- The Sign of the Cross

The Mysteries of the Rosary

By tradition, Catholics meditate on these Mysteries during prayers of the Rosary.
The biblical references follow each of the Mysteries below.

The Glorious Mysteries
(Wednesdays and Sundays)
1.The Resurrection (Matthew 28:1-8, Mark 16:1-18, Luke 24:1-12, John 20:1-29) [Spiritual fruit - Faith]
2. The Ascension (Mark 16:19-20, Luke 24:50-53, Acts 1:6-11) [Spiritual fruit - Christian Hope]
3. The Descent of the Holy Spirit (Acts 2:1-13) [Spiritual fruit - Gifts of the Holy Spirit]
4. The Assumption [Spiritual fruit - To Jesus through Mary]
5. The Coronation [Spiritual fruit - Grace of Final Perseverance]

Our Blessed Lady's Sorrows

Sea of Sorrow

Oh! on what a sea of sorrow
Was the Virgin-Mother cast,
When her eyes with tears o'erflowing
Gazed upon her Son aghast,
From the bloodstained gibbet taken,
Dying in her arms at last.

In her bitter desolation,
His sweet mouth, His bosom too,
Then His riven side beloved,
Then each hand, both wounded through,
Then His feet, with blood encrimsoned,
Her maternal tears bedew.

She, a hundred times and over,
Strains Him closely to her breast
Heart to Heart, arms arms enfolding,
Are His wounds on her impressed:
Thus, in sorrow's very kisses,
Melts her anguished soul to rest.

Oh, dear Mother! we beseech thee,
By the tears thine eyes have shed,
By the cruel death of Jesus
And His wounds' right royal red,
Make our hearts o'erflow with sorrow
From thy heart's deep fountainhead.

To the Father, Son, and Spirit,
Now we bend on equal knee:
Glory, sempiternal glory,
To the Most High Trinity;
Yea! perpetual praise and honor
Now and through all ages be.

Novena Prayer To Our Sorrowful Mother

Most Blessed and afflicted Virgin, Queen of Martyrs, who didst stand generously beneath the cross, beholding the agony of thy dying Son; by the sword of sorrow which then pierced thy soul, by the sufferings of thy sorrowful life, by the unutterable joy which now more than repays thee for them; look down with a mother's pity and tenderness, as I kneel before thee to compassionate thy sorrows, and to lay my petition with childlike confidence in thy wounded heart. I beg of thee, O my Mother, to plead continually for me with thy Son, since He can refuse thee nothing, and through the merits of His most sacred Passion and Death, together with thy own sufferings at the foot of the cross, so to touch His Sacred Heart, that I may obtain my request,
For to whom shall I fly in my wants and miseries, if not to thee, O Mother of mercy, who, having so deeply drunk the chalice of thy Son, canst most pity us poor exiles, still doomed to sigh in this vale of tears? Offer to Jesus but one drop of His Precious Blood, but one pang of His adorable Heart; remind Him that thou art our life, our sweetness, and our hope, and thou wilt obtain what I ask, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

Hail Mary
Virgin Most Sorrowful, pray for us
(Seven times each)

Mary, most holy Virgin and Queen of Martyrs, accept the sincere homage of my filial affection. Into thy Heart, pierced by so many swords, do thou welcome my poor soul. Receive it as the companion of thy sorrows at the foot of the Cross, on which Jesus died for the redemption of the world. With thee, O sorrowful Virgin, I will gladly suffer all the trials, contradictions, and infirmities which it shall please Our Lord to send me. I offer them all to thee in memory of thy sorrows, so that: every thought of my mind and every beat of my heart may be an act of compassion and of love for thee. And do thou, sweet Mother, have pity on me, reconcile me to thy Divine Son, Jesus; keep me in His grace and assist me in my last agony, so that I may be able to meet thee in Heaven and sing thy glories.

Most holy Virgin and Mother, whose soul was pierced by a sword of sorrow in the Passion of thy Divine Son, and who in His glorious Resurrection wast filled with never ending joy at His triumph, obtain for us who call upon thee, so to be partakers in the adversities of Holy Church and the Sorrows of the Sovereign Pontiff, as to be found worthy to rejoice with them in the consolations for which we pray, in the charity and peace of the same Christ our Lord. Amen.

Litany of the Seven Sorrows

For private use only.

Lord, have mercy on us.
Christ, have mercy on us.
Lord, have mercy on us.
Christ, hear us.
Christ, graciously hear us.

God the Father of Heaven,
Have mercy on us.
God the Son, Redeemer of the world,
Have mercy on us.
God the Holy Spirit,
Have mercy on us.
Holy Trinity, One God,
Have mercy on us.

Holy Mary,
Pray for us.
Holy Mother of God,
Pray for us.
Holy Virgin of virgins, etc.
Mother crucified,
Mother sorrowful,
Mother tearful,
Mother afflicted,
Mother forsaken,
Mother desolate,
Mother bereft of thy Child,
Mother transfixed with the sword,
Mother consumed with grief,
Mother filled with anguish,
Mother crucified in heart,
Mother most sad,
Fountain of tears,
Abyss of suffering,
Mirror of patience,
Rock of constancy,
Anchor of confidence,
Refuge of the forsaken,
Shield of the oppressed,
Subduer of the unbelieving,
Comfort of the afflicted,
Medicine of the sick,
Strength of the weak,
Harbor of the wrecked,
Allayer of tempests,
Resource of mourners,
Terror of the treacherous,
Treasure of the faithful,
Eye of the Prophets,
Staff of the Apostles,
Crown of Martyrs,
Light of confessors,
Pearl of virgins,
Consolation of widows,
Joy of all Saints,

Lamb of God, Who takest away the sins of the world,
Spare us, O Lord.
Lamb of God, Who takest away the sins of the world,
Graciously hear us, O Lord.
Lamb of God, Who takest away the sins of the world,
Have mercy on us.

Look down upon us, deliver us, and save us from all trouble,
in the power of Jesus Christ. Amen.

Let Us Pray.
Imprint, O Lady, thy wounds upon my heart, that I may read therein sorrow and love
--- sorrow to endure every sorrow for thee, love to despise every love for thee. Amen.

Conclude with the Apostles Creed, Hail Holy Queen, and three Hail Marys,
in honor of the Most Holy Heart of Mary.

Stabat Mater Dolorosa

Stabat mater dolorosa
iuxta Crucem lacrimosa,
dum pendebat Filius.

Cuius animam gementem,
contristatam et dolentem
pertransivit gladius.

O quam tristis et afflicta
fuit illa benedicta,
mater Unigeniti!

Quae maerebat et dolebat,
pia Mater, dum videbat
nati poenas inclyti.

Quis est homo qui non fleret,
matrem Christi si videret
in tanto supplicio?

Quis non posset contristari
Christi Matrem contemplari
dolentem cum Filio?

Pro peccatis suae gentis
vidit Iesum in tormentis,
et flagellis subditum.

Vidit suum dulcem Natum
moriendo desolatum,
dum emisit spiritum.

Eia, Mater, fons amoris
me sentire vim doloris
fac, ut tecum lugeam.

Fac, ut ardeat cor meum
in amando Christum Deum
ut sibi complaceam.

Sancta Mater, istud agas,
crucifixi fige plagas
cordi meo valide.

Tui Nati vulnerati,
tam dignati pro me pati,
poenas mecum divide.

Fac me tecum pie flere,
crucifixo condolere,
donec ego vixero.

Iuxta Crucem tecum stare,
et me tibi sociare
in planctu desidero.

Virgo virginum praeclara,
mihi iam non sis amara,
fac me tecum plangere.

Fac, ut portem Christi mortem,
passionis fac consortem,
et plagas recolere.

Fac me plagis vulnerari,
fac me Cruce inebriari,
et cruore Filii.

Flammis ne urar succensus,
per te, Virgo, sim defensus
in die iudicii.

Christe, cum sit hinc exire,
da per Matrem me venire
ad palmam victoriae.

Quando corpus morietur,
fac, ut animae donetur
paradisi gloria. Amen.

Prayer To Our Lady of Sorrows, by St. Bridget

O Blessed Virgin Mary, Immaculate Mother of God, who didst endure a martyrdom of love and grief beholding the sufferings and sorrows of Jesus! Thou didst cooperate in the benefit of my redemption by thine innumerable afflictions and by offering to the Eternal Father His only begotten Son as a holocaust and victim of propitiation for my sins. I thank thee for the unspeakable love which led thee to deprive thyself of the Fruit of thy womb, Jesus, true God and true Man, to save me, a sinner. Oh, make use of the unfailing intercession of thy sorrows with the Father and the Son, that I may steadfastly amend my life and never again crucify my loving Redeemer by new sins, and that, persevering till death in His grace. I may obtain eternal life through the merits of His Cross and Passion. Amen.

Mother of love, of sorrow and of mercy, pray for us.

Saint Alphonsus Liguori's Prayer To The Mother Of Sorrows

O, my Blessed Mother, it is not one sword only with which I have pierced thy heart, but I have done so with as many as are the sins which I have committed. O, Lady, it is not to thee, who art innocent, that sufferings are due, but to me, who am guilty of so many crimes. But since thou hast been pleased to suffer so much for me, by thy merits, obtain me great sorrow for my sins, and patience under the trials of this life, which will always be light in comparison with my demerits; for I have often deserved Hell.
Amen.

Stabet Mater Dolorosa (catholic/orthodox caucus)
[CATHOLIC/ORTHODOX CAUCUS] Spirituality: Our Lady of Sorrows
The Seven Swords Rosary Of Our Lady Of Sorrows [Catholic Caucus] Prayer and Meditation
The Rosary of the Seven Sorrows [Catholic Caucus] Prayer/Devotion
Our Lady of Sorrows, part I: "Her Martyrdom was longer and greater than that of all the martyrs"

Lists Every Catholic Should be Familiar With: The 7 Sorrows (Dolours) and 7 Joys of Our Lady
The Seven Dolors (Sorrows) of Mary [Catholic/Orthodox Devotional]
Apparition in Africa: Our Lady of Sorrows [Catholic/Orthodox Caucus]
Feast of the Seven Sorrows of the Blessed Virgin Mary [Catholic Caucus Devotional]
Feast of Our Lady/Mother of Sorrows
Homilies on Our Lady of Sorrows
Starkenburg:Pilgrimage to Our Lady of Sorrows Shrine
Our Mother of Sorrows
ST. ALPHONSUS LIGUORI, OF THE DOLOURS OF MARY, The Glories [Sorrows] of Mary
Our Lady of Sorrows - Sep 15

Zenit.org

3 Adjectives for a Unique Love: Humanly Senseless, Motherly Eager, Divinely Paternal

Lectio Divina: 24th Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year C

Rome, September 13, 2013 (Zenit.org) Monsignor Francesco Follo | 590 hits

1) Pastoral mercy

In addition to giving his profound and beautiful teaching Jesus’ parables show God’s point of view. That is what happens in today’s parables where Christ tells about the lost sheep, the lost coin and the prodigal son underlining the “Gospel’s heart” that is merciful love.

Already in the first parable we can see a behavior that is not human, or better, senseless from a human point of view. To the question “What man among you having a hundred sheep and losing one of them would not leave the ninety-nine in the desert and go after the lost one until he finds it?” (Lk 15:4) we would respond “No one”. Which man of sense would leave 99 sheep alone in the desert and go after the lost one in spite of the danger of the desert at night?

The desert’s dangers are hunger, thirst, robbers, beasts, and loosing orientation in the darkness of the night, which makes it almost impossible to carry on the search. Christ the divine good shepherd is moved by a love that is humanly senseless but divinely logical and therefore goes in search of us.

God continues the search of us since the time man has hidden himself in the Garden of Eden and down to the netherworld. For Him we have more value than himself. In fact it is true that He died for us.

We could say that our search for God starts when God had finished his founding us, forgiving us and celebrating with us.

In the parable of the lost and found sheep, it is underlined that the shepherd doesn’t stop his search until the sheep is found. It is an obstinate and unflinching search and the shepherd is determined not to leave the sheep to its destiny. We understand that the shepherd’s decision was not senseless but on the contrary it was a courageous one being born out of a courageous intelligence and of a heart that loves intensively.

This allows me to point out that this parable in the same way as the two others, ends telling about the joy of God for having found the sheep, the coin and the son “there will be rejoicing among the angels of God over one sinner who repents.” (Lk 15:10)

We can found two teachings. The first one is clear: to God’s eyes man has a limitless value even and because he is a sinner. The second one is implicit: divine Joy “grows” with the found glory of an only sinner.

2) Motherly mercy

Similar in essence is the second parable, the one of the lost coin[i] .

Here too the search for what has been lost is carried out in a methodical way. The woman lights the lamp and puts it in the best position, then sweeps slowly and with lot of attention the entire house, looks with care[ii] until she finds the lost coin. When she has found it she calls her friends and neighbors so that they can rejoice with her about the “coin lost and found”. If in the first parable that tells about the Shepherd (that in the Jewish world meant also the King) we can see the " pastoral” love of the one who guides, in the second parable we see the “eager” love of the mother that turns upside-down the “world" to search for the “treasure” that is the reason of her life, her son.

A woman and a mother very well knows the value of a son and in this parable we see that it represents God who with infinite motherly and paternal love, “does his utmost” to search the precious lost coin.

We find an example of this in the consecrated Virgins. They are called to motherly “do the utmost of themselves” praying begging forgiveness for the sinners, offering their prayer in intercession (RCV 28) for the lost ones and above all for the ones who have lost faith in the divine mercy, and in taking the everlasting forgiving love of God where they live and work.

3) Paternal mercy

Here is the third parable. If for a coin and for a sheep there is celebration in heaven, you can very well image how happy is God when the ‘found one’ is a man, a lost and found son.

This son, that is called prodigal because he has wasted the paternal inheritance and now is extremely poor and hungry, is ‘lost’. He has lost the knowledge of the beauty of his identity. He has lost the joyful memory of the father’s look and of his mercy. This page of the Gospel is an announcement that carries joy for us: when we feel of being ‘lost’, let’s give ourselves to the one who is searching for us and let’s trust his great love. This is the Father’s will. We are precious to His eyes.

In this context we understand the meaning of the reading from the Exodus (Roman Rite) where the people of Israel, liberated from slavery, often forget God up to the point of “making for themselves a molten calf and worshiping it and sacrificing to it.” For this they should deserve God’s punishment, but the master forgives them because of the moving and profound prayer of intercession of Moses. In the same way the apostle Paul (second reading) states that Jesus was born to save the sinners. He feels that he is a big sinner… but he was pardoned.

Mercy is the expression of the omnipotence and of the infinite, tender and adult, caring and demanding love of God: it is God’s image.

Let’s use often to the sacrament of Reconciliation that is to make in us the coming home of the prodigal son.

The experience of sin that is “to be lost”, becomes the occasion for more lasting and true encounter with the God that “ persecutes”[iii] us with his merciful love and rejoices because he has found us.

[i] At Jesus’ times one coin was the daily pay of a worker

[ii] The Greek word epimelos means “with care, with attention”

[iii] From the Latin verb PERSEQUI, made of PER and SEQUI= to follow, meaning “to follow with constancy and zeal.” From it come “ to persecute” and “ persecution.”

Arlington Catholic Herald

GOSPEL COMMENTARY LK 15:1-32

Following our dreams

Fr. Jerry J. Pokorsky

We all will find ourselves somewhere in the parable of the prodigal son: loving father, faithful but embittered brother, or prodigal son himself. The parable is so powerful and touching as it stands that homilies risk damaging the poignant message. Still, we soldier on and ask if it is possible to apply it as a metaphor to an entire culture.

The parable, of course, is a story of distinct individuals. The son prevails upon his father for his portion of the inheritance (the father isn’t dead yet so calculating the inheritance likely rattles the entitlement sensibilities of the remaining faithful son). The prodigal son follows his dreams and ruins his life. (Ruined lives happen, especially when our dreams have to do with greed, lust and the five other capital sins.) Reality — poverty, exhaustion, loneliness — eventually slaps the son in the face and he comes to his senses.

Remembering his father’s goodness he recalibrates his dreams and returns to dad, repentant. As the father greets him with open arms in ready forgiveness, the faithful brother resents the father’s mercy as too indulgent. He even dares to deny his relationship with his brother by referring to him as “this son of yours.” The parable ends with the father patiently explaining his joy at his son’s return.

Our “post-Christian” or “post-modern” world has gone the way of the prodigal son. Arguably, there is no longer a strong Christian influence on society. A large number of Catholics — along with the culture in the main — have too often followed the greedy and obscene dreams of the prodigal son: a hostile cultural view of fathers and fatherhood; the denial of femininity and the hatred and despair associated with radical feminism; a completely unrestrained pornographic entertainment industry; etc. Oppose any of these “dreams” and you will almost certainly be accused of being “intolerant” or “judgmental.”

There is no need to expound upon the result of our cultural profligacy with statistics. This lamentable —and now self-evident — litany will suffice: broken families, dire poverty, crime and violence, the exploitation of women and children, epidemic levels of sexually transmitted disease — all of which calls for a return to God. But our cultural prodigal son, mired in sin, would rather dream of greater government funding further enabling the sins. As a result it is far safer for a politician to favor and fund the institutionalization of most forms of sexual promiscuity (and irresponsibility in general) than dare to oppose any manifestation of the sexual and cultural revolution.

But if we as a culture have, in the main, followed the dreams of the prodigal son, is there reasonable hope of a return to a loving father? Can we expect the culture to sober up, realize the errors of its ways and be reconciled with the Father? The cultural prodigal son unfortunately does not have the memory of a loving father to dream about. And very few Catholics — not to mention the population at large — spend time reading papal encyclicals and Gospel commentaries.

The ministry of Christ might similarly be considered “wasted time.” His proclamation of the kingdom of God began in the synagogues (with the institutional memory of God’s love) but didn’t end well. The horror of a crucifixion can have a chilling effect on a political movement. The Gospel, however, with the “civilization of love” it brings was never — and can never be — a political movement. “My kingdom is not of this world.”

After the Ascension, it didn’t take long for the early Christians to turn to the proclamation of the Gospel to the Gentiles. Hints of the inevitable expansion of His sacred ministry can be found in the parable of the good Samaritan, the woman at the well and His specific instructions to His disciples. These early Christian communities reaching across the Roman Empire at once attracted converts and the ire of the Roman authorities. Despite immense obstacles, the Christian “civilization of love” became embedded within an exhausted pagan culture, a culture like ours today awash in greed and debauchery with lives devoid of meaning.

When today’s cultural prodigal son meets with the same spiritual exhaustion, will it return to the Father’s love? Here is where the parable as a cultural metaphor needs another direction. With no memory of the Father’s love among countless troubled souls, the path to God can only be made through living witnesses of Christ. Elsewhere in the Gospel, Christ provides the remedy: “You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden; nor does anyone light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on the lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house. Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven” (Mt 5:14-16).

With the grace of Christ, we must make visible the love of the Father in our families and, please God, in our communities and nation. This is our hope, our dream and our grave responsibility before the Lord. Our salvation — and the salvation of our cultural prodigal son — depends upon it.

Fr. Pokorsky is pastor of St. Michael Church in Annandale.

The Work of God

24th Sunday in Ordinary Time

Rejoice with me.

Luke 15:1-32

1 NOW the publicans and sinners drew near him to listen to him.
2 And the Pharisees and the scribes murmured, saying: This man receives sinners, and eats with them.
3 And he spoke to them this parable, saying:
4 What man of you that has a hundred sheep: and if he shall lose one of them, does he not leave the ninety-nine in the desert, and go after that which was lost, until he finds it?
5 And when he has found it, lay it upon his shoulders, rejoicing:
6 And coming home, call together his friends and neighbours, saying to them: Rejoice with me, because I have found my sheep that was lost?
7 I say to you, that even so there shall be joy in heaven upon one sinner that does penance, more than upon ninety-nine just who need not penance.
8 Or what woman having ten silver coins; if she loses one, does not light a candle, and sweeps the house, and seeks diligently until she finds it?
9 And when she has found it, call together her friends and neighbours, saying: Rejoice with me, because I have found the silver coin which I had lost.
10 So I say to you, there shall be joy before the angels of God upon one sinner who repents.
11 And he said: A certain man had two sons:
12 And the younger of them said to his father: Father, give me the portion of inheritance that belongs to me. And he divided unto them his inheritance.
13 And not many days after, the younger son, gathering all together, went abroad into a far country: and there wasted his inheritance, living riotously.
14 And after he had spent all, there came a mighty famine in that country; and he began to be in want.
15 And he went and cleaved to one of the citizens of that country. And he sent him into his farm to feed swine.
16 And he desired to fill his stomach with the husks the swine did eat; and no man gave anything to him.
17 And returning to himself, he said: How many hired servants in my father's house abound with bread, and I perish here with hunger?
18 I will arise, and will go to my father, and say to him: Father, I have sinned against heaven, and before you:
19 I am not worthy to be called your son: make me as one of your hired servants.
20 And rising up he came to his father. And when he was yet a great way off, his father saw him, and was moved with compassion, and running to him fell upon his neck, and kissed him.
21 And the son said to him: Father, I have sinned against heaven, and before you, I am not now worthy to be called your son.
22 And the father said to his servants: Bring forth quickly the first robe, and put it on him, and put a ring on his hand, and shoes on his feet:
23 And bring here the fatted calf, and kill it, and let us eat and be happy:
24 Because this, my son was dead, and has come to life again: was lost, and has been found. And they began to be happy.
25 Now his elder son was in the field, and when he came and was close to the house, he heard music and dancing:
26 And he called one of the servants, and asked what these things meant.
27 And he said to him: your brother has come, and your father has killed the fatted calf, because he has received him safe.
28 And he was angry, and would not go in. His father therefore came out and began to entreat him.
29 And answering, he said to his father: Behold, for so many years do I serve you, and I have never transgressed your commandment, and yet you have never given me a kid to be happy with my friends:
30 But as soon as this, your son has come, who has devoured his inheritance with harlots, you have killed for him the fatted calf.
31 But he said to him: Son, you are always with me, and all I have is yours.
32 But it was fit that we should be merry and rejoice, for this your brother was dead and has come to life again; he was lost, and has been found.

Inspiration of the Holy Spirit - From the Sacred Heart of Jesus

24th Sunday in Ordinary Time - Rejoice with me.

The message to repent is my strongest message; to see a sinner coming back to grace gives me the greatest joy. Repentance is the result of my word, and the benefit of that new life is salvation. I was very happy amidst sinners because my conversation brought them to repentance. I was highly criticized for doing that, but let me assure you that my joy was great when someone gave up his or her sinful ways to follow me.

So my joy is even greater than that of the shepherd who loses his sheep and then finds it, or the woman who loses her valued coin and then finds it or the joy of the father of the prodigal son who welcomes his son back after he has repented.

I am the Saviour of the world and my greatest joy is to bring salvation to souls. Every one is of great value to me because everyone has cost me my life. I will insist throughout the life of every person to declare my love openly until the soul understands my call and falls in love with me. I am willing to forgive because this is the perfection of my merciful love. I don’t look at the sins of anyone, I look at a soul that is perishing and needs my healing love. My nature is to be merciful to all. No exception.

Come to me all of you who are overburdened with sin and guilt, let me heal your souls, let me renew you with the infinite healing power of my merciful love; let me restore you to peace, love and joy. Repent of all the sins of your past life, meditate on the damage that you have caused to your soul and on the insult you have given to your God, think that if I did not forgive you, you would be totally lost; see me suffering and shedding my blood for you, see me crucified for your sins and come to me for forgiveness. Say the words of the prodigal son, “Father, I have sinned against you and against the world, I don’t deserve to be called your son, forgive me” Those words will be sweet to my ears, I will look at the humility of your hearts, at the sorrow that you feel for your sins and I will grant you peace and inner healing that will let you live a life in keeping with repentance.

Pray for your brothers and sisters to come to me too, all of them need me. Give testimony of my Divine Mercy to everyone and encourage them to live a holy life. I have prepared a new world of joy for all those who are willing to contemplate my sufferings as a way of amending their lives. My sacrifice is the great offering of my love for you, come to the altar of my suffering and receive my love.

Author: Joseph of Jesus and Mary

Archdiocese of Washington

Crazy! A Homily for the 24th Sunday of the Year

By: Msgr. Charles Pope

Crazy! – The three parables of today’s lengthy Gospel challenge our conventional thinking. All three of them are quirky and describe people doing things that we most likely would NOT do. In fact all three of them, especially the first two, seem crazy. Who would ever do what the shepherd of the lost sheep and the woman of the lost coin do? No one, really. Likewise the Father in the Story of the Prodigal Son breaks all the rules of “tough love.” His forgiveness has an almost reckless quality. No father of Jesus’ time would ever tolerate such insolence from his sons. It just wasn’t accepted. So all three of these parables, at one level, are just plain crazy.

But that is one of the most fundamental points Jesus seems to be making here. The Heavenly Father’s love for us is just plain “crazy.” I do not mean it is irrational by using this word, but it does stretch the limits of our human thinking. Neither do I intend irreverence by using the word “crazy.” Permit a preacher’s hyperbole so that we can enter into the astonishing quality of God’s love and mercy. It cannot be understood or really explained in human terms. Who really understands unlimited and unconditional love? Who can really grasp the depths of God’s mercy? His grace is “amazing” in that it goes completely beyond my ability to comprehend. It transcends merely human concepts. Thank God! If God were like us we’d all be in trouble, frankly, we’d all be in Hell.

Let’s look at each Parable. The Gospel texts are too lengthy to reproduce here. But you can read the whole of it here: Luke 15

I. The Parable of the Lost Sheep- The Lord speaks of a shepherd who leaves ninety-nine sheep to search for one who is lost. Would a shepherd likely do this? Probably not! The passage drips with irony, even absurdity. Perhaps if the lost sheep was near at hand he might venture over the next hill. But the average human shepherd would cut his losses and stay with the ninety-nine. Many of us might even consider it irresponsible to leave ninety-nine to search for one.

Some people try and make sense of this parable by appealing to possible shepherding practices of the First Century. And while theories abound, this seems to miss the point that God’s love is extravagant, personal, and puzzling. In the end, it would seem that God loves us for “no good reason.” He seems to love us even “more” when we stray. He intensifies his focus on the one who strays. To us this is not only crazy, it is dangerous, possibly enabling. But don’t try to figure it out. Don’t analyze it too much. Just be astonished, be amazed. Yes, this is crazy. That God loves me is crazy, unexplainable.

II. The Woman and the Lost coin- A woman loses a drachma. It is a small coin. Not worth that much really, perhaps one day’s wages for an agricultural worker. In modern terms less than $100. Not insignificant, but not really huge amount either. She sweeps diligently for it. So far, this seems reasonable. I’d probably look around a while for a missing “Benjamin” ($100 bill).

But then it gets crazy. She finds it and rejoices to such an extent that she spends most, if not all of it, on a party celebrating the found coin! Crazy!

But that is exactly the point. God doesn’t count the cost. He doesn’t weigh his love for us in terms of if it is “worth it.” Some commentators try to explain the craziness away by suggesting that perhaps the coin had sentimental value as part of her dowry or ceremonial head-dress of ten coins. But here too, over analyzing and trying to explain or make sense of it may well miss the point.

This woman is crazy because God is “crazy.” His love for us is extravagant beyond what is humanly reasonable or explainable. Don’t try to figure it out. Don’t analyze too much. Just be astonished, be amazed. Yes, this is crazy. That God loves me is crazy, unexplainable.

III. The Prodigal Son- A young son, entitled by law to a third of the Estate (since he was the younger son) tells his Father to drop dead. He wants his inheritance now and the old man isn’t dying fast enough. Incredibly the father gives it to him!

Crazy! No father in the ancient world would ever tolerate such irreverence and insolence from a son. The Father is a nobleman (land owner) and could hand his son over to serious retribution for such dishonor. The son leaves his father and goes off to “a distant land” where he sinks so low, he ends up looking up to pigs. He comes to his senses, rehearses a speech and returns to his father, hoping only to be a hired worker.

But here’s where it gets even crazier! The Father sees him a long way off (meaning he was looking for him). He does something a nobleman would not do: he runs. Running was considered beneath the dignity of a nobleman since it would imply he was either a slave on an errand or a fugitive running. Further, in order for a person to run in the ancient world, they had first to gird the loins of their garments. Since the garments were long flowing robes they had to be “hiked up.” Otherwise, the legs would get tangled in the garment and the person would trip. But for a nobleman to show his legs was considered an indignity.

Get the picture? This nobleman, this father, is debasing himself, humbling himself. He is running and his legs are showing. This is crazy. Do you know what this son has done? Does he deserve this humble love? No! This father is crazy! -

Exactly! The heavenly Father is “crazy” too. He actually loves me and humbles himself for me. He even sent his own Son for me. Do you and I know what we have done? Do we deserve this? No! It’s crazy.

The second son is also a handful. When he hears of the party for the wayward brother he refuses to enter. Again this is unthinkable in the ancient world for a son to refuse to report when summoned by a father. What does the father do? He comes out and pleads with him!

Again, crazy! Unthinkable. No father in the ancient world would ever permit a son to speak to him in the way this second son spoke. The son basically calls him a slave-driver who issues orders and refuses to enter the party that his father is hosting. He says he’d rather celebrate with his friends than with his father. But (pay attention here), the goal in life is not celebrate with your friends. The goal in life is to celebrate with the Father in heaven.

This father is crazy. He is crazy because God the Father is crazy. Do you know what it is to refuse to do what God says? And yet we do it every time we sin! The heavenly Father should not have to tolerate this. He is God and we are creatures. If he wanted, he could squash us like a bug. But he does not. The father in this parable is almost “dangerously” merciful. Shouldn’t his sons learn a lesson here? Shouldn’t he punish them both for their insolence? Yes, all our human thinking kicks in.

But God is God, not man. There are other scriptures that speak of his punishments. But in the end, none of us get what we really deserve. The point of Jesus here is that God is merciful and his love is crazy. It makes no human sense. His love for us is extravagant beyond what is humanly reasonable or explainable. Don’t try to figure it out. Don’t analyze too much. Just be astonished, be amazed. Yes, this is crazy. That God loves me is crazy, unexplainable.

Crazy!

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