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

Sunday Scripture Study

Twenty-fourth Sunday in Ordinary Time - Cycle C

September 15, 2013

Click here for USCCB readings

Opening Prayer

First Reading: Exodus 32:7-11,13-14

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

Second Reading: 1 Timothy 1:12-17

Gospel Reading: Luke 15:1-32

Last week, we saw how the multitudes were gathered around Jesus. This week, we see that in this multitude are “tax collectors and sinners” as well as members of the prominent religious parties, the Pharisees and scribes.

These last were scandalized that Jesus associates (even sits down to eat with—see also Luke 5:29-32) with those they considered unlearned and unclean. As a result they complain against him (“murmur” in the RSV-CE—as the Israelites did against Moses and God in the wilderness. See Exodus 16:1-3).

In reply, Jesus tells three parables about the compassion and mercy of God: the Lost Sheep (verses 4-7), the Lost Coin (verses 8-10), and the Prodigal Son (verses 11-32). The key to these parables are the attitudes and reactions of those in heaven (verses 7 and 10), the younger son (verse 18), the father (verses 20, 22-23, 31-32), and the older brother (verses 28-30).

QUESTIONS:

In the First Reading, Moses had everything to gain and nothing to lose if he allowed the Israelites to suffer for their sins (see verse 10). What did he do instead? What should be our response when we see our brother sinning? When he repents?

In the Second Reading, what type of person was St. Paul before his conversion? To what factors does he attribute this change?

In the Gospel Reading, how does Jesus’ parable of the sheep relate to the complaining of the Pharisees?

Who is it, exactly, who rejoices in heaven over a “sinner who repents” (verses 7, 10)?

What stages does the younger son go through on his pilgrimage (verses 13-16)? What brings him to his senses? What does he realize then? With what sort of attitude does he approach the father? How does the father receive the son? Why?

How does the older brother feel about his younger brother’s return? Why? How does the father answer the older son’s objections?

Comparing yourself with the two brothers in this story, who are you most like? Why? Whom would you have identified with 10 years ago or in your youth?

How have you experienced God as similar to this father? When have you been like the older brother, quietly resentful of God’s lavishness to (apparently) less deserving people? Why?

Closing Prayer

Catechism of the Catholic Church: §§ 545, 1439, 1468

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”? –St. Therese of Lisieux

24^th Sunday: Are you lost?

(Tissot: The Good Shepherd)

"I have found my lost sheep . . ."

Sunday readings: http://usccb.org/bible/readings/091513.cfm

Ex 32: 7-11, 13-14

I Tim 1: 12-17
Lk 15: 1-32

Have you ever been lost? Maybe as a child or driving in a car futilely looking for an address only to find that your ever reliable GPS has led you astray? Or maybe you lost the keys to your house or your car? “St. Anthony, help me find those keys!”

God forbid the horror parents would suffer should they lose one of their own children. Why do we often become so distraught when losing our cell phone, house/car keys, or become frustrated when we can’t find our way? Because we place so much value on the object we have lost or the important destination that we are desperately searching for or the precious value of that person in our lives. If we find the object of our search, we rejoice! In the case of loved ones, our lives are whole again and we may indeed feel reconciled to the one who wandered away. So, maybe the greatest find is that of coming home. After a long period of travel it’s always great to come home. Your own bed suddenly feels like a luxurious pillow top mattress.

This Sunday our scriptures clearly deal with the lost and found. Yet, it is more about the nature of a God who is merciful and forgiving; about a God who searches out the lost.

The lost coin, the wandering sheep, and the father who waits with patience and hope that his wayward son would return home all indicate to us the very nature of our God. Still, how can one coin be so valuable beyond the value of all the others that one would, “. . . light a lamp and sweep the house, searching carefully until she finds it . . .?” (Lk 15)

Or what’s the big deal about, “. . . losing one (sheep) . . .” when you still have ninety-nine more? What kind of shepherd would, “. . . leave the ninety-nine in the desert and go after the lost one until he finds it? . . .” In doing so he leaves the group unprotected as he wanders off to look for the lost one.

"Ok, whose missing??"

Or what kind of parent would tolerate the extreme bad and disrespectful behavior of an ungrateful son who insults his own father, then wanders off to squander the money his father gave to him? As the son comes to his senses, how many fathers would be sitting day and night focused on the hopeful return of their son. When he does return, they “. . . ran to his son, embraced him and kissed him . . .” Then they throw a party on his return! Through God’s eyes we see far more.

In our first reading from Exodus we hear of a “stiff-necked” (stubborn) people. God is furious with the Hebrews who seem to have forgotten who their true God is for them. They have made a false idol, a molten calf and offered worship to this thing over the true living God who rescued them from the Egyptians. He wants to let his, “. . . wrath blaze up against them to consume them . . .” What an ungrateful lot!

However, Moses appeals to God to chill out for a moment and reminds God of his faithful servants of the past: Abraham, Isaac, and Israel who received God’s promise (covenant) of fidelity to his “stiff-necked” people. Why would God now destroy the object of his love and generosity? It is a very human view of God’s “wrath,” though God’s anger is not to be dismissed. Yet, it certainly makes the point that the nature of God is to show mercy and forgiveness because even the stiff-necked ones remain precious in God’s eyes.

So, it seems clear these images of sheep, coins, a wandering son, and a stubborn short-sighted people remind us that God desires all be gathered into his love and find their way home to him which illustrate the mystery of God’s infinite desire that all be saved by his grace.

How do you feel about a God who appears so blind to bad behavior or a God who whose seemingly risks the safety of others in order to go after the one that is lost? The God which Jesus teaches us cares about all with an infinite mercy and love that is beyond what we mortal humans can do.

Jesus reminds us, though, that despite God’s apparent tolerance of our irresponsible or stubborn behavior to control our own lives and dismiss him, we still have some mending to do. The merciful father in the parable loved his son completely and rejoiced at his return. But, the damage done cannot be ignored and taking an active part in reconciliation is essential.

When we have done harm to another or to ourselves or ignored the importance of our spiritual life, what must I do to reconcile? In practical terms, who must I seek forgiveness from? What sort of restitution must I offer? What spirit must I embrace to find forgiveness through the Sacrament of Reconciliation? What lesson should I learn about conversion?

God cares about the lost in particular and through his cross and resurrection, has sacrificed absolutely everything in order to have us reconciled with him and each other. Our Eucharist remembers this great act on the part of God and seeks our response of love and humility.

Look upon us, O God,
creator and ruler of all things,
and, that we may feel the working of your mercy,
grant that we may serve you with all our heart.

(Roman Missal: Collect for Sunday)

Insight Scoop

The Parable of the Perfect Father

A Scriptural Reflection on the Readings for Sunday, September 15, 2013 | Twenty-fourth Sunday in Ordinary Time | Carl E. Olson

Readings:
• Ex 32:7-11, 13-14
• Ps 51:3-4, 12-13, 17, 19
• 1 Tim 1:12-17
• Lk 15:1-32

The parable of the prodigal son is well known, arguably the most famous of Jesus’ parables. Yet, as Scripture scholar Joachim Jeremias states in The Parables of Jesus (New York, 1963), it “might more correctly be called the parable of the Father’s Love…”, for it is a powerful and unforgettable depiction of God’s love and mercy.

While the two sons are decidedly human—sinful, self-centered, materialistic—the father exhibits a serene, pervasive holiness that reveals the heart of the heavenly Father. In Dives in misericordia, his encyclical on the mercy of God, Pope John Paul II noted that although the word “mercy” doesn’t appear in the famous parable, “it nevertheless expresses the essence of the divine mercy in a particularly clear way.” Read carefully, the parable offers a wealth of insight into our relationship with our heavenly Father; it offers a glimpse of the Father’s face. But it also is a mirror that confronts us with our own distorted priorities and self-centered attitudes.

For example, the younger son’s request for his share of the estate was not just an impulsive, youthful demand for autonomy, but a harsh renunciation of his father. In essence, his demand was a way of publicly declaring, “I wish you were dead!” The son, wrote St. Peter Chrysologus, “is weary of his father’s own life. Since he cannot shorten his father’s life, he works to get possession of his property.” In rejecting his father and the life-giving communion he once had with him, he lost the privilege of being a son and embarked upon a calamitous course.

As a father myself, I think it is safe to say that most ordinary fathers would have objected to the son’s request, even refused to consider it. Yet our heavenly Father does not object; he respects our freedom—his great gift to us—even when we use it to rebel against him. So the father divided up the property; in doing so, grace was destroyed and communion was severed. The familial bond was broken, and the son took his money into the “far country,” a reference to a place of utter emptiness and spiritual desolation.

“What is farther away,” asked St. Ambrose, “then to depart from oneself, and not from a place? … Surely whoever separates himself from Christ is an exile from his country, a citizen of the world” The physical distance was not as painful as the loss of familial love and embrace; the son’s inner life vanished as quickly as did his inheritance. He is soon faced with eating unclean swill while tending unclean animals, the swine.

How did the son come to his senses? An answer can be found in today’s epistle, in which St. Paul confesses his sins of blasphemy, persecution, and arrogance, and explains he has “been mercifully treated because I acted out of ignorance in my unbelief.” By God’s grace he—a prodigal son—recognized his sinfulness. Confronted by Christ on the dusty road to Damascus, he experienced divine grace and mercy.

The prodigal son knew his father had every right to disown him, to consider him dead and gone. But he was willing to admit his sin and become a nameless hired hand. Yet, even as he tried to articulate a cry for mercy, he was wrapped in mercy—held, kissed, clothed, and restored to life. Having walked away in petulant selfishness, the son had embraced death; having been embraced by his patient and compassionate father, he was restored to life.

John Paul II explained that God is not just Creator, but “He is also Father: He is linked to man, whom He called to existence in the visible world, by a bond still more intimate than that of creation. It is love which not only creates the good but also grants participation in the very life of God: Father, Son and Holy Spirit. For he who loves desires to give himself.” The merciful Father waits for the dead, eager to clothe them with new life.

(This is "Opening the Word" column originally appeared in the September 12, 2010, edition of Our Sunday Visitor newspaper.)

Regnum Christi

Lost and Found

| SPIRITUAL LIFE | SPIRITUALITY

Twenty-Fourth Sunday in Ordinary Time

Luke 15: 1-10

The 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."

Introductory Prayer: Lord Jesus, I believe that you came into this world to redeem sinners. I hope in you, and in your power to transform my soul, by your grace, from sinfulness to holiness. Lord, I love you and offer you the longings of my heart to put you truly first in my life. I want to love you with all my mind, heart, soul and strength.

Petition: Lord, save me from my sinful habits and help me grow in virtue.

1. “This Man Welcomes Sinners and Eats with Them”: Jesus is willing to sit down and share a meal with me. In other words, my Lord and Redeemer overlooks my unworthiness in order to speak with me. This attracts my attention. I know my guilt yet I do not feel judged, and so I draw near and listen to him. In so many of my misguided actions, I have sought personal benefits which I do not deserve. I accept, even demand favors from those around me, while hypocritically not respecting their needs or the common good. Often there is no difference between my lifestyle and that of a “tax collector” or “sinner.” Still, Jesus is willing to lower himself and share a meal at my table, despite the criticism and rebuke he receives on my account. I can connect with him at his level, since he has lowered himself to mine, in order to lift me up.

2. “Rejoice with Me Because I Have Found My Lost Sheep”: For Christ, every soul has value. Every soul has been created through him, in God’s image and likeness. No sin, while this time of mercy lasts, can escape the reach of the Redeemer’s infinite love. Christ has shed his blood and passed through death in order to save those souls who have died in their sins, and he restores them to life. All that I have to do is hear his shepherd’s voice that calls out to me and finds me where I am. I need only to let myself be found, let him take me up in his arms, let him dispel my darkness and fear by the warmth of his love, and let him return me to the fold. “Justification consists in both victory over the death caused by sin and a new participation in grace” (CCC, 654). Every sin confessed, and every new virtue acquired, is a triumph of God’s grace in my soul.

3. “Rejoice with Me Because I Have Found the Coin That I Lost”: In Christ, there is communion. No Christian is left to stand alone. God’s grace in a soul radiates out to others. This is one of the most beautiful fruits wrought by Christ’s redemption: A soul is brought into union with his Mystical Body. Communion between the members of Christ’s Body produces joy, and I am meant to proclaim it. In the same way that others rejoice whenever the light of God’s grace shines in my soul through good works (Cf. Matthew 5:16), so too, I should lift praise to God whenever I discover his goodness in others. “Jesus himself called his disciples after his Resurrection: ‘Go and tell my brethren.’ We are brethren not by nature, but by the gift of grace, because that adoptive filiation gains us a real share in the life of the only Son, which was fully revealed in his Resurrection” (CCC, 654)

Conversation with Christ: Lord, you do not judge or discriminate against me, so long as I am willing to listen to your voice and respond to your promptings. Please continue to grant me your merciful grace, so that your call to holiness will triumph in the life of my soul. Let me rejoice with others.

Resolution: Today I will consciously choose to exercise a virtue that will help me break one of my sinful habits.

Scripture Speaks:Finding the Lost

by Gayle Somers on September 13, 2013 ·

The religious elites of Jesus’ day complained because He ate with sinners. He is still doing that in the Mass. Why?

Gospel (Read Lk 15:1-32)

St. Luke tells us “tax collectors and sinners were all drawing near to listen to Jesus.” In Jewish society, these people were outcasts. The tax collectors were hated for colluding with the oppressive Roman government. The “sinners” were people who had publicly broken the Law of Moses. Yet, they were drawn to Jesus. They wanted to hear what He had to say. Jesus’ willingness to “welcome sinners and eat with them” greatly provoked the Pharisees and scribes. Why would a rabbi, a trusted teacher in Israel, share table fellowship with people who had, in one way or another, repudiated their Jewish covenant with God? His critics judged Him harshly for this.

Jesus uses three parables to remind the religious elites of something they had forgotten about God. Yes, He cares about righteousness and justice. Yes, He calls His people to live in a way that reflects their relationship with Him. However, He is more than simply a just Judge. He is merciful.

The parables of the lost sheep and coin set the stage for the parable Jesus really wants to tell His critics. He points to a well-known experience in human life—when we lose something, search hard for it, and finally find it, we want to celebrate by sharing our joy with others: “Rejoice with me because I have found my lost sheep … the coin I lost.” Jesus says this kind of familiar joy on earth is also experienced among the angels in heaven “over one sinner who repents.” So, these parables make clear that God considers repentant sinners to be His lost treasures, for whom He has long searched; they are not His enemies.

Now, Jesus moves into a story that will help His critics identify themselves and recognize their own problem, not His. It is the beloved parable of the prodigal son. A father has two sons; the younger one demands his inheritance from his father and bolts. In this, he utterly rejects his Jewish covenant, the one in which he was circumcised and raised. He goes “off to a distant country where he squandered his inheritance on a life of dissipation.” He couldn’t have been more sinful than that! However, when the consequences of his bad choices kick in, they are so painful that they jolt him back to his “senses.” What are his “senses”? He remembers the just life his father had always lived. In other words, the light and winsomeness of a faithful covenant life penetrated his darkness. He resolved to return to his father, repent, and ask for mercy. He knew he deserved to lose his sonship; he counted on his father’s mercy to accept him simply as a hired worker.

Upon his return, the joy of the father erupts and overflows onto his son, who cannot even finish his full confession. Forget the “hired worker” life! The father dresses him in fine clothing (discarding what surely must have been the soiled and tattered rags he was wearing), and throws a huge party: “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.” There was great merriment in that household over the repentant sinner except for the older brother, the one who had never repudiated life with his father. He was disgusted with the lavish party his father threw for his wastrel brother. He wouldn’t even go into the house.

The father comes out to explain: “My son, you are here with me always; everything I have is yours.” Did the Pharisees and scribes who criticized Jesus recognize themselves now in this story? They were the ones who had tried to keep the covenant. They had not lost their inheritance from God. However, their younger, foolish brothers (the tax collectors and sinners) had grieved their Father’s heart by their rebellion. When Jesus called them to repent and believe in the Gospel, they became like the younger son in the parable. The Father says, “We must celebrate and rejoice, because your brother was dead and has come to life again; he was lost and has been found.”

Is it any wonder that Jesus told the apostles to celebrate a meal as the centerpiece of their worship after He departed for heaven? He continues to welcome repentant sinners to His table; we are those who were dead and have come to life again. The Father rejoices over us.

Possible response: Heavenly Father, help me remember that when I turn away from my sin and turn to you, I give You great joy.

First Reading (Read Ex 32:7-11, 13-14)

Here we have a conversation between God and Moses after the Israelites, fresh from deliverance from Egypt, broke the covenant with God into which they were willingly sealed with blood (see Ex 24:3-8). God explodes in anger: “Let Me alone,” He says to Moses, “that My wrath may blaze up against them to consume them. Then I will make of you a great nation.”

Wait a minute. What happened to the merciful God Jesus taught about in His parables? This looks much more like the reaction to sinners that the Pharisees and scribes thought appropriate. After all, the people had freely entered the covenant at Mt. Sinai, and it clearly stipulated that death was the penalty for breaking it. It was time for justice. Let the fire and brimstone begin

“But Moses implored the Lord.” Moses urges God to have mercy on sinners. He gives excellent reasons for God to spare them. They are His “own people,” and God had sworn a promise to their forefathers that they would be His “perpetual heritage.” This intercession worked; “the Lord relented in the punishment He had threatened to inflict on His people.” What are we to make of this?

First, we must ask why Moses wanted God to spare this stiff-necked people who had made his own life miserable at times (see Ex 17:4). Where did Moses get this impulse for mercy? He was, himself, a murderer who had once fled justice for killing an Egyptian. He balked when God appeared to him at the burning bush: he did not want to deliver the Israelites. The only explanation for this dramatic change in him is what God told him when He first called him: “I will be with you” (see Ex 3:12). God’s Spirit was upon Moses; he was anointed to be the leader of God’s people. In the exchange between them in our reading, we can see that God takes the part of justice, and He allows Moses to take the part of mercy, standing in for sinners to preserve their lives. God punished the people, but their lives as His people were preserved.

God agrees to Moses’ request because he is a pre-figuring of Jesus, Who steps in to appease God’s justice on the Cross and gains for all sinners God’s ocean of mercy. This kind of redemptive mercy is a constant theme of the Old Testament, beginning in the Garden of Eden. The religious elites who criticized Jesus in our Gospel should have known this. When they complained that Jesus welcomed sinners and ate with them, He could have legitimately answered, “Well, why wouldn’t I?”

Possible response: Heavenly Father, thank You that You have always had a plan for justice and mercy to meet, to kiss—Jesus.

Psalm (Read Ps 51:3-4, 12-13, 17, 19)

This psalm is traditionally attributed to David, king of Israel, after his sins of adultery and murder. It is full of the contrition and repentance of a sinner: “Have mercy on me, O God, in Your goodness; in the greatness of Your compassion wipe out my offense.” Here again we see that in the history of God and His people, those anointed with the Holy Spirit, like Moses and David, know that God is merciful. When we make an offering to the Lord of a humble and contrite heart, we know He “will not spurn” us. We can always sing, “I will rise and go to my Father.”

Possible response: The psalm is, itself, a response to our other readings. Read it again prayerfully to make it your own.

Second Reading (Read 1 Tim 1:12-17)

St. Paul gives us a moving personal testimony about the mercy of God on sinners. He had been a “blasphemer and a persecutor and arrogant.” Yet God chose him to be an apostle, because he had “acted out of ignorance” in his unbelief. Recall that from the Cross, Jesus pleaded for God’s mercy for those who killed him, blaming their ignorance, not wickedness. How much of what we judge in sinners comes from ignorance, not wickedness? St. Paul goes on to assure us: “Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners. Of these I am the foremost.” He understood that his conversion was (and always will be) living proof of the patience and kindness of God.

Do we believe this for ourselves? Do we believe it for other sinners?

Possible response: Heavenly Father, help me have the same patience and kindness for sinners that You have shown me, a sinner in need of Your mercy.

This Sunday’s Gospel: Sons and Calves

by Marcellino D'Ambrosio, Ph.D. on September 13, 2013 ·

Everyone knows the bible stories of the Prodigal Son and the Golden Calf. But they don’t usually put the two together as this Sunday’s readings do. So what do the two tales have in common?

Answer: they both speak volumes about the nature of sin. Think about it. God sees an enslaved people in miserable bondage to the mightiest nation on earth. He champions their cause, smashes the armies of Pharaoh, brings them out of Egypt into freedom, and makes them his own chosen people. And while he is giving to their leader a blueprint for their new life, they decide to worship what their next-door neighbors, the Canaanites, worshiped: power, virility, fertility, prosperity. The golden bull symbolizes all those things, and for this very reason, was a leading idol in the Ancient Near East.

Now let’s look at the Prodigal Son. He’s born into a prosperous family and receives all good things from his father. But rather than waiting for his dad to die, he demands his inheritance now, thumbs his nose at his father, takes the money and runs. He wastes all that he has on partying and fast living, pursuing the very same idols as the Israelites in the desert

The food sated him. The wine exhilarated him. The carousing titillated him. But after it was all over, he found himself broke, empty, and alone.

This is the grand illusion of sin. It is dangled before our eyes as the key to fulfillment and happiness. It is all about enjoying the gifts of creation in defiance of the Creator, in a way contrary to his wise and loving design. And because those things were in fact created good by God, it seems to work at first. Sin initially tastes good. But ultimately, it always turns sour and leaves us with an empty, aching sadness. In contrast, God’s will may at first sting, but later brings a profound joy that makes our hearts sing.

So how do the stories of the golden calf and the Prodigal Son differ? It’s really the difference between the Old and New Testaments, between a preliminary, partial revelation of God and the full revelation of God in Christ. In Exodus, God Almighty reacts to sin with righteous anger, as he did in Genesis when he sweeps the world clean of sin through the flood. If not for Moses’ intercession, he likewise would have destroyed the bull-worshipers and started over.

In the gospel, God, the compassionate Father, looks past the sin to focus on the sinner. The older brother of the Prodigal wants punishment. The Father insists on mercy.

There is a very important point in the story that should not escape our attention. The motivation of the prodigal son is not sincere sorrow at how badly he has offended his father. It is not even that he misses his father. It comes back simply because he is hungry. He admits his sin and wants pardon, yes, but it is to save his skin.

Does the Father care? Does he insist that the son’s contrition be pure or perfect? Does he even pay attention to the son’s rehearsed speech? No. He is overjoyed that the son has begun the journey home, for whatever reason. He lavishes gifts upon him before he even gets to the house. The elder brother insists that he does not deserve such treatment. The Father does not contest this. The Prodigal deserves nothing. But the Father gives him everything.

God’s freely given, unmerited grace precedes even our expression of sorrow. In fact, without God’s grace, we can’t make the first step on the road back to him. He loves us when we were yet sinners, and seems to lavish the greatest graces on the most undeserving.

Ask St. Paul about this. Perhaps he writes more about grace than any other biblical author because he needed it so much more. Was it Benjamin Franklin who said that God helps those who help themselves? Paul, the foremost of sinners (1 Timothy 1:15), understood that it is quite the opposite: God helps those who can’t help themselves. That’s what grace is all about.

One Bread, One Body

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All Issues > Volume 29, Issue 5

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24th Sunday Ordinary Time

Exodus 32:7-11, 13-14
1 Timothy 1:12-17
View Readings

Psalm 51:3-4, 12-13, 17, 19
Luke 15:1-32
Similar Reflections

HAVE YOU QUIT FORGIVING,GIVING, AND LIVING?

"Let Me alone, then, that My wrath may blaze up against them to consume them." —Exodus 32:10

The Lord was about to end His relationship with His chosen people, but He forgave them instead. Jeremiah wanted to quit his prophetic ministry (Jer 20:9) after he did not forgive the Israelites (see Jer 18:23). If Jesus hadn't prayed on Calvary for His Father to forgive us (see Lk 23:34), He may have been severely tempted to come down from the cross and quit the plan of salvation (see Mt 27:42).

Unforgiveness usually results in our quitting something the Lord wants us to continue, while forgiveness keeps it going on. If a wife refuses to forgive her husband, she may quit her marriage or at least quit trying in her marriage. If parents quit forgiving their children, they might easily quit parenting them. At best, they will just go through the motions.

Unforgiveness is the main cause of divorce, abuse, dysfunction, and neglect. When we quit forgiving seventy times seven (see Mt 18:22), we quit giving, loving, and trying. Eventually, we quit life and eternal life. If we quit forgiving one person, we quit our relationship with the Lord, for we pray that He forgive us as we forgive others (Mt 6:12). We must forgive as the father of the prodigal son did, or we will be like his older unforgiving son (see Lk 15:20, 28). Forgive — or risk quitting life, love, and God.

Prayer: Father, I decide now to accept Your grace to forgive all those who have ever hurt me in any way.

Promise: "You can depend on this as worthy of full acceptance: that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners." —1 Tm 1:15

Praise: Praise Jesus, Whose Spirit empowers us to forgive! Thank You, Jesus, for forgiving my sins.

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