2019년 9월 15일 연중 제24주일
오늘의 복음 : http://info.catholic.or.kr/missa/default.asp
제1독서
탈출기.32,7-11.13-14
그 무렵 7 주님께서 모세에게 이르셨다. “어서 내려가거라. 네가 이집트 땅에서 데리고 올라온 너의 백성이 타락하였다.
8 저들은 내가 명령한 길에서 빨리도 벗어나, 자기들을 위하여 수송아지 상을 부어 만들어 놓고서는, 그것에 절하고 제사 지내며, ‘이스라엘아, 이분이 너를 이집트 땅에서 데리고 올라오신 너의 신이시다.’ 하고 말한다.”
9 주님께서 다시 모세에게 말씀하셨다. “내가 이 백성을 보니, 참으로 목이 뻣뻣한 백성이다. 10 이제 너는 나를 말리지 마라. 그들에게 내 진노를 터뜨려 그들을 삼켜 버리게 하겠다. 그리고 너를 큰 민족으로 만들어 주겠다.”
11 그러자 모세가 주 그의 하느님께 애원하였다. “주님, 어찌하여 당신께서는 큰 힘과 강한 손으로 이집트 땅에서 이끌어 내신 당신의 백성에게 진노를 터뜨리십니까?
13 당신 자신을 걸고, ‘너희 후손들을 하늘의 별처럼 많게 하고, 내가 약속한 이 땅을 모두 너희 후손들에게 주어, 상속 재산으로 길이 차지하게 하겠다.’ 하며 맹세하신 당신의 종 아브라함과 이사악과 이스라엘을 기억해 주십시오.”
14 그러자 주님께서는 당신 백성에게 내리겠다고 하신 재앙을 거두셨다.
제2독서
복음
루카. 15,1-32<또는 15,1-10>
짧은 독서를 할 때에는 < > 부분을 생략한다.
그때에 1 세리들과 죄인들이 모두 예수님의 말씀을 들으려고 가까이 모여들고 있었다. 2 그러자 바리사이들과 율법 학자들이, “저 사람은 죄인들을 받아들이고, 또 그들과 함께 음식을 먹는군.” 하고 투덜거렸다.
3 예수님께서 그들에게 이 비유를 말씀하셨다. 4 “너희 가운데 어떤 사람이 양 백 마리를 가지고 있었는데, 그 가운데에서 한 마리를 잃으면, 아흔아홉 마리를 광야에 놓아둔 채, 잃은 양을 찾을 때까지 뒤쫓아 가지 않느냐?
5 그러다가 양을 찾으면 기뻐하며 어깨에 메고 6 집으로 가서, 친구들과 이웃들을 불러, ‘나와 함께 기뻐해 주십시오. 잃었던 내 양을 찾았습니다.’ 하고 말한다.
7 내가 너희에게 말한다. 이와 같이 하늘에서는, 회개할 필요가 없는 의인 아흔아홉보다, 회개하는 죄인 한 사람 때문에 더 기뻐할 것이다.
8 또 어떤 부인이 은전 열 닢을 가지고 있었는데 한 닢을 잃으면, 등불을 켜고 집 안을 쓸며 그것을 찾을 때까지 샅샅이 뒤지지 않느냐?
9 그러다가 그것을 찾으면 친구들과 이웃들을 불러, ‘나와 함께 기뻐해 주십시오. 잃었던 은전을 찾았습니다.’ 하고 말한다.
10 내가 너희에게 말한다. 이와 같이 회개하는 죄인 한 사람 때문에 하느님의 천사들이 기뻐한다.”
<11 예수님께서 또 말씀하셨다. “어떤 사람에게 아들이 둘 있었다. 12 그런데 작은아들이, ‘아버지, 재산 가운데에서 저에게 돌아올 몫을 주십시오.’하고 아버지에게 말하였다. 그래서 아버지는 아들들에게 가산을 나누어 주었다.
13 며칠 뒤에 작은아들은 자기 것을 모두 챙겨서 먼 고장으로 떠났다. 그러고는 그곳에서 방종한 생활을 하며 자기 재산을 허비하였다.
14 모든 것을 탕진하였을 즈음, 그 고장에 심한 기근이 들어, 그가 곤궁에 허덕이기 시작하였다.
15 그래서 그 고장 주민을 찾아가서 매달렸다. 그 주민은 그를 자기 소유의 들로 보내어 돼지를 치게 하였다. 16 그는 돼지들이 먹는 열매 꼬투리로라도 배를 채우기를 간절히 바랐지만, 아무도 주지 않았다.
17 그제야 제정신이 든 그는 이렇게 말하였다. ‘내 아버지의 그 많은 품팔이꾼들은 먹을 것이 남아도는데, 나는 여기에서 굶어 죽는구나. 18 일어나, 아버지께 가서 이렇게 말씀드려야지. ′아버지, 제가 하늘과 아버지께 죄를 지었습니다. 19 저는 아버지의 아들이라고 불릴 자격이 없습니다. 저를 아버지의 품팔이꾼 가운데 하나로 삼아 주십시오.′’
20 그리하여 그는 일어나 아버지에게로 갔다. 그가 아직도 멀리 떨어져 있을 때에, 아버지가 그를 보고 가엾은 마음이 들었다. 그리고 달려가 아들의 목을 껴안고 입을 맞추었다.
21 아들이 아버지에게 말하였다. ‘아버지, 제가 하늘과 아버지께 죄를 지었습니다. 저는 아버지의 아들이라고 불릴 자격이 없습니다.’
22 그러나 아버지는 종들에게 일렀다. ‘어서 가장 좋은 옷을 가져다 입히고, 손에 반지를 끼우고, 발에 신발을 신겨 주어라. 23 그리고 살진 송아지를 끌어다가 잡아라. 먹고 즐기자. 24 나의 이 아들은 죽었다가 다시 살아났고, 내가 잃었다가 도로 찾았다.’ 그리하여 그들은 즐거운 잔치를 벌이기 시작하였다.
25 그때에 큰아들은 들에 나가 있었다. 그가 집에 가까이 이르러, 노래하며 춤추는 소리를 들었다. 26 그래서 하인 하나를 불러 무슨 일이냐고 묻자, 27 하인이 그에게 말하였다.
‘아우님이 오셨습니다. 아우님이 몸성히 돌아오셨다고 하여, 아버님이 살진 송아지를 잡으셨습니다.’ 28 큰아들은 화가 나서 들어가려고도 하지 않았다.
그 래서 아버지가 나와 그를 타이르자, 29 그가 아버지에게 대답하였다. ‘보십시오, 저는 여러 해 동안 종처럼 아버지를 섬기며, 아버지의 명을 한 번도 어기지 않았습니다. 이러한 저에게 아버지는 친구들과 즐기라고 염소 한 마리 주신 적이 없습니다. 30 그런데 창녀들과 어울려 아버지의 가산을 들어먹은 저 아들이 오니까, 살진 송아지를 잡아 주시는군요.’
31 그러자 아버지가 그에게 일렀다. ‘얘야, 너는 늘 나와 함께 있고, 내 것이 다 네 것이다. 32 너의 저 아우는 죽었다가 다시 살아났고, 내가 잃었다가 되찾았다. 그러니 즐기고 기뻐해야 한다.’”>
September 15, 2019
Twenty-fourth Sunday in Ordinary Time
Daily Mass : http://www.catholictv.com/shows/daily-mass
Reading 1
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
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
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
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
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."
http://evangeli.net/gospel/tomorrow
«There will be (...) rejoicing in heaven over one repentant sinner»
Fr. Alfonso RIOBÓ Serván
(Madrid, Spain)
Today, we are to consider one of the most celebrated parables of the Gospel: the parable of the prodigal son, who, while realizing the gravity of his offense to his father, goes back to him and is received with immense joy.
To see the circumstances driving Jesus Christ to disclose this parable, we can move up to the beginning of this Gospel. According to the Scripture, «Tax collectors and sinners were seeking the company of Jesus, all of them eager to hear what He had to say» (Lk 15:1), and this made Pharisees and scribes frown and mutter: «This man welcomes sinners and eats with them» (Lk 15:2). They thought the Lord was not to share his time and his friendship with persons of such dubious lives. They could not care less about those who, far from God, needed to be converted.
But, while this parable proves that nobody is meant to be lost for God, and encourages sinners by fostering their self-assurance and by showing them his goodness, it also includes a very important lesson for those who, apparently, do not feel the need of a spiritual rebirth: so, let us not decide that someone is “wicked” or do away with anyone; rather, let us always behave generously as a father accepting his lost son. The elder son's distrust, pointed out at the end of the parable, coincides with the initial malicious gossip of the Pharisees.
In this parable, not only is invited he who most certainly needs conversion, but also who thinks he does not need it. Its beneficiaries are not only publicans and sinners, but also the Pharisees and scribes; not only those who decidedly live by turning their back to God, but, maybe, all of us, who, having been blessed by him, in spite of everything, conform ourselves to what little we give him in exchange, and skimp our generosity either with him or with our fellow men. At the Vatican Council II we are told that by presenting us to the mystery of God's love, we have been called to establish a personal relationship with him, to set out on a spiritual path that will change us from the old man we are into the new perfect man after Christ.
The conversion we may need could perhaps be less noisy, but more radical and deep, and more constant and preserved: God is asking us to convert ourselves to love.
http://onlineministries.creighton.edu/CollaborativeMinistry/daily.html
The Prodigal Son may be one of the most well known Gospel stories, not only among Christians, but the world in general. I can attest that this has had a haunting impact on me since the days of my early youth. I can give no apparent explanation why this was true most of my life. I often thought of the characters in the Gospel beginning with my grade school days into my adult years and continually tried to decipher their place in the story.
Like many young adults, I began my own Prodigal journey that lasted for ten years. This errant journey ended only after a car crash that could have easily taken my life. The character of the wayward son was now looking me in the eyes. This was the starting point of a new life of one who “was lost and had been found.” After actions I took on my part, I was becoming fully engaged in a growing relationship with God.
As I progressed through my spiritual walk, there were two characters left that were a cause of reflection. They are, of course, the brother and father in the story. During a Lenten Season book study, the leader picked out The Prodigal Son by Henry Nouwen to read. This was one of those books that as I was reading convicted my heart in many ways. I saw myself too often as the jealous brother in my walk through life. The book also led me to, what for me, was the main lesson from the parable. A father’s love is always there waiting to welcome his children back to the fold. More importantly is that, as a person I need to be a more loving and forgiving person not only with my children but others around me. I needed to adopt this manner of living more in all areas of my life. Is it easy to do? Certainly not, but when someone who shows the slightest move forward to me to improve relations I should “become filled with compassion and run to meet them.” Like all things with the Lord, I need only rely on Him for the grace to have a change of heart.
"I know now that true charity consists in bearing all of our neighbors’ defects—not being surprised at their weakness, but edified at their smallest virtues." — St. Therese of Lisieux
http://www.presentationministries.com/obob/obob.asp
THE CANCER HARDEST TO GET | ||
| "While he was still a long way off, his father caught sight of him and was deeply moved. He ran out to meet him, threw his arms around his neck, and kissed him." �Luke 15:20 | ||
Unforgiveness is like cancer. If we don't "get it all," it will eventually kill us. Therefore, we should focus on the person we are least willing to forgive. Sometimes the "worst offenders" are our worst problem (see 1 Tm 1:15). We need to be willing to accept God's grace to forgive the cruelest murderers, rapists, and terrorists. only by the grace of Jesus can we forgive anyone, in particular these worst offenders. Sometimes the "repeat offenders" present the most formidable challenge. Yet Jesus commands us to forgive seventy times seven times (Mt 18:22). His grace is sufficient (2 Cor 12:9). For many people, the closest offenders are the worst. Spouses, children, parents, or people we see every day have the greatest potential to hurt us. How humanly impossible it is to forgive prodigal children and prodigal brothers! (see Lk 15:28) Which person are you least willing to forgive? Right now, turn to Jesus and say: only by Your grace, Jesus, I decide to forgive the person I am least willing to forgive." The cancer of unforgiveness is totally gone. You can live with Jesus forever. | ||
| Prayer: Father, thank You for the miracle of forgiveness. Make me a minister of reconciliation (2 Cor 5:18). | ||
| Promise: "So the Lord relented in the punishment He had threatened to inflict on His people." —Ex 32:14 | ||
| Praise: Praise You, Jesus. You have revealed the Father's unconditional love for us all. We lift our hearts in love to You forever. |
http://dailyscripture.servantsoftheword.org/readings/
"Your brother was lost and is found"
If you lost something of great value and importance to you wouldn't your search for it until you found it? The joy of finding a lost loved one, a precious member of your fold, and your hard earned savings to feed your hungry family are vivid illustrations which Jesus uses to describe what God's kingdom is like. God the Father does not rejoice in the loss of anyone. He earnestly searches for the lost until they are restored and joyfully united with the whole community of heaven. Jesus told these three parables right after the scribes and Pharisees, the religious elite among the Jews, expressed disapproval with Jesus' close contact with people of bad reputation.
Sinners were drawing near to hear Jesus
Luke in his Gospel account tells us that "tax collectors and sinners were all drawing near to hear Jesus speak" (Luke 15:1). Wealthy tax collectors were despised by the Jews because they often forced the people to pay much more than was due. And sinners, like prostitutes and adulterers, were a scandal to public decency. The scribes and Pharisees took great offense at Jesus because he went out of his way to meet with tax collectors and public sinners and he treated them like they were his friends. The Pharisees had strict regulations to avoid all contact with them, lest they incur ritual defilement. They were not to entrust money to sinners of bad repute, or have any business dealings with them, or trust them with a secret, or entrust orphans to their care, nor accompany them on a journey, nor give their daughter in marriage to any of their sons, nor invite them as guests or be their guests. They were quite shocked to see Jesus speaking with sinners and even going to their homes to eat with them.
Finding and restoring what has been lost
Why were many tax collectors and sinners drawn to Jesus? Jesus offered them forgiveness, mercy, and healing and the promise of full restoration with God the Father and the whole community of heaven - God's kingdom of righteousness, peace, and joy. When the Pharisees began to question Jesus' motive and practice of associating with sinners of ill-repute, Jesus responds by giving them a three-fold lesson in the parables of the lost sheep, the lost coin, and the lost son (Luke 15:4-32).
What is the point of Jesus' story about a lost sheep and a lost coin? In Jesus' time shepherds normally counted their sheep at the end of the day to make sure all were accounted for. Since sheep by their very nature are very social, an isolated sheep can quickly become bewildered and even neurotic, and become easy prey for wolves and lions. The shepherd's grief and anxiety is turned to joy when he finds the lost sheep and restores it to the fold.
The housewife who lost a coin faced something of an economic disaster, since the value of the coin would be equivalent to her husband's daily wage. What would she say to her husband when he returned home from work? They were poor and would suffer greatly because of the loss. Her grief and anxiety turn to joy when she finds the coin that she had misplaced.
Restoring the lost to the community of faith
Both the shepherd and the housewife "search until what they have lost is found." Their perseverance pays off. They both instinctively share their joy with the whole community. The poor are particularly good at sharing in one anothers' sorrows and joys. What was new in Jesus' teaching was the insistence that lost sinners must be sought out and not merely mourned for their separation from God and the community of the just. God does not rejoice in the loss of anyone, but desires that all be saved and restored to fellowship with him. That is why the whole community of heaven rejoices when one sinner is found and restored to fellowship with God. Seekers of the lost are much needed today. Do you persistently pray and seek after those you know who have lost their way to God?
A broken family and grieving father
Jesus told another parable about a Father who loses his son. This parable is a story in three parts. The first part of the story focuses on the restless behavior of the younger son who wants to leave home to get away from his father. He offends his father by demanding that his share of the father's inheritance be handed over to him right away, rather than waiting for the time appointed for passing on the inheritance after the the father has either passed away or has retired from the management of the family estate.
The second part of the story focuses on the extravagant and magnanimous character of the father who loves his younger son very dearly and generously gives his undeserving son whatever he asks for. He yields to his son's ill-timed request for his share of the family's wealth. The father must have grieved over his son's decision to leave him and go off to spend his share of the inheritance while he is still young and ill-prepared to manage such a large sum of money without acting foolishly and getting into serious trouble. Instead of resenting his younger son's disrespectful behavior and rejection, he maintains unbroken love for his son while he longs and searches for any sign of his return.
The third part of the story focuses on the older son who resents his younger brother for running off with his portion of the inheritance and he also resents his father's outrageous generosity and mercy towards the younger son.
The lost son "came to his senses"
Why did the younger son decide to return to his father's home? Jesus said "he came to his senses" when disaster followed his reversal of fortune and loose living (Luke 15:17). He had lost all of his inheritance on wasted spending, and was barely surviving on what would have been a most shameful job for Jews - feeding swine which Jewish law regarded as unclean and unfit for eating. And to make matters worse, the younger son was now on the point of starving to death since famine had struck the land. He was desperate to stay alive and avoid a painful slow death. His only hope was that his father might take pity on him and let him return home, no longer as a worthy son, but as a hired servant instead.
The foolish son who had shamefully disinherited his father, knew he no longer deserved to be treated like a son. But he also knew that his father was merciful and kind. The son who was now a poor beggar wanted to return home to beg his father's forgiveness. Before the son could reach home, the father who had been searching daily for him, ran to meet him as soon as he recognized his presence on the road leading to his home. And then the father does the unthinkable - he treats his rebellious son, not with cold reserve, hot anger, or just condemnation, but with warm tender affection and tears of joy - and then restores him beyond his wildest dreams.
The father's extravagant love and mercy
What is the main point or focus of the parable of the lost (prodigal) son? Is it the contrast between an obedient and a disobedient son? Or is it a contrast between the warm reception given by a generous and forgiving father or the cold and aloof reception given by the eldest son who wanted to have nothing to do with his rebellious brother? Jesus contrasts the father's merciful love with the eldest son's harsh rejection of his errant brother and his refusal to join his father in welcoming his brother back home.
While the errant son had wasted his father's money, his father, nonetheless, maintained unbroken love for his son. The son, while he was away, learned a lot about himself. And he realized that his father had given him love which he had not returned. He had yet to learn about the depth of his father's love for him. His deep humiliation at finding himself obliged to feed on the husks of pigs and his reflection on all he had lost, led to his repentance and decision to declare himself guilty before his father. While he hoped for reconciliation with his father, he could not have imagined a full restoration of relationship. The father did not need to speak words of forgiveness to his son - his actions spoke more loudly and clearly! The beautiful robe, the ring, and the festive banquet symbolize the new life - pure, worthy, and joyful - of each and every person who returns to the merciful embrace of the waiting Father in heaven.
The prodigal could not return to the garden of innocence, but he was welcomed and reinstated as a beloved son. The errant son's dramatic change from grief and guilt to forgiveness and restoration express in picture-language the resurrection from the dead and a rebirth to new abundant life with God the Father through his beloved Son, the Lord Jesus Christ.
Contempt and pride lead to division - mercy and forgiveness restores and unites
The parable of the prodigal son also contrasts mercy and forgiveness with their opposites - an unwillingness to forgive and to be reconciled. The father who had been wronged, was forgiving and merciful towards the younger son who recognized his need for forgiveness. But the eldest son, who had not been wronged, was unforgiving and refused to be reconciled with his brother. His refusal to forgive turns into contempt and pride. And his resentment leads to his isolation and estrangement from the community of forgiven sinners.
In this parable Jesus gives us a vivid picture of God the Father and what his character and attitude towards us is like. God is truly generous, kind, and forgiving towards us. He does not lose hope or give up when we stray from him and his commandments. He searches our hearts to show us where true love and mercy can be found and he lead us back to the way of everlasting joy and happiness (Psalm 139:1, 23-24). God the Father always rejoices in searching out those who have strayed and he welcomes them home with open arms. Do you know the joy of your heavenly Father who welcomes you home to his kingdom of everlasting righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit?
"Lord Jesus, may your light dispel the darkness of sin, deception, and ignorance, so that all who are lost or confused may find their way to the Father's home and be united with him in a bond of peace and friendship. Transform my heart with your merciful love that I may point many others to the good news of pardon, peace, and new life which you offer to all who trust in you, the Good Shepherd and Savior of the world."
Psalm 51:1-2,10-11,15,17
1 Have mercy on me, O God, according to your steadfast love; according to your abundant mercy blot out my transgressions.
2 Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin!
10 Create in me a clean heart, O God, and put a new and right spirit within me.
11 Cast me not away from your presence, and take not your holy Spirit from me.
15 O Lord, open my lips, and my mouth shall show forth your praise.
17 The sacrifice acceptable to God is a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise.
Daily Quote from the early church fathers: The Father redeems his son with a kiss, by Peter Chrysologus (400-450 AD)
"'He fell on his neck and kissed him.' This is how the father judges and corrects his wayward son and gives him not beatings but kisses. The power of love overlooked the transgressions. The father redeemed the sins of his son by his kiss, and covered them by his embrace, in order not to expose the crimes or humiliate the son. The father so healed the son's wounds as not to leave a scar or blemish upon him. 'Blessed are they,' says Scripture 'whose iniquities are forgiven, and whose sins are covered' (Romans 4:7)." (excerpt from SERMON 3)
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24 Ordinary Time
24th Sunday in Ordinary Time - Cycle C
Luke 15:1-32 or 15:1-10
If God had a refrigerator, your magnet picture would be on it. If He had a wallet, your photo would be in it. Whenever you want to talk, He'll listen. Face it, friend, He's crazy about you." So wrote Max Lucado.
Do you recall the last recorded conversation Jesus had with anyone? Check Luke 23,43. Jesus was on His cross. one of the criminals with Him asked Him to remember him. Christ in His torment whispered, "Today you will be with me in paradise."
William Barclay has noted that the fifteenth chapter of Luke has been correctly called "the gospel in the gospel." It is, writes Barclay, "as if it contained the very distilled essence of the good news which Jesus came to tell." Clearly it proves to everyone's satisfaction the poet's assertion that "the love of God is broader than the measure of man's mind and the heart of the Eternal is most wonderfully kind."
one can understand why someone has called today's Gospel "the Parable of the Crazy Shepherd or the Crazy God."
We usually speak of the Teacher as a carpenter. However, today's parable indicates another dimension to Him. He appears to have taken His turn as a shepherd. He walked the hills around Nazareth either with His family's sheep or the flock owned in common by the village. He understood a shepherd's job definition.
Surely critics argued that day with the Teacher. only a crazy shepherd would leave a large flock and go in search of a stray sheep. Where would he find the energy after such a long day? How would he be able to work the next day? And how would he find a sheep in the night? What if a wolf or mountain lion should come upon the main body of sheep destroying some and dispersing all the others? How would the shepherd explain this situation to his employer? Quickly would he join the ranks of unemployed shepherds and begin looking for a second career."
I am certain that Jesus replied just as quickly, "I fully agree with you. All your objections are valid and genuine, my dear friends. No sensible shepherd would take such a walk looking for one foolish sheep. I suspect there is not one among you who would do so. However, God will do so with eagerness and without a microsecond's thought. And, having found it, He will host a large victory party for all and sundry. There will be wine, music, and much laughter. God's love for each of you, even the most sinful of your company, is vast and unqualified. Should you thereby be moved to call Him a crazy God, you will not upset Him. If anything, He will be amused."
Please do note the word "joy" in this Gospel. The Master uses it to describe God's reaction to a sinner's return to Him. Can it be that the Father, Son and Holy Spirit clasp hands and rapturously dance about in the heavens with the angels when we repent? This may strike some of us as bad form. But that really is our problem and not God's. Perhaps we should lighten up and get a fresh outlook on Christianity.
Marc Chagall paints a multi-colored heaven where there is much exuberance and happiness. His God smiles. It seems like a fun place to be. Our dour picture of the kingdom may explain our reluctance to delay our going there as long as possible. "How does it feel being 85?" "Fine," replied George Burns, "when you consider the alternative!"
Sidney Carter in his "Lord of the Dance" offers us a picture of God that we might want to reflect on. "I danced in the morning when the world was begun. I danced on the moon, the stars, and the sun. I came down from heaven and danced on earth...`Dance,' said He...`I lead you wherever you may be. I lead you all in the dance,' said He." Perhaps we should invest in patent leather dancing pumps, black tie, and tux, and have them buried with us.
Also shouldn't this Gospel cause us to think one more time about the lost sheep in our own circle? If God does not give up on the worst of us, if He would work even up to His crucifixion, why do we give up on them?
Frjoeshomilies.net
24 Ordinary Time
Twenty-fourth Sunday in Ordinary Time:
Lost Sheep, Lost Coin, Lost Son, Found People
Today's readings present a shepherd rejoicing over finding a lost sheep, a housewife rejoicing over finding a lost coin, and a father rejoicing over the return of his lost son. The three parables are in answer to the Pharisees and Scribes complaints about Jesus, saying that he can't be the Messiah because he welcomes sinners and eats with them. Eating with someone, for the ancients and for us, is a way of expressing friendship and love. Jesus does not argue that he is eating with sinners, his argument is that he has called them to God and they have come. He is friends with them. He loves them. He is full of joy that they have come home to God.
Jesus is telling us that we should be happy that others have been forgiven. He is also telling us that we should join in the joy of the Lord because we have been forgiven.
First of all, unlike the Pharisees and scribes who saw themselves as holy and who considered everyday people as the hoard of sinners, the vast majority of us are well aware of our failures. Sometimes we think about something that we have done and feel devastated. These thoughts besiege us: How could God forgive me? Maybe I don't even belong here, with people whose commitment to the Lord has been far more solid than mine. Perhaps at times we have an experience of God's love in our lives and then suffer from our past even more.
This is all really the normal reaction of our commitment to the Lord. The closer we come to Him, the more we are aware of the impact of the times that we did not choose Him. Maybe the problem is that we are focusing on ourselves rather than on God. According to the three parables, the Lord is delighted that we are once more in His Company. Like the Forgiving Father, His focus is not on the past. He doesn't carry a grudge. His focus is on our present and our presence with him. Our return to Him is a cause of his joy.
It takes a tremendous amount of humility to recognize that God has forgiven us. We are OK with Him. This is his doing. His Grace. We cannot cause God's grace to happen in our lives. We cannot cause God's forgiveness to take place. But it does happen. It does take place. God is bigger than us, infinitely bigger. God is greater than us, infinitely greater. So what is it that we have done that we think is so bad that God would not invite us to eat with Him? Can anything we have done be beyond God's compassion and mercy?
There is nothing We cannot because there is nothing He does not forgive. His only reaction is pure joy. But if we stay mired in the past, we will have no present and no future. The Lord is calling us into our joy and calling us to move beyond whatever is holding us back. He forgives us. We need to forgive ourselves.
The Scribes and Pharisees did not seem at all pleased that Jesus had forgiven known sinners. We really have to be careful that we don't behave the same way. Perhaps we come to Mass at times and see someone that we know has done some really bad stuff. What is our reaction?
According to the Gospel for today, our reaction should be: I am happy he or she is here, choosing Christ. Another's past is not my concern. I need to be happy for him or her. I am here to eat with him or her. I have had people say to me, "Father, that person you were joking with has really done some horrible things." Oh, so I should avoid him or her and only spend time with the very best of people? That does not sound like the instruction the Gospel for today is presenting. Maybe no one here would go to that extreme, but perhaps there are times that the thought comes flashing across our minds: "What is that lowlife doing here?" That is a terrible. That person is here for the same reasons that we are here: compassion, forgiveness, and love. The Lord feels bad for what we have done to ourselves. And He feels bad for what that person did to himself or herself. The Lord forgives us. The Lord forgives Him or her. The Lord wants us to live in His Love. The Lord wants that person to live in His love.
In the second reading, from Paul's First Letter to Timothy, Paul mentions an early Christian saying, "Christ came into the world to save sinners. Of these I am the foremost. But for that very reason I was mercifully treated, so that in me Christ might display all His Patience as an example for those who would come to believe in Him." Jesus came into the world to forgive sinners. And I am one of them. And, with the exception of the angels among us, so are you.
Stmaryvalleybloom.org
* Available in Spanish - see Spanish Homilies
24 Ordinary Time
Three Parables of Redemption
(September 15, 2019)
Bottom line: once found we respond with celebration and worship.
Today Jesus gives three parables of redemption: the lost sheep, the lost coin and the lost son. Each shows a different aspect of salvation.
Let's begin with the lost coin. A coin, once lost, has no power to return on its own. The woman must search until she finds it. This parable shows God's sovereignty. If He does not seek us, we remain lost forever. We cannot save ourselves. We depend on God's initiative.
Our very worth depends on God. In Peru I once mixed a U.S. quarter with my Peruvian coins. Attempting to buy some bananas, I pulled out the quarter. The boy looked at it and said, "This isn't money". The coin had no value on its own. Just so, you and I have the value gives us. He formed us in our mother's womb with a purpose - a value, a purpose no other person can fulfill. only you. You have such worth in God's eyes that even though you seem small God rejoices over you.
Something similar happens with the lost sheep. A sheep, unlike a coin, has some agency. If it gets lost it can bleat. Bishop Robert Barron tells about spending a night in a rural area (I believe, the Holy Land). Somewhere in the distance he could hear a sheep bleating. Apparently separated the flock, all night it cried out its distress.
The lost sheep represents so many in our society. They have become separated, alienated. They show their distress in various ways, maybe with drugs or outbursts of anger. Feeling themselves trapped, they need a shepherd.
In our parish we have this mission: Lift up Jesus. Love one another. Make disciples. We are striving to form disciple makers, shepherds. Jesus said the harvest is great but laborers are few. Pray to the Lord of the Harvest to send out workers to gather the harvest. Aren't there lost sheep in our families? You may not be the one to reach them. Pray that God will send the right shepherd to bring them back.
From the lost sheep we go to the lost son. He shows the fullest dimensions of salvation. While in some ways we are like a lost coin or sheep, we most resemble the young man who has turned from his father. He takes his inheritance and dissipates it, thus falling into misery.
Today we live in the best of times and the worst of times. Never have people enjoyed such abundance and opportunities, especially in our country. At the same time never have people been so isolated, so alienated, so lonely, so full of anxiety.
You and I have a choice. Like the older son we can play the victim, blame the other person, fill ourselves with resentment and self-justification. Or like the younger son we can accept responsibility. As my dad used to say, "you have no one to blame but yourself." or as the younger son admits, "Father I have sinned against heaven and against you."
Confession doesn't have to be elaborate - either at the beginning of Mass or in the sacrament of Reconciliation. Heck, in the parable the father actually cuts his son short and orders a celebration.
So we have three parables of redemption: the lost coin, the lost sheep and the lost son. I will now sum up their main points:
--The lost coin shows God's sovereignty, that our worth comes from him.
--The lost sheep our often limited agency, our need for a shepherd.
--The lost son depicts alienation from God and others. We have choice - resentment or responsibility? Accepting responsibility involves confession.
The bottom line is that once found we respond with celebration and worship. Worship come from worth + ship. It means to acknowledge worth which we do in the greatest way by celebrating the Eucharist, Mass. After all, "we must celebrate and rejoice because you brother was dead and has come to life again; he was lost and has been found."
Alexmcallister.co.uk
24 Ordinary Time
Twenty-fourth Sunday in Ordinary Time
We are surely all extremely familiar with the story of the Prodigal Son. It is unique to the Gospel of Luke and is a wonderful lesson in forgiveness. It has been the Gospel chosen for countless services of reconciliation and maybe some of us are so familiar with it that we have forgotten just what a wonderful story it is.
one thing to observe is how male a story it is. There is no mention of the boy's mother or of any other women except for the loose women that the Prodigal Son is accused of consorting with.
When Rembrandt came to painting his famous picture of the Prodigal Son he shows the son on his knees before his father and we see the father with his hands on his son's shoulders. However, if you look carefully at the hands Rembrandt has painted you will see that one is the hand of a woman, the other of a man.
This shows us that Rembrandt understood very well that this story was just as much about women as about men. He understood that forgiveness was just as much an attribute of mothers as of fathers.
For over ten years I was chaplain of a women's prison and I can assure you that there are just as many prodigal daughters as prodigal sons. The gender doesn't matter, the story is about people. It is about those people who go off seeking their own self-indulgence but it is just as much about the people who long for them to return and who are ready to forgive them.
I say it is about people waiting to forgive but remember that it is a parable. And as a parable it is principally about God who is there with his outstretched hands waiting to forgive us and to welcome us back.
There are some other interesting points. one is that the Prodigal Son ends up caring for pigs and even longing to eat their food. This would have horrified the Jewish listeners to the story. You could not think of a better way of demonstrating how far this young man had fallen than to say that he ended up looking after pigs, which were according to them the most unclean animal of all.
The role of the father is very important since he represents God himself. It says in the text that, 'When he was a long way off, his father saw him and was moved with pity.' one can only imagine that his father was not at this vantage point by accident, he was probably out there most days looking to see if his son was returning. This underlines the yearning that the father has for the return of his son. And it also underlines the yearning God has for us to return to him despite our sinning against his laws.
It is worth noting that, although the father waited and watched longingly for the return of his son, he does not go looking for him. No, the father lets his son come home under his own steam and as a result of his own volition. He doesn't go searching for him.
This implies a lot of trust on the father's part; trust that the son would be able to keep himself safe and trust that he would eventually see the error of his ways and decide to return home. By giving him this freedom, the father ensures that the son returns to him for the right reasons and through his own individual choice.
God deals with us in exactly the same way. He gives us the gift of free will and he does not constantly chase after us. He leaves us free to come to our senses in our own time and in our own way.
The other important character in the story is, of course, the elder son. When he comes home from the fields to find everyone rejoicing at the return of the Prodigal he is indignant. He thinks that it is his loyalty and his work on the farm that should be rewarded rather than the fecklessness of his younger brother.
This older brother thinks in terms of performance and reward. He believes that good behaviour should be rewarded and bad behaviour should be punished. But this is not the way his father thinks and, more importantly for us, this is not the way God thinks.
As we have often seen God is more interested in attitude rather than our behaviour. one, of course, precedes the other. Our attitude leads to our behaviour. The attitude we adopt ends up with us performing specific actions whether they be good or bad.
What we need to do in life is to constantly check our attitude. The trick is to look inwards not outwards. The constant temptation is to look at what other people do and to overlook our own actions. The only remedy for this is to get into the habit of checking on our own attitudes, our own particular outlook on life. If we can get that right then everything else will fall into place.
Here in this wonderful parable we easily see that the Prodigal Son's attitude has completely changed. Adversity has brought him to his senses and he has moved away from the attitudes of anger and frustration and selfishness towards those of repentance and humility and love.
on the other hand, the elder brother seems stuck with his attitudes of annoyance and jealousy. He does not notice the changes which have taken place in the heart of his younger brother; he does not recognise that he has transformed; he does not see that his brother has come to his senses and now seeks forgiveness.
This is one of the problems when we are hard of heart; we find it difficult to allow other people to change. We are stuck in our own opinions and, because we refuse to change, we cannot allow anyone else to change.
The father's reaction to the elder brother is interesting and equally loving. He says to him, 'You are always with me and all I have is yours.' What great tenderness he shows him and at the same time how touching it is that he overlooks his elder son's anger towards his younger brother. We don't get the elder brother's response but we hope that he realises that his father loves him deeply and that he is then reconciled with his brother.
Both sons receive forgiveness. Both sons experience the father's love. Both are headed towards reconciliation. There is a lot to learn from each character in this story. From the father we learn to forgive, from the son we learn to repent, from the elder brother we learn to soften our hearts.
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September 11, 2016 Twenty-fourth Sunday in Ordinary Time
