Exodus 32: 7-11, 13-14; 1 Timothy 1: 12-17; Luke 15: 1-32
In today’s Gospel we are presented with an overwhelming picture of God. He is a God who is all-loving and all-forgiving. The Gospel along with the stories of lost sheep and lost coin gives us the family story of the Prodigal Son, generally understood as the greatest short story in the world. The context of today’s parable is very important. The Scribes and Pharisees, considered themselves as followers of the law and self-righteous, grumble that Jesus is the friend of sinners and eats with them. So Jesus tells the story about a father who is generous and forgiving. The central focus of the Parable, however, remains on the Father from the beginning to the end. The liturgy reminds us in so many ways that reconciliation and repentance are a communal responsibility and a personal one. What unites the story and makes it powerful is the abundance of love the father shows towards both his sons.
In the First Reading from the Book of Exodus, we hear Moses on Mount Sinai talking to God. He was preparing to be with the people in a special way. But the people encamped at the base violated the first commandment. They demanded Aaron to fashion an image to go before them on the journey who made the golden calf. The Lord was upset because His chosen people were acting perversely. They had cast for themselves an image of a calf worshipped it and sacrificed to it. God was prepared to destroy them al. Hearing this, Moses implored God to have mercy on the sinful people. He reminded the divinity that Israel belongs to God and he alone brought them out of Egypt. God changed his mind and decided not to destroy the people as He had originally planned. This shows the extent of the mercy that God shows on his people.`
In the Second Reading from the First Letter of Paul to Timothy, we heard how the mercy of God sanctified Paul because he had sincerity of heart. By the mercy of God, Paul, formerly a blasphemer, a persecutor, and a man of violence, was made an example to those who would come to believe in Jesus.
In this Gospel passage of today Luke has put together three parables all stressing the dynamic of lost and found. The point the evangelist is making in each case is the generous willingness God demonstrates in accepting back the repentant sinner. In the first parable, the repentant sinner is symbolised in the lost sheep. The second parable focuses on the lost coin. The third parable presents a younger son and an elder son both of whom are lost. Luke makes it clear in each case, whether the man or the woman or the father, who assertively go after what is lost until found. He presents us with a picture of God whose generosity extends beyond any human generosity we imagine. The first two parables on lost sheep and lost coin also declare the magnitude of the mercy of God. The first parable of the Lost Sheep which echoes the prophecy of Ezekiel regarding the forgiveness of God tells us that something precious is lost. There is the search for the lost one, the shepherd finds the sheep safe and there is rejoicing. He will seek the lost, and will bring back the strayed, and will bind up the injured and will strengthen the weak. The second Parable of the Lost Coin relates to us how valuable we are to God. The woman has lost something which is precious. She diligently searches for it and rejoices when she finds the lost coin. She rejoices with her friends and neighbours after the discovery. Jesus says that there will be similar rejoicing in heaven when a soul has a change of heart. Through the dynamics of lost and found Jesus explains the value of repentance.In the parable of the Prodigal Son, we are given a most beautiful description of our heavenly Father. It is the Father who seems to be wasteful or prodigal as he is ready to give his property to his son. He is now outside the house eagerly waiting for the younger son to return. And when he does return his father runs to him, clasps him in his arms, and kisses him tenderly and he brings him into the house and throws a party for him. He comes out of the house once when he sees his older son angry, to persuade him to return into the house. In the same way, our heavenly Father comes out to welcome each of us to his party. The most beautiful line in the parable is what the father says to the elder son, “all I have is yours”. Our heavenly Father says also to us, “All I have is yours” The prodigal son did not get the full opportunity to fully express to his father that he would become a paid servant. The Father immediately readmits him as part of the family. The younger son in reality had a warped notion of his father’s forgiveness. But now he had just learned the depth of the love of the Father. The elder son also did not know what forgiveness and love meant. He did not and could not forgive his younger brother for his misdeeds. In this parable, Jesus teaches us the depth of the generosity of God and his mercy. The fact is that it is a marvellous story and we usually call it the “Prodigal Son” or wasteful son. But, as has often been pointed out, it is rather the story of the Prodigally Generous Father. It is the father who is the central figure. He gives generously to his younger son and also to the elder son. We need to live every day as our merciful God’s forgiven children: Let us begin every day offering all our actions for God’s glory and praying for the strengthening anointing of the Holy Spirit so that we may obey God’s holy will by doing good and avoiding evil, and try to live in God’s presence everywhere. Before we go to bed at night, let us examine our conscience and confess to God our sins and failures of the day, asking His pardon and forgiveness. Let us resolve to receive the Sacrament of Reconciliation if we have fallen into serious sins. Let us continue to ask for God’s forgiveness before we receive Jesus in Holy Communion during the Holy Mass. Thus, let us live a peaceful life as forgiven prodigal children, getting daily reconciled with God our merciful and forgiving Father. Let us ask God for the courage and good will to extend His forgiveness to others: Let us realiSe the truth that our brothers and sisters deserve and expect from us the same compassion, kindness, and forgiveness which we receive from our merciful God. As forgiven prodigals, we must become forgiving people, for Jesus taught us to pray, “forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us.” As we continue with the celebration of the Holy Mass, let us pray also for God’s Divine mercy on all of us who have fallen away from God’s grace. Let us open our eyes to see and ears to hear that Jesus is welcoming us back home!