God’s Enduring Mercy
Luke 15: 1 -32
24th Sunday in Ordinary Time
Introduction
Today’s reading is about God’s
enduring mercy. Jesus wanted us to understand the depth, height and breadth of
this mercy by giving us three parables that speak eloquently about it.
The Gospel
15 Now the tax collectors and sinners were
all drawing near to hear him. 2 And the Pharisees and the scribes
grumbled, saying, “This man receives sinners and eats with them.” 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 open country, and go after the one that 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 that
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. 8 “Or what woman, having ten silver coins, if she loses 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 that I had
lost.’ 10 Just so, I tell you,
there is joy before the angels of God over one sinner who repents.”
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 is coming to me.’ And he divided his property
between them. 13 Not many days
later, the younger son gathered all he had and took a journey into a far
country, and there he squandered his property in reckless living. 14 And when he had spent everything, a severe famine arose
in that country, and he began to be in need. 15 So he went and hired himself out to one of the citizens
of that country, who sent him into his fields to feed pigs. 16 And he was longing to be fed with the pods that the pigs
ate, and no one gave him anything.
17 “But when he came to himself, he said, ‘How many of my
father’s hired servants have more than enough bread, 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 still a long way off, his father
saw him and felt 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 fattened calf and kill
it, and let us eat and celebrate. 24 For this my son was dead, and is alive again; he was
lost, and is found.’ And they began to celebrate.
25 “Now his older 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 these
things meant. 27 And he said to
him, ‘Your brother has come, and your father has killed the fattened calf, because
he has received him back 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, ‘Look, these many years I have served you, and I never
disobeyed your command, yet you never gave me a young goat, that I might
celebrate with my friends. 30 But
when this son of yours came, who has devoured your property with prostitutes,
you killed the fattened calf for him!’ 31 And he said to him, ‘Son, you are always with me, and all
that is mine is yours. 32 It was
fitting to celebrate and be glad, for this your brother was dead, and is alive;
he was lost, and is found.’ ”
Reflection
Our reading narrates to us three
parables about God’s mercy. Jesus narrated these parables as a result of what
many perceived was an unusual gathering of tax collectors and sinners who
sought him and who were eager to hear what he had to say.
Taken together, these three
parables form, what many call, a trilogy because all three parables have a
common theme. Through these parables, Jesus gives us a totally new
understanding of God’s mercy, love and compassion.
The main characters of these
parables speak about God who is characterized as a shepherd who loses a sheep;
a woman who loses a coin; and a father who loses a son.
To understand these parables more
deeply, we have to consider the following:
Firstly, all three parables talk
about a loss. Here, we see that God’s mercy begins with a sense of loss; it
begins with the sad tale of God losing something that is profoundly dear and
valuable to him.
Secondly, this profound sense of
loss experienced by God creates a certain unease, discomfort and tension in
God; this tension and discomfort compels him to look and search; it is a search
that is unwavering and at the same time, patient. God seems to have this
inexhaustible hope and optimism of one day finding what he has lost.
In the shepherd who loses a
sheep, one could imagine the risky gamble the shepherd makes in leaving the
ninety-nine to pursue the one that was lost. In the woman who lost a coin, one
could imagine how furiously she sweeps the entire house and overturns all the
home furnishings in search for the lost coin. In the story of the prodigal son,
one could imagine the father patiently waiting day and night for a son he knows
not when he returns.
Third, God’s unwavering search
and patient waiting succeeds in the end. He regains what was lost. His success in
finding what was lost is accompanied by so much joy which he makes public. His
joy becomes a community affair and his celebration becomes incomprehensibly lavish.
(Indeed, the elder son could not understand the lavishness of it all!)
The lessons of this trilogy is
clear: we are precious and beloved because we belong to God. When we lose our
way and walk away from God, God feels a great sense of loss and sadness. This
troubles him and puts him in a great state of unease and discomfort. This
tension compels him to actively pursue us, moving practically everything
including heaven and earth just to have us back. And when we can’t be found, God patiently
waits for us and awaits our eventual home coming no matter how long it may
take.
When we get lost, God becomes incomplete;
he becomes unhappy. This is why he unwaveringly searches and pursues us, not
stopping, not giving up hope until he finds us. And when he does find us, he becomes
the happiest person in the universe. His joy is publicly proclaimed and
celebrated with incomprehensible lavishness.
These parables speak to us of
God’s enduring mercy; a mercy far greater than all our sins; a mercy far
greater than all our self-inflicted wounds; a mercy that unwaveringly hounds us
day in and day out. We need not be afraid to come back to God whenever we fail.
We need only to have confidence in him whose mercies are offered to us every morning
for all the days of our life.
Prayer
Dear Lord, thank you for
searching for me when I am lost. Thank you for waiting for me to come home. I
could not fully understand why you don’t give up on me despite of all the sins
I have done. I could not understand why I am so important to you despite my
failings. Let me trust in your mercy so that I may not lose my confidence in
returning back to you, no matter how much I have failed in my life. Thank you
Jesus for your enduring mercy. Thank you for your kindness, compassion and
love. Amen.
“ The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; his mercies never
come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. “ – Lamentations 3: 22 - 23
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