Ex 32:7-11,
13-14
The LORD said to Moses,
"Go down at once to your people,
whom you brought out of the
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
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 II
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 or
15:1-10
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.'"
In today’s First Reading,
Moses appears to be mediating between God and the people. Eventually,
Today’s Second Reading contains a typical Pauline thanksgiving prayer which the letters usually open with. The author gives thanks for the many graces he has received and remembers his past sins and eventual call to repentance and ministry. These remembrances of past sins is important because it helps to outline that Christ came into the world to save sinners. It emphasizes that Paul’s conversion becomes a great moral example for Timothy (to whom the letter is addressed) and all of us. Just like Paul, leaders were not expected to be perfect when called but were expected to be totally converted to God.
For today’s Gospel Reading, we are given the option of either the long or short form. I have chosen the long form because of the beauty of the story of the Prodigal Son and its implications. The entire reading is bound by the theme of joy over the recovery of what had been lost, and all three of these parables in turn are applied to the joy felt when a repentant sinner returns. The final story of the prodigal son develops the theme of God’s love and contrasts it with the older brother’s anger. This contrast helps us understand the hostility that the Pharisees showed towards Jesus when he surrounded himself with tax collectors and sinners.
As for the story of the lost sheep and the lost coin, most people would not do the same thing as the characters in Jesus’ story; however, their actions capture the reader’s attention. As readers we begin to understand God’s way of thinking and are inspired to do the same. With regard to the other “99” sheep or “9” coins, they too are important but the story wants to focus on the joy of recovering what was lost. It is like getting a second chance and must therefore be celebrated. The Father from the story of the prodigal son expresses this feeling best with his words: “let us celebrate with a feast, because this son of mine was dead, and has come to life again”.
Because I work in a warehouse, every so often I tend to get quite dirty. That’s the reason why I never wear a suit to work or any anything other than jeans and a comfortable shirt. As a matter of fact, sometimes I leave work with quite a few stains on my clothing. In a way, my appearance at the end of the day is not very appealing. On a particular occasion, after having left work in such condition, I stopped to visit a priest friend of mine in an inner city parish close to where I work. Upon entering the church, I decided to sit for a while and pray in silence before the blessed Sacrament prior to meeting up with my friend. Before long a very pious man walked over and asked me to leave. No doubt my appearance was not “appropriate” for him. I “didn’t belong”.
In many ways, my experience at this particular church was very similar to the story of the prodigal son. In that story, the older “faithful” son disapproved of the younger son’s return. The younger one just didn’t belong; he shouldn’t have come home because he had squandered his inheritance. The older faithful son became judge and jury over the younger and in his self righteousness could not find the mercy and love in his heart. The image of the older son can be anyone who has faithfully stood next to the Lord but has allowed their faith to become routine. They fail to open their heart as God the Father does and practice mercy. The younger son, obviously represents anyone who has ever drifted away from God, the Church – from their faith. However, even someone like the younger son can run the risk of acting like the older faithful son – if they forget to truly live the Gospel. The challenge from today’s liturgy is to become like the Father. The image of the Father in the Gospel story is of a merciful man who wants nothing more than for his sons to experience his love. Without hesitation, he gives yields to his son’s request. He patiently waits for the son’s return, and when division occurs he desperately seeks reconciliation and healing. That is the image of God and the true model we are to follow.
New American Bible; United States Conference of Catholic Bishops; Hyatt, J. P., “Exodus”; “Exodus, Sinai and Moses”; Barclay, William, “Letters to Timothy, Titus, and Philemon”; Fitzmyer, J. A., “The Gospel According to Luke”; LaVerdiere, E., “Luke”; Maddox, R., “The Purpose of Luke-Acts”; Brown, Raymond E., S.S., “Introduction to the New Testament”; Brown, Fitzmyer, and Murphy (ed.) “The New Jerome Biblical Commentary".
Deacon Lazaro J. Ulloa