HOMILY FOR 24th SUNDAY IN OT—C (V2)
ST. LUKE’S GOSPEL HAS A VERY OBVIOUS OVERRIDING THEME, A THEME THAT STRESSES THE FACT THAT JESUS CAME TO SAVE EVERYONE, NOT JUST A SELECT FEW: WOMEN, SAMARITANS, THE POOR, GENTILES, AND, YES, CONTRARY TO THE BELIEFS OF THE PHARISEES IN TODAY’S GOSPEL, EVEN SINNERS. THIS WIDE-OPEN EMBRACE OF EVERYONE CAUSES ST. LUKE’S GOSPEL TO BE CALLED THE UNIVERSAL GOSPEL.
JESUS MAKES THE OCCASION OF THE PHARISEES’ CRITICISM THAT HE ASSOCIATES WITH SINNERS AND TAX COLECTORS AN OCCASION TO INSTRUCT THEM ON THE TRUE NATURE OF GOD. ALONG THE WAY JESUS ALSO JABS THE PHARISEES IN THEIR WEAKEST SPOT, THEIR SELF-RIGHTOUSNESS. IN SHORT, JESUS IS CONTRASTING THE CHRISTIAN WAY WITH THE WAY OF THE PHARISEES. IN FACT, THE SECTION OF LUKE’S GOSPEL THAT CHAPTER 15 COMES FROM IS PART OF WHAT BIBLICAL SCHOLARS CALL THE “INSTRUCTION ON THE MEANING OF THE CHRISTIAN WAY” AND IS JUST ABOUT 10 CHAPTERS LONG (9:51-19:27).
THE PROBLEM WAS THIS. THE PHARISEES BELIEVED THAT THERE WILL BE JOY IN HEAVEN, NOT WHEN ONE SINNER REPENTS, BUT WHEN A SINNER SUFFERS GOD’S WRATH. THEY LOOKED SADISTICALLY, NOT TO THE SAVING OF SINNERS, BUT TO THEIR DESTRUCTION. WE UNFORTUNATELY SOMETIMES STILL HAVE THIS ATTITUDE TODAY TOWARD SOME PEOPLE. JESUS WOULD FIND IT JUST AS OBJECTIONABLE TODAY AS HE DID BACK THEN.
THE FIRST TWO PARABLES, THE SHEPHERD FINDING THE LOST SHEEP AND THE WOMAN FINDING THE LOST COIN, ILLUSTRATE THAT GOD’S NATURE IS NOT TO SEEK VENGENCE BUT TO SEEK REPENTANCE WHICH IS THEN WELCOMED WITH GREAT JOY AND REJOICING. THAT WAS A SHOCK TO THE PHARISEES BUT THEIR IDEAS ABOUT GOD WERE TO BE STRETCHED AND TESTED EVEN FURTHER.
ALL THREE PARABLES CONTAIN A SIMILAR ELEMENT. THE SHEPHERD JUST DOESN’T SIT THERE HOPING THE LOST SHEEP WILL FIND ITS WAY BACK. HE GOES AND SEARCHES FOR IT. THE WOMAN DOESN’T JUST SIT THERE AND BEMOAN THE FACT THAT THE COIN WAS LOST; SHE TURNS THE HOUSE INSIDE OUT LOOKING FOR IT. THE FATHER IN THE PARABLE OF THE PROGIDAL SON DIDN’T JUST WAIT IN THE HOUSE FOR THE SON TO RETURN BUT RAN OUT TO WELCOME AND EMBRACE HIM.
SO NOT ONLY DOES GOD REJOICE OVER THE REPENTANCE OF SINNERS, HE ACTIVELY SEEKS THAT REPENTANCE. IN SHORT, JESUS IS TELLING THE PARISEES THAT THERE IS NO ONE WHO IS OUTSIDE THE REACH OF GOD’S MERCY.
LET ME MOVE ON TO A CLOSER LOOK AT THE PARABLE OF THE PRODIGAL SON BECAUSE IT IS SO RICH IN MEANING. SCRIPTURE SCHOLARS HAVE IDENTIFIED FIVE THEMES THAT THE PARABLE EMPHASISES.
FIRST, IT IS DESIGNED TO SHOCK THE PHARISEES AND THE ENTIRE JEWISH COMMUNITY BECAUSE IT REVERSES THE USUAL NARRATIVE OF STORIES INVOLVING TWO BROTHERS THAT THE JEWS WERE SO FAMILIAR WITH. IN ALL THE STORIES THAT THE JEWS WOULD KNOW SO WELL, IT WAS ALWAYS THE YOUNGEST BROTHER WHO WAS THE HERO: CAIN THE ELDEST SLAYS ABEL THE INNOCENT YOUNGEST; JACOB THE YOUNGEST OUTWITS ESAU THE OLDEST, AND IT IS THE YOUNGEST BROTHER JOSEPH WHO IS SOLD INTO SLAVERY BY HIS ELDER BROTHERS. HERE IT IS THE YOUNGEST WHO IS THE SCROUNDREL. AS A PARODY OF THE STORIES THEY WERE SO FAMILIAR WITH, THE PARABLE WOULD HAVE GAINED THE JEWS’ ATTENTION RIGHT AWAY.
THE SECOND THEME IS THAT THE IDEAS OF COMMUNITY, UNIVERSALITY AND THE WAY AND POSSIBILITY OF SALVATION ARE UNALTERABLY INTERTWINED. SALVATION IS A POSSIBILITY FOR EVERYONE NO MATTER WHO THEY ARE OR WHAT THEIR LIFE SITUATION IS. FOR US, THAT MEANS WE ARE NEVER BEYOND THE REACH OF GOD’S LOVE AND FORGIVENESS.
THE THIRD THEME DEALS WITH HOW THAT LOVE AND FORGIVENESS CAN BE ACQUIRED. THE CRUCIAL FIRST STEP IS THE NEED FOR REPENTANCE. WHILE IT IS TRUE THAT GOD IS ACTIVELY SEARCHING FOR US AND OFFERING US HIS LOVING MERCY, WE CANNOT RECEIVE THAT MERCY IF WE HIDE FROM GOD. IN THE PARABLE, EVEN THOUGH THE FATHER WAS ACTIVELY SEARCHING FOR THE SON, HE WAS NOT ABLE TO RUN TO HIM TO OFFER HIS FORGIVENESS UNTIL HE CAUGHT SIGHT OF HIM. LIKEWISE, UNTIL WE LET GOD SEE US, UNTIL WE REPENT AND TURN OUR FACES AWAY FROM SIN AND BACK TO GOD, GOD CANNOT RUN TO WELCOME US. IN SHORT, WHEN WE SAY WE WANT GOD’S FORGIVENESS, WE WILL GET IT BUT NOT UNTIL THEN. IT IS NOT THAT GOD IS WITHHOLDING IT. IT’S THAT WE ARE GIVING GOD THE COLD SHOULDER UNTIL OUR REPENTANCE TURNS US BACK TO GOD.
THE FOURTH THEME IS MAYBE THE MOST CHALLENGING TO US. WHEN WE READ THE PARABLE OF THE PRODIGAL SON, MAYBE SOME OF US IDENTIFY WITH THE YOUNGER SON AND, MAYBE AT SOME POINT IN OUR LIVES, WE WOULD BE FORCED TO RECOGNIZE THAT WE HAD A STREAK OF THE PHARASITICAL SELF-RIGHTEOUSNESS OF THE OLDER SON IN US. BUT THE REAL ROLE MODEL OF THE PARABLE IS MEANT TO BE THE FATHER WHO REPRESENTS GOD AND HIS MERCIFUL FORGIVENESS.
THE PARABLE MAKES IT CLEAR THAT OUR HAPPINESS DEPENDS ON FOLLOWING GOD’S EXAMPLE. THE PARABLE ENDS WITH EVERYONE HAPPY EXCEPT THE OLDER BROTHER WHO CANNOT FORGIVE HIS YOUNGER AND, WHO IN FACT, RESENTS THE FATHER’S FORGIVENESS. OUR DUTY TO BE LIKE THE FATHER IN HIS UNLIMITED FOREGIVENESS IS SOMETHING WE WILL PRAY FOR LATER IN THIS MASS WHEN WE ASK THE FATHER TO FOREGIVE US JUST LIKE WE FORGIVE OTHERS. THE LORD JESUS HAS ALSO MADE IT CLEAR THAT WE ARE CALLED TO BE PERFECT JUST LIKE THE FATHER IS PERFECT. TO DO OTHERWISE IS TO BE PHARISITICAL.
FINALLY, WE SEE FROM THE PARABLE THAT THE ONE ANNOUNCING THAT WE CAN PARTICIPATE IN GOD’S FORGIVENESS, LOVE AND JOY IS JESUS, JESUS IS OUR MEDIATOR JUST LIKE MOSES WAS THE MEDIATOR BETWEEN GOD AND THE JEWS IN THE FIRST READING. JESUS IN SHORT IS THE WAY, THE TRUTH AND THE LIGHT. IN FACT, AN EARLY NAME FOR CHRISTIANITY WAS ACTUALLY “THE WAY”.
SOMETIMES WE STRAY FROM GOD BECAUSE OF FOOLISHNESS AND BAD JUDGEMENTS, SOMETIMES FROM THE SEDUCTION OF THE TEMPTING VOICE OF VICE WHICH DROWNS OUT GOD’S VOICE AND SOMETIMES WE STRAY BECAUSE OF A DELIBERATE REBELLION OF HEART JUST LIKE THE YOUNGER SON DID IN TODAY’S GOSPEL. THE LESSON FOR US, HOWEVER, IS THAT NO MATTER WHAT LED US AWAY FROM GOD OR HOW FAR WE’VE TRAVELED, GOD’S LOVE AND MERCY OFFER US A RETURN TICKET.