XXIV Sunday in OT[C]:Ex 32:7-11,13,14; I Tm1:12-17;Lk 15:1-32

XXIV Sunday in OT[C]:Ex 32:7-11,13,14; I Tm1:12-17;Lk 15:1-32

Introduction:  The Good News Jesus preached was that God is our loving and forgiving heavenly Father Who wants to save everyone through His Son, and not a cruel, judging and punishing God. He is always in search of His lost and straying children as Jesus explains, using three parables, in today’s Gospel.  In today’s first reading, from Exodus, Moses is imploring a forgiving God to have mercy on the sinful people who abandoned Him and turned to idol-worship, reminding God of His promises to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. In today’s second reading, Paul tells Timothy that, although   he, Paul, had been the greatest of sinners as the former persecutor of the Church, God has shown great mercy towards him.

Exegsis: In the parable of today, there are clearly three main characters: the elder son, the younger son, and the father. Who do you think is the hero, who is the anti-hero, and who is the supporting character?  Often this story is called the parable of ‘the prodigal son,’ creating the impression that the younger son, who “left for a distant country” (Lk 15:13), is the hero of the story.  Some suggest that this story be called, the parable of “the prodigal father” or “the parable of the good boy and the bad boy”.  These seem meaningful.  Most versions of the Bible entitle this story as “the parable of the lost son” (GNB, NIV) – suggesting that even the elder boy could be the lost son.  To resolve this dilemma, I think, we should look at the whole chapter 15 of the Gospel of Luke.

The chapter begins this way (Luke 15:1-3): “The tax collectors and the sinners were all seeking the company of Jesus to hear what he had to say, and the Pharisees and scribes complained, ‘This man’, they said, ‘welcomes sinners and eats with them.’ So he spoke this parable to them.”  Though it is not explicit, we can assume that Jesus spoke this parable to the Pharisees and scribes. Jesus is with sinners because they sought his company; now Jesus tries to seek also the company of the Pharisees and scribes, as he tells them this parable.   Actually Jesus tells them three parables: the story of the lost sheep (Lk 15:4-7), the story of the lost coin (Lk 15:8-10), and the story of the lost son (Lk 15:11-32).  In the case of the first two stories the heroes are clear: the man who lost his sheep, and the woman who lost her silver coin.  It follows then that the hero of the third story is the father.

Who is the anti-hero in this story?  It is important not to lose the final twist in Luke’s stories.  We can easily think that it is the younger son, the so-called ‘prodigal son’, who is the anti-hero.  I don’t think so, because he was lost but was found.  He is like the sinners, in the beginning of the chapter, who sought Jesus. On the other hand, the elder son – the dutiful son – is the one who is still outside the home, out of the celebration, unable to respond to the love of the father.

Joke:  Mr. & Mrs. Davis invited their pastor for the dinner hosted in honor of the return of their son after long years of his wandering life. As Mrs. Davis busied herself preparing food she asked her little daughter to set the table. When the pastor started the prayer before the meals, Mrs. Davis noticed that her daughter forgot to place silverware for the pastor. Embarrassed at the oversight, Mrs. Davis asked her little girl why she had not placed silverware for the pastor. “Because, Mom, I have heard Papa saying that our pastor eats like a horse!”

Practical Applications:  1) Have a broad outlook to include everyone in your company, in your effort, in your work like prodigal father in the parable. Never exclude anyone thinking or basing on the color, race, nationality, richness and knowledge level etc.  What we do towards other fellowmen will be what we get in heaven.

2) This can be for us a Sunday of self-reflection, assessment and correction.   If we have been in sin, God, in His mercy, is ready to receive and welcome us back, no less than Jesus welcomed sinners in his time.   Let us pray today that we will allow God’s love and forgiveness into our lives.   Let us also ask God for the courage to extend this forgiveness to others who have offended us.  Let us confess our sins and regain peace and God’s friendship.

Introduction:  (XXIV)Twenty Forth Sunday in Ordinary Time

Message:  Moses intercedes on behalf of the people who had turned away from the covenant.  The Lord delights not in sin, but in turning back to him, for a contrite and humbled heart God will never spurn.  He sent his Son into the world not to condemn but to save sinners.

Saints and Events in this week:  16-Sixteenth-Monday-Saints Cornelius, pope, and Cyprian, bishop, martyrs; 17-Seventeenth-Tuesday-Saint Robert Bellarmine, bishop, doctor; 19-Nineteenth-Thursday-Saint Januarius, bishop, martyr; 20-Twentieth-Friday-Saints Andrew Kim Tae-gon, priest, and Paul Chong Ha-sang, and companions, martyrs; 21-Twenty First-September-Saint Mathew, Apostle, Evangelist.