 |
||||||||||||
 |
||||||||||||
|
 |
|
||||||||||
|
|
|
 |
||
|
TWENTY FOURTH SUNDAY “Father forgive me, even though I knew what I was doing.” 1. Our readings today should fill us with a great sense of hope and a deep sense of gratitude. They all point out to a God who forgives and the forgiveness is not one that depends on turning away from sin - even though that is good and recommended It shows a God seeking me out in my sinfulness and lifting me out of the mire of sin just like a mother lifts her little baby when it cries. 2. Our first reading shows us Moses in the role of a mediator. God is painted in very anthropomorphic terms, in form of a man with all his moods and pettiness. God is like a mob boss who is insulted and demands honour and respect that is due to God. Moses is painted as the good cop in the famous good cop/ bad cop scenarios we have on TV. Moses appeals to God’s generous side. Moses reminds God what the enemies of the People of God would say about God. “He brought them out of Egypt, only to destroy them in the wilderness.” God relents. However, the direction of the first reading is Moses as a sign, as precursor , as the crystal ball of a seer, - of things that are to come. Moses is a foreshadow of Jesus who will mediate before the same God and say, “Father forgive them for they do not know what they are doing.” However this God is not the vindictive and quick to anger God of the Old Testament times. It is a God who so loves the world that God will send his only begotten Son. God takes the initiative. 3. Paul repeats the same sentiment in the second reading. Paul who persecuted those who followed Christ as we read in the Acts of the Apostles. Paul who was called an Apostle like one who was born prematurely. Paul is now called to be a Messenger of the Good News. The call is totally unearned, unmerited. God once again is seen as taking the initiative. It is an act of total generosity or as Paul calls it a sheer act of “Overflowing Grace.” John Newton the famous Slave trader and philanderer who would turn over his life to God, would compose a song which we now sing as “Amazing Grace.” People are not comfortable with singing the line “that saved a wretch like me.” If we read the life of John we would realise how appropriate that word is. And if we got a true glimpse of how terrible even the smallest sin is, we would realise that even though we feel uncomfortable - wretchedness is the bottom line of Sin. And hence what Paul says of God’s generosity is accurate: It is Overflowing Grace. 4. Our Gospels consist of three Parables. The story of a Shepherd, the story of a woman most probably a widow and a father. If we take the third parable by itself, as preachers often do, then we would concentrate on the Initiative of the Prodigal Son and how he turned away from sin albeit with God’s grace. But taking all three parables together, we have an unmistakable picture of a God who takes the initiative when we go astray. It is a God who like the Shepherd, the Woman and the Father goes out in search - stands looking at the horizon for what was lost. As said above, even though it is good and recommended that we turn away from sin, make repentance for sin, make a resolution not to sin again - all these are immaterial in Salvation History. God will seek and find . God will put on the shoulder and carry us home. God will throw a party at our coming home. 5. This type of humility in its truest form is conducive to our growth in our love and knowledge of God. God who can save us without our help, will not save us without our co-operation, without our own minimal generosity, without our saying Yes to the Will of God. Perhaps a small story might help to bring this out. Each year in our Junior school we have one class that makes their First Reconciliation and First Communion. I explain to the little children what offending God and one another means. I explain to them that we call this SIN. May not be big for them, but all the same they have to try and avoid Sin because Jesus wants us to be perfect as our Heavenly Father. Then follows their first confession. After they have shared their sins, I will say “you know what you have done is bad. You know what you have done is something you do not want to do and God and your parents would not want to do. To all these questions with all seriousness, they reply, Yes Father. Do you want to do these again. They reply, “No father.” Will you do it again? They look into my eyes and with all simplicity and sincerity reply, “Yes Father.” They are honest and we should be like that. St. Paul, the “good we want to do, is what we do not do. The Evil that we want to avoid is precisely what we do.” But we have a great Hope in a God who is full of mercy and abounding in compassion |
||
