Lost Sons & Searching Fathers

24th Sunday of the Year – Cycle C – 15 September 2019    

Readings: Ex 32:7-11,13-14; 1 Tim 1:12-17; Lk 15:1-32
 

“Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners” (Paul)

Three Scriptural Signposts

The ‘lost and found’ theme can be developed to link the three readings with one another. In the first reading, the Israelites lose their way; in the second, Saul confesses his former sinful state of being ‘lost’; and, in the gospel reading we have three parables referring to ‘lost and found’: sheep, coin and son.

1) The first reading speaks of a ‘lost people’. Despite the fact that Yahweh loves them, chooses them and leads them from slavery in Egypt to freedom by showing them mighty signs and wonders, they stray away from God and “have been quick to turn aside from the way that I [God] commanded them” (v.8). Indeed, in just forty days that Moses left them leaderless, they long for some visible and tangible ‘object of worship’ and fashion a golden calf for themselves. God’s wrath flares out against these “stiff-necked people” and the divine intention is to destroy the apostatizing Israelites since they are unmindful of God’s power and ungrateful about God’s goodness. By contrast, Moses—God’s prophet and the people’s pastor and mediator—suffers much and is deeply pained by his people’s apostasy. Like a father pleading for mercy for his wayward offspring, Moses intercedes on behalf of his people, reminding God, so to say, of a line of ‘faith-full’ ancestors: Abraham, Isaac and Israel (Jacob). As a result of Moses’ goodness and godliness, God “changed his mind” and the people are spared. This event is mentioned in Ps 106:23 and foreshadows the salvific work of Christ who intercedes for us, sinners. Doesn’t Jesus stand, crucified, pleading for God’s mercy on his persecutors: “Father, forgive them”?

2) In the second reading Paul expresses a mea culpa to one of his convert-confreres, Timothy, who converted to Christianity during Paul’s first missionary journey (47–49 AD). Timothy remained a devoted disciple of Christ and Paul’s faithful follower through thick and thin of his second and third missionary journeys. Paul confesses his sinful past as a “blasphemer” who sought to “injure and discredit the faith.” However, his sinfulness is contrasted to God’s “overflowing grace,” which makes him tell others never to doubt that, “Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners.” This is the great truth that Timothy, too, must preach. This is truly the Good News and thus there is need to give “honour and glory” to the “king of ages, immortal, invisible, the only God ... Amen!”

3) Jesus narrates the three parables of the three ‘lost and found’ entities—sheep, coin, son—in the context of the presence and comment of proud “Pharisees and scribes” who “were grumbling and saying: ‘This fellow welcomes sinners and eats with them’.” (v.2). To eat with anyone symbolizes companionship and friendship. Jesus purposefully has ‘table-fellowship’ with these so-called ‘sinners’ in order to show the holier-than-thou hypocrites, the Pharisees, that God is merciful, compassionate and forgiving to all those who realize their sinfulness and turn towards him in repentant love. Liturgists might be tempted to take the ‘shorter form’ and omit the third parable (lost son) since it has already been reflected upon earlier (see my reflection of the 4th Sunday of Lent on March 31, 2019, entitled ‘Turnaround towards Prodigal Fathers’). This should be avoided since all three parables do not focus on the lost sheep, coin and son so much as on the “seeking and finding” shepherd, widow and father. The father suffers to see his younger son ruining himself by ‘getting lost’ with reckless, loose living. Therefore, upon deciding to return, “while he was still far off” (v.20), his father saw him, “was filled with compassion, he ran and put his arms around him and kissed him” (ibid.). Reflecting upon this totally unexpected behaviour of the father, rather than merely feel rotten about our sinful state, there’s also need to rejoice about my/our redeemed existence…. Indeed, God truly loves, me, sinner, unconditionally! The prodigality and craziness of the shepherd, widow and father is in their leaving the ninety-sheep shepherd-less simply to go after one sheep, and in the widow’s/father’s strange ‘wastefulness’, so to say, to throw parties when a coin or a shameless son is found! Where is there justice and moderation in this? Don’t we often feel ‘with’ and ‘for’ the elder son? 

Linking the Psalm to the Theme: 

Psalm 51 is a poignant prayer of a penitent sinner. However, relating it to the first reading, we can also think of it as being uttered by Christ in his capacity as Mediator. Christ takes our sin upon himself even to the extent of confessing our sin on our behalf. This is what’s meant by: “Christ atones for our sins.”

Three Current Concerns: 

The golden calf – is something that you and I mould with our ego, our wealth, our physique, our talents, our beauty, our successes, our intellect and everything else that becomes a substitute for God and a hindrance to salvation.

The straying sheep – is you and me. There are so many distractions that entice us and make us go astray. We get ‘lost’ with little things that really don’t matter. Thanks to the ‘Lamb of God’ our Mediator who is a go-between heaven and earth, a mediator, who carries us on his shoulders and leads us back to the safety of the Good Shepherd’s sheepfold. 

The pharisaic concern is the critic and the hypocritic within us. While the pharisees cannot understand why “This fellow eats with sinners ….”, the elder son fails to understand why “His father kills the fatted calf and feasts with the sinner-son …” For both these types, cold justice is the only rule – there’s absolutely no place with them for mercy and forgiveness.

In Lighter Vein:

It’s said that we’re connected to God as if tied to Him with a string. When we lose our way and go astray, it’s like cutting the string and losing our connection with Him. But, like the searching shepherd finding that lost sheep, God comes after us and makes a knot with the string, tying us up with Him, once again. The more often we cut the string and go astray, the more God comes after us to tie the string—thereby making the string shorter and shorter, and bringing us closer and closer to Him! That should not encourage us to keep cutting the string; but we ought to be grateful to God for reconnecting us to Godself. Oh, happy fault! O necessary sin of Adam—that won for us so great, a savior!

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Costly Christian Discipleship

23rd Sunday of the Year – Cycle C – 8 Sept. 2019 – Nativity of Our Blessed Mother, Mary

Readings: Wis 9:13-18b; Philem 9-10,12-17; Lk 14:25-33

“No one can be my disciple unless one gives up all one’s possessions” (Lk)

Three Scriptural Signposts: 

1) The theme of today’s readings is discipleship, which the gospel passage clearly develops. However, to find connections of the other two readings to the discipleship-theme is not very easy. So, it’s best to begin with the gospel passage stressing Jesus’ call for discipleship with a caution about its cost. Following Jesus is no mean task, which demands surrender of every-one (persons) and every-thing (possessions) that one cherishes most and clings to. Note that this passage does not specifically refer to the call of the Twelve apostles since the passage begins with: “Great crowds accompanied Jesus and he turned and spoke to them…” Therefore, this passage refers to the universal call to discipleship addressed to all Christians—not only religious, priests, nuns, missioners, etc.

2) Does Jesus seriously mean that his disciples must “hate father, mother, wife, children, brothers and sisters?” This cannot be literally true since Jesus teaches us to love our foes, too! Interpreting this passage literally is akin to misunderstanding the nature of Semitic idiom. Jesus’ message is always one of love and so the word ‘hate’ here refers to subordinating all human loves to the supreme Source of Love – God! If one truly loves God, then all other loves will fade into insignificance, fall into proper place, and will enrich those who relate to God and to all others in genuine love. The dynamics of Christian discipleship is very similar to that of Christian matrimony. When two mature youth ‘fall in love’ they eventually evaluate whether they will be able to ‘rise in love’ with each spouse supporting the other and helping the other to grow. After this evaluation, they take a decision to say ‘Yes’ to each other in the sacrament of matrimony. Thereafter, their love continues to grow and blossom to the extent that they are able to give of themselves to each other in self-sacrificial love, which, ironically, also turns out to be self-fulfilling. Love makes a total claim on the lover and the beloved and they are ready to pay any price. 

3) Jesus provides two examples of how one must calculate the cost before embarking upon a venture of singular significance. For example, if one is to build a tower or is to win a war, one must realistically budget and plan economic, material and personnel resources or else, should one face failure or defeat, one will become the laughing stock of all. Major projects which involve immense investment should never be taken lightly. So it is with discipleship, which involves every bit of one’s whole being. Jesus concludes his invitation without mincing words. He says pointedly: “So therefore, whoever of you does not renounce all that s/he has cannot be my disciple.” 

Connecting the 1st reading to the theme:

The Book of Wisdom—probably the last book of the First Testament—is neither written in the sacred language (Hebrew) nor in the holy land (Palestine); but written in Greek and addressed to the Jewish diaspora, exhorting them to live according to the demands of being a covenantal people. The first two rhetorical questions are posed to stress that God’s mind and plans are inscrutable to the fickle, finite minds of mortal human beings. “The reasoning of mortals is worthless” (v.14). The “earthy tent” imagery is indicative of a dichotomous, Platonic worldview where the ‘mind’ (soul) seems imprisoned by the earthen tent (body). But, thanks to God who reveals Godself to us, we have the ‘holy spirit’ who enables us to decipher the “paths” that God chooses and charts for us. So, this idea could be connected to the discipleship theme stressing on the wisdom, the discernment and the daring decision to say “Yes” to God’s call—to follow God’s designs and dreams for you and me.    

Connecting the 2nd reading to the theme:

The passage from Paul’s letter to Philemon—the shortest of his letters, and yet the most personal and poignant—contains an appeal from one disciple (Paul) to another disciple (Philemon). In the days when slavery was accepted as a social practice, Philemon was a rather wealthy ‘convert’ to Christianity from Colossae who owned a slave, Onesimus, who fled from slavery and came to Rome, met Paul, and was converted to Christianity. Aware that all are one in Christ Jesus (see Gal 3:28; 4:6-7), Paul requests Philemon to reinstate Onesimus—whom he loves as “my own heart” (v.12) and as “beloved brother” (v.16)—as his brother, too. So, instead of two disciple-brothers [Paul and Philemon], there will now be three! Onesimus too, like Paul and Philemon, will serve the Lord in Christian discipleship.    

Three Current Concerns:

The Cross and Cost Concern: Christian discipleship is not some ‘cheap career’ but a priceless ‘profession’ and ‘possession’ that makes disciples daringly say “Yes”, disposing off everything to profess Christ and possess Him, alone. In a world that prizes well-paid professions and well-earned possessions, am I ready to bear the cost, bear the cross?

The Discernment Concern: Before building a tower and waging war, beware! Discern, discuss, decide! In Christus Vivit, n.250, Pope Francis says: “The first thing we need to discern and discover is this: Jesus wants to be a friend to every young person. This discernment is the basis of all else.” Do I/we keep discernment as the basis for all my/our decisions in life?

Marian Devotion and Discipleship: Though the Sunday readings take precedence over the Marian readings for what is normally celebrated today [Sept. 8] as the ‘Birthday of our Blessed Mother, Mary’, she can be our model of discipleship. She follows her Son, Jesus, all through the Via Crucis and beyond. Mary was always ready to bear the cost of discipleship. 

In Lighter Vein:

African aboriginals have an ingenious way of trapping monkeys. They carve out a small cavity in the bark of a tree just big enough for a monkey to slip his hand in. Then, they fill the cavity with groundnuts – or ‘monkey nuts’, as we call them – and lie in wait. Soon, curious monkeys come to investigate. They smell the groundnuts and sure enough one of them squeezes his hand through the cavity to grab the nuts. But the cavity isn’t big enough for the monkey to pull out his clenched fist. The monkey stupidly refuses to open his clenched fist and let go of the nuts. He’s trapped. How often, like a monkey, do I refuse to let go of trifles and lose Life in the bargain?

Reflection:

The most beautiful things of life are obtained not by grabbing but by giving. While monkeys get entrapped with peanuts, let us ‘let go’ and let God take the upper hand. Jesus calls us to a freedom that comes from following Him faithfully, costly though this discipleship be.

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Make me humble, Lord!
 

22nd Sunday of the Year – Cycle C – September 1, 2019.

Readings: Sir 3:17-18, 20, 28-29; Heb 12:18-19, 22-24a; Lk 14:1, 7-14
 

“The greater you are, the more you should behave humbly” (Sirach)
 

Three Scriptural Signposts

1) Today’s readings can be seen from the viewpoint of humility. The author of the Book of Sirach or Ecclesiasticus was a wise and pious Jew who lived about 200 BC. He wrote to exhort his fellow-Jews to live their lives in conformity to the calls and commands of the Covenant which God had made with them. He desired that they strengthen their ties with God and with all other human beings. To do this, one has to be meek and humble. What exactly is humility? Humility is not synonymous with an inferiority complex. Humility is neither degrading myself nor belittling myself. It is not thinking little of myself but rather not thinking of myself at all. And, if I don’t think of myself at all, then like a little jasmine, oblivious of its beauty, my fragrance will waft outwards towards other people and towards God. The author’s tone is paternal, affectionate and indicative of concern: “My son, perform your tasks in meekness; then you will be loved by those whom God accepts.” The humble person “finds favour with the Lord” not because God’s favour is a reward for humility, but because humility means abandoning self-assertion so that God may act unconstrained in our lives. And God does, unfailingly, mould the humble human heart according to delightful divine designs.

2) In the gospel, when Jesus goes to dine at the house of a prominent Pharisee, “they were watching him closely.” This ‘watching’ was neither out of admiration nor affection but rather with the intent of ‘catching him’ transgressing some rule or regulation. For them, Mosaic Law was the ultimate for assessing one’s goodness and holiness. Thus, they prided themselves for their strictest observation of this Law. Consequently, their pride and holier-than-thou attitudes were seen in matters big and small like taking important seats at dinner-tables, occupying privileged positions in synagogues, and parading around the temple precincts to post themselves pompously in positions of prestige. Jesus condemns this Pharisaic attitude of ego-inflation and self-absorption leading to a denial of God’s greatness and graciousness. The attitude of the Pharisees would give one the impression that they neither had need of God nor of God’s grace. God could be dispensed with. Jesus teaches them practical lessons in humility: “Go and sit in the lowest place,” and you will be honoured in public; for those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted. 

3) Besides the guests, the host, too, needed some advice. Being a “leader of the Pharisees” the host must’ve been a wealthy and well-connected Pharisee who would certainly have invited only the rich and powerful, as well as the so-considered ‘pure’ and ‘chosen ones’. These guests would undoubtedly have the means to repay their host by either inviting him to their dinner-parties in return or by recompensing him in some way or the other. Jesus says: “Do not invite your friends or your brethren or your relatives or rich neigbours” (who have the means to repay or reward you); but instead “invite the poor, the crippled, the lame and the blind”. These cannot repay you (now); but you will receive your reward in heaven because your charity was based not on selfish calculations and conditions but on true love for God and for your neighbour. 

Linking the Second Reading to the Theme:

In an indirect way the second reading from Hebrews also speaks of a ‘movement in humility’, so to say. The author traces a movement from Law to Gospel, from Mount Sinai (Moses) to Zion (Jesus), from self-righteousness to self-resignation. In this movement, the true believer lets go of ‘self’ and gets totally absorbed in ‘The Self’: God. This is the essence of the “new covenant” spoken of. 
 

Two Current Concerns:

“I” Concern: Our world is obsessed with pampering the self. Everyone attempts to put oneself at the centre, exalting oneself to the maximum. Today, we not only have beauty treatment for women but also pedicure and manicure for men. What we desperately need is ‘headicure’ to mould our swollen heads into receptacles of divine wisdom. 

Identity Concern: Humility comes from the Latin humus, meaning soil or mud. Like a potter, God moulded me out of the clay of the earth (Gen 2:7) and I’ll truly be blessed if I realize my true identity; namely, that I am dust and unto dust I shall return. Sadly, Adam’s sin was that of hubris – failure to differentiate between who God is and who Man is. 
 

Appropriate Anecdote:

An arrogant American musician once visited the house of the great composer Beethoven, sat down at the piano and proudly began to play Beethoven’s Moonlight Sonata. When he had finished, he said to the concierge, “I suppose many celebrities come here?” “Yes,” replied the man, “Paderewski was here last week.” The American continued, “And, did he play on this piano too?” “No,” said the old concierge, “He said he wasn’t worthy.” Ignacy Jan Paderewski (1860-1941) was a brilliant Polish pianist, composer, orator, writer, social worker and philosopher who eventually became Prime Minister of Poland in 1919. He was deeply humble and is a model of what today’s readings exhort us to be. …….. On another occasion, Paderewski met a famous polo player who said, “We’re both leaders in our spheres, though they are very different.” “Not so different,” quipped Paderewski, “You’re a dear soul who plays polo, and I’m a poor Pole who plays solo!” Besides being humble, he was wise and witty, too! Truly great people are always humble because of their deep awareness of who God is and who they are. 
 

In Lighter Vein: The song “O Lord, it’s hard to be humble’ by Mac Davis expresses the exact opposite mindset of what is central to today’s reading…. Here are the words: “O Lord, it’s hard to be humble when you’re perfect in every way, I can’t wait to look in the mirror ‘cause I get better looking each day. To know me is to love me, I must be hell of a man, O Lord, it’s hard to be humble, but I’m doing the best that I can!” 
 

Prayer: Like singer Mac Davis, do we not sometimes feel it’s hard to be humble? Therefore, let’s kneel upon the soil of the earth and learn humility from Him who said, “Learn from me, for I am meek and humble of heart” (Mt 11:29) … and, let us pray, “Lord, teach me to be like You—meek and humble of heart, Amen.” 

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1. The first reading, which appears towards the end of the Book of Isaiah—also called ‘Trito-Isaiah’ or ‘Third Isaiah’—was written after the return of the peoples from the BabylonianExile around 538 BC. The prophet seeks to console the exiles who have returned, sad and depressed at the sight of the destroyed temple and their desolate homelands. Through the mouth of the prophet, God reassures his peoples that the glory of Jerusalem will be restored and it will, once again, attract throngs of pilgrims from everywhere. God says, “I am coming to gather the nations of every language” and “they will bring all peoples from all the nations to my holy mountain.” Note the tone of universality or ‘catholicity’ since there is no longer any mention of merely the Jews converging towards Jerusalem but “all the nations and tongues”. The last line, “I [God] will also take some of them as priests and Levites” (v.21), is significant. Hitherto, only the descendants of Aaron could be priests and only Levites could serve in the temple. But henceforth, Gentiles and others considered ‘not-so-pure’ by the Jews will serve in holy places. Similar prophecies are found elsewhere in the First Testament, especially in the Book of Isaiah, to signify the great gathering together of all peoples of the world at Zion at the beginning of the messianic age.
    
2. The theme of ‘catholicity’ in the sense of ‘universality’ is reiterated in the gospel reading. The question: “Lord, will only a few be saved?” prompts Jesus to caution his disciples about the exclusivist and ‘holier-than-thou’ mindsets that led pious Jews to feel that only they, and nobody else, would be saved. Rather than answer the query directly, Jesus tells his hearers that many would not be saved simply because they refused to accept and abide by the demands of discipleship. In other words, one would surely not gain automatic entry into heaven merely on account of one’s ethnic, racial, familial, social or religious background. Rather, one would have to be disciplined in one’s daily duties, charitable to one’s neighbour, and devoted to God in order to gain eternal life.
    
3. ‘Door’ is a powerful religious symbol. The entrants through the ‘narrow door’ are those who have heard God’s voice and done God’s will, difficult and dangerous though it was. Therefore, they have been found worthy of the heavenly inheritance. Those who arrive late—after the houseowner “has got up and shut the door”—are the guilty ones who tarried and did not promptly answer the Lord’s call. They will see not only their faithful forefathers—Abraham, Isaac and Jacob—seated at the heavenly banquet, but, more surprisingly, those peoples from “east and west, from north and south” (namely, everyone whom they despised). Those “last who will be first” are the non-Jews, who immediately accepted Jesus’ offer of salvation by mending their ways and following him. Christian faith interprets these promises as being partly fulfilled in either the present entry of diverse peoples into the Church or in the future entry of all peoples into God’s Kingdom.

Linking the 2^nd Reading to the Theme:

In the second reading, the author of the letter to the Hebrews strives to instill courage into the hearts of the new coverts to Christianity who face persecutions. The reading suggests ‘divine disciplining’, so to say, with the community forewarned, “Suffering is part of your training. God is treating you as sons/daughters.” The second reading links the first and the third. While God desires that everyone be saved (see 1 Tim 2:4), salvation is no easy-going option, for it demands entry by what Jesus calls ‘the narrow door’. Surprisingly, those denied entry into the Master’s house in the gospel claim: “We once ate and drank in your company;” and yet, they are told: “I do not know from where you come. Away from me you wicked men!” 

Two Concerns and Challenges:

1. The Exclusivist-Inclusivist Concern: In times when many religionists tend to be exclusivist and hostile to believers of other religions, every Christian today is called to be ‘catholic’, universal and inclusivist in believing that God desires the salvation of all God’s children. Furthermore, this same God also chooses us to be co-saviours and collaborators with Christ in the divine plan of salvation.
2. The Challenge of Choice: Poet Robert Frost wrote, “Two roads diverged in a wood, and I, I took the one less traveled by, and that has made all the difference.” The ‘road less travelled’ inevitably leads to the ‘narrow door’ fraught with perils and persecutions. However, when one bears risks and dares to face difficulties, one is likely to reap a rich harvest. What will I-You choose? The narrow or the broad? Less travelled or weatherworn?