20190323
SHOWING
CLEMENCY IS SHARING IN GOD’S DELIGHT
23 MARCH, 2019,
Saturday, 2nd Week in Lent
Readings at Mass
Liturgical Colour:
Violet.
|
First reading
|
|
Micah 7:14-15,18-20 ©
|
|
Have pity on us one more time
|
With shepherd’s crook, O Lord, lead your
people to pasture,
the flock that is your heritage,
living confined in a forest
with meadow land all around.
Let them pasture in Bashan and Gilead
as in the days of old.
As in the days when you came out of Egypt
grant us to see wonders.
What god can compare with you: taking
fault away,
pardoning crime,
not cherishing anger for ever
but delighting in showing mercy?
Once more have pity on us,
tread down our faults,
to the bottom of the sea
throw all our sins.
Grant Jacob your faithfulness,
and Abraham your mercy,
as you swore to our fathers
from the days of long ago.
|
Responsorial Psalm
|
|
Psalm
102(103):1-4,9-12 ©
|
The Lord is compassion
and love.
My soul, give thanks to the Lord
all my being, bless his holy
name.
My soul, give thanks to the Lord
and never forget all his
blessings.
The Lord is compassion
and love.
It is he who forgives all your guilt,
who heals every one of your
ills,
who redeems your life from the grave,
who crowns you with love and
compassion.
The Lord is compassion
and love.
His wrath will come to an end;
he will not be angry for ever.
He does not treat us according to our sins
nor repay us according to our
faults.
The Lord is compassion
and love.
For as the heavens are high above the
earth
so strong is his love for
those who fear him.
As far as the east is from the west
so far does he remove our
sins.
The Lord is compassion
and love.
|
Gospel Acclamation
|
Lk15:18
|
Glory and praise to you, O Christ!
I will leave this place and go to my
father and say:
‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and
against you.’
Glory and praise to you, O Christ!
|
Gospel
|
|
Luke 15:1-3,11-32 ©
|
|
The prodigal son
|
The tax collectors and the sinners were
all seeking the company of Jesus to hear what he had to say, and the Pharisees
and the scribes complained. ‘This man’ they said ‘welcomes sinners and eats
with them.’ So he spoke this parable to them:
‘A
man had two sons. The younger said to his father, “Father, let me have the
share of the estate that would come to me.” So the father divided the property
between them. A few days later, the younger son got together everything he had
and left for a distant country where he squandered his money on a life of
debauchery.
‘When
he had spent it all, that country experienced a severe famine, and now he began
to feel the pinch, so he hired himself out to one of the local inhabitants who
put him on his farm to feed the pigs. And he would willingly have filled his
belly with the husks the pigs were eating but no one offered him anything. Then
he came to his senses and said, “How many of my father’s paid servants have
more food than they want, and here am I dying of hunger! I will leave this
place and go to my father and say: Father, I have sinned against heaven and
against you; I no longer deserve to be called your son; treat me as one of your
paid servants.” So he left the place and went back to his father.
‘While
he was still a long way off, his father saw him and was moved with pity. He ran
to the boy, clasped him in his arms and kissed him tenderly. Then his son said,
“Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. I no longer deserve to
be called your son.” But the father said to his servants, “Quick! Bring out the
best robe and put it on him; put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet.
Bring the calf we have been fattening, and kill it; we are going to have a
feast, a celebration, because this son of mine was dead and has come back to
life; he was lost and is found.” And they began to celebrate.
‘Now
the elder son was out in the fields, and on his way back, as he drew near the
house, he could hear music and dancing. Calling one of the servants he asked
what it was all about. “Your brother has come” replied the servant “and your
father has killed the calf we had fattened because he has got him back safe and
sound.” He was angry then and refused to go in, and his father came out to
plead with him; but he answered his father, “Look, all these years I have
slaved for you and never once disobeyed your orders, yet you never offered me
so much as a kid for me to celebrate with my friends. But, for this son of
yours, when he comes back after swallowing up your property – he and his
women – you kill the calf we had been fattening.”
‘The
father said, “My son, you are with me always and all I have is yours. But it
was only right we should celebrate and rejoice, because your brother here was
dead and has come to life; he was lost and is found.”’
SHOWING CLEMENCY
IS SHARING IN GOD’S DELIGHT
SCRIPTURE READINGS: [ MICAH 7:14-15, 18-20; PS 103:1-4,9-12; LK 15:1-3; 11-32 ]
We are brought up in a
culture of conditional love, of cause and effect and meritocracy. From young, we are reminded that no
one owes us a living. We have to work hard to survive. Whether
consciously or unconsciously, we have imbibed in this feeling that we are loved
if we behave ourselves. We are punished and rejected if we do not.
So we always live in fear of failure and rejection, not just by society but
even by our loved ones. We try hard to please our parents and superiors
to earn their love, approval and support.
Those of us who could
behave in this manner, like the elder Son, are without joy or happiness. Life is a chore and a matter of fulfilling
our duties and obligations. This was what the elder son in the gospel
said to the father. “Look, all these years I have slaved for you and
never once disobeyed your orders, yet you never offered me so much as a kid for
me to celebrate with my friends.” He was a slave to the laws and
the expectations of others. He was a hard man, both towards himself and
towards others. He could not stand imperfections and irresponsibility
because his whole life was about work and more work. It was to prove to
others, especially his father, that he was acceptable.
Many of us behave like
the elder son. We think that if we stop working, no one would be bothered
with us.We seek attention and
security, which is to feel needed and indispensable. The moment
work is taken away from us we do not know what to do with our lives. We
exist for work and we live for work. We constantly need to prove that we
are worthy of love. We cannot accept our weaknesses. As a result, we live a
double life to find acceptance. We are not ready to admit our faults and
imperfections. We are always looking at the sins of others whilst
overlooking our own. We are quick to find fault with those who fail in
living out the Christian life but oblivious to our faults because we are
blinded for fear that if we acknowledge them, we would have to change.
This was what the Lord said to the Jews, quoting from the prophet Isaiah, “they
may indeed look, but not perceive, and may indeed listen, but not understand;
so that they may not turn again and be forgiven.” (Mk 4:12 cf Isa 6:9f)
Indeed, the elder son
did not know that the meaning of life is not work and obligations but love and
fellowship. He missed out on the aspect of celebration, fun and joy. He could not celebrate either for
himself or with others. He was a wet blanket. Celebrations, for
him, were a waste of precious time, which could be spent on more work and
making more money. Indeed, we read that “the elder son was out in the
fields, and on his way back, as he drew near the house, he could hear music and
dancing. Calling one of the servants he asked what it was all about. ‘Your
brother has come’ replied the servant ‘and your father has killed the calf we
had fattened because he has got him back safe and sound.’ He was angry then and
refused to go in, and his father came out to plead with him.” He remained
outside the house of joy, love and fellowship. He was outside the
Father’s House, which is what heaven is all about.
Of course, we can end up
by being slaves to the world, addicted to pleasure and a life of debauchery and
sin. Those
of us who succumb to sin become slaves to sin, like the prodigal son who sought
freedom. “The younger son got together everything he had and left for a distant
country where he squandered his money on a life of debauchery.” This will
also destroy us. We will suffer the consequences as the younger son did.
“When he had spent it all, that country experienced a severe famine, and now he
began to feel the pinch, so he hired himself out to one of the local
inhabitants who put him on his farm to feed the pigs. And he would willingly
have filled his belly with the husks the pigs were eating but no one offered
him anything.” Living an irresponsible life means reaping the
consequences.
Today, the Lord wants to
heal us. The psalmist says,
“It is he who forgives all your guilt, who heals every one of your ills, who
redeems your life from the grave, who crowns you with love and
compassion.” Indeed, the Lord is not a judge or a discipline master
who demands perfection in us. He knows our weaknesses and
sinfulness. He knows that we are but man. He even allows us the
freedom to make mistakes, as in the case of the Prodigal Son. He understands
that we learn best through experience and trials. It is part of growing
up. Even Jesus Himself went through that process. “Although he was a Son,
he learned obedience through what he suffered; and having been made perfect, he
became the source of eternal salvation for all who obey him.” (Heb 5:8f)
Nevertheless, He is
there watching and waiting patiently for us to return. Like the Prodigal Father, we read,
“While he was still a long way off, his father saw him and was moved with pity.
He ran to the boy, clasped him in his arms and kissed him
tenderly.” When we return, He runs to us and embraces us with
joy. He does not keep a record of wrongs. (cf 1 Cor 13:5) He did not bother to hear the
excuses which the prodigal son had rehearsed earlier: “I will leave
this place and go to my father and say: Father, I have sinned against heaven
and against you; I no longer deserve to be called your son; treat me as one of
your paid servants.” He cut short his apology and instead asked that he
be restored quickly to his sonship and that they must celebrate. “Quick!
Bring out the best robe and put it on him; put a ring on his finger and sandals
on his feet. Bring the calf we have been fattening, and kill it; we are going
to have a feast, a celebration because this son of mine was dead and has come
back to life; he was lost and is found.”
Such is the forgiving
love and mercy of God.
As the psalmist says, “His wrath will come to an end; he will not be angry for
ever: He does not treat us according to our sins nor repay us according to our
faults. For as the heavens are high above the earth so strong is his love
for those who fear him. As far as the east is from the west so far does he
remove our sins?” The Prophet Micah so beautifully captures the heart of
God. He said, “What god can compare with you: taking fault away,
pardoning crime, not cherishing anger forever but delighting in showing mercy?
Once more have pity on us, tread down our faults, to the bottom of the sea
throw all our sins. Grant Jacob your faithfulness and Abraham your mercy, as
you swore to our fathers from the days of long ago.”
Having received such
gifts, what must we do? Our
response to such magnanimous mercy of God is to praise Him. With the
psalmist we say, “The Lord is compassion and love. My soul, give thanks to the
Lord all my being, bless his holy name. My soul, give thanks to the Lord and
never forget all his blessings.” We praise God best by extending His
forgiveness to those who have offended us. Having received His mercy, we
must welcome sinners as Jesus did, and receive them as well. “The father
said, ‘My son, you are with me always and all I have is yours. But it was only
right we should celebrate and rejoice, because your brother here was dead and
has come to life; he has lost and is found.'”
We must not conduct
ourselves like the elder Son. We must celebrate the return of sinners and not grudge
them like the self-righteous religious leaders. “The tax collectors and
the sinners were all seeking the company of Jesus to hear what he had to say,
and the Pharisees and the scribes complained. ‘This man’ they said ‘welcomes
sinners and eats with them.'” Let us rejoice when every sinner returns
home. Let us welcome them when they repent and not take into account
their sins in the past. Like Jesus, we must also say, “Father, forgive
them for they do not know what they are doing.” (cf Lk 23:34) Some might take a long time to
come to their senses like the prodigal son. We are all ignorant when we
sin. But when they do, let us welcome them with joy and celebrate their
return to a better life. Like the prodigal father, we do not harp
on their past. To forgive means also to forget. And to forget means to rejoice
that their sins and mistakes have taught them the truth about themselves and
the love and mercy of God. When they return, they will come back as
renewed persons who now truly know how to live and celebrate life and love.
Written
by The Most Rev William Goh, Roman Catholic Archbishop of Singapore © All
Rights Reserved
No comments:
Post a Comment