The Exaltation of the Holy Cross
My dear parishioners,
God is Good!!! All the time!!! And all the time!!! God is Good!!!
The evangelist Luke dedicates the whole of Chapter 15 to the theme of forgiveness. This is a key emphasis running throughout the entire Gospel. Luke is convinced that anyone who is willing to repent of his or her sins can be assured of God’s forgiveness. He presents three parables to make his point. Each one deals with “lost and found.”
The sheep and the coin. These two parables are short. The first deals with a shepherd who loses one sheep out of a 100 and hunts it down until he finds it. The second parable tells of a woman who loses one of 10 coins and sweeps the entire house until she finds it. Both the shepherd and the woman rejoice at finding what was lost. Luke interprets both parables from the perspective of the lost sheep and the lost coin. For him, these represent sinners. Luke’s teaching is that there is more joy in heaven and among the angels over one sinner who repents than over many who do not.
No Christian believer would argue with Luke’s teaching. However, is that exactly what Jesus taught? Neither the sheep nor the coin repent. In fact, both the shepherd and the woman are depicted as extremely assertive in finding what was lost. No real shepherd would ever do that nor would an ordinary person sweep a whole house to find a penny. Jesus seems to focus on the shepherd and the woman as metaphors for God. This is how much God loves us. God’s love for us appears extreme, and repentance is not a requirement!
A father and two lost sons. This third parable uses the same dynamic as the previous ones. The younger son squanders his inheritance and brings monumental shame upon himself and his family. He should have been shunned by his father for life. When the young son returns home, not because of repentance but out of desperation, the father treats him like royalty with no questions asked. Again, no repentance and an extreme father.
The elder-son syndrome. The elder son is just as lost as the younger one but will not admit it. He hates how the younger son has been accepted back, but he will not accept for himself that same graciousness from his father. Again, the father requires no repentance and continues to treat the elder son with extreme love. Could God be this extreme with God’s love? Jesus says yes. Jesus’ teaching is even more radical than Luke’s.
Excerpts from “Sunday Homily Helps”, is used by permission of Franciscan Media. www.FranciscanMedia.org. All rights reserved
Sincerely in Christ,
Fr. Aloysius