Since we are travellers and pilgrims in the world, let us ever ponder on the end of the road, that is of our life, for the end of our roadway is our home (St Columban, 8th sermon).
GospelJohn 8:1-11 (English Standard
Version, Anglicised)
At that time: Jesus went to the Mount of Olives. Early in the
morning he came again to the temple. All the people came to him, and he sat
down and taught them. The scribes and the Pharisees brought a woman who had
been caught in adultery, and placing her in the midst they said to him,
‘Teacher, this woman has been caught in the act of adultery. Now in the Law,
Moses commanded us to stone such women. So what do you say?’ This they said to
test him, that they might have some charge to bring against him. Jesus bent
down and wrote with his finger on the ground. And as they continued to ask him,
he stood up and said to them, ‘Let him who is without sin among you be the
first to throw a stone at her.’ And once more he bent down and wrote on the
ground. But when they heard it, they went away one by one, beginning with the
older ones, and Jesus was left alone with the woman standing before him. Jesus
stood up and said to her, ‘Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?’
She said, ‘No one, Lord.’ And Jesus said, ‘Neither do I condemn you; go, and
from now on sin no more.’
More than 40 years ago I did a number of brief supplies in parishes in one of the western states of the USA. In one parish, where I stayed only from Saturday till Monday morning, the Sunday gospel was one showing the mercy of Jesus. I forget which one, but know it wasn't today's. In my homily I emphasised God's love for us as sinners and how he wants to welcome us back when we turn away from him, partly or fully, by sinning.
On Monday morning I found an anonymous note that had been shoved under the front door of the priest's house. The style was that of a teenage girl. But the message was one for which I thanked God.
The writer said that for years she had hated God, thinking that God hated her. But whatever was in the gospel that Sunday and whatever I said in my homily had touched her deeply, making her aware of God's unconditional love for her precisely as a sinner, a love that led her to let go of the hatred she had been carrying.
Today's gospel shows so clearly the profound, merciful love that Jesus has for the sinner. We tend to focus on his mercy for the woman taken in adultery. She is indeed the main focal point. But we also see the merciful love of Jesus for those who had accused her. Jesus often spoke harshly to and about hypocrites. But on this occasion he brings the men who had wanted to execute the woman to reflect on their own sinfulness.Let him who is without sin among you be the first to throw a stone at her. And the men did respond:But when they heard it, they went away one by one, beginning with the older ones.
Today's gospel reflects that of last Sunday, the parable of the Prodigal Son. The older son couldn't see beyond the great sins of his younger brother and failed even to see his father's love shown to himself each day. But the father gently points out,Son, you are always with me, and all that is mine is yours.
The men in the gospel could see only the sin of the woman. And she had committed a grave sin. Adultery is never a 'peccadillo', a 'little sin'. It is among other things a grave sin of injustice and causes grief to the other spouse and to their children, as I know only too well from listening to individuals over more than 57 years as a priest. One person I knew, in her late teens attempted suicide because of her father's adultery. Fortunately, she discovered through the care they took to help her to recover that her parents truly loved her, despite the sin of her father.
We live in a time when it is considered a 'grave sin' to be 'judgmental'. The 'grave sin' is not against God but against current 'thinking' and 'feeling'. Yet certain persons are called by their very professions to be judgmental: judges, teachers, doctors, referees and umpires, for example.
And Jesus in this instance is judgmental in that sense. He first asks the woman, Has no one condemned you? He then goes on to say, Neither do I condemn you. Go your way, and from now on do not sin again.
Jesus judges the woman - but doesn't condemn her. He acknowledges her sin - but sends her away forgiven. By this he calls her to conversion as he does to each of us and to the whole Church through this gospel and through the season of Lent Jesus has given us through the Church a powerful way of experiencing what the woman in today's gospel did: the Sacrament of Reconciliation/Confession/Penance. We're not usually dragged to the confessional by people condemning us. But we acknowledge there our sins while acknowledging God's mercy and its power that is greater than the power of sin. Among other things, 'The whole power of the sacrament of Penance consists in restoring us to God's grace and joining us with him in an intimate friendship.' Reconciliation with God is thus the purpose and effect of this sacrament. For those who receive the sacrament of Penance with contrite heart and religious disposition, reconciliation 'is usually followed by peace and serenity of conscience with strong spiritual consolation.' Indeed the sacrament of Reconciliation with God brings about a true 'spiritual resurrection,' restoration of the dignity and blessings of the life of the children of God, of which the most precious is friendship with God. (Catechism of the Catholic Church, No 1468).
Readings(Jerusalem Bible: Australia,
England & Wales, India [optional], Ireland, New Zealand, Pakistan,
Scotland, South Africa)
GospelLuke 15:1-32 [or 15:1-10] (New
Revised Standard Version, Anglicised Catholic Edition, Canada)
Now all the
tax-collectors and sinners were coming near to listen to him. And the
Pharisees and the scribes were grumbling and saying, ‘This fellow welcomes
sinners and eats with them.’
So he told
them this parable: ‘Which one of you, having a hundred sheep and losing
one of them, does not leave the ninety-nine in the wilderness and go after the
one that is lost until he finds it? When he has found it, he lays it on
his shoulders and rejoices. And when he comes home, he calls together his
friends and neighbours, saying to them, “Rejoice with me, for I have found my
sheep that was lost.” Just so, I tell you, there will be more joy in
heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous people who
need no repentance.
‘Or what
woman having ten silver coins, if she loses one of them, does not light a
lamp, sweep the house, and search carefully until she finds it? When she
has found it, she calls together her friends and neighbours, saying, “Rejoice
with me, for I have found the coin that I had lost.” Just so, I tell you,
there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents.’
[Then Jesus said, ‘There was a man who had two sons. The
younger of them said to his father, “Father, give me the share of the property
that will belong to me.” So he divided his property between them. A few
days later the younger son gathered all he had and travelled to a distant
country, and there he squandered his property in dissolute living. When he
had spent everything, a severe famine took place throughout that country, and
he began to be in need. So he went and hired himself out to one of the
citizens of that country, who sent him to his fields to feed the pigs. He
would gladly have filled himself with the pods that the pigs were eating;
and no one gave him anything. But when he came to himself he said, “How
many of my father’s hired hands have bread enough and to spare, but here I am
dying of hunger! I will get up and go to my father, and I will say to him,
‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you; I am no longer worthy
to be called your son; treat me like one of your hired hands.’” So he set
off and went to his father. But while he was still far off, his father saw him
and was filled with compassion; he ran and put his arms around him and kissed
him. Then the son said to him, “Father, I have sinned against heaven and
before you; I am no longer worthy to be called your son.”But the
father said to his slaves, “Quickly, bring out a robe—the best one—and put it
on him; put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet. And get the fatted
calf and kill it, and let us eat and celebrate; for this son of mine was
dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found!” And they began to
celebrate.
‘Now his elder son was in the field; and when he came and
approached the house, he heard music and dancing. He called one of the
slaves and asked what was going on. He replied, “Your brother has come,
and your father has killed the fatted calf, because he has got him back safe
and sound.” Then he became angry and refused to go in. His father came out
and began to plead with him. But he answered his father, “Listen! For all
these years I have been working like a slave for you, and I have never
disobeyed your command; yet you have never given me even a young goat so that I
might celebrate with my friends. But when this son of yours came back, who
has devoured your property with prostitutes, you killed the fatted calf for
him!” Then the father said to him, “Son, you are always with me, and
all that is mine is yours. But we had to celebrate and rejoice, because
this brother of yours was dead and has come to life; he was lost and has been
found.”’]
This week I'm going to borrow from
others. The late Fr Paul Andrews SJ was a regular contributor toTheSacred Heart Messenger,
a monthly publication of the Irish Jesuits. The general title of his column was One Page Wisdom and the specific title of his column in the
September 2016 issue is Messy Families. I'm quoting it in full.
We know about families. We have all
survived them, more or less. You remember the Gospel parable about the father
of the prodigal son - and here Jesus is talking about God. the boy made a fool
of him by squandering the family fortune and reputation. His older son was so
envious of the kid brother that he would not attend the homecoming party.
God knows about troubled families.
They are nothing out of the ordinary. In that lovely parable, the father enjoys
the being of
his son even when he is in every way a thorn in the father's heart. Scanning
the horizon from his window he sees a forlorn, debauched figure slouching
towards home, and runs out to meet him, speechless with joy.
We may dream of an ideal family with lively, intelligent, obedient children - who line up with their parents for Church on Sunday, pass their exams, compete in community sports, and visit their granny.
Move away from such rosy pictures. There is no such thing as perfect parents, or perfect children. God is not the presenter of prizes at a high-powered graduation, but the one who helps us clean up the mess or live with it, and then approach the future as a friend, without a wardrobe (closet) of excuses.
Fr Andrews writes: His older son was so envious of the kid brother that he would not attend the homecoming party.I would not totally agree with him on that. Part of the genius of this parable is that it's open-ended. We don't know if the older son reflected on the matter and decided to join the celebration. Maybe he did, maybe he didn't. But the story that Jesus told invites each of us to ask ourselves a number of questions. In what way do I resemble the father? Which of the two sons am I more like? If there's more of the older brother in me do I rejoice when my younger brother comes home? Do I thank God for his daily blessings? If there's more of the younger brother in me do I trust in God's mercy and decide to come home?
My other 'guest' this week is the late Swiss theologian Fr Hans Urs von Balthasar (1905 - 1988). Here is part of his reflection on the Sunday readings from his bookLight of the Word, published by Ignatius Press, San Francisco, USA.
In the third parable the father does not wait at home for the lost son, rather, he hurries to meet him and throws his arms around his neck. God's search for the lost does not mean that he does not know where the lost one is. Instead, it tells us that he searches to find which paths will be effective, which paths will permit the sinner to find his way back. This is God's 'exertion', which expresses itself in the culminating risk of giving his Son for the lost world. If the Son descends into the most profound abandonment of sin, to the point of losing the Father, then this is God exerting himself to the uttermost in his search for the lost. 'when we were still sinners, God had mercy on us through the sacrifice of his Son' (Romans 5:8).
Mother Teresa, in all aspects of her life, was a generous dispenser of divine mercy, making herself available for everyone through her welcome and defence of human life, those unborn and those abandoned and discarded. She was committed to defending life, ceaselessly proclaiming that 'the unborn are the weakest, the smallest, the most vulnerable'. She bowed down before those who were spent, left to die on the side of the road, seeing in them their God-given dignity; she made her voice heard before the powers of this world, so that they might recognize their guilt for the crime – the crimes! – of poverty they created. For Mother Teresa, mercy was the 'salt' which gave flavour to her work, it was the 'light' which shone in the darkness of the many who no longer had tears to shed for their poverty and suffering. [Pope Francis, homily at canonisation of St Mother Teresa of Kolkata, 4 September 2016].
Misa Criolla, Kyrie
Señor ten piedad de nosotros. Lord, have mercy on us.
Cristo ten piedad de nosotros. Christ, have mercy on us.
Señor ten piedad de nosotros. Lord, have mercy on us.
A setting in Spanish of the Kyrie eleison (Lord, have mercy) from Misa Criolla by Argentinian composerAriel Ramírez (1921 - 2010).
Now
all the tax collectors and sinners were coming near to listen to Jesus.And the Pharisees and the scribes
were grumbling and saying, “This fellow welcomes sinners and eats with them.”
So he told them this parable:“Which one
of you, having a hundred sheep and losing one of them, does not leave the
ninety-nine in the wilderness and go after the one that is lost until he finds
it?When he has found it, he lays it on his
shoulders and rejoices.And when he comes home, he calls together his
friends and neighbors, saying to them, ‘Rejoice with me, for I have found my
sheep that was lost.’Just so, I tell you, there will be more joy in heaven over one
sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who need no
repentance.
“Or what woman having
ten silver coins,if she loses one of them, does not light a lamp, sweep the house,
and search carefully until she finds it?When she has
found it, she calls together her friends and neighbors, saying, ‘Rejoice with
me, for I have found the coin that I had lost.’Just so, I tell you, there is joy in the presence of the angels of
God over one sinner who repents.”
[Then Jesussaid, “There was a man who had two
sons.The younger
of them said to his father, ‘Father, give me the share of the property that
will belong to me.’ So he divided his property between them.A few days
later the younger son gathered all he had and traveled to a distant country,
and there he squandered his property in dissolute living.When he had
spent everything, a severe famine took place throughout that country, and he
began to be in need.So he went
and hired himself out to one of the citizens of that country, who sent him to
his fields to feed the pigs.He would
gladly have filled himself withthe pods that the pigs were eating;
and no one gave him anything.But when he
came to himself he said, ‘How many of my father’s hired hands have bread enough
and to spare, but here I am dying of hunger!I will get
up and go to my father, and I will say to him, “Father, I have sinned against
heaven and before you;I am no
longer worthy to be called your son; treat me like one of your hired hands.”’So he set
off and went to his father. But while he was still far off, his father saw him
and was filled with compassion; he ran and put his arms around him and kissed him.Then the son
said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you; I am no
longer worthy to be called your son. But the father said to his slaves,
‘Quickly, bring out a robe—the best one—and put it on him; put a ring on his
finger and sandals on his feet.And get the
fatted calf and kill it, and let us eat and celebrate;for this son of mine was dead and is
alive again; he was lost and is found!’ And they began to celebrate.
“Now his
elder son was in the field; and when he came and approached the house, he heard
music and dancing.He called
one of the slaves and asked what was going on.He replied,
‘Your brother has come, and your father has killed the fatted calf, because he
has got him back safe and sound.’Then he became angry and refused to
go in. His father came out and began to plead with him.But he
answered his father, ‘Listen! For all these years I have been working like a
slave for you, and I have never disobeyed your command; yet you have never
given me even a young goat so that I might celebrate with my friends.But when
this son of yours came back, who has devoured your property with prostitutes,
you killed the fatted calf for him!’Then the fathersaid to him, ‘Son, you are always
with me, and all that is mine is yours.But we had to celebrate and rejoice,
because this brother of yours was dead and has come to life; he was lost and
has been found.’”]
This week I'm going to borrow from others. Fr Paul Andrews SJ is a regular contributor to The Sacred Heart Messenger, a monthly publication of the Irish Jesuits. The general title of his column is One Page Wisdom and the specific title of his column in the September 2016 issue is Messy Families. I'm quoting it in full.
We know about families. We have all survived them, more or less. You remember the Gospel parable about the father of the prodigal son - and here Jesus is talking about God. the boy made a fool of him by squandering the family fortune and reputation. His older son was so envious of the kid brother that he would not attend the homecoming party.
God knows about troubled families. They are nothing out of the ordinary. In that lovely parable, the father enjoys the being of his son even when he is in every way a thorn in the father's heart. Scanning the horizon from his window he sees a forlorn, debauched figure slouching towards home, and runs out to meet him, speechless with joy.
We may dream of an ideal family with lively, intelligent, obedient children - who line up with their parents for Church on Sunday, pass their exams, compete in community sports, and visit their granny.
Move away from such rosy pictures. There is no such thing as perfect parents, or perfect children. God is not the presenter of prizes at a high-powered graduation, but the one who helps us clean up the mess or live with it, and then approach the future as a friend, without a wardrobe (closet) of excuses.
Rembrandt's painting is in The Hermitage, St Petersburg, Russia [Web Gallery of Art]
Fr Andrews writes: His older son was so envious of the kid brother that he would not attend the homecoming party.I would disagree with him on that. Part of the genius of this parable is that it's open-ended. We don't know if the older son reflected on the matter and decided to join the celebration. Maybe he did, maybe he didn't. But the story that Jesus told invites each of us to ask ourselves a number of questions. Which of the two sons am I more like? If there's more of the older brother in me do I rejoice when my younger brother comes home? Do I thank God for his daily blessings? If there's more of the younger brother in me do I trust in God's mercy and decide to come home?
My other 'guest' this week is the late Swiss theologian Fr Hans Urs von Balthasar (1905 - 1988). Here is part of his reflection on the Sunday readings from his book Light of the Word, published by Ignatius Press, San Francisco, USA.
In the third parable the father does not wait at home for the lost son, rather, he hurries to meet him and throws his arms around his neck. God's search for the lost does not mean that he does not know where the lost one is. Instead, it tells us that he searches to find which paths will be effective, which paths will permit the sinner to find his way back. This is God's 'exertion', which expresses itself in the culminating risk of giving his Son for the lost world. If the Son descends into the most profound abandonment of sin, to the point of losing the Father, then this is God exerting himself to the uttermost in his search for the lost. 'when we were still sinners, God had mercy on us through the sacrifice of his Son' (Romans 5:8).
Mother Teresa, in all aspects of her life, was a generous dispenser of divine mercy, making herself available for everyone through her welcome and defence of human life, those unborn and those abandoned and discarded. She was committed to defending life, ceaselessly proclaiming that 'the unborn are the weakest, the smallest, the most vulnerable'. She bowed down before those who were spent, left to die on the side of the road, seeing in them their God-given dignity; she made her voice heard before the powers of this world, so that they might recognize their guilt for the crime – the crimes! – of poverty they created. For Mother Teresa, mercy was the 'salt' which gave flavour to her work, it was the 'light' which shone in the darkness of the many who no longer had tears to shed for their poverty and suffering. [Pope Francis, homily at canonisation of St Mother Teresa of Kolkata, 4 September 2016].
Misa Criolla, Kyrie
Señor ten piedad de nosotros. Lord, have mercy on us.
Cristo ten piedad de nosotros. Christ, have
mercy on us.
Señor ten piedad de nosotros. Lord, have mercy on us.
A setting in Spanish of the Kyrie eleison (Lord, have mercy) from Misa Criolla by Argentinian composer Ariel Ramírez (1921 - 2010).
