Deacon Tom Anthony

Twenty-fourth Sunday in Ordinary Time
Lectionary: 132

Reading 1 Ex 32:7-11, 13-14

The LORD said to Moses,
"Go down at once to your people,
whom you brought out of the land of Egypt,
for they have become depraved.
They have soon turned aside from the way I pointed out to them,
making for themselves a molten calf and worshiping it,
sacrificing to it and crying out,
'This is your God, O Israel,
who brought you out of the land of Egypt!'
"I see how stiff-necked this people is, " continued the LORD to Moses.
Let me alone, then,
that my wrath may blaze up against them to consume them.
Then I will make of you a great nation."

But Moses implored the LORD, his God, saying,
"Why, O LORD, should your wrath blaze up against your own people,
whom you brought out of the land of Egypt
with such great power and with so strong a hand?
Remember your servants Abraham, Isaac, and Israel,
and how you swore to them by your own self, saying,
'I will make your descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky;
and all this land that I promised,
I will give your descendants as their perpetual heritage.'"
So the LORD relented in the punishment
he had threatened to inflict on his people.

Responsorial Psalm Ps 51:3-4, 12-13, 17, 19

R. (Lk 15:18)  I will rise and go to my father.
Have mercy on me, O God, in your goodness;
in the greatness of your compassion wipe out my offense.
Thoroughly wash me from my guilt
and of my sin cleanse me.
R. I will rise and go to my father.
A clean heart create for me, O God,
and a steadfast spirit renew within me.
Cast me not out from your presence,
and your Holy Spirit take not from me.
R. I will rise and go to my father.
O Lord, open my lips,
and my mouth shall proclaim your praise.
My sacrifice, O God, is a contrite spirit;
a heart contrite and humbled, O God, you will not spurn.
R. I will rise and go to my father.

Reading 2 1 Tm 1:12-17

Beloved:
I am grateful to him who has strengthened me, Christ Jesus our Lord,
because he considered me trustworthy
in appointing me to the ministry.
I was once a blasphemer and a persecutor and arrogant,
but I have been mercifully treated
because I acted out of ignorance in my unbelief.
Indeed, the grace of our Lord has been abundant,
along with the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus.
This saying is trustworthy and deserves full acceptance:
Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners.
Of these I am the foremost.
But for that reason I was mercifully treated,
so that in me, as the foremost,
Christ Jesus might display all his patience as an example
for those who would come to believe in him for everlasting life.
To the king of ages, incorruptible, invisible, the only God,
honor and glory forever and ever.  Amen.

Alleluia 2 Cor 5:19

R. Alleluia, alleluia.
God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ
and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.

Gospel Lk 15:1-32

Tax collectors and sinners were all drawing near to listen to Jesus,
but the Pharisees and scribes began to complain, saying,
“This man welcomes sinners and eats with them.”
So to them he addressed this parable.
“What man among you having a hundred sheep and losing one of them
would not leave the ninety-nine in the desert
and go after the lost one until he finds it?
And when he does find it,
he sets it on his shoulders with great joy
and, upon his arrival home,
he calls together his friends and neighbors and says to them,
‘Rejoice with me because I have found my lost sheep.’
I tell you, in just the same way
there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents
than over ninety-nine righteous people
who have no need of repentance.

“Or what woman having ten coins and losing one
would not light a lamp and sweep the house,
searching carefully until she finds it?
And when she does find it,
she calls together her friends and neighbors
and says to them,
‘Rejoice with me because I have found the coin that I lost.’
In just the same way, I tell you,
there will be rejoicing among the angels of God
over one sinner who repents.”

Then he said,
“A man had two sons, and the younger son said to his father,
‘Father give me the share of your estate that should come to me.’
So the father divided the property between them.
After a few days, the younger son collected all his belongings
and set off to a distant country
where he squandered his inheritance on a life of dissipation.
When he had freely spent everything,
a severe famine struck that country,
and he found himself in dire need.
So he hired himself out to one of the local citizens
who sent him to his farm to tend the swine.
And he longed to eat his fill of the pods on which the swine fed,
but nobody gave him any.
Coming to his senses he thought,
‘How many of my father’s hired workers
have more than enough food to eat,
but here am I, dying from hunger.
I shall get up and go to my father and I shall say to him,
“Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you.
I no longer deserve to be called your son;
treat me as you would treat one of your hired workers.”’
So he got up and went back to his father.
While he was still a long way off,
his father caught sight of him,
and was filled with compassion.
He ran to his son, embraced him and kissed him.
His son said to him,
‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you;
I no longer deserve to be called your son.’
But his father ordered his servants,
‘Quickly bring the finest robe and put it on him;
put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet.
Take the fattened calf and slaughter it.
Then let us celebrate with a feast,
because this son of mine was dead, and has come to life again;
he was lost, and has been found.’
Then the celebration began.
Now the older son had been out in the field
and, on his way back, as he neared the house,
he heard the sound of music and dancing.
He called one of the servants and asked what this might mean.
The servant said to him,
‘Your brother has returned
and your father has slaughtered the fattened calf
because he has him back safe and sound.’
He became angry,
and when he refused to enter the house,
his father came out and pleaded with him.
He said to his father in reply,
‘Look, all these years I served you
and not once did I disobey your orders;
yet you never gave me even a young goat to feast on with my friends. But when your son returns,
who swallowed up your property with prostitutes,
for him you slaughter the fattened calf.’
He said to him,
‘My son, you are here with me always;
everything I have is yours.
But now we must celebrate and rejoice,
because your brother was dead and has come to life again;
he was lost and has been found.’”

 MY BROTHERS AND SISTERS,

When we enter into a relationship with Jesus Christ it should be with the understanding that the benefits are all for us and He gets nothing in return. He is perfect while we are imperfect. We are undeserving of everything that is being offered while He is deserving of everything that we give to Him. Approaching Jesus this way puts us all on equal footing with Him. No one is better and no one is less in the eyes of Jesus. We are all loved the same and have all of the same opportunities through Him. There is no reward system where His love is earned or someone receives greater gifts because they are doing what is expected of themselves in relation to Him. In fact, the opposite holds true. Those who are hurting or struggling will actually receive the greater attention and will have the greater opportunity to experience Christ more fully then those who are possessors of a greater knowledge of their relationship with Him. This isn’t because the ones who are hurting are loved more. It is just because more attention is required because they are sick and are in need of healing.

Being recognized for the good that we do is a human trait. It is nice to receive praise and recognition for a job well done but it should never be expected. Knowing that we are loved by God should be enough and being in the presence of His love should also be reward enough. It is our pride that demands that we receive accolades but, as Christians,  this expectation can actually become an obstacle between us and God. Those who are struggling with their relationship with God need treatment and are in greater need of more attention than us who are possessors of a higher truth. Jesus told us that from those who know more, more will be expected. Part of this expectation is the understanding that there will be an intent focus on individuals who are in need of healing or have not entered fully into a relationship with God. It is our responsibility to bring the love of God to them and let God work through us. We are His instruments and He is the principle who utilizes us to build up His kingdom here on this earth. We do not work for accolades. Instead, we work for God. The good works that are completed through us is congratulations enough and serves as validation for our faith and way of life. When these works are done we stay healed and have the ability to heal others. When this happens we then celebrate the healing and God’s love is further realized collectively and not individually.

Those who have found joy in Jesus Christ and who are experiencing a relationship with Him are open to a new way of seeing and experiencing things. Their eyes are open and a higher truth can be witnessed. This leads to a completely new life that has as its foundation the love of God. There is a natural reaction to invite all others into this experience where each person is welcomed as a guest and invited to enjoy the continuous celebration that results. When those people respond they are welcomed as newly arrived guests would be welcomed to any great celebration and they then become the center of attention for a brief moment until other newcomers arrive. There is no need to concentrate on those who are already partaking for they are already comfortable and in the throes of jubilation. The task is to greet the newcomer and insure that they too will have the full experience. Everyone will then celebrate experiencing the joy of each other and each other’s company surrounded completely by God.

In the Parable of the Lost Son it is good to sometimes meditate on the relationship between the father and his eldest son. The attention can easily be drawn to how the younger son took his father’s inheritance, squandered it, and then returned home humiliated and humbled only to be welcomed with overflowing love and forgiveness by his father. The relationship and interaction between the eldest son and the father can sometimes become lost in the story but has great worth nonetheless. In this relationship we see a son who has worked hard all of his life and has obeyed all of the rules. He always did what his father had told him and never complained when he didn’t receive accolades for his good work. Apparently it never bothered him until the day that his brother returned and how his father treated his brother’s arrival. The older son became angry and upset. His father reminded his son that he has and always will love him; telling him that whatever he had was his but that his brother returning to them to become a part of them again was cause for celebration. The love that comes forth from this celebration becomes a healing remedy for the entire family because they all became partakers in it. The only time a celebration such as this causes division is when human emotion takes precedent over that which is Godly and there is a refusal to what is being given.

Because no one deserves God’s love in the first place there should be no jealousy when someone becomes a receiver of that love regardless of who is receiving it. There is no competition in the Christian Way of Life and there is no competition with God. We have already won by being His children and receiving all of the benefits thereof. Every one of us is special and is loved. It is together that God is realized and His Kingdom is built up on this earth: through Him, by Him, and through us. In the end, all of it is done for us because He loves us.

Deacon Tom