God's Delight in His Children's Return to Him

Today's Gospel, Luke 15: 1-3, 11-32, presents the story of the prodigal son, who, after his father "divided the property between [his two sons],...collected all his belongings and set off for a distant country where he squandered his inheritance on a life of dissipation..... A severe famine struck the 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."

We know the rest of the story:  The father sees his son returning and is absolutely elated. He embraces him, kisses him and orders that a feast be prepared to celebrate his son's return. Royal clothing and a ring is put on his finger.  Meanwhile his older brother returns from the fields, hears the music and inquires what is going on. He is indignant and refuses to join the celebration. His father pleads with him and tries to figure out why he is so angry when, all the while, everything the father possesses has been his all along.

All of us can relate to this story in some fashion. We may be the prodigal son/daughter or the one who has been faithful all along but resent a family member who squanders everything and when returning to the family is welcomed back as though nothing happened.  We may say: "No way will I have anything to do with him/her" or, to one's parents or siblings,  "How can you have anything to do with him/her when he/she treated you and us so badly."

Lord, open our eyes and hearts to those who have gone astray, who have caused us, or anyone else, intense suffering, alienating him/herself from others by their sinful behaviors. May we be willing to welcome back those who turned from evil and embrace the good. Let us celebrate their return to grace. Let us not stand in judgment over them but, like the father of the prodigal son, rejoice in their return to You. And, Lord, thank you for treated each of us as the father in this parable treated his wayward son.  Thank you, Lord, for you compassion, love and mercy and for waiting for us to return. Thank you, also, for searching for us when we squander your goodness to us in a life of selfishness and sin. I offer this prayer in Jesus' name! Amen.

God's Hidden Plan Flowing in the Current of our Lives

How often are we blown away by circumstances in our world that are unexplainable, that, in fact threaten our well-being, threaten our faith, shatter our trust: situations, not unlike the situation that Joseph, Israel's favorite son, faced when his father sent him to his brothers, who were tending their father's flock at Shechem. Joseph's brothers hated Joseph  and were jealous of him. Seeing him approach,  they plotted to kill him. Instead, at the persuasion of Rueben, their oldest brother, they sold him for 20 pieces of silver as a slave to Ismaelites, who  happened to be passing through Shechem on their way to Egypt (Genesis 37: 3-4,12-13a1b-28a).  In Egypt, Joseph was thrown into prison, bound with chains, as we are told in today's responsorial psalm, Psalm 105, "till his prediction came to pass and the word of the Lord proved him true. The king, [then,] sent and released him, the ruler of the people set him free. He made him lord of his house and ruler of all his possessions." And it was Joseph who saved his father Israel and his brothers "when the Lord called down a famine on the land and ruined the crop that sustained them" (Psalm 105).  Note the similarities between Joseph and Jesus!

God had a plan in the history of the Israelites, part of which included Joseph becoming a key instrument in his father Israel's and his brothers' being saved from famine. God also has a plan of salvation that, through His Son Jesus,  He is working out in your life and mine, in the life of our family members, in the life of all peoples. That plan may not be obvious; in fact, that God is at work at all may be something we question, as we observe what is happening around us or far from us.

As with Israel, losing his favorite son Joseph, and with his son Joseph in prison in Egypt, we are called to wait upon the Lord, to trust in God's providence. Every day, if faith is our guide, we come face to face with situations that will open our eyes to the fact that God, not ourselves,  is in charge of our lives, the lives of our loved ones--"yes," in charge of our world. We may think that we are the one's in control and then discover that such is not the case!

In circumstances that blow us out of the water, so to speak, do we despair or do we reach out in faith to the Lord, our God? If we choose the latter, we will discover how much God's imminence, His power to save us, His wisdom in guiding us, and His quickness to strengthen us in our weakness. Like Joseph, we will blossom where we are planted, no matter in which condition is the "soil."

Jesus, help us to live as Joseph lived, making the best of our situations, continuing to be women and men of integrity in both good times and "bad" times!  Also give us the wisdom of Rueben, who persuaded his brothers not to kill their brother Joseph but to save His life.  May we live by faith and follow the Spirit's nudges in all of the challenges we face any day. I ask this in Jesus' name!  Amen!

Responding to the Needs of the Needy among Us

In today's gospel, Luke 16: 19-31, Jesus tells the Pharisees about the rich man "who dressed in purple garments and fine linen and [who] dined sumptuously each day. And lying at his door was a poor man named Lazarus, covered with sores, who would  gladly have eaten his fill of the scraps that fell from the rich man's table. Dogs even used to come and lick his sores."  Both men died, one entering heaven and the other hell.  From hell, the rich man "saw Abraham far off and Lazarus at his side." He begged Abraham to "[s]end Lazarus to dip the tip of his finger in water and cool [his] tongue, for [he] was suffering torment in [the] flames [of hell]."  Abraham reminded the rich man that on earth he enjoyed good things while Lazarus endured bad things and here in eternity the reverse happened because of the choices the rich man made on earth of ignoring the poor and needy whom he could have helped.  He is now suffering while Lazarus is being comforted.  Then the rich man begged Abraham to send Lazarus to warn his five brothers, "lest they too come to this place of torment."  Abraham responded that if his five brothers did not listen to the prophets neither could "they be persuaded if someone should rise from the dead."

Am I, are you, responding to the less fortunate when we easily could do so, or are we ignoring them, too busy or too complacent to be bothered with anyone but ourselves?

Lord, open my eyes to the poor and needy whom I encounter, or could encounter, each day and to ways that I am able to help them or make a positive difference in their lives, especially members of my own family or religious community! Also, Lord, have mercy on those who are living as did the rich man, ignoring or despising those who are poor and needy, especially despising children and the elderly who are in need of mercy and love and compassionate responses of those capable of being helpful to them! Also, Lord, may each of us listen to "prophets" in our  lives who point us to what is right and our responsibility to build up your kingdom here on earth!

Walking in Jesus' Footprints

In today's first reading, Jeremiah 18: 18-20, Jeremiah's enemies are plotting against him, saying to each other: "Come, let us contrive a plot against Jeremiah....[L]et us destroy him by his own tongue; let us carefully note his every word."  The Pharisees do the same toward Jesus, that is, listen to His every word, hoping to hear something that will justify their plot to kill Him.  They believe that they have succeeded, but death has no power over Jesus. He is raised to life on the third day, as He tells His disciples in today's Gospel, Matthew 20: 17-28: "Behold," Jesus says to them,  "we are going up to Jerusalem, and the Son of Man will be handed over to the chief priests and the scribes, and they will condemn him to death, and hand him over to the Gentiles to be mocked and scourged and crucified, and he will be raised [from death] on the third day."

The twelve don't get it. As they are walking along, James and John, through their mother, approach Jesus and ask to be seated on his left and right in His kingdom!  Jesus says to them: "'You do not know what you are asking. Can you drink the chalice that I am going to drink?' They said to him: 'We can.' He replied: 'My chalice you shall indeed drink, but to sit at my right and at my left, this is not mine to give...'"

Seeking first and second place is pretty common.Wanting to be privileged is written , it seems, in our genes.  Such desires, even to this day, lead to killing one's competitor or opponent--physical death or death of the spirit, or of the will to live or one's ability to secure jobs that will allow a person to adequately support his/her family.  We see these sinful behaviors and attitudes at work when we watch the evening news!

Applying this Scripture passage to our personal lives, in what ways to we act as James and John and their mother?  Are we arriving to be above others, missing the point of Jesus' teachings that we are here to serve others, not to be served; that we are called to pick up our crosses, as He did, and through the cross, experience resurrection?

Righteousness and Faith

Today we celebrate the feast of St. Joseph, husband of Mary and foster father of Jesus.  As a righteous man, we are told in today's Gospel, Matthew 1: 16, 18-21, 24a, Joseph faced the dilemma of Mary, his betrothed one, being pregnant outside of their living together as husband and wife.  He was struggling with how to respond and decided to divorce her quietly so as not to shame her publicly when, in sleep, an angel appeared to him and said:  "Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary your wife into your home. For it is through the Holy Spirit that this child has been conceived in her. She will bear a son and you are to name him Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins" (Mt. 1: 18-21). Joseph carried out the angel's request, risking his personal reputation in the process, just as Jesus risked His reputation for us throughout His ministry and in His being put to death by leaders of the Israelite nation, who, not understanding Jesus' Kingdom, were afraid that he would would usurp their power and authority.  Threatened by Jesus' popularity, he was crucified, as were others who disturbed their positions!

How often do I, or you, take positions that may put us in a bad light, diminish our influence for the good we seek or our desire to spare others any public shaming? Do we, like Joseph, follow the promptings of the Spirit or of our guardian angels, to make certain difficult choices that, otherwise, we are not considering?

Be Compassionate as God is Compassionate

In today's Gospel, Luke 6: 36-38, Jesus says to us: "Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful. Stop judging and you will not be judged. Stop condemning and you will not be condemned. Forgive and you will be forgiven. Give and gifts will be given to you; a good measure, packed together, shaken down, and overflowing, will e pour into your lap. for the measure with which you measure will in return be measured out to you."

"Just as your Father is merciful!"   God models mercy and reveals his merciful self in Jesus!  Jesus challenges the sinner but does not condemn. In fact, in his own words, Jesus tells us that he came, not to condemn, but to save us, showing us how to love others as ourselves, how to be compassionate as God is compassionate, how, in short, to forgive ourselves and others.

Jesus reveals that His Father, and He himself, is merciful and compassionate, slow to anger and quick to forgive. He does so on the cross when the good thief turns to him and says: "Remember me in your kingdom" and Jesus replies: This very day you will be with me in my kingdom.  When a woman caught in adultery is dragged before him and her accusers are ready to stone her according to the law of the nation of Israel, Jesus admonishes them, asking: Which of you is without sin, cast the first stone. No one stoned her! When a deaf man was brought to him for healing, and Jesus was asked "who sinned, the person or his parents", Jesus states clearly that no one sinned.  He indicated that misfortunes are not the result of our sinful behaviors. Jesus shows mercy and heals the deaf person.

God is about mercy, wholeness, and healing. He takes no pleasure  in people suffering in any way. That is not God's thinking but ours!

What attitudes do I need to change within myself? Am I quick to condemn, to judge, to find fault with another when misfortunes occur, when illness same to take possession of another, of myself? How caring am I? How loving am I? How forgiving am I? Does compassion direct my thoughts?

Jonah's Message: What Might God Say to Us?

In today's first reading, Jonah 3: 1-10, the prophet Jonah goes to Nineveh to announce to it a message God gave to him. That message was:  "Forty days more and Nineveh shall be destroyed."  The people of Nineveh believed God and "proclaimed a fast and all of them, great and small, put on sackcloth.  
When the news reached the king of Nineveh, he rose from his throne, laid aside his robe, covered himself with sackcloth, and sat in the ashes."  The king and his nobles proclaimed a decree that everyone fast, including animals: "Neither man nor beast, neither cattle nor sheep, shall taste anything; they shall not eat, nor shall they drink water....[E]very man shall turn from his evil way and from the violence he has in hand. Who knows, God may relent and forgive, and withhold his blazing wrath."

What if God, angry at the evil that exists in the world of today, sent a prophet to announce a message which said: "Forty days and the world shall be destroyed,"  would we listen? Would we, from the greatest to the smallest, repent? Would those who sit on "high places" proclaim a fast, clothe themselves in sackcloth and sit in ashes or would they dismiss the message as nonsense and go out to their golf courses, wining and dining with friends, continuing acts of evil toward those in "lowly places,"continuing to build walls and pile up nuclear weapons or any kind of weapons with which to commit acts of violence toward fellow human beings and would they, also, continue negating treaties and agreements that protect the earth from being destroyed?

Looking at ourselves personally, what would you or I do if we were given a message that our time here on earth was drawing to a close?  For what would we need to ask forgiveness? Of what behaviors/attitudes would we need to repent? What changes would we need to make  that would indicate that we realize how we have not upheld the covenant we made with God at our baptisms and God made with us or how we have not lived up to our marriage or religious vows?