Gospel: Luke 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.
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Reflection:
A wife told his Godly husband: “Don’t mingle anymore with our neighbors
for they are drunkards and sinful.” The husband told his wife, “If I would not
mingle with them how could I convince them to walk away from their sinful lives
and how could I show them that God still cares for them?” Oftentimes we are
like that wife we feel that we are more holy and less sinful than others but
that is far from the truth.
Holier than thou and feeling of self-righteousness these were the
attitudes of the Pharisees and the scribes. When they complained that Jesus was
mingling with tax collectors and sinners.
So, Jesus gave them three parables for them to realize that He doesn’t
discriminate, that His love, forgiveness and mercy is for everyone. The Lord
looks for and welcomes everyone no matter how sinful and poor. This is also the
message of Jesus for us all sinners thru these parables in the gospel.
In the first parable, the shepherd of the hundred sheep did not stop
looking for the one who got lost. Never minding to temporarily leave the
ninety-nine. And after finding the one that got lost he joyfully put it on his
shoulders to bring it home. In the second parable of the lost coin, the woman
searched diligently for the lost coin until she found it again.
In the third parable of the lost son, when the lost son had a realization
of his misdeeds. He humbly decided to go back home, not certain if his father
would accept him again. But lo and behold when his father saw him coming home
he ordered his people to prepare a big banquet for the lost son. Then, the
father full of love run to his repentant son embraced and kissed him as if
saying, “Everything is forgiven my son.”
God in His infinite love, mercy and forgiveness is always looking for us
sinners. Why? Because the Lord wants us to completely walk away from our sinful
life. The Lord wants us to live a new life completely free from any form of
sin. – Marino J. Dasmarinas
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