Reading 1
Mi 7:14-15, 18-20
Shepherd your people with your staff,
the flock of your inheritance,
That dwells apart in a woodland,
in the midst of Carmel.
Let them feed in Bashan and Gilead,
as in the days of old;
As in the days when you came from the land of Egypt,
show us wonderful signs.
Who is there like you, the God who removes guilt
and pardons sin for the remnant of his inheritance;
Who does not persist in anger forever,
but delights rather in clemency,
And will again have compassion on us,
treading underfoot our guilt?
You will cast into the depths of the sea all our sins;
You will show faithfulness to Jacob,
and grace to Abraham,
As you have sworn to our fathers
from days of old.
Ps 103:1-2, 3-4, 9-10, 11-12
Responsorial PsalmR. (8a)
The Lord is kind and merciful.
Bless the LORD, O my soul;
and all my being, bless his holy name.
Bless the LORD, O my soul,
and forget not all his benefits.
R. The Lord is kind and merciful.
He pardons all your iniquities,
he heals all your ills.
He redeems your life from destruction,
he crowns you with kindness and compassion.
R. The Lord is kind and merciful.
He will not always chide,
nor does he keep his wrath forever.
Not according to our sins does he deal with us,
nor does he requite us according to our crimes.
R. The Lord is kind and merciful.
For as the heavens are high above the earth,
so surpassing is his kindness toward those who fear him.
As far as the east is from the west,
so far has he put our transgressions from us.
R. The Lord is kind and merciful.
Gospel
Lk 15:1-3, 11-32
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 Jesus addressed this parable.
“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.’”
Meditation: Luke 15:1-3,11-32
“He became angry.” (Luke 15:28)
Why couldn’t the older brother in this parable share in his father’s joy? His little brother has come home safe and sound! True, the young man had wasted so much of his father’s money&mash;money that the older brother had helped earn. But still, this is a happy ending to a potentially tragic tale.
The older brother couldn’t see how good an ending it was. All he could see was how it affected him. After all, he was the one who stayed home and worked to build back up the value of the estate. He had to spend all his time untangling the knots caused by his younger brother’s indiscretions. If anyone deserved congratulations and a party, it was he.
It’s interesting that while this older brother had respected and obeyed his father, he was still blind to how good a father he had. He couldn’t understand why his father would throw a lavish celebration for this wastrel son because he couldn’t grasp how committed his father was to his family. He couldn’t see how much compassion and love his father had lavished on him, let alone his younger brother. And the sad result was that he had yet to learn some of the most important lessons his father wanted him to learn.
Jesus told this parable in response to some Pharisees who had been muttering against him for welcoming sinners. Through this story, he was inviting his detractors to understand how merciful his Father is. And he left the ending vague on purpose. How this parable will end is up to his hearers. Will the dutiful brother remain outside the family? Will Jesus’ critics embrace such a radical message of mercy? Will we?
Through this parable, Jesus is asking us to take one more step away from self-centeredness and one step closer to his Father’s heart of mercy. So take him up on his offer. In prayer today, ask God to give you a deeper glimpse into his heart. Ask him to help you embrace his mercy today&mash; and to show that mercy to one other person.
“Jesus, give me a heart that longs for both justice and mercy. Lead me into the joy of your Father who delights when the lost are found.”
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