This Sunday's Gospel

Exegetical notes and homily themes to get you started this weekend: 

2/2/2025 – Presentation of the Lord
2/9/2025 – Sunday 5/ Epiphany 5
2/16/2025 – Sunday 6 / Epiphany 6 
2/23/2025 – Sunday 7 / Epiphany 7

3/2/25 – Sunday 8
3/2/25 – Epiphany 8 (Last Sunday)

3/5/25 – Ash Wednesday
3/9/25 – First Sunday of Lent
3/16/25 – Second Sunday of Lent (Roman lectionary)
3/16/25 – Second Sunday of Lent (Common lectionary)
3/23/25 – Third Sunday of Lent
3/30/25 – Fourth Sunday of Lent


February 2:  The Presentation of the Lord [ABC]

Simeon blessed them and said to Mary, his mother, “Behold, this child is destined for the rise and fall of many in Israel, and a sign to be contradicted —and you yourself a sword will pierce— so that the thoughts of many hearts may be revealed.”
“There was also a prophetess, Anna . . . And coming forward at that very time, she gave thanks to God and spoke about this child to all who were waiting the redemption of Jerusalem.
Luke 2:34-35

THE WORD:

The Solemnity of the Presentation of the Lord is observed on February 2, forty days after Christmas.  This ancient feast celebrates the faithful, devout parents of Jesus fulfilling two requirements of the Law:

The Book of Exodus required a first-born son to be formally “presented” to God because the first-born sons “belong” to the Lord who saved them when the Egyptian first-born perished at the Passover (Exodus 13: 15). 

Under Mosaic Law (Leviticus 12: 2-8), a woman was ritually “unclean” for forty days after childbirth, unable to touch anything sacred or enter the temple area.  At the end of this period, she was to present herself to the priests and offer a sacrifice of thanks – for a poor couple like Mary and Joseph, the offering was two pigeons or doves. 

Luke’s Gospel (and today’s solemnity) emphasizes Jesus’ first appearance in the Temple rather than Mary’s purification.  In Luke’s account, Jesus was welcomed into the Temple by two venerable elderly people, Simeon and the widow Anna.  For Luke, the two are icons of the faithful Jew—the “remnant” (Zephaniah 3:12) who awaits the coming of the Messiah and the restoration of Israel’s covenant of justice and compassion with God.  Simeon recognizes Jesus as the Anointed of the Lord and his canticle (the Nunc Dimitis, prayed at the close of the day at Compline in the Liturgy of the Hours) prophesies that this Child will be a “light for revelation to the Gentiles.”  In blessing the parents, he warns that this child will be a sign opposed and that Mary will be pierced with a sword. It is the first indication of the cross Christ will take up to realize the salvation of humankind.  Anna, as an elderly widow, is considered among the most vulnerable and poor of society.  Her encounter with the child typifies the theme woven throughout Luke's Gospel: the exaltation of society's poorest and most humble by God.

Inspired by the words of the Simeon’s canticle, by the 11th century, the custom developed in the West of blessing candles on the Feast of the Presentation (which became popularly known as Candlemas).  The candles were then lit, and a procession took place through the darkened church while the Canticle of Simeon was sung.   

HOMILY POINTS:

To raise a child is an experience of both incredible joy and devastating heartbreak.  Every parent’s life is “pieced” with turmoil, disappointment, illness, desperation, and fear.  Certainly every mom and dad knows what Mary and Joseph went through.  Within our families, our sons and daughters embrace and are embraced by the love we have known and seek to know better, to be grasped by the hand of God who has grasped us by the hand.   

The prophet Simeon proclaims that this Child will be a “light” for Israel — but that light will endure great suffering and pain before finally shattering the darkness.  Luke’s Gospel of the Child Jesus reminds us that the crib is overshadowed by the cross, that this holy birth is the beginning of humankind’s rebirth in the Resurrection.  

In Baptism, we incorporate our children into the life of the Risen Christ; within our home, we try to guide them in learning the Gospel values of compassion, love, forgiveness, justice and peace that we have embraced.  Our celebration of Jesus’ Presentation in the Temple calls us to recommit ourselves to giving our sons and daughters the best that we have – our faith in the God who loves us -- so that they may grow “and become strong, be filled with wisdom; and the favor of God upon them.”  

Anna and Simeon live among us today in our own families and communities and "temples."  They inspire gratitude and teach compassion by the lessons of their long lives.  In the wisdom that comes with age, in the love and care they extend to us in their grace and joy, in their faith that has been made strong and unshakable through a lifetime of struggle, the Anna’s and Simeon’s of our time and place are rays of God’s light shining through all of our lives, illuminating the way to God's eternal dwelling place.  

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February 9 – Fifth Sunday of the Year [C]  / Fifth Sunday after Epiphany [C]

After he had finished speaking to the crowds from Simon’s boat, Jesus said to Simon, “Put out into deep water and lower your nets for a catch . . .
“Do not be afraid; from now on you will be catching men.”
Luke 5: 1-11

THE WORD:

Commercial fishing has always been a hard way to make a living.  It is hard work, sometimes with little or no reward; it requires a substantial investment of time and money for boat and gear and their maintenance; it entails considerable risk in leaving the safety of homeport for the open sea; it compels crews to work together to bring in the catch.  The work of the prophet/disciple demands that same kind of hard work, risk, personal investment, patience, and sense of community.
   
The best fishing, Peter and his brothers knew, was done at night; little is caught during the heat of the day.  So Peter’s agreeing to lower his nets at Jesus’ urging was, for a fisherman of Peter’s experience, an act of considerable faith.  And as today's Gospel recounts, Peter’s faith is rewarded abundantly.  If the first disciples of Jesus had any special grace at all, it was an openness to Jesus' call and teaching.
   
In Luke’s account, Peter’s reaction is somewhat surprising.  Upon realizing who Jesus is, he cowers away.  In the light of Christ's revelation, Peter recognizes his own unworthiness and humbleness in the sight of God.  But Jesus assures him he has not come to drive sinners from his presence but to bring them back to God – to catch them in “net” of God’s love.
     
HOMILY POINTS:

To be a “catcher of souls” demands possessing enough love to extend ourselves and reach out and “catch” and enough faith that God will give us the grace to make the “grab.”

Jesus challenges us to lower our nets in the “deep water” – to risk our own security and comfort for the sake of the Gospel values of compassion justice and reconciliation.

In the ordinary events of every day we are presented with countless opportunities to uncover the extraordinary love of God in our own times and place.

Many of us suffer from an “inferiority complex” when it comes to God: we are neither saintly enough nor good enough nor wise enough in church protocols to consider ourselves “religious.”  The reality, however, is that God works through men and women who are just like us, however imperfect.

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February 16 – Sixth Sunday of the Year [C] / Sixth Sunday after Epiphany [C]

“Blessed are you who are poor . . . but woe to you who are rich . . . ”
Luke 6: 17, 20-26

THE WORD:

In Matthew’s Sermon on the Mount, Jesus speaks of “Beatitudes,” but in Luke’s Sermon on the Plain, Jesus drops a series of bombshells.  He takes the accepted standards of the times and turns them upside down:  To those who are considered the “haves” of society, Jesus warns “Woe to you!” – wealth and power are not the stuff of the kingdom of God; but to the “have nots,” Jesus says, “Happy and blessed are you” – love, humble selflessness, compassion and generosity are the treasure of God's realm.  Jesus promises his followers poverty, suffering, persecuting and grief -- but their hope in God will be rewarded with perfect and complete joy.  In Luke’s Gospel, the “blessed” are those who see beyond their own needs and wants in the present moment to work for a better future not only for themselves but for others — but “woe” to those, Jesus warns, who seek their own “fill” now with no concern for the future or for others.

This will be a constant theme throughout Luke’s Gospel: Jesus teaches that wealth and power are not the stuff of the reign of God, but humility, selflessness and compassion are the treasures of God’s kingdom. 

HOMILY POINTS:

In the Sermon on the Plain, Jesus challenges us to put aside the “woe” of self-centeredness and embrace the “blessedness” that can only be experienced by seeing ourselves not as the center of the world but as a means for transforming the world for the “blessedness” of all. 

Luke's version of the Beatitudes challenges everything our consumer-oriented society holds dear.  While wealth, power and celebrity are the sought-after prizes of our world, the treasures of God's reign are love, humble selflessness, compassion and generosity.  In freeing ourselves from the pursuit of the things of this world, we liberate ourselves to seek the lasting things of God.
 
To be the among the “blessed” envisioned by Jesus means to put aside our own poverty and hunger and our own positions and reputations to extend the compassion of Jesus to others; to provide, regardless of the cost, safe places for the lost to return, the grieving to mourn, to the wounded to heal.

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February 23 – Seventh Sunday of the Year [C] / Seventh Sunday after Epiphany [C]

“Love your enemies and do good to them, and lend them expecting nothing back; then your reward will be great . . .
“Forgive and you will be forgiven.  Give and gifts will be given to you . . . ”
Luke 6: 27-38

THE WORD:

Continuing his Sermon on the Plain, Jesus again turns upside down another accepted standard of Jewish morality.  The principle of “do to no one what you yourself dislike” (as articulated in Tobit 4: 15) was not enough for those who seek to be God's holy people.  Jesus demands that his disciples “love your enemies.”
   
The Greek word for love used in this text is agape, a sense of benevolence, kindness and charity towards others.   In other words, no matter what a person does to us we will never allow ourselves to seek anything but the highest good for him or her.  The radical love of God that is the mark of the Christian is presented clearly and emphatically here.  In Luke’s Gospel, Jesus calls us not just to passive adherence to the standard of the “Golden Rule,” but to actively seek out the good in everyone, to risk being duped or hurt in our compassion and forgiveness of another.  The completeness and limitlessness of God's own love and mercy for us should be the measure of our love and mercy for one another.

HOMILY POINTS:

In every relationship, in every set of circumstances, the faithful disciple of Jesus seeks to break the cycle of hatred and distrust by taking that often-formidable first step to love, to seek reconciliation above all else.

Seeing beyond hatreds and differences, borders and boundaries, flags and uniforms, languages and cultures, suspicions and unsettled scores is the cutting edge of the Gospel.  The relationship we seek with God we must first seek with one another. 

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March 2 – Eighth Sunday of the Year [C]

“Can a blind person guide a blind person . . . ?
“Why do you notice the splinter in your brother’s eye, but not perceive the wooden beam in your own?
“A good person out of the store of goodness in his heart produces good . . . ”
Luke 6: 39-45

THE WORD:

In the conclusion of the “Sermon on the Plain,” Jesus employs a style of preaching known as charaz – “stringing beads.”

Luke had edited several of Jesus’ sayings into three “beads”:

First, becoming a disciple is an ongoing process of seeking and conversion.  The disciple never “surpasses” his/her instruction, nor is the disciple ever “better” than those the disciple brings to God.

Second, Jesus calls his disciples not to judge or condemn but to focus their lives on personal conversion and reconciliation with others.

Third, we cannot speak sincerely or effectively of God with our lips unless God is present in our heart.  It is the joy and humility in our lives that affirm the power of the Gospel, not mere words or dogmatic constructs.

At some point in every life, the individual must decide what kind of life he/she will live, what values will guide his/her decisions, what kind of person he/she wishes to become.  Jesus' parables today all speak of the personal commitment and responsibility God demands of each one of us in making the Gospel the center of our lives.

HOMILY THEMES:

Baptism is not an end in itself but the beginning of life-long journey of following the Jesus of the Gospel.  To follow Christ is to be students of his example of humble servanthood and selfless reconciliation. 

Often the “splinter” in our own “eye” is our indifference and passivity to the pain and hurt suffered by those around us.  Jesus challenges all who would be his followers to dare to remove from our own eyes the “wooden beam” of self-centeredness that prevents us from seeing the obstacles we lay in the road to the kingdom of God.  

Unless the Gospel becomes more than words, unless the hope and love revealed in the Gospel affects our outlook and attitudes, then our faith is empty.  In the end, it is our own personal and unique response and embracing of the Gospel that defines our place in the reign of God. 

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March 2 – Eighth (Last) Sunday after Epiphany [C]

While Jesus was praying, his face changed in appearance and his clothing became dazzling white.  Moses and Elijah appeared in glory and spoke of his exodus that he was going to accomplish in Jerusalem.
Luke 9: 28-36           
                                 

THE WORD:

In the common lectionary, the gospel of Jesus’ transfiguration on Mount Tabor is read on the Sunday before Ash Wednesday, the “last” Sunday after Epiphany.

Luke’s account of the transfiguration is filled with First Testament imagery (the voice heard in the cloud, for example) that echoes the Exodus event.  In Luke’s Gospel, the transfiguration takes place after Jesus’ instructions to his followers on the cost of discipleship.  To follow Jesus is an “exodus” through one’s own desert to the Promised Land, through Jerusalem to the empty tomb, through death to life.  In offering to build three booths (or shrines) to honor Jesus, Moses and Elijah, Peter and his sleepy companions do not understand that Jesus' exodus does not end with the glorious vision they have witnessed.  It is only the beginning.

HOMILY THEMES:

The use of the Greek word “transfiguration” indicates that what the disciples saw in Jesus on Mount Tabor was a divinity that shone from within him.  The coming Lenten season is a time for each of us to experience such a “transfiguration” within ourselves – that the life of God within us may shine forth in lives dedicated to compassion, justice and reconciliation.

The transfiguration of Jesus is a turning point in the Gospel: the beginning of a new exodus, Jesus’ difficult “Passover” from crucifixion to resurrection.  As his disciples, we, too, are called to experience with Jesus the exodus of Jesus – an exodus that confronts us with the impermanence of this world and our own sinfulness, an exodus from this life to the life of God.

The season of Lent that begins this week calls us to transfiguration – to transform the coldness, sadness and despair around us through the compassion and love of Christ Jesus.

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March 5 – Ash Wednesday [ABC]

“Your Father who sees what is hidden will repay you.”
Matthew 6: 1-6, 16-18
Even now, says the Lord, return to me with your whole heart . . .
Joel 2: 12-18
We implore you, in Christ’s name, be reconciled to God.
2 Corinthians 5: 20 - 6:2

THE WORD:

The readings for this first day of the Lenten journey to Easter call us to turn.

In Hebrew, the word for repentance is to turn, like the turning of the earth to the sun at this time of year, like the turning of soil before spring planting.  The Lenten journey that begins on this Ash Wednesday calls us to repentance – to turn away from those things that separate us from God and re-turn to the Lord.

In today’s Gospel, from the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus instructs his listeners on the Christian attitude and disposition toward prayer, fasting and almsgiving.  Such acts are meaningful only if they are outward manifestations of the essential turningthat has taken place within our hearts.

Around 400 B.C., a terrible invasion of locusts ravaged Judah.  The prophet Joel saw this catastrophe as a symbol of the coming “Day of the Lord.”   The prophet summoned the people to repent, to turn to the Lord with fasting, prayer and works of charity.

In his second letter to the Corinthians, Paul alternates between anger and compassion, between frustration and affection in defending his authority and mandate as an apostle in the face of attack by some members of the Corinthian community.  In today’s second reading, the apostle appeals for reconciliation among the members of the community, for a re-turn to the one faith shared by the entire Church.

HOMILY POINTS:

As the earth will “turn” toward the sun in the weeks ahead transforming the dark and cold of winter into the light and warmth of spring, so these ashes mark the beginning of a Lenten transformation of our souls and spirits.

The Spirit who called Jesus to the wilderness calls us, as well, to a forty-day “desert experience,” a time to peacefully and quietly renew and re-create our relationship with God, that he might become the center of our lives in every season.

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March 9 – First Sunday of Lent [C]

Filled with the Holy Spirit, Jesus was led by the Spirit into the desert for forty days to be tempted by the devil.
Luke 4: 1-13
                                            
THE WORD:

The Gospel for this First Sunday of Lent is Luke’s account of Jesus’ desert experience.  The desert here is more accurately understood as a wilderness: a dangerous, uncharted place, inhabited by wild beasts and bandits, and (many believed) haunted by demons.

Jesus’ wilderness “retreat” is a time for discerning and understanding his mission as the Messiah.  These forty days are marked by intense prayer and fasting – not out of a sense of penance but to focus totally on God and the Father's will for him.  The three temptations all confront Jesus with very human choices:

Jesus’ encounter with the devil depicts the struggle he experienced during this lonely and difficult time to come to terms with the life that lay before him.  Jesus then follows the Spirit obediently on to Galilee to begin his teaching ministry.
 
HOMILY NOTES:

The same Spirit that led Jesus into the desert leads us into this 40-day “wilderness experience” of Lent, to ask ourselves the same kind of questions, to begin to understand who we are and who we are becoming, to discern what God calls us to be as we journey to the dwelling place of God.

As Jesus was “tempted,” so, too, are we confronted with the many different choices and goals life presents us. 

This First Sunday of Lent calls us into the desert of our hearts, those unknown “wildernesses” and terrifying places we struggle through as a result of circumstances beyond our control or because of our own mistakes and sins – but it is in those deserts and wildernesses where we find the courage and vision to move on. 

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March 16 – Second Sunday of Lent [C]

ROMAN LECTIONARY:  Luke 9: 28-36                                            
While Jesus was praying, his face changed in appearance and his clothing became dazzling white.  Moses and Elijah appeared in glory and spoke of his exodus that he was going to accomplish in Jerusalem.

THE WORD:

Luke’s account of the transfiguration is filled with First Testament imagery (the voice heard in the cloud, for example) that echoes the Exodus event.  In Luke’s Gospel, the transfiguration takes place after Jesus’ instructions to his followers on the cost of discipleship.  To follow Jesus is an “exodus” through one’s own desert to the Promised Land, through Jerusalem to the empty tomb, through death to life.  In offering to build three booths (or shrines) to honor Jesus, Moses and Elijah, Peter and his sleepy companions do not understand that Jesus’ exodus does not end with the glorious vision they have witnessed.  It is only the beginning.

HOMILY NOTES:

The season of Lent calls us to “transfiguration”: to transform the coldness, sadness and despair around us through the compassion and love of Christ Jesus.

The transfiguration of Jesus is a turning point in the Gospel: the beginning of a new exodus, Jesus’ difficult “Passover” from crucifixion to resurrection.  As his disciples, we, too, are called to experience the Passover and exodus of Jesus – an exodus from the impermanence of this world and our own sinfulness to the reign of God, a “passing over” from this life to the life of God.

That same touch of divinity that the three disciples see in Jesus exists within each one of us, as well:  God is present within us, animating us to do good and holy things; guiding our steps as we try to walk justly and humbly in the ways of God; enlightening our vision with wisdom and selflessness to bring the justice and mercy of God into our world. 

“God places us in the world as God’s fellow workers – agents of transfiguration.  We work with God so that injustice is transfigured into justice, so that there will be more laughter and joy, so that there will be more togetherness in God’s world.”  (Archbishop Desmond Tutu)

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March 16 – Second Sunday of Lent [C]

COMMON LECTIONARY:
“Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the city that kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to it!  How often have I desired to gather your children as a hen gathers her brood under her wings, and you were not willing!”
Luke 13: 31-35

THE WORD:

The Pharisees warn Jesus that Herod seeks to kill him – given the growing tension between Jesus and the Pharisees, their warning is more probably an attempt to frighten Jesus away than a concern for his safety.  Jesus stands his ground in the face of that threat; in obedience to the Father, his work of reconciliation and healing will not only continue but will triumph even over death.  In this scene, Luke sets the stage for Jesus’ final confrontation with the Jewish leadership.

The final verses of today’s Gospel are Luke’s record of Jesus’ lament over the city of Jerusalem, the holy city has failed to realize its destiny as God’s “city of peace.”   Jesus sees himself as the last in the line of prophets who will meet his end in Jerusalem, but his death will be the birth of a new Jerusalem (a new “house”) where God will gather his faithful people.

HOMILY POINTS:

As Jesus confronts the city of Jerusalem with its self-absorption and lack of faith, this season of Lent calls us to realize our failings to live the faith that we profess, to cross the chasm that often exists between what we say we believe and how we actually live those convictions.

In our own Jerusalems, we often try to destroy what we fear or do not understand; like Herod, we dismiss or discredit anything that threatens our own comfortable view of the world, we discourage or frustrate any change that will upset our own safe little world.  Christ instills in us a vision much greater than ourselves, a spirit of servanthood that embraces all men and women as brothers and sisters, a sense of justice and hope that seeks reconciliation, forgiveness and compassion above all else.

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March 23 – Third Sunday of Lent [C]

“A person had a fig tree planted in his orchard:  ‘For three years now I have come in search of fruit on this fig tree but have found none.  So cut it down.  Why should I exhaust the soil?’
“The gardener replied, ‘Sir, leave it for this year also, and I shall cultivate the ground around it and fertilize it; it may bear fruit in the future.”
Luke 13: 1-9     
                                       

THE WORD:

The belief prevailed in Jesus’ time that disasters and catastrophes were signs of God’s anger against sinful individuals or people – those massacred in the temple by Pilate’s soldiers during what the Romans perceived as a “revolt” and the workers who were killed when the tower they were building collapsed must have been horrible sinners.  Nonsense, Jesus says in today’s Gospel.  In this present age, neither good fortune nor calamity are indicators of one’s favor or disfavor with God.  In the age of come, God will judge the hearts of every soul, regardless of their situation in life.

The parable of the fig tree is a parable of crisis and compassion: the fig tree draws strength and sustenance from the soil but produces nothing in return.  Its only value is as firewood.  A similar fate awaits those who squander their lives in greedy, selfish pursuits.  God is the ever-patient gardener who gives every “fig tree” all the time, care and attention it needs to harvest.

The parable of the fig tree has been called the “Gospel of the second chance.”  The vinedresser pleads for the tree, asking that it be given another year to bear fruit.  We always live in the hope and mercy of God who keeps giving us “second chances” to rise from the ashes of sin to rebuild and reform our lives.  

HOMILY POINTS:

We are called to be signs of hope and “cultivators” of promise for our world: to “plant” and nurture generosity and kindness in the simple offerings of our time, our abilities, our care for those “fig trees” struggling to realize their harvest.  

Despite the sadness and tragedy that can cut down our lives in disappointment and despair, God continues to plant in our midst opportunities to start over, to try again, to rework things, to move beyond our hurt and pain to make things right.

Unless our faith takes root within us and becomes not just the rituals we perform but the values that inspire them, we are like the barren fig tree in the vineyard: lifeless, giving nothing to others, good only for firewood.  

The challenge of the Gospel is to take up the crosses of our lives — the crosses that are part of every human experience — and transform them into vehicles of resurrection, seeds for new life, the means for bringing light and hope into life’s winters capes of darkness and despair. 

Christ calls us to embrace the hope of the fig tree and the determination of the gardener, to remember that God’s endless grace enables us to experience the promise of resurrection in every “death” and Good Friday we experience.  

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March 30 – Fourth Sunday of Lent [C]

“My son, we must celebrate and rejoice, because your brother was dead and has come back to life again; he was lost and has been found.”
Luke 15: 1-3, 11-32
                                            

THE WORD:

The parable of the prodigal son, as today’s Gospel is commonly known, is probably the most inaccurately titled story in all of literature.  Jesus’ tale tells us less about the boy’s sin than about the abundant mercy of his father who forgives his son and joyfully welcomes him home even before the son can bring himself to ask. 

The father in today’s Gospel parable is held up by Jesus as the model of the minister of reconciliation.  Note that when he catches sight of his son in the distance, the father runs to greet and embrace him before the prodigal can even open his mouth to begin his carefully rehearsed speech.  The father welcomes his son joyfully and completely, with no recriminations, no conditions, no rancor.  A parent’s love is the very reflection of God’s love for each one of us – love that always welcome back, love that reconciles and heals, love that perseveres through every hurt and heartache.

The father’s joy stands in sharp contrast to the prodigal son’s brother, who cannot even bring himself to call the prodigal his “brother” – in confronting his father, he angrily refers to the brother as “this son of yours.”  This parable of forgiveness and reconciliation (found only in Luke’s Gospel) reveals a God of such great love that he cannot bear the loss of a single child.  Jesus holds up the father as the model of the love and forgiveness of God the Father that we should seek in all relationships.

HOMILY NOTES:

Jesus calls us not to condemn or gloat or belittle the prodigals among us but to enable their return, to keep picking them up no matter how many times they fall, to open our arms and welcome them back again and again and again.
 
Forgiveness demands that we be play all three parts in the drama of the prodigal son: to be the prodigal son, facing up to our own culpability and selfishness that causes division and hurt; to be the forgiving father, being openhearted enough to make the first step to welcome back into our lives those who have hurt us; to be the older brother, putting aside our own hurt and outrage (no matter how justified) for the sake of reconciliation and peace within our families and communities.

Like the prodigal, we all have those “pig sty” epiphanies: when we finally face the mess our selfishness, our insensitivity, our dishonesty have made of our lives and the lives of those we love.  Lent calls us to embrace God’s grace: grace that enables us to lift ourselves out of the mud of our sins to reconnect again with family and friends, grace that empowers us to jettison our selfishness and deceptions and re-create our broken lives in the healing peace of the Risen Christ.  

The word “forgiveness” comes from the Greek word meaning “to let go.”  That is the heart of forgiveness: letting go — letting go of our desperate grasp of the past so that we can turn toward the future with hope.  The older brother’s resentment and anger makes it impossible for him to move on.  Jesus calls us to embrace the example of the prodigal’s father: to let go of our anger and embrace — for our own peace — the possibilities for reconciliation with our “prodigal” sons and daughters.  

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