24th Sunday of Ordinary Time
Exodus 32:7–11, 13–14
Psalm 51:3–4, 12–13, 17, 19
1 Timothy 1:12–17
Luke 15:1–32
Those alive and aware in 2001 in the United States will admit that Sept. 11, 2001, changed our view of the world.
We went from being content that since the Civil War, our land, had not experienced the ravages of war directly. Many families, whose loved ones have been in harm’s way, have felt the sting due to their service overseas, but we did not see it in our streets. That day forever changed our sense of safety at home and abroad.
We have begun to acknowledge what the people of Israel had to admit, that our relationship with God and others must change for us to find the peace we seek. Living in the age of the “war on terror,” we have grown accustomed to fear as a daily companion.
In the meantime, those who have grown up since 9/11 are “comfortable” with the only world they have known. We cannot explain to them what happened to change our perception of the world, and we hope that they never experience it.
Each generation has its troubles. The Scriptures this weekend reveal that God is aware of our plight. Even as God offers the wisdom of the law that will form His people to Moses on the mountain, the people are returning to Egypt in their creation of the golden calf as their god. They cannot sustain fidelity without the presence of a strong leader.
God deepens the relationship Moses has with the “stiff-necked people” he has led out of Egypt. Once again, it becomes clear that God understands the human heart. On many occasions, Moses has complained about being yoked to this people. God suggests a new start with Moses himself. “Let me alone, then, that my wrath may blaze up against them to consume them. Then I will make of you a great nation.”
In response, Moses suddenly becomes the advocate and bridge he is meant to be. Looking back at how far God has walked with this people and calling to mind the promises God has made to the patriarchs Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, Moses urges God to be faithful to His promises and to give the people another chance.
God’s mercy is emphasized in Paul’s First Letter to Timothy and in the Gospel parables of the lost sheep, the lost coin and the wayward son. Paul acknowledges that God forgave his sins and opened the way for him to serve as the missionary to the Gentiles. The shepherd, the woman who lost the coin and the father of two sons all mirror the zeal of God’s love, showing the wondrous lengths He will go to gather His people to Himself.
Revenge might be on our minds in the face of the troubles and cruelty in our world. Nonetheless, we are invited to see the power of mercy to change the world. In every case presented in the Scriptures, human judgment would reasonably allow what and who are lost to remain lost. Divine judgment calls us rather to see how God has been merciful to us and to extend that to others, even those who have sinned against us.
As wounded human beings, we can be caught up in our suffering and in the suffering of those we love. The Gospel calls upon us to move beyond the wound and to embrace those who see us as enemies, inviting them to become something new. How much God loves us! So are we to love and show mercy to those who have wounded us. Forgiveness and mercy allow us to move forward.
While we continue to seek justice and to establish peace in our borders, we must also open a way forward and create a new world of harmony that allows mercy to have the last word. This will allow our children to know a way of life that moves beyond fear and retribution. “To the king of ages, incorruptible, invisible, the only God, honor and glory forever and ever. Amen.”