Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you!

Scripture readings for this reflection can be found at http://www.usccb.org/bible/readings/091519.cfm

‘Father,I have sinned against heaven and against you; I no longer deserve to be called your son.’ Luke 15:18-19

This week for the Twenty-fourth Sunday in Ordinary Time we have the familiar parable of the Prodigal Son, found in the Gospel of Luke, chapter 15. In this parable, I think we all can relate to the Prodigal Son. After all, who doesn’t want a forgiving father ready and willing to forgive us, even when we mess up bad. We all throughout our lives have made poor decisions or committed sins that we feel are unforgiveable. Yet, as Jesus points out, God is all forgiving and is always looking for us to turn back to Him with love and repentance. Thankfully, no matter how many times we sin, if we turn to God with true repentance in our hearts, God will forgive us in the Sacrament of Confession. We just need to be sincere in our sorrow and God will forgive us.

But what about the other son, the one who was upset at the father forgiving the Prodigal Son. I like to call him the “Judgmental Son.” He seems to be doing everything right. He’s always there to do what the father expects him to do. He’s obedient in every way and does what is expected of him by the father. Yet there is one thing that is problematic: he’s quick to judge his sinful brother and feels as if he’s being cheated by the father because the father forgave the Prodigal Son. The Judgmental Son feels the Prodigal Son doesn’t deserve to be forgiven since he wasn’t around doing what he was supposed to be doing for the father. Yet the father tells 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.” (Luke15:31-32) The father, lovingly and gently, points out to the “Judgmental Son” that we need to be loving and forgiving of those who are anxious to turn their lives back towards doing the right thing.

When we see other people that turn back to God, whether they are family members or acquaintances that may have led lives that are not very good, are we happy that they return to God? Or are we upset & jealous with God because they, too, are being forgiven by Him?

Let us be grateful to God for being forgiving of us and our sinfulness, and be joyful when others, too, are forgiven by God.

Following Jesus

The Scripture readings for this reflection can be found at http://www.usccb.org/bible/readings/090819.cfm
This past Sunday, September 8th, 2019, was Holy Name Sunday, where the members of the Holy Name Society gathers to reflect on the gospel, and their relationship with God. Following is a reflection that I submitted to the monthly newsletter.

“…anyone of you whodoes not renounce all his possessions cannot be my disciple.” (Luke 14:33)

On this Holy Name Sunday, September 8^th, we are challenged by our Lord to focus on the importance of focusing on being true and faithful followers of Him. In the gospel for the Twenty-third Sunday of Ordinary Time (September 8^th) our Lord is telling us of the sacrifices of being His followers. It’s from Luke, chapter 14, verses 14 to 33.

In this gospel we hear Our Lord say things like “If anyone comes to me without hating his father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters, and even his own life, he cannot be my disciple…” or “Whoever does not carry his own cross and come after me cannot be my disciple.”

Does Jesus really expect us to hate our family? I don’t think so. I believe he’s using an extreme example to get us to understand that no matter how important our families may be to us, there should be nothing more important than loving and serving the Lord God. In other words, we are not to let our love for our families get in the way of our relationship of loving God and serving the Lord.

Will this cause problems for us? That’s where the “cross” comes in. In our attempt in keeping God as our central focus in our lives, we will have issues and problems with our family and friends. These will be our crosses.

Finally, he says, “…anyone of you who does not renounce all his possessions cannot be my disciple.” Is Jesus asking us to sell everything we have and renounce it? No! He’s just indicating that the possessions we do have (our homes, our cars, our bank accounts, etc.) are tools in serving Him, but are not be more important than loving God! Don’t let your money and possessions become “golden idols” in your life! Love of God and serving Him is to be the most important thing in your life.