GOD’S WORD FOR THE DAY (based on Catholic Liturgical Readings)
DATE: 3RD NOVEMBER 2016
THURSDAY OF THE 31ST WEEK IN ORDINARY TIME
(MEMORIAL OF ST. MARTIN DE PORRES, RELIGIOUS)
1ST READING: Philippians 3:3-8
PSALM: Psalm 105:2-7
GOSPEL: Luke 15:1-10
THEME: THE SINNER AND THE LOVE OF GOD
Why would a man having a hundred sheep leave the ninety-nine and go in search of the one that is lost? Certainly, the lost sheep must have some importance to him. Why would a woman having ten coins turn her house upside down to recover one that gets missing? Clearly, the missing coin ought to be of value to her. When someone or something is of value to you, you would do almost anything to keep that person or thing. In the same way, a sinner is God’s missing treasure.
Great crowds would often gather around Jesus to listen to him (cf. Lk 14:25). Among the crowds were tax collectors and others regarded as sinful within the Jewish religious and socio-cultural milieu. Jesus’ association with these sinners was a scandal for the Pharisees and scribes who grumbled saying, “This man receives sinners and eats with them” (Luke 15:2). Using the parables of the lost sheep and the lost coin, Jesus in our Gospel text for today places premium on God’s love for the sinner and the call to repentance.
The Christian image of God, who out of love goes in search of a sinner, is a novelty in the history of religions. It is God, according to Jesus, who goes in search of a sinner and not the other way round. In taking the initiative to bring a sinner home, God expresses his deep love for the human person. It is therefore gravely wrong to condemn a “sinner”. It is distasteful when a mob seeks to lynch an alleged criminal in the name of instant justice. It is disheartening to throw stones at an adulterer. It is ungodly to engage in character assassination and strip people “naked” with one’s tongue.
Every human being is valuable in the eyes of God for we are all created in the image and likeness of God. Sin is like the dirt that cover a piece of diamond. You do not throw away the diamond; you clean it. In the same way, rather than condemning those we see as sinful, we may consider praying for them and purposefully reaching out to them with the Gospel of love. In any case, none of us is immune to the dirt of sin. We are all beneficiaries of God’s mercy.
The image that Jesus offers us concerning the love of God breaks through our human restrictions and defies our human wisdom. However, as Paul would say, “God’s foolishness is wiser than human wisdom, and God’s weakness is stronger than human strength” (1Cor 1:25).
Prayer: Eternal Father, I thank you for not giving up on me when others lost hope in me. I thank you for searching hard to rescue me from the entanglement and shackles of sin. I thank you for sending your only begotten Son Jesus to save me. Amen
Andrews Obeng, svd
DIVINE WORD MISSIONARIES
BIBLICAL PASTORAL MINISTRY
(Ghana Province)
“May the darkness of sin and the night of unbelief vanish before the light of the Word and the Spirit of grace. And may the heart of Jesus live in the hearts of all people” (St. Arnold Janssen).