Homily—24th Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year C

Fr. Timothy W. Castor

The Gospel today is long, so I will try to keep the homily short. Not only is it a long Gospel, it’s a familiar and well-loved one too. The three parables teach us about God’s mercy—which is also our theme in the reading from Exodus, in the responsorial Psalm, and in the reading from 2 Timothy. But this Gospel and these readings also teach us something about ourselves, because they teach us something about sinners.

In the first reading, we find the Israelites sinning against God through their disobedience, their lack of faith, and especially their terrible act of idolatry. In the second reading, Saint Paul tells us he is the foremost of sinners because he persecuted the Church of Jesus Christ.

From these examples, we would rightly infer that sin is an offense against God—an attack against his justice and goodness. Sin is our effort (feeble as it is) to dethrone God and to put ourselves in his place.

But today’s Gospel reading provides us with a somewhat different picture of sin, and gives us a rather interesting insight into how God views the sinner.

Each of the three examples in the Gospel—the lost coin, the lost sheep and the lost son—stand for the sinner. These are three very different things: an inanimate object, an irrational creature and a human being. But all three have something in common: all three are lost and all three are loved deeply by the one to whom they belong.

This should teach us some important truths about sin and about us as sinners. Sin is more than just an offense against God, it is the state of being lost: of being separated from the one who loves us. When we are lost in sin, God, in his love and mercy, seeks us out. And when at last he finds us, there is rejoicing where we would expect retribution; there is acceptance where we would expect anger.

The Lord did look with anger on his sinful people when they made the golden calf. But as soon as Moses interceded on their behalf, the Lord’s anger gave way to mercy. On the Cross, our Lord Jesus Christ (the one prefigured by Moses) made the ultimate act of intercession by giving his own life as a willing sacrifice for our sins. As a result, God can no longer be angry with his people, because he has lovingly received this sacrifice from his Son. So when a sinner returns to God in repentance, as the lost son did, the Father runs to embrace him with love and mercy. This is what happens each time we avail ourselves of the Sacrament of Penance and Reconciliation—the Sacrament of God’s love for us poor sinners.

Nevertheless, it’s important to remember that the Lord forces his love on no one. For those who refuse to return to God, those who stubbornly remain lost in their sinful ways, there awaits punishment and eternal separation from God and the happiness he wishes to give us.

The events of September 11^th, 2001 show how far a person can stray from the path of righteousness. Even though it happened three years ago, that day is burned permanently into the minds of every citizen of this country, especially those who lost their loved ones in those senseless acts of terror. That anyone could actually think God desires the destruction of innocent human life indicates a heart completely "hijacked by evil," as our own bishop remarked at that time. But, while we mourn the lives lost on that evil day, let’s not forget the thousands of innocent lives destroyed every day in this land through neglect, through poverty, and through abortion. It might be unpleasant to do so, but we must recognize that our hearts, also, have the capacity for evil; and we manifest that each time we fall into sin, even the smallest sin. Our nation continues to fight a war against terrorism. And, while we might disagree with some of the methods chosen to do so, I believe it is right for our government to bring the guilty to justice. But at the same time, let us, as Christian believers, implore God’s mercy for ourselves and for our enemies. Because this is what our Savior calls us to do.

© 2004, The Rev. Timothy W. Castor

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