September 15th

Post date: Sep 16, 2019 7:54:7 PM

Sept 15, 2019 Homily by Fr. Karl Schray

You all know Jesus’ amazing story—The Prodigal Son.

The former Archbishop of Tuam in Ireland had this to say

about Luke’s Gospel of the Prodigal Son:

No story tells us more about God or makes us feel better about ourselves.

It’s a short story with enormous scope.

It embraces our sinfulness at one end and God’s forgiveness at the other.

And, of course, both extremes are brought to the forefront.

The story itself falls into three parts.

The first part is about the younger son.

A lad who wanted his inheritance now. Couldn’t wait for the father to die.

Greedy fingers, itchy feet, a sensual nature.

Live it up, to hell with the commandments.

A life based on self-indulgence, doing what you feel like doing—

not an unfamiliar story in any generation, including our own.

But the pleasure ran out and ‘he came to his senses’.

And that is the big point about him. He was really repentant.

To be sorry for our sins, to want a different kind of life,

and to have the motivation and determination to change. Well, he had that.

‘I have sinned against heaven and against you;

I no longer deserve to be called your son;

treat me as one of your hired men.’

The second part of the story is about the father

and this is truly extraordinary.

‘While he was still a long way off, his father saw him.’

Still a long way off, a dot on the horizon.

Doesn’t that mean he was on the look-out for him from the day he left,

watching and waiting and praying, like many a father and mother?

Doesn’t it illustrate how God the Father feels about each one of us,

how much every one of us matters to him,

how anxious he is that we come back?

And he didn’t just wait for the son; he ran out to meet him—

met him half-way.

The intensity of his joy expressed with

‘bring him the ring and the robe, kill the fatted calf’

The third part of the story of the story concerns the older son.

Boy, was he angry. He couldn’t get into the ‘party mood’ at all.

His attitude is understandable. We identify with his reaction.

His attitude helps to illustrate how much more forgiving God is than we are,

and how inclusive, all-embracing God’s love is—

it includes the rock and the rover.

The story of the Prodigal Son needs no elaboration.

The only respectful response to it is personal reflection.

Just think about it, let it sink in.

Do you remember Jesus’ words:

Be perfect as your heavenly Father is perfect?

It sounds like an impossible ideal.

In St. Luke’s Gospel the same sentiment is recorded from Jesus as

“Be compassionate/merciful as your heavenly Father is compassionate/merciful.”

How do people deal with sin? By burying it, forgetting it, denying it,

or by drowning it. We know that doesn’t work.

What does work is saying, I am sorry, meaning it,

asking for forgiveness, and correcting the wrong done.

This is why Jesus gave us the Sacrament of Reconciliation.

St. Jerome was praying and felt the need to offer something worthwhile

to God. ‘Lord, I offer you my life.’

A voice came back, “It was I who gave you that, your life is mine already.”

‘Then Lord, I offer you my heart, my love.’ “

It was I who gave you those too.” Silence.

Then the Lord spoke again, “Jerome?” ‘Yes?’

“Why don’t you give me your sins? Your sins are all your own.”

You think God doesn’t want you to turn away from sin?

You think God doesn’t love you? You haven’t been listening.