Homilies

24th SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME: COMING HOME TO THE FATHER

THE GOSPEL passage once again shows how Jesus was misunderstood by the Pharisees and scribes. In this passage, Jesus shows to us the proper way of dealing sinners in the society and how important it is to bring them back to the fold of the Father.

First, let us reflect on our attitude toward the known sinners in the society. Often, we find public sinners as unclean and thus, they need to be isolated from the society. Furthermore, we find it proper to be dissociated from sinners. Well, on the one hand, it may seem right and proper to stop our association with them as an indication that we don’t tolerate them. On the other hand, our dissociation would not help them in their desire for conversion. Distancing ourselves from them would only make the situation worse.

Second, for Jesus, it is important to distinguish the sin from the sinner. Sin must be condemned, but the sinner must be loved. Sin is evil; it must not be tolerated, it must be condemned. However, this should not mean that we should include the sinner. The sinner is a human person and he deserves to be loved. He must be loved because he is in a dreadful situation. He must be lovingly embraced. The gospel suggests that the sinner must be embraced with compassion and concern. Out of compassion and concern, the straying sheep must be searched out. This is a problem for most people. The distinction appears to be difficult for them to do. They think that the sin is the sinner. Therefore, if a priest is seen being with a known sinner in the community, he could be judged wrongly. Remember the words of Jesus to the woman caught in adulterous relationship? He said to her, “Neither do I condemn you. Go and sin no more!”

Third, associating ourselves with a sinner has a specific purpose. Our purpose is to bring him back to God.  If our association with the sinner is simply an association, that is, we don’t denounce the sin, then, that is a pure toleration. We don’t actually show our concern for the sinner. Many of us may have maintained our relationship with friends who have wronged. But do we have the courage and determination to bring them back to God?

Lastly, the conversion of a sinner is a sense of coming home to God. In fact, God would be happy to see sinners coming back to his fold. The parable in the gospel tells us that the shepherd invites others to “Rejoice with me because I have found my lost sheep!” Conversion is a source of celebration on the part of God. If only we have this kind of understanding about repentance, then we could have loved the sacrament of reconciliation more. In life, we love homecomings, we love reunions. These are joyous and memorable occasions. Thus, we should also think of conversion in this context. The coming home to the Father is a cause for celebration and joy.

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