Today we meditate on the depth of
God’s mercy and how far it can go to save us. The first reading narrates how
God reacted angrily when the Israelites worshipped a molten calf and sacrificed
to it as their god. While Moses was far away up the mountain in the presence of
God, the people down below lost patience and decided to make their own god.
Moses interceded for them, invoking the merits of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.
In the second reading, we see how
the merits that saved the Israelites through Moses’ intercession is now given to
us in a perfect way through Jesus Christ. St Paul says, “I received mercy because
I had acted ignorantly in unbelief, and the grace of our Lord overflowed for me
with the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus. The saying is sure and worthy
of full acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners.”
Jesus is the mediator, who climbed mount Calvary and offered up Himself to the
Father for us sinners. The merits of this one perfect offering for the forgiveness
of sins are made available and accessible to us through the sacraments of the
Church.
The great outpouring of God’s mercy
is demonstrated in the parables in the gospel. As the one sheep strayed far
away from the sheepfold, and disappeared into the wilderness, so did the one coin
fall off and uselessly hid in an unknown corner of the house. In both parables,
the shepherd and the woman went in search of their sheep and coin respectively.
In the parable of the prodigal son, “The younger son gathered all he had and
took his journey into a far country, and there he squandered his property in
loose living.”
The far country is in contrast to his home. At home, under his father’s care, the young man had abundance, companionship, rights and privileges. But in the far country, he was under his own authority. He spent all he had, looking for fulfilment, still he ended up wretched and hungry. The people in this far country lacked compassion and generosity; they are cold-hearted. Those who turn away from God and turn to themselves equally isolate themselves from others. It is interesting that citizens of the far country have no respect for human dignity. Think about that state of mind that accommodates abortion, adultery, indecency, divorce, lies, corruption, etc.
The good news is that the goodness
of the Father is far-reaching. Even in the far country, the prodigal son was
still touched by the ‘grace’ of his Father’s love, and he testified, saying, “How
many of my Father’s hired servants have bread enough and to spare, but I perish
here with hunger!” The Father’s love goes farther than the ‘far country.’ The influence
of this love and mercy was strong enough to pull the prodigal son back home. In
the process of making amendments, while on his way back home, but yet at a distance, “His father saw him and had compassion, and ran and embraced him and kissed
him.” Think about the depth of the Father’s love; that excessive and unmerited
love that can transform a slave to a son!
Such is the unmerited love that
reconciles us with God; the excessive mercy that awaits us at the Sacrament of
Reconciliation. It is through the merits of Jesus Christ that we receive such
embrace and kiss of love, though we are unworthy. At home with the Father, we
enjoy the freedom of God’s children and live out our full potential. We live no
longer for ourselves, but the grace of God upbraids us. Therefore, we renounce
every step towards the ‘far country.’ Amen.
Fr Jude Chinwenwa Nwachukwu, C.Ss.R
Saints Peter & Paul Catholic
Church,
Tedi-Muwo, Ojo, Lagos.
Sunday September 11th,
2022.
