September
15, 2019
Readings:
First
Reading: Exodus 32: 7-11, 13-14
Psalm
51 “I will rise and go to my father.”
Second
Reading: 1 Timothy 1: 12-17
Gospel
reading according to Luke 15: 1-32 (or 15: 1-10)
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Homily:
Many ordinary and simple people came to Jesus;
they were called sinners by some of their own because of their functions, roles
and works in society. There were tax
collections, Jews collecting money from the Jews on behalf of the Roman
governor. Other sinners were victims of
poverty, injustices, corruption of their own Jewish leaders and elders. They were farmers of wheat, vegetables,
fruits, herbs and other agricultural products; some were fishermen, carpenters,
kasama and sakada, and all kinds of dirty, perspiring but honest, too goodness
jobs. Most of them were robbed their
lands due to high loans for fertilizers and seeds yet low price of their wheat
(rice in the case of the Philippines) when they sold them to their loan sharks
leaders and elders. The same with the
fishermen, they cannot catch fish in their own seas. Laborers receive low salary and remain contractual
(endo). That is why, many of them were
uneducated, holding onto knife (kaput say
fatalism), and they have no time to study the Torah (Books of Moses) and
the Books of the Prophets. In these
conditions, they were called sinners.
And in Jesus, they found confidant, companion, leader, kakampi, like them in all things except
sin, Jesus the Christ. “The tax collectors and sinners were all
drawing near to Jesus, but the Pharisees and scribes began to complain, saying,
‘This man welcomes sinners and eats with them’.” (Luke 15: 1-2). Almost all poor people in Judea and Galilee
were coming closer to Jesus. But the
clean outside but rotten inside, rich due to robbing the poor widows and
orphans, educated but did not use what they have learned to alleviate the
condition of their poor neighbors (people) - the Pharisees and scribes,
planting bad things to Jesus who was giving new hope and new life to the
desperate countrymen and women. The
scribes and Pharisees saw in Jesus what they are lacking, genuine support and
love to the Anawim of Yahweh (the poor people of God). That’s why they were jealous, because they
were losing followers, their income is decreasing and they no longer fool the
simple and ordinary Jews whom they called sinners. So they usually altered unnecessary, trivial,
unimportant complaint against Jesus, like welcoming sinners and eating with
them. We too must follow Jesus closely,
wherever he goes, if we want to become true disciples of him.
Jesus perceived as he has heard the
scribes and Pharisees underestimated and called name names to the ordinary and
simple Jews as “tax collectors and
sinners.” “So to them he addressed this parable . . .” (Luke 15: 3).
He told a story, a parable to the
scribes and Pharisees who think they were righteous, about sinful sons of so
good a father. “Then he said, ‘A man had two sons, and the younger son said to his
father, ‘Father, give me the share of your estate that should come to me.’ So the father divided the property between
them. After a few days, the younger son
collected all his belongings and set off to a distant country where he
squandered his inheritance on a life of dissipation. When he had freely spent
everything, a severe famine struck that country, and he found himself in dire need. So he hired himself out to one of the local
citizens who sent him to his farm to tend the swine. And he longed to eat his fill of the pods on
which the swine fed, but nobody gave him any. . . .” (Luke 15: 11-16). The young son asked his inheritance from his
father. This only shows disrespect to his
father as well as if he wants the death of his father for only when the father dies
the inheritance is divided and given to the rightful heirs. This brought sadness to the father for his
beloved son was asking his part of his estates and leaving and separating from
him. He no longer sees his younger
son. As if he too is dead for he is
going away. So, after collecting his
belongings, he left his home and went to a far country to live his new separated
and liberated life. Now he can do what
he wants. Later on, he spent all the
inheritance he received to overindulgence, sinful lifestyle – drinking,
gambling, womanizing and all sorts of vices ad sins, and he became destitute. He runs out of money so he looks for work in
order that he has something to eat. Yet famine arrived in that place, he cannot
found a decent job, and when he found none he accepted taking care of the
swine.
While tending the swine, he recalled the
conditions of their workers in his father’s house, he realized, and the sin he
had done to his father and to God. “. . . Coming to his senses he thought, ‘How
many of my father’s hired workers have more than enough food to eat, but here am
I, dying from hunger. I shall get up and
go to my fatter and I shall say to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven
and aginst you. I no longer deserve to
be called your son; treat me as you would treat one of your hired workers.’ So he got up and went back to his father. . .
.” (Luke 15: 17-20a). While
meditating his situation, he compared his condition to the conditions of their
hired workers. He has nothing to eat,
even the food of the pigs was denied in him.
The workers in his father’s house received proper ration of food and in
plenty. They have better food and
conditions. He realized what he did and
he was very sorry for what he has done. So
he decided to go home not as a son, for the younger son is already dead when he
left home, but as a hired worker so that he will survive from famine, of hunger,
of nothingness and of emptiness.
But the good father cannot forget his
son. He is always longing to see one day
that his son who died will live again and come back to him. Every day, he is looking in the road whether
his son might passes by; he is hoping that he will see his son again. “. . .
While he was still a long way off, his father caught sight of him, and was
filled with compassion. He ran to his
son, embraced him and kissed. His son
said, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. I no longer deserve to be called your
son.’ But his father ordered his
servants, ‘Quickly bring the finest robe and put it on him; put a ring on his
finger and sandals on his feet. Take the
fattened calf and slaughter it. Then let
us celebrate with a feast, because this son of mine was dead and has come to
life; he was lost, and has been found.’
Then the celebration began. . . .” (Luke 15: 20b-24). A father who knew his son cannot commit
mistakes; he can easily identify his own beloved son. Even though his son was still far away,
instead of waiting for his coming closer he was the one who run toward him, he
embraced him and kissed him. He has not
given a chance to finish what he practiced to say to his father when he meets
him. The happiness of his father cannot
be measured. When they arrived home he
called the servants and gave orders – to dress him up with a finest robe, put
ring in his finger, sandals on his feet and slaughter and cook the fatten calf,
for they will celebrate for the return of his younger son. The father said, “Then let us celebrate with a feast, because this son of mine was dead
and has come to life; he was lost, and has been found.” For truly his son repented sorrowfully what
he did against his father and against God.
The other son, the older one, was in the
field, working like hired servant of his father. He was good, he did not violate any rule of
his father, and he did what he can to please his father. There was nothing wrong with him except he
treated his father as his employer while he treated himself as slave to his
father. But deep inside of him there is
hatred and jealousy which he cannot express or explain to his father with
regards to his younger brother and why he allowed dividing his estate, and many
other grudges. “. . . Now the older son had been out in the field and, on his way back,
as he neared the house, he heard the sound of music and dancing. He called one of the servants and asked what
this might be. The servant said to him,
‘Your brother has returned and your father has slaughtered the fattened calf
because he has him back safe and sound.’
He became angry, and when he refused to enter the house, his father came
out and pleaded with him. He said to his
father in reply, ‘Look, all these years I served you and not once did I disobey
your orders, yet you never gave me even a young goat to feast on with my
friends. But when your son returns who
swallowed up your property with prostitute, for him you slaughter the fattened
calf.’ . . .” (Luke 15: 25-30). The
elder son went home from the field after working the whole day. When he was near home he heard music,
laughter, talking, clapping of hands and stepping of the feet as in a
dancing. There was celebration of which
occasion he cannot remember or recalled.
So, instead of entering the house he called one of the servants he
spotted and asked the occasion or what is going on. And the servant explained the return of his
younger brother and what their father did.
His father saw him outside, like an outsider or expectator, so as a
loving father, he went out and met his elder son lie he did to his younger son
and invited him to come in. But he
became stubborn of heart; he cannot accept his brother and he cannot join in
the celebration. His anger inside of
himself was released; he has now the freedom to tell at the face of his father
all that what he was keeping in his heart and mind since his younger brother
left. He poured out all to his father. He never stopped telling his father all that
he went through throughout those years, even becoming slave for him and not
even touch any of their sheep or goat, or calf to have fun with his
friends. He even told to his father, “when your son,” that the son of yours,
and not saying “my brother.” When he stopped and running out of breathe, the
father starting explaining to him the love and respect and compassion he gave
to them both because they were his sons and not his slaves or workers or
laborers, or other people and outsider. Actually both sons committed sins against
their father. Despite the elder son did not leave and squandered his shared
inheritance but he did not treat his father as his truly father rather an
employer.
Although he hurt his father’s heart and
feelings of what he had said against him and against his brother, still the
father showed his love and understanding to his elder son. He does not know yet the feelings of a father
who lost a younger son and now mistreated by his elder son. “. . .
He said to him, ‘My son, you are here with me always; everything I have is
yours. But now we must celebrate and
rejoice, because your brother was dead and has come to life again; he was lost
and has been found’.” (Luke 15: 31-32).
The elder son, though he was with the father’s home but was not able to
build a father-son relationship, he was not able to show his love and respect
to his father, and maybe he did not claim the fatherhood of his father. What he built was employer-employee
relationship. Maybe now, he realized that he was a son and member in his
father’s house and he has a brother who was returning from death (sinful life)
to live (forgiven life) who was repenting for the sin he committed against God
and against their father. The elder son
was convinced by a merciful, compassionate and loving father to enter the
house, welcome his younger brother who was dead and now alive, who was lost and
now is found. “Then the celebration that
was began . . . and the celebration continued.”
It is hope that the scribes and Pharisees after hearing this parable of
Jesus, learned to accept, opened their hearts and eyes and their hands welcome
the tax collectors and sinners who were once dead and is now alive, lost but
now is found. The question is, which
among the character in the gospel and in the parable are you? Are you the tax
collector and sinner or the scribes and Pharisees? Or are you one of the two
brothers, the elder son or the younger son, or the father?
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