Search until what you have lost is found - Sunday's reading reflection

Do you ever feel resentful or get upset when someone else gets treated better than you think they deserve? The scribes and Pharisees took great offense at Jesus because he went out of his way to meet with sinners and he treated them like they were his friends. The Pharisees had strict regulations about how they were to keep away from sinners, lest they incur ritual defilement. They were not to entrust money to them or have any business dealings with them, nor trust them with a secret, nor entrust orphans to their care, nor accompany them on a journey, nor give their daughter in marriage to any of their sons, nor invite them as guests or be their guests. They were shocked with the way in which Jesus freely received sinners and ate with them. 

Sinners, nonetheless, were drawn to Jesus to hear him speak about the mercy of God. Jesus characteristically answered the Pharisees' charge with one of his own... "Hypocrites!"  St. Paul cannot avoid being a sinner, as we see in the second reading, but he does avoid hypocrisy by acknowledging that "Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners. Of these I am the foremost."

What does Jesus' story about a lost sheep and a lost coin tell us about God and his kingdom? That both the shepherd and the housewife "search until what they have lost is found." Their persistence pays off. They both value that for which they sought and instinctively share their joy with the whole community when it is found. The poor are particularly good at sharing in one another's sorrows and joys. 

What was new in Jesus' teaching was the insistence that sinners must be sought out and not merely mourned for. God does not rejoice in the loss of anyone, but desires that all be saved and restored to fellowship with him. That is why the whole community of heaven rejoices when one sinner is found and restored to fellowship with God.  Seekers of the lost are much needed today.

(Adapted from Don Schwager)

I have been treated mercifully - Tomorrow's reading reflection

"...but I have been mercifully treated because I acted out of ignorance in my unbelief."

Who of us cannot say this about ourselves at at least one point in our lives?

If Christ has truly freed us from guilt and condemnation, then why is judgmentalism and a critical spirit so rampant today, even among Christians? "Thinking the best of other people" is necessary if we wish to grow in love. And kindliness in judgment is nothing less that a sacred duty. The Rabbis warned people: "He who judges his neighbor favorably will be judged favorably by God." How easy it is to misjudge and how difficult it is to be impartial in judgment. Our judgment of others is usually "off the mark" because we can't see inside the other person, or we don't have access to all the facts, or we are swayed by instinct and unreasoning reactions to people. It is easier to find fault in others than in oneself. Jesus states a heavenly principle we can stake our lives on: what you give to others (and how you treat others) will return to you (Mark 4:24). The Lord knows our faults and he sees all, even the imperfections and sins of the heart which we cannot recognize in ourselves. Like a gentle father and a skillful doctor he patiently draws us to his seat of mercy and removes the cancer of sin which inhabits our hearts. Do you trust in God's mercy and grace? Ask the Lord to flood your heart with his loving-kindness and mercy that you may only have room for charity, forbearance, and kindness towards your neighbor.

(Adapted from Don Schwager)

Mercy in the face of evil - Tomorrow's reading reflection

God is good to the unjust as well as the just. His love embraces saint and sinner alike. God seeks our highest good and teaches us to seek the greatest good of others, even those who hate and abuse us. Our love for others, even those who are ungrateful and selfish towards us, must be marked by the same kindness and mercy which God has shown to us. It is easier to show kindness and mercy when we can expect to benefit from doing so. How much harder when we can expect nothing in return.

Augustine of Hippo (354-430 AD) describes Jesus double precept to give and forgive as two essential wings of prayer: 

"Forgive and you will be forgiven. Give, and it will be given you. These are the two wings of prayer on which it flies to God. Pardon the offender what has been committed, and give to the person in need."  [Sermon 205.3] "Let us graciously and fervently perform these two types of almsgiving, that is, giving and forgiving, for we in turn pray the Lord to give us things and not to repay our evil deeds." [Sermon 206.2]

Our prayer for those who do us ill both breaks the power of revenge and releases the power of love to do good in the face of evil.

(Adapted from Don Schwager)

Serenity and blessedness are fruits of recovery and the Beatitudes - Tomorrow's reading reflection

"Rejoice and leap for joy on that day!"

Recovery programs show us that those who are facing troubles that they cannot hide have much to teach the rest of the world.  Indeed, blest are those who, as Jesus teaches us in Luke, fulfill the Beatitudes.  And blest also are those who, through the Beatitudes,  know in their bones that they cannot make it on their own. Blest are those who know they are in trouble and seek help.  Blest are those who trust that help will come.  Blest are those who do not seek vengeance or nurse hatred.  Blest are those who give people another chance.  Blest are those who trust that God is for real.  May these serve as modern translations to the wisdom Jesus imparts from the sermon on the mount when he taught us what leads to serenity, happiness and blessedness.

(Adapted from Jeanne Schuler)

"Solitude is a good place to visit, but a poor place to stay." (Billings) - Tomorrow's reading reflection

"Jesus departed to the mountain to pray, and he spent the night in prayer to God.  When day came, he called his disciples to himself"

When Jesus embarked on his mission he chose twelve men to be his friends and apostles. In the choice of the twelve, we see a characteristic feature of God's work: Jesus chose very ordinary people. They were non-professionals, who had no wealth or position. They were chosen from the common people who did ordinary things, had no special education, and no social advantages. Jesus wanted ordinary people who could take an assignment and do it extraordinarily well. He chose these men, not for what they were, but for what they would be capable of becoming under his direction and power. When the Lord calls us to serve, we must not shrug back because we think that we have little or nothing to offer. The Lord takes what ordinary people, like us, can offer and uses it for greatness in his kingdom.

Not only that, however, but he models for us the importance of time with friends as well as time in solitude.  Both make for good discipleship.