Trinity III- Luke 15:1-10

 The Gospel from Luke 15:1-10 contains two brief parables: the lost sheep and the lost coin.   A shepherd who loses one sheep out of a hundred and a housewife who loses one coin out of ten make great efforts to recover what has been lost. And when they do recover the lost sheep or coin, they rejoice greatly. These parables illustrate the divine attitude toward sinners. God cares for every soul, no matter how insignificant that person might seem. He searches for the lost, and He and all of heaven rejoice over every soul recovered.

These parables apply to us. We all belong to God, but at different times or in different ways, we get lost. Yet, each of us has great value to God, and He keeps seeking us. He offers us His amazing grace in Word and Sacrament; He takes the initiative even when we are unaware. If we have already been found by Him, we should be grateful to Him and live accordingly. If we are still wandering like lost sheep, we should be aware of God's desire to find us and accept His mercy.  We should always be aware of the divine grace that seeks us, and we should respond in humble gratitude. We should also acknowledge that the same divine grace is seeking the people around us.

Trinity III- Luke 15:1-10

 The Gospel from St. Luke 15:1- 10 contains two brief but well-known two brief parables: the lost sheep and the lost coin.  The parables illustrate the importance and power of divine grace. Human beings tend to be very concerned about what they lose. Thus, a shepherd who loses one sheep out of a hundred and a housewife who loses one coin out of ten will make great efforts to recover what has been lost. And when they do recover the lost item, they rejoice greatly. Christ's parables present the divine attitude toward sinners as being similar to people who find lost items. Our heavenly Lord is concerned over the loss of any soul, no matter how insignificant that person might seem to the world. He keeps searching for the lost, and He and all of heaven rejoice over every soul recovered.

These parables apply to us. We all belong to God, but at various times in different ways, we get lost and God seeks to find us. Each of us has great value to God, and He seeks us out. He offers us His amazing grace in Word and Sacrament; He takes the initiative even when we are unaware. If we have already been found by Him, we should be grateful to Him and live accordingly. If we are still wandering like lost sheep, we should be aware of God's desire to find us and accept His mercy. In either case, human beings should be more aware of and more appreciative of divine mercy and grace.

Trinity IX- Prodigals- Luke 15: 11-32

The traditional Gospel for this Sunday from St. Luke 15:11-32 is well known. In fact, it might be so well known that we overlook its depth of meaning. It has often been called the Parable of the Prodigal Son, and certainly the prodigal or wasteful son is important, but we must notice that there are three central characters in the story: 1) the ungrateful and wasteful son who repents and returns home, 2)  the legalistic and resentful older brother who is jealous and hurt, and 3) the merciful, gracious and forgiving father who celebrates the prodigal's return and admonishes the older son.

Focusing on any of the three characters can provide much food for thought. The example of the prodigal or wasteful son is significant. He represents all of us when we abuse our birthright as God's children, run away from God, eventually come to our senses, and finally return to our heavenly Father in repentance. The other son is also an important example. He seems to be mature, dutiful, and disciplined, but he is self-righteous, and he also needs to repent in a different way. He represents us in our smugness and our moral or spiritual pride. Even at our best, the most dutiful of God's children still need to be humble enough to repent. 

Although both the sons are important and although we should examine our lives in light of their examples, the key character in the parable is the forgiving father. It is the Father who exemplifies the qualities of God the Father. He cares for both sons. He respects their freedom and allows them to develop in their individual ways. He gives them guidance and sustenance, and He is saddened when they misunderstand Him, make mistakes, and drift away from Him in their different ways. Nevertheless, His love endures and is ready to express itself when one of His children repents and returns in humility. In His graciousness, He is ready to rejoice and have a feast when the penitent returns. We all have such a loving, gracious, and forgiving heavenly Father; so let us arise and go to Him in humility.