Gospel Reflections for September 15 2019
…there’s something wrong here!
Jesus tells three slightly wrong parables in a row in this Gospel about God’s mercy and so the crowd must have been even more curious …why would Our Lord do that?
Yet these three parables of the Lost Coins, the Lost Sheep, and the Prodigal Son are some of the most beloved stories for us today. What’s going on?
When Jesus spoke parables He deliberately included features that would not have made sense to people then. That made His parables stand out and so more deeply engaged their minds in unexpected ways.
For example, when Jesus describes a shepherd going after a lost sheep the crowd would think, “Wait! There’s something wrong here …sheep never get lost!” They knew sheep are the most timid of animals and always stay close to the shepherd. If a sheep ever did get lost, well, there must be something wrong with it …and certainly not worth rescuing. In fact, you would never want a crazy sheep like that back in your flock!
If a shepherd ever went after a sheep lost in the wilderness and carried it back, other people seeing him (and knowing that sheep never get lost) would assume that he stole it from another flock, and the penalty for stealing sheep was death.
Jesus presents a parable that is very counter-cultural to the people at that time. He affirms He is willing to go after a lost and wandering sheep that no one else would ever want …and even risk His life in doing so. This is a remarkable shepherd!
Jesus courageously seeks us …and always and wants us back in His flock no matter how crazy, sinful, or wandering we have been. He is even willing to die for us, as the crucifix in almost every Church affirms. The cross reveals just how passionate Our Lord is about His desire for us to find the lasting happiness that can only come from Him …and never from staying in His flock.
We may have turned against Our Lord but He will never turn against us. We may have abandoned Him at times, but He will never abandon us. We may have done crazy things in our past, but Our Lord is always willing to forgive and help us move forward.
How lucky we are to have a Shepherd such as this!
God Bless!
Fr. Dave
Dear Father Dave,
This Gospel lesson is so intense and so meaningful that it brought tears.
God bless.
Kathleen A.
Thank you!
I just remembered that today is the feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross.
Kathleen A.
Yes, this day is especially meaningful and full of deep spiritual insights.
Your explanations of the “slightly off” parables have always been a favorite of mine and, as such, are above and beyond the back stories I seek in explanation of biblical texts. I appreciate your gift of interpretation and your thoughtful homilies. I miss hearing them live and look now look forward to your weekly gospel reflections.
Stay tuned every week!
Love our precious Faith soooooooooooooooooo much!!! That our loving God would send His only Son to teach us to love, to die for us so that we might return to His precious embrace!!! We must live in love and share Jesus’ love with our world and transform it for our Jesus died for us and we must make a difference for good!! Beautiful Faith, Beautiful life!!! loveeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee it and we thank you so much Father Dave for sharing our Jesus’ loveeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee with everyone!!!
Loveeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee, Franca and Dick!
Thank you!
Jesus is indeed the “Good Shepherd”
He leads us and forgives us on our journey through life, and He promises us
true happiness in His kingdom.
Does anybody have a better offer than that?
No one has a better offer!
Thank you for providing so much hope with this beautiful interpretation.
You are very welcome!